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Reefing System

Started by Old Forum, April 07, 2014, 08:28:35 AM

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Old Forum

Owen Hines
   
Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 09:27 pm:      
Advice please as I appear to have the only Winkle Brig that has a headsail system using piston hanks to attach the sail to the forestay.
I would like to enjoy the luxury of a jib reefing system and have been studying the Plastimo 406S in their catalogue. This comes with a choice of chainplates or turnbuckle just to add to the confusion. Would this be the best system and what connection do others prefer? Also would I need a new headsail or could I get away with removing the piston hanks which are in individual eyelets at present and keeping my existing sail?

Old Forum

David Cawston
   
Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:13 pm:      
Hi Owen, Winkle Brigs were sometimes fitted with Holt roller reefing and if you go to your local chandler and ask for a kit for a 'Winkle Brig Cruiser', Holt will make up the correct package. As you have an early WB, if you have the original sails, they should have been made by 'Performance Sails'. The headsail luff rope will slide straight into the foil once you have removed the piston hanks. With later sails I believe a different size rope has to be sown into the luff. Once you get the roller reefing you will have to have the forestay made up, preferably as short as possible (note the thrust washer on the underside of the drum). Have a look at the 'raising and lowering the mast' topic under 'the rig'. It would be better if you have top and bottom swaged fittings the same as my bottom fitting as this allows a greater variation in shackle attachment to the forestay. At the same time try my running forestay idea. Hope you will be able to join us on the TSA cruise on the Norfolk Broads next Easter.

Old Forum

Roger Parish
   
Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 08:53 pm:      
I used the traditional method for several years before someone gave me a roller reefing system. I not sure I would have purchased one. Raising and lowering the sail was always easy and quicker than the roller system. The problem with it was always stowing the sail neatly. I still ponder how this could be easily achieved and would then return to the traditional method if I could come up with a good idea.
I have never found it necessary to reef the foresail as with two reefs in the main the boat remains balanced. This must be due to the movement of the centre of effort of the main as the sail is lowered.
I used the original sail (Ross) with the reefing roller (dont know the make) although it was very difficult to pull the luff into the slot.
The difference between "chainplate and turnbuckle" can be found on the Plastimo website.

Old Forum

Julian Swindell
Username: Julian_swindell

Registered: 03-2007
   
Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 11:00 pm:      
My boat has the Holt roller reefing and it works extremely well. I think the Plastimo systems are aimed at bigger boats. You do need to make sure that the reefing line is well secured. I've got mine running through an old cam cleat from a long ago sold Mirror dinghy and it sometimes slips. This is a serious problem, particularly if, unlike Roger, you do ever sale with the foresail partly reefed. If the line slips the sails blows out to its full area, usually when you least want it to. In a strong blow I find that part reefing the foresail does help calm everything down.

Old Forum

Martin Cartwright
   
Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - 06:42 pm:      
I noticed last season at Windermere (or rather Dave noticed!) that my forestay was fraying below the roller. I replaced it today and when it came out I was staggered to see how rusty it was inside the Holt roller reefing tube (you couldn't see the rust whilst the stay was inside the tube).It was a stainless wire and I guess it must have been the original one (making it some 16 years old).If anyone else's is of this vintage, I suggest you do a pre-season check, as a failure here could be embarrassing.

Old Forum


Martin_cartwright
Username: Martin_cartwright

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Sunday, June 28, 2009 - 09:16 am:      
Can someone please explain why the halyard for my Holt roller reefing system is out of the tube, so that as I sail along the halyard seems to be taking the strain rather than the tube/forestay? (I guess I must have done something wrong when I reassembled it after I replaced the forestay).

Old Forum


David Cawston
Username: David_cawston

Registered: 03-2007
   
Posted on Monday, June 29, 2009 - 10:36 pm:      
Martin, is the halyard that is giving the problem the one for furling the roller reefing?

Old Forum


Martin_cartwright
Username: Martin_cartwright

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - 05:49 pm:      
Yes. There is a small block attached to the roller reefing tube at the top and the halyard attaches to the top of the sail,goes around the block and I tie it off where the tube attaches to the deck.As the wind fills the sail, the tube(with forestay inside) seems to bend more than the halyard!

Old Forum

Martin_cartwright
Username: Martin_cartwright

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Monday, September 14, 2009 - 08:07 am:      
David. I realize that I misread your last post. I should have said no! The halyard giving the problem is the one for raising and lowering the sail, not the furling one. But I think I have solved the problem now.
I use the 'Dave Cawston' mast raising/lowering technique which is perfect for a lot of the sailing I do when I need to raise/lower the mast during a sail to get under bridges. However, when I have been sailing for a while in blustery conditions in open water, the forestay/mast halyard becomes slacker. This has the effect of making the shrouds slacker and and the tension on the 'problem' halyard tighter.All this is solved by tightening up the mast/forestay halyard periodically.

Old Forum

David_owens
Username: David_owens

Registered: 04-2010
   
Posted on Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 12:29 pm:      
I've just discovered my jib shroud needs replacing as the wire has been badly frayed. Unlike Martin above, it does not seem to be due to corrosion, but simple chafing. I understand this is due to the jib shroud being too loose, and that tension is achieved with the mast shrouds, and the bobstay on the bowsprit. Does this seem likely?
Also does anyone have instructions/diagrams for setting up the roller reefing? The pics in this thread are for David Cawston's modified rig.
It seems very simple - attach the jib shroud to the bowsprit using a shackle, shackle the plastic reefing drum to the bowsprit to steady it, and run the reefing halyard back along the bowsprit into the cockpit. However I am not clear if the swaging fits into the plastic reefing drum, and if the reefing drum needs any maintenace itself.
For obvious reasons I want to obviate any future chafing. And it has also been a salutory reminder to check my standing rigging regularly.
Finally I understand Holt reefing is now being handled by Holman Rigging of Chichester. Anyone know different?

Old Forum


Martin_cartwright
Username: Martin_cartwright

Registered: 04-2008
   
Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2011 - 07:55 am:      
Hi David.
I think it is possible that the fraying of the forestay is due to flexing either by being slack or just general wear and tear (raising/lowering the mast, trailering etc). I guess that it is fraying at either end just below the cringle as with the rigid roller reefing tube, this is the only place it can flex.
There are numerous potentially adjustable components to tensioning the forestay/shrouds. My advice is to limit them by making the bobstay and shrouds a fixture (Shackled or tied off), and adjusting the tension of the whole rig by using David's method.(The mast raising/lowering halyard).
When I replaced my jib I dispensed with the roller reefing, as the Winklebrig sails very badly with a reefed jib and I now use a simple Barton furling system.I can recommend this to anyone who is renewing the jib anyway.
I don't quite understand your question about the 'swaging' and the reefing drum. On my old roller reefing system the sail pulled up a groove in the tube with a small halyard. Nothing needed any particular maintenance.

Old Forum

David_owens
Username: David_owens

Registered: 04-2010
   
Posted on Sunday, April 10, 2011 - 03:22 pm:      
Many thanks Martin. Yes, wires have snapped just above the swaging at the bottom of my shroud, and at the bottom of the roller reefing tube. The rigger agrees with you that the shroud was too slack.
I hope to see David Cawston in South Wales (on the Neath Canal) when he visits at the end of May, so will see first hand how the mast raising/lowering is done. In the interim, I am looking to tighten the shrouds more, and maybe even the bobstay.
For the record Holman Rigging now have the contract for the Holt Roller Reefing system. I am not going through him, as there is a good local rigger, but have spoken on the phone when he was friendly, informative and helpful, even offering to discuss anything direct with the rigger if needed.

His website is:
http://www.holmanrigging.co.uk/

Old Forum


David Cawston
Username: David_cawston

Registered: 03-2007
   
Posted on Monday, April 11, 2011 - 06:05 pm:      
Hi David, apologies for not replying earlier, been to France. When I had the forestay made up, I asked for a stainless washer to be fitted between the plastic drum and the lower swage. So the drum rests on the washer and the washer rests on the swage.

Old Forum


David_owens
Username: David_owens

Registered: 04-2010
   
Posted on Monday, May 09, 2011 - 09:19 pm:      
Thanks David. Yes, I have inserted the washer as suggested. However, I don't yet have your system for lowering the mast. Many thanks for the excellent pics on this forum but I hope to see you on the Neath canal at the end of the month.