Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors

We had Roller-reefing on our CAL 21, and we used it more than a few times...but I never really liked it for a few reasons. First, as Chris mentioned, it was hard to really keep a good shape to the sail as it rolled. Second, and perhaps most important, the rolled sail covered the attachment for the boom-vang just when you really need a vang, to flatten the sail in high winds. We used the roller-reefing because it was standard on the boat, but when we bought new sails in 1993 the main came with reefpoints......we soon converted to boom to jiffy-reefing and never looked back! We rigged the jiffy-reef basically the same as what Chris describes for his 20, it does work a lot better than the old roller-reef and now we could still use the boom-vang while reefed. I was really excited when I bought my (used) O'DAY Day Sailer in 1996 to realize that she had roller-reefing, I'd be able to reduce sail when needed and didn't need to add all the complication of a jiffy-reefing set up! Well, a couple of mostly unsuccessful attempts to use the roller-reefing on that boat convinced me to get a quote from a local sailmaker to add reefpoints. Best $60.00 that I ever spent! Even adding in the cost of hardware, I still spent less than $100 total to add the jiffy-reefing! The spring-loaded gooseneck on the CAL was not a problem, the reef once rolled in would stay locked. But on my O'DAY....the boltrope on the luff of the main would bunch up as I rolled in the reef and prevent the gooseneck from locking securely. Also, the sail would roll up faster at the luff than the leech and cause the boom to sag. That and not being able to use the boom vang while reefed, made the change to jiffy-reefing very attractive. I would say that roller-reefing is a good system for "once-in-a-blue moon" reefing, but if you reef very often.......I wouldn't depend on it. It will work better with a full-batten main, the battens would help the sail roll better as long as they are parallel to the boom. Roller-reefing was "THE thing" in the mid-1960's when most of our CALs were designed......but like wire-luff furling jibs, it never really lived up to the hype. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 DS II (former co-owner of "NODROG", 1970 CAL 21) On Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:42:27 -0400 Chris Campbell <cl… [at] charterinternet.com> writes: Lord Nougat wrote: I talked to some racers who had one of those on their Cal20, it looked really nice. They said it was made by Jib Kelly of Kelly Marine, but I have not had a chance to talk to him about that - or at all, since then; not that I could afford it anyway, most likely. Also, being that it's all I'm really familiar with [the cal 20 is the largest boat I've ever sailed] I've grown to like the roller reefing, as I can reef the main when it gets to be too much solo. I HATE roller reefing because it produces a really lousy, baggy sail shape, which makes sailing less efficient in heavy weather. My boat has a jiffy-reefing system, and I can do it all standing in the companionway. Drop halyard, hook the reefing tack point, hoist halyard, yank in the reefing line to pull the clew out & down, and you're sailing. You can tie the reef points then or ignore them and worry about it later (they are only for holding the loose sail fabric anyway). My other boat has roller reefing. I can get a decent sail shape IF I work at it and IF I do it in the slip, either alternating between rolling up and bit and running aft to pull the leech aft, or having a crew member back there to pull aft on the leech as I roll from the gooseneck. It's a big pain, and very hard to do well while sailing. Chris Campbell Can't pay your bills? Click here to learn about filing for bankruptcy. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nfvZOxMacTr8bGam4WxWdwzvP1CHo67SzSL5dCVCTHzoRQ6/

We had Roller-reefing on our CAL 21, and we used it more than a few times...but I never really liked it for a few reasons. First, as Chris mentioned, it was hard to really keep a good shape to the sail as it rolled. Second, and perhaps most important, the rolled sail covered the attachment for the boom-vang just when you really need a vang, to flatten the sail in high winds. We used the roller-reefing because it was standard on the boat, but when we bought new sails in 1993 the main came with reefpoints......we soon converted to boom to jiffy-reefing and never looked back! We rigged the jiffy-reef basically the same as what Chris describes for his 20, it does work a lot better than the old roller-reef and now we could still use the boom-vang while reefed. I was really excited when I bought my (used) O'DAY Day Sailer in 1996 to realize that she had roller-reefing, I'd be able to reduce sail when needed and didn't need to add all the complication of a jiffy-reefing set up! Well, a couple of mostly unsuccessful attempts to use the roller-reefing on that boat convinced me to get a quote from a local sailmaker to add reefpoints. Best $60.00 that I ever spent! Even adding in the cost of hardware, I still spent less than $100 total to add the jiffy-reefing! The spring-loaded gooseneck on the CAL was not a problem, the reef once rolled in would stay locked. But on my O'DAY....the boltrope on the luff of the main would bunch up as I rolled in the reef and prevent the gooseneck from locking securely. Also, the sail would roll up faster at the luff than the leech and cause the boom to sag. That and not being able to use the boom vang while reefed, made the change to jiffy-reefing very attractive. I would say that roller-reefing is a good system for "once-in-a-blue moon" reefing, but if you reef very often.......I wouldn't depend on it. It will work better with a full-batten main, the battens would help the sail roll better as long as they are parallel to the boom. Roller-reefing was "THE thing" in the mid-1960's when most of our CALs were designed......but like wire-luff furling jibs, it never really lived up to the hype. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 DS II (former co-owner of "NODROG", 1970 CAL 21) Lord Nougat wrote: I talked to some racers who had one of those on their Cal20, it looked really nice. They said it was made by Jib Kelly of Kelly Marine, but I have not had a chance to talk to him about that - or at all, since then; not that I could afford it anyway, most likely. Also, being that it's all I'm really familiar with [the cal 20 is the largest boat I've ever sailed] I've grown to like the roller reefing, as I can reef the main when it gets to be too much solo. I HATE roller reefing because it produces a really lousy, baggy sail shape, which makes sailing less efficient in heavy weather. My boat has a jiffy-reefing system, and I can do it all standing in the companionway. Drop halyard, hook the reefing tack point, hoist halyard, yank in the reefing line to pull the clew out & down, and you're sailing. You can tie the reef points then or ignore them and worry about it later (they are only for holding the loose sail fabric anyway). My other boat has roller reefing. I can get a decent sail shape IF I work at it and IF I do it in the slip, either alternating between rolling up and bit and running aft to pull the leech aft, or having a crew member back there to pull aft on the leech as I roll from the gooseneck. It's a big pain, and very hard to do well while sailing. Chris Campbell Click here to find experienced pros to help with your home improvement project. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nHrmLNNE1bOY5aw4v1NqiI5TITkhszTUvtXLtsMEmzVbpMK/

Oh, wow, $60 you say? I somehow pessimistically imagined it would be so much more. I'm sure when I finally gete to actually use jiffy reefing I'll experience it's benefits firsthand. I guess I had just been happy to learn that reefing was possible at all when I tried it with the weird stock rotatey boom. Honestly, I've only ever reefed a couple of times, when "cruising" [to Catalina from San Pedro - it feels far to us noobs] when the breeze started freshening more than I could handle, and sailshape was indeed pretty lame, and there was no more boomvang - I just happened to be on a close reach so it worked out okay with the sheets pulled in tight. Otherwise, when it really pipes up, we're closer to home, and we'll just sail in healed all crazy getting really wet and having a pretty darn good time. The only time I ever had the rope luff foul up the rotating boom was when rolling the sail all the way up too quickly. After getting new [to us - they were raced pretty hard for a season] sails, I imagined that keeping the main rolled on the boom might be good for it, since that way there are no creases or folds, but flaking it like a normal person is just so much more convenient, and does not appear to be hurting it any. It's kind of funny - for how often I sail her, I know there is still so very much more for me to learn; I guess there always is. A few years ago, pre Cal, we sailed a Capri 14 in marina del rey. The Cal 20 is a fine little ship and a step up from there. From: Rodney G Johnson <rj… [at] juno.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 12:54:36 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors We had Roller-reefing on our CAL 21, and we used it more than a few times...but I never really liked it for a few reasons. First, as Chris mentioned, it was hard to really keep a good shape to the sail as it rolled. Second, and perhaps most important, the rolled sail covered the attachment for the boom-vang just when you really need a vang, to flatten the sail in high winds. We used the roller-reefing because it was standard on the boat, but when we bought new sails in 1993 the main came with reefpoints.. ....we soon converted to boom to jiffy-reefing and never looked back! We rigged the jiffy-reef basically the same as what Chris describes for his 20, it does work a lot better than the old roller-reef and now we could still use the boom-vang while reefed. I was really excited when I bought my (used) O'DAY Day Sailer in 1996 to realize that she had roller-reefing, I'd be able to reduce sail when needed and didn't need to add all the complication of a jiffy-reefing set up! Well, a couple of mostly unsuccessful attempts to use the roller-reefing on that boat convinced me to get a quote from a local sailmaker to add reefpoints. Best $60.00 that I ever spent! Even adding in the cost of hardware, I still spent less than $100 total to add the jiffy-reefing! The spring-loaded gooseneck on the CAL was not a problem, the reef once rolled in would stay locked. But on my O'DAY....the boltrope on the luff of the main would bunch up as I rolled in the reef and prevent the gooseneck from locking securely. Also, the sail would roll up faster at the luff than the leech and cause the boom to sag. That and not being able to use the boom vang while reefed, made the change to jiffy-reefing very attractive. I would say that roller-reefing is a good system for "once-in-a-blue moon" reefing, but if you reef very often....... I wouldn't depend on it. It will work better with a full-batten main, the battens would help the sail roll better as long as they are parallel to the boom. Roller-reefing was "THE thing" in the mid-1960's when most of our CALs were designed.... ..but like wire-luff furling jibs, it never really lived up to the hype. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 DS II (former co-owner of "NODROG", 1970 CAL 21) Lord Nougat wrote: I talked to some racers who had one of those on their Cal20, it looked really nice. They said it was made by Jib Kelly of Kelly Marine, but I have not had a chance to talk to him about that - or at all, since then; not that I could afford it anyway, most likely. Also, being that it's all I'm really familiar with [the cal 20 is the largest boat I've ever sailed] I've grown to like the roller reefing, as I can reef the main when it gets to be too much solo. I HATE roller reefing because it produces a really lousy, baggy sail shape, which makes sailing less efficient in heavy weather. My boat has a jiffy-reefing system, and I can do it all standing in the companionway. Drop halyard, hook the reefing tack point, hoist halyard, yank in the reefing line to pull the clew out & down, and you're sailing. You can tie the reef points then or ignore them and worry about it later (they are only for holding the loose sail fabric anyway). My other boat has roller reefing. I can get a decent sail shape IF I work at it and IF I do it in the slip, either alternating between rolling up and bit and running aft to pull the leech aft, or having a crew member back there to pull aft on the leech as I roll from the gooseneck. It's a big pain, and very hard to do well while sailing. Chris Campbell ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ Click here to find experienced pros to help with your home improvement project.

Rodney G Johnson wrote: > > We had Roller-reefing on our CAL 21, and we used it more than a few > times...but I never really liked it for a few reasons. First, as Chris > mentioned, it was hard to really keep a good shape to the sail as it > rolled. Second, and perhaps most important, the rolled sail covered > the attachment for the boom-vang just when you really need a vang, to > flatten the sail in high winds. Back in the mid-60s they developed a method to address this problem--it was that C-shaped thing that you slid along the boom for the vang to attach to. It had an opening that the sail fit into. The vang had to pull down, not forward, so it would be secured on a rail outboard. I don't have one of those and haven't seen one in ages, but even if I did, I'd still vote for jiffy reefing because of its superior sail shape control and speed of use. Chris Campbell

If you would like to see the jiffy reef on my Cal 2-29 its the same as I put on the Cal 20. I have the halyard and jiffy reef led back to the cockpit, I dont even have to step up to the mast. Mark San Pedro ----- Original Message ----- From: Lord Nougat To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 3:08 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors Oh, wow, $60 you say? I somehow pessimistically imagined it would be so much more. I'm sure when I finally gete to actually use jiffy reefing I'll experience it's benefits firsthand. I guess I had just been happy to learn that reefing was possible at all when I tried it with the weird stock rotatey boom. Honestly, I've only ever reefed a couple of times, when "cruising" [to Catalina from San Pedro - it feels far to us noobs] when the breeze started freshening more than I could handle, and sailshape was indeed pretty lame, and there was no more boomvang - I just happened to be on a close reach so it worked out okay with the sheets pulled in tight. Otherwise, when it really pipes up, we're closer to home, and we'll just sail in healed all crazy getting really wet and having a pretty darn good time. The only time I ever had the rope luff foul up the rotating boom was when rolling the sail all the way up too quickly. After getting new [to us - they were raced pretty hard for a season] sails, I imagined that keeping the main rolled on the boom might be good for it, since that way there are no creases or folds, but flaking it like a normal person is just so much more convenient, and does not appear to be hurting it any. It's kind of funny - for how often I sail her, I know there is still so very much more for me to learn; I guess there always is. A few years ago, pre Cal, we sailed a Capri 14 in marina del rey. The Cal 20 is a fine little ship and a step up from there. ----- Original Message ---- From: Rodney G Johnson <rj… [at] juno.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 12:54:36 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors We had Roller-reefing on our CAL 21, and we used it more than a few times...but I never really liked it for a few reasons. First, as Chris mentioned, it was hard to really keep a good shape to the sail as it rolled. Second, and perhaps most important, the rolled sail covered the attachment for the boom-vang just when you really need a vang, to flatten the sail in high winds. We used the roller-reefing because it was standard on the boat, but when we bought new sails in 1993 the main came with reefpoints.. ....we soon converted to boom to jiffy-reefing and never looked back! We rigged the jiffy-reef basically the same as what Chris describes for his 20, it does work a lot better than the old roller-reef and now we could still use the boom-vang while reefed. I was really excited when I bought my (used) O'DAY Day Sailer in 1996 to realize that she had roller-reefing, I'd be able to reduce sail when needed and didn't need to add all the complication of a jiffy-reefing set up! Well, a couple of mostly unsuccessful attempts to use the roller-reefing on that boat convinced me to get a quote from a local sailmaker to add reefpoints. Best $60.00 that I ever spent! Even adding in the cost of hardware, I still spent less than $100 total to add the jiffy-reefing! The spring-loaded gooseneck on the CAL was not a problem, the reef once rolled in would stay locked. But on my O'DAY....the boltrope on the luff of the main would bunch up as I rolled in the reef and prevent the gooseneck from locking securely. Also, the sail would roll up faster at the luff than the leech and cause the boom to sag. That and not being able to use the boom vang while reefed, made the change to jiffy-reefing very attractive. I would say that roller-reefing is a good system for "once-in-a-blue moon" reefing, but if you reef very often....... I wouldn't depend on it. It will work better with a full-batten main, the battens would help the sail roll better as long as they are parallel to the boom. Roller-reefing was "THE thing" in the mid-1960's when most of our CALs were designed.... ..but like wire-luff furling jibs, it never really lived up to the hype. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" 1979 DS II (former co-owner of "NODROG", 1970 CAL 21) Lord Nougat wrote: I talked to some racers who had one of those on their Cal20, it looked really nice. They said it was made by Jib Kelly of Kelly Marine, but I have not had a chance to talk to him about that - or at all, since then; not that I could afford it anyway, most likely. Also, being that it's all I'm really familiar with [the cal 20 is the largest boat I've ever sailed] I've grown to like the roller reefing, as I can reef the main when it gets to be too much solo. I HATE roller reefing because it produces a really lousy, baggy sail shape, which makes sailing less efficient in heavy weather. My boat has a jiffy-reefing system, and I can do it all standing in the companionway. Drop halyard, hook the reefing tack point, hoist halyard, yank in the reefing line to pull the clew out & down, and you're sailing. You can tie the reef points then or ignore them and worry about it later (they are only for holding the loose sail fabric anyway). My other boat has roller reefing. I can get a decent sail shape IF I work at it and IF I do it in the slip, either alternating between rolling up and bit and running aft to pull the leech aft, or having a crew member back there to pull aft on the leech as I roll from the gooseneck. It's a big pain, and very hard to do well while sailing. Chris Campbell ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ Click here to find experienced pros to help with your home improvement project. __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3469 (20080924) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com

Chris, that would be a "Roller-reefing Claw", my O'DAY used one to attach the mainsheet block to when reefed (mainsheet is mid-boom). As you say, it would have only worked for a boom vang that pulled straight down. We used a vang attachment from Nico-Fico (sp?) on our CAL that consisted of a strap that attached to the boom with a pair of stainless-steel plates that hooked into the sail groove on the boom. Tension on the vang was supposed to lock it in place, but we ended up screwing a pair of small aluminum stops 1 on each side of the boom to prevent it from sliding forward along the boom. It did allow unhooking the vang when reefing and required no drilling into the boom (in theory!) to mount. I'll second the desire for jiffy-reefing! Rod Johnson On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:22:53 -0400 Chris Campbell <cl… [at] charterinternet.com> writes: Rodney G Johnson wrote: We had Roller-reefing on our CAL 21, and we used it more than a few times...but I never really liked it for a few reasons. First, as Chris mentioned, it was hard to really keep a good shape to the sail as it rolled. Second, and perhaps most important, the rolled sail covered the attachment for the boom-vang just when you really need a vang, to flatten the sail in high winds. Back in the mid-60s they developed a method to address this problem--it was that C-shaped thing that you slid along the boom for the vang to attach to. It had an opening that the sail fit into. The vang had to pull down, not forward, so it would be secured on a rail outboard. I don't have one of those and haven't seen one in ages, but even if I did, I'd still vote for jiffy reefing because of its superior sail shape control and speed of use. Chris Campbell Click to see huge collection of designer watches. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3mc2x3NAXxUceYoH8Zw9HgPngAKmedXve91BfgmFYKfreQ38/

Chris, that would be a "Roller-reefing Claw", my O'DAY used one to attach the mainsheet block to when reefed (mainsheet is mid-boom). As you say, it would have only worked for a boom vang that pulled straight down. We used a vang attachment from Nico-Fico (sp?) on our CAL that consisted of a strap that attached to the boom with a pair of stainless-steel plates that hooked into the sail groove on the boom. Tension on the vang was supposed to lock it in place, but we ended up screwing a pair of small aluminum stops 1 on each side of the boom to prevent it from sliding forward along the boom. It did allow unhooking the vang when reefing and required no drilling into the boom (in theory!) to mount. I'll second the desire for jiffy-reefing! Rod Johnson Shop now for huge discounts on quality surveillance cameras. Click here! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3mYPvra3xi9RsVdFsRo4PR6tXbEsQh03sgMSI2ZemxE4I27M/

Almost every CAL 25 did change right off the bat. Roller reefs are worthless. Works worst when you need it most. I have jiffy reef of forward reef line (instead of hook), back reef line, and main halyard all strung back to the cockpit. Can do the job, no muss, no fuss. I've never been to the SF Bay and farther north, so I do not know the story there, but I had a chance to cross the English channel in a sailboat a couple years ago. Every boat I saw had triple reef points on the main, and all of them were strung all the time. Talk about a wad of lines. Scary place that. Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of John Boyce Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 6:06 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors My old Cal 25 had roller furling boom with a crank that fit into the gooseneck and rotated the boom. I never tried to use it, I had installed jiffy reefing before I knew what the crank was for. John Boyce From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rodney G Johnson Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors Chris, that would be a "Roller-reefing Claw", my O'DAY used one to attach the mainsheet block to when reefed (mainsheet is mid-boom). As you say, it would have only worked for a boom vang that pulled straight down. We used a vang attachment from Nico-Fico (sp?) on our CAL that consisted of a strap that attached to the boom with a pair of stainless-steel plates that hooked into the sail groove on the boom. Tension on the vang was supposed to lock it in place, but we ended up screwing a pair of small aluminum stops 1 on each side of the boom to prevent it from sliding forward along the boom. It did allow unhooking the vang when reefing and required no drilling into the boom (in theory!) to mount. I'll second the desire for jiffy-reefing! Rod Johnson Shop now for huge discounts on quality surveillance cameras. Click here! <http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2142/fc/Ioyw6i3mYPvra3xi9RsVdFsRo4P R6tXbEsQh03sgMSI2ZemxE4I27M/>

Do you think the lack of an outhaul is the reason modern roller furling/reefing booms have not taken off and in-mast furling has?? Paul From: Husar, Charlie [USA] <hu… [at] bah.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 5:17 pm Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms Almost every CAL 25 did change right off the bat.? Roller reefs are worthless.? Works worst when you need it most.? I have jiffy reef of forward reef line (instead of hook), back reef line, and main halyard all strung back to the cockpit.? Can do the job, no muss, no fuss. ? I've never been to the SF Bay and farther north, so I do not know the story there, but I had a chance to cross the English channel in a sailboat a couple years ago.? Every boat I saw had triple reef points on the main, and all of them were strung all the time.? Talk about a wad of lines.? Scary place that. ? Cheers Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of John Boyce Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 6:06 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors My old Cal 25 had roller furling boom with a crank that fit into the gooseneck and rotated the boom.? I never tried to use it, I had installed jiffy reefing before I knew what the crank was for. ? John Boyce From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rodney G Johnson Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors Chris, that would be a "Roller-reefing Claw", my O'DAY used one to attach the mainsheet block to when reefed (mainsheet is mid-boom). As you say, it would have only worked for a boom vang that pulled straight down. We used a vang attachment from Nico-Fico (sp?) on our CAL that consisted of a strap that attached to the boom with a pair of stainless-steel plates that hooked into the sail groove on the boom. Tension on the vang was supposed to lock it in place, but we ended up screwing a pair of small aluminum stops 1 on each side of the boom to prevent it from sliding forward along the boom. It did allow unhooking the vang when reefing and required no drilling into the boom (in theory!) to mount. I'll second the desire for jiffy-reefing! ? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? Rod Johnson Shop now for huge discounts on quality surveillance cameras. Click here!

My old Cal 25 had roller furling boom with a crank that fit into the gooseneck and rotated the boom. I never tried to use it, I had installed jiffy reefing before I knew what the crank was for. John Boyce _____ From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rodney G Johnson Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 2:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms, was:Headsail Size - Other Factors Chris, that would be a "Roller-reefing Claw", my O'DAY used one to attach the mainsheet block to when reefed (mainsheet is mid-boom). As you say, it would have only worked for a boom vang that pulled straight down. We used a vang attachment from Nico-Fico (sp?) on our CAL that consisted of a strap that attached to the boom with a pair of stainless-steel plates that hooked into the sail groove on the boom. Tension on the vang was supposed to lock it in place, but we ended up screwing a pair of small aluminum stops 1 on each side of the boom to prevent it from sliding forward along the boom. It did allow unhooking the vang when reefing and required no drilling into the boom (in theory!) to mount. I'll second the desire for jiffy-reefing! Rod Johnson Shop now for huge discounts on quality surveillance cameras. Click <http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2142/fc/Ioyw6i3mYPvra3xi9RsVdFsRo4PR6tX bEsQh03sgMSI2ZemxE4I27M/> here!

Husar, Charlie [USA] wrote: > > Almost every CAL 25 did change right off the bat. Roller reefs are > worthless. Works worst when you need it most. I have jiffy reef of > forward reef line (instead of hook), back reef line, and main halyard > all strung back to the cockpit. The hook works fine for smaller sails, like on my Cal 20. I can see that it might be less convenient for a big sail, and a line can be rigged back to the cockpit as Charlie describes, but you do end up with a rat's nest of lines. On the Cal 20, since I can stand in the companionway and reach everything, the hook is suitable and diminishes the clutter. > I had a chance to cross the English channel in a sailboat a couple > years ago. Every boat I saw had triple reef points on the main, and > all of them were strung all the time. Talk about a wad of lines. > Scary place that. Yeah, but those English are long-term seafaring people. They are accustomed to rough weather. Say "Fastnet Race" or Sydney-Hobart" (their cousins down under) and we all conjure up images of classic disasters. Me, I sail from the middle coast, where we can only sail in the summer anyway, and we mostly have genoa-suitable breezes anyway. We're spoiled. My current mainsail only has one set of reef points, and I don't recall using them once this summer. I will note that the Chicago-Mac Race did humble the great Ted Turner, the mouth from the south, once, so we have to know something about weather, but it's mostly like the MOB drill: you're supposed to know it but never have to actually deal with it. Chris Campbell Armchair sailor until iceboat season >

there is a CAL 20 for sale in MT with a boatload of new sails. reggie

r good wrote: > > there is a CAL 20 for sale in MT with a boatload of new sails. > reggie > Trailer? Cradle? Price? Chris Campbell > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > __. > . >

no trailer, no cradle. don't know if one of either might be available. it is currently sitting on a trailer of one of his friends. the guy is asking $4500. he says there is over $5000 of new sails. I do not know the boat R To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.comFrom: cl… [at] charterinternet.comDate: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:05:33 -0400Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Roller-reefing booms r good wrote: there is a CAL 20 for sale in MT with a boatload of new sails.reggieTrailer? Cradle? Price?Chris Campbell __. .