[Public-list] Roller Reefing Boom

[Gordon Laco]

Good morning - 

I think you would do yourself a great favour if you had reefing points
installed in your mainsail.  The rolling boom system our boats were fitted
with is pretty universally considered impractical.  It was marketed in the
'60's and 70's as a labour saving 'improvement' but was not.

Similarly, storing the main by rolling it could be done, but would be very
slow and impractical.

I had a friend who told me that Hungarians have a gesture for that sort of
thing needlessly complicated operation...take your right hand and reach over
your head to scratch your left ear; the thing is the easy way to do that
would be to use your left hand...

The vang is a useful sail control tackle - I would say that as you become an
experienced sailor you will find it indispensable.  In our boats in
particular, a 'triangulated' vang that runs from the boom to the heel of the
mast is an important safety device.  Because our booms are so long, it only
requires of few degrees of lift to allow the boom to catch on the backstay
during a jibe.  The triangulated vang will ensure that this can't happen.

Cheers - Gord #426















> Aurora has the roller reefing boom and her main has no
> reef points so I assume I will be reefing with the
> roller arrangement.  I was hoping for some advice on
> this arrangement.
> 
> Am I correst that this is only used as a reefing
> roller or is it also used to roll the sail for storage
> on the boom?
> 
> I don't seem to have any way to hook up a vang to the
> boom.  I have seen a picture of one method of
> attachment at:
> http://www.alberg30.org/maintenance/disorganized/RollerReefingVangAttachment.j
> pg
> I may have to build one.  Can anyone provide
> dimensions?  What is it made of?  I am guessing
> aluminum plate either 1/4" or 3/8" thick.  I imagine
> that the shape and dimensions aren't too critical, but
> I am not sure how strong it needs to be.
> 
> Alternately does someone have one they don't want/need
> that they would sell, or long term loan?
> 
> I am also interested in any advice or suggestions on
> how to use this roller reefing system (or whether to
> use it).
> 
> Am I correct to assume that a vang is needed on a
> cruising A30?
> 
> If I have a new main built I am assuming that reef
> points are a desired option.  Or does the roller
> system work well enough that it is preferred over slab
> reefing?
> 
> BTW: My daughter Erica and I took Aurora out for the
> first time Saturday.  The wind was light and piped up
> pretty good later so we got a good sample of how she
> handles in a variety of conditions.  We were pretty
> impressed with her.
> 
> Thanks for being patient with my many naive questions.
> 
> Pete
> #554
> 
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