Is a winch required for reefing?

[dhornsey]

Hi All,

I'm in the process of adding a reefing system to our boom, which previously had none. I'm planning to install a simple jiffy reefing system where all the work will be done from the mast.

I'd like to keep things as simple as possible - I'm wondering if I'll need to mount a winch on the boom to haul on the reefing line? Are the forces such that I'll require it, or will I be able to haul it in by hand? The boat is 31 feet.

Any advice appreciated, thanks as always.

[sailingdog]

No, you probably don't need a winch.

[TropicCat]

I think it depends. If you're in a monohull, you'll probably have a fair amount of heel when your sails are over powered, and air will be spilled off the sails reducing pressure. If you're sailing a multihull then you will need a winch to crank the overpowered sails down to the reefing points as they will be under a tremedous amount of pressure and do not unload.

[sailingdog]

TropicCat-

He's on a PSC Mariah 31. And if you're reefing properly on a multihull this size, a winch isn't generally necessary. Using a winch to reef sails is a good way to tear sails.

[sailingfool]

I don't remember my setup on this size boat, if you don't get other opinions, I'd look at boats with similar size mains and see what they have or you should be able to get an idea from whether there is leverage in your current outhaul, if there is a multipart system, then you would need at least similar or more power for the reefing system. If it a grey area, you may not have a lot to lose to set it up for manual use and add the winch if you find you don't get a good set manually.

It's curious the boat doesn't have a reefing setup, or are you converting from roller-reefing?

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

TropicCat-

He's on a PSC Mariah 31. And if you're reefing properly on a multihull, a winch isn't generally necessary. Using a winch to reef sails is a good way to tear sails.

My experience on my 36 is I need to lean on the reefing winch pretty hard to get the last foot or so out of the clew reef, about the same tension as a halyard.

[sailingdog]

SF-

Don't know if that's really comparable, since a CS36t has roughly 70% more sail area than a PSC 31 Mariah or so...the forces are going to be significantly greater.

[Faster]

We added a boom winch to our 40 footer to help get the last few inches on the clews, it worked well. On our current boat we seem to be able to get (in most conditions) enough tension on the clew by luffing the main and releasing the vang during the operation - our main is approx 320sqft. vs the 400+ on the last boat.

As long as you use the proper procedure a winch should not damage the sail and will make the job easier, esp if you're lacking physical strength or weight. It needn't be a particularly powerful winch, a simple smallish single speed one will do. If you add it be sure to arrange it so that you can use the winch on both/all your reef slabs.

[bubb2]

dhornsey, where is the halyard winch? I was looking on the net for a deck plan of Pacific Seacraft Mariah 31 and could not find one clear enough.

If it is on the mast. Could It be moved to the cabin top close to the companionway? With a few turning blocks and a deck organizer you could rig both your halyards and reefing lines back to the cockpit and the one winch would serve double duty.

[dhornsey]

Thanks for the replies! I too was astounded that the boat had no reefing set up whatsoever. A 30 year old boat that's never been reefed once. Our sail area is roughly 260 sq ft.

We have 2 halyard winches, mounted to each side of our mast. The procedure for reefing will be roughly:

-go to the mast
-ease the halyard
-attach the tack of the sail to a reefing hook
-tension the halyard
-tension the reefing line

We also have a topping lift, which could possibly help ease the pressure on the leech while reefing?