A prudent sailor reefs the main when the wind starts to build before things get wild. When the wind is blowing more than twelve to fifteen knots, depending on the boat, conservative sailors will start out with a reefed sail. Over twenty knots on many boats and it can become difficult to control the boat for smooth reefing, especially when short-handed.

Mainsail reefing Offshore Sailor: Mainsail reefing

Works for us, but hadn't considered the complication of a NZ sail number. Perhaps you'll just have to grit your teeth and pretend to be British!Likewise, if you are constantly reefing your mainsail to the first or the second reef the exposed area is being stretched at a greater rate than the hidden section. This can cause the sails to become baggy and impairs the efficiency of the design of the sail. The biggest problem with roller reefing is related to sail design. The designed draft (depth) in the middle of the sail dictates that, as the sail is rolled up, the edges of the sail roll proportionately faster than the middle of the sail (where the draft leaves more material). The resulting sail shape when partially rolled thus involves very tight sail edges while leaving the maximum draft area in the middle of the sail loose and baggy (Figure 1). This is exactly what you don’t want, because a loose sail with a lot of shape has more power and/or drag than a flat sail — resulting in poor upwind performance, more heel, and less control. Figure 2: With the headsail reefed by rolling it up almost all the way, the sail can be pulled tight and flat to depower it. Thankfully the Hunter 26 is built for overweight adults so it doesn’t heel excessively, but in a heavy breeze, that little boat was no picnic. We recommend taping all items in place first before drilling any holes andthe line to ensure friction is kept to a minimum.

Reef Hooks - Rig-Rite Reef Hooks - Rig-Rite

I have also seen reefing systems where they feed heavy monofilament up through the sail in lieu of reefing lines. It’s not my favorite design because again, it is never rigged correctly after the first day it is installed. Top five as rated by Upffront.com In this article we round up five of the best bottom up furlers on the market. Choosing the right furler is a question of boat size and SWL (safe working load), sail area, performance level and budget. Posted on 5 Oct Premium Ropes range - which rope to choose?So now we know what reefing is: shortening sail to depower the boat and lower the center of gravity of the boat to make it more comfortable for the crew. When should we reef? Bonus Uma Tip: Stow your main halyard and lines, in the same way, each time. Then no time is wasted figuring out what the previous person had done. The design of your sail is a crucial step in preparing your it to perform well in heavier winds. Precision Sails prides ourselves on our leading design consultations to build the best sail possible for your boat. Our designers get to know you, your boat, the conditions your sailing in, long term plans, and experience level to select the best cloth, weight, and features for your sail. Here are some of the features your new sail can have: Foam Luff Nothing beats the feeling when your boat wakes up and all the forces at play work together to make your sails sing and your hull hum. Weight saving on the boom - The remote command lines used to activate or release the hook can be smaller in diameter as they only need to operate the hook. As a result, say goodbye to big, high load reefing lines and high load jammers.