Dear all,
I have a Freedom 30 Cat rigged ketch and I’m trying to work out reefing system for the two ply sails.Unfortunately I did not get the reefing diagram with the boat when I bought her some years ago.Could anybody e-mail me a diagram or indicate how it can be arranged.
Regards,
Saorise
hi , i uploaded the owners manual to the uk 35 ck and the info in that is what your after have a look in the archives.
phil
Good morning, all.
I now own that boat, and Freddie never did find out how to reef it. I have downloaded the F28/30 CK documents from the library here, and know that he didn’t work out how to rig the luff reefing line. But I am curious about references in old magazine articles to Hoyt’s “ingenious” single-line reefing system. I know how single-line reefing works on a boat with a boom, but I haven’t worked out how it would be done on a boat with a wishbone boom and wrap-around sails. I have searched the forum and haven’t found an answer. Does anybody have one?
Andy
Andy:
I’ve attached a quick draw of single line reefing on wishbone. Tied from the Padeye a foot or so from the end of the boom, through the reefing grommets on the sails, down to a block on the padeye on the other side of the boom, back to the double block where the outhaul uses one block, then between the sails to a block tied to the boom lash between the sails, down to a block on the deck ring, back to the pillow blocks on the deck and back to the cockpit. Dump the wind, lower the halyard some and pull on the reefing line, then tighten the halyard, and ;put wind back into the sails. When I’ve got it set up right, I mark the halyard and reefing line with magic marker so I can go there right away the next time. Mine’s a 40 so I can’t give you lengths.
Carl
Running Free
reefing.pdf (205 KB)
Thank you, Carl, but that only brings down the clew reefing cringles. That arrangement is the one given in the document for the UK built 30 available in the forum’s documents section (Nausikaa original rigging schedule - Freedom 30 ck.pdf). There’s also the reefing points on the luff, so it’s a two-line system. I’m happy to rig it as a two-line system, but I am curious about references to a single-line system.
While my freedom is a F38 and not wishbone, nor wrap around sails, I thought a diagram of my single line reefing could be helpful. If not, just ignore. The only change I had to do from diagram is at the tack I had to bring the reefing line down to the base of the mast before bringing it up to the tack cringle.
The block on the boom lash pulls the sail luff and boom down to rest on the forward boom topping lift pulling the luff down as well as the clew. Believe me I’ve been reefing with this system for 20 years and it works just fine.
Ed, how many feet are your 2 reefing lines (for a 40/40)?
– Geoff
I know the lower reef line is 80 ft. Can’t find how much longer the second reef point is. Originally I had three lower at 65 but found with having to bring the tack line down before it went up I needed the extras 15. I would guess that the upper is about 95 feet.
Ed
what type of line are you using for the reef ?
thanks
I used 3/8 xle from Cajun ropes. Great rope source.
I installed single line reefing on SV Raven, F28CK with WB booms per the attached diagram. My sail has a pair SS rings on straps to attach the sail block (you could attach to the boom lash). It works just fine.
Scan0001.pdf (241 KB)
Thanks for that. I see that you drop the forward end of the boom. That doesn’t tie in with the description of reefing in the various documents that I downloaded from the Manuals & Documentation area, or with the diagram in the Freedom 30 owner’s guide. That pulls down a fold of sail parallel to the boom, with the reefed fabric being pulled down between the plies. Thanks for comments, everybody, but I shall stay with two-line reefing.
Original reefing setup.pdf (390 KB)
I was puzzled by the Freedom drawing (scan 0001). The boom remains at the height and angle you set when sail area at 100% (left diagram). The mast end of the boom does not lower as shown in the right diagram. Good luck with your setup.
Be well.
When I had rather old and thus very soft double ply sails on Castaway, no luff downhaul was ever needed; if you de power the sail to be reefed, ease the outhaul (essential) and then the halyard, the sail will just drop. Cleat the halyard, tighten the reef line and then the outhaul, all done. With new – thus stiff – sails using zipped pockets, I have single lines to rings sewn on the luff ahead of the mast, but even then they need only a light pull without winching, if the outhaul is eased.
There’s already so much string on a CK that single line reefing will just mean drowning in cockpit spaghetti. It could be done, but it’s not worth the effort of pulling through multiple blocks, when two lines are so easy to use. Usually takes two or three minutes to reef single handed, less with help, so long as the lines are marked.
Gerald
Thank you. I think I’ll follow that advice.
Andy
Hello,
I have a very long typescript with diagrams for the F33/35 CK with wrap-around. It will take a wee while to scan but if anyone’s interested I’ll do it within a day or two. Includes stepping masts and lengths of all ropes.
I have also developed a good way to put a second reef in the backsail, given that the wishbone is not strong enough to take the clew lines and attach a photo of an unusual 1.5 reef in the frontsail which works well on the run and keeps the outer end of the wishbone low. where it doesn’t hit the back wishbone on a gybe.
Mike Johnston.
Mike,
That looks like a “scandalous” sort of reef!
Hope you had a good trip Sooth fae Lerwick! We left for Norway a couple of hours after you had gone, but you were out of sight.
Kind regards,
Gerald
Mike, before you start scanning, check this thread uk freedom 35 owners manual. Yours might be a duplicate.