Flattening reef

[Sublime]

I'm talking to the sail loft about adding an additional reef into my main. It currently has one reef and it's a huge reef. I'd really like one between a full main and that reef.
The sail loft mentioned doing a "flattening reef" saying it's a little cheaper. My quick google searching has me wondering a few things:

-How is this different than just the outhaul?
-Some people say it worked well when sails were made out of a more stretchy material so I guess Dacron would be out?

I'm not sure a flat reef is what I need. The boat needs to be reefed at 15 kts. The reef it has in it works for up to 30 kts. So 10kt gusting to 20 kt can be a PIA in this boat since I don't have a traveler without a reef. With the big reef, it's underpowered in such conditions (which I seem to run into quite frequently). A reef in the middle I think my help cure my woes.

[Faster]

A flattening reef mostly removes draft by pulling an elevated clew down to the boom - it was used, too, to take out the 'shelf' on bolt rope mains. Doesn't sound like what you need ... Sounds like you want a reef half of the current big slab.

[PaulinVictoria]

Do you have a cunningham? That might give you a bit of a wider wind range before needing that big reef.

[Sailormon6]

A flattening reef is most commonly used in conjunction with a racing mainsail with a shelf foot. A shelf foot has extra fabric sewn into the foot, to make a deep pocket in the foot, and it helps make the sail more powerful in light air. As the windspeed increases, you need to flatten the shelf foot, and that's what the flattening reef does. Usually a flattening reef can be pulled in much more quickly than an ordinary reef. On my last boat, it only took a few seconds. It can be a huge advantage to be able to reduce sail area a little bit, and shake it out, easily and in just a few seconds. The reason why a flattening reef is quicker than a full reef is because, to tuck it in, you don't need to touch the halliard. You just pull the boom up to the flattening reef's cringle. That's it.

What you're talking about is rigging your sail so that you can reduce sail area a little bit instead of a lot. That can be done either by installing a short reef somewhere between the foot and the first reef, or it can be done by installing a flattening reef.

I think your sailmaker has made a good suggestion. My only reservation is whether a flattening reef will reduce your sail area as much as is necessary to achieve your purpose. On my boat, it was just enough to let the boat settle down when the wind picked up, without losing too much sail area. Your boat might differ. Your boat might need a short reef to take out a little more sail area and settle it down and achieve your purpose. If you installed a short reef, you could place it so as to take out as much sail area as you wish, but, as I said, a short reef usually isn't as quick as a flattening reef.

[sailingfool]

I haven't seen a flattening reef in use in thirty years. I have a few friends with old mains equipped with the grommets, but they no longer rig the lines to use the flattening reef.

So forgetaboutit and just get a real reef installed, two are common on most racer/cruisers.

[RichH]

Originally Posted by sailingfool

I haven't seen a flattening reef in use in thirty years. I have a few friends with old mains equipped with the grommets, but they no longer rig the lines to use the flattening reef.

So forgetaboutit and just get a real reef installed, two are common on most racer/cruisers.

good advice .....
OR simply remove the slugs and use the sail 'loose footed' ... it wont be 'perfect' like a loose foot constructed mainsail. The best way to do this is to add a long PTFE coated *clew slug* attached through the clew to keep the clew close to the boom to keep the clew 'close' to the boom when the outhaul is well eased. example" Coated Outhaul Slug 15/32"

Flattening reefs, although do perform well, are really quite 'old fashioned' tech that has been superseded by the use of a 'loose foot' configuration.