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Originally designed for ocean racing multihulls, reef hooks are now being adopted by more and more cruising sailors, who are choosing to replace their current pennant reefing system with a hook. With larger cruising sailboats, manufacturers are increasingly offering in-boom and in-mast reefing and furling systems for mainsails. Such systems essentially involve a roller inside the boom or mast with an electric motor that rolls up the sail to reduce its size (reefing) or to stow the sail away after sailing. While such systems certainly add convenience when they’re adjusted and everything is working well, many experienced sailors still prefer slab reefing, which doesn’t depend on an electrical system, multiple moving parts, and a fine-tuned rig. But again, you're changing the angle of force on the stay or mast and when the wind blows harder things are easier to break. When you’re sailing downwind and the boat is not heeling, you may not notice at first that the wind is increasing. Since you have to turn up into the wind to do the reefing, things may get dicey if you wait too long to reef.
Reefing Hook - Suncor Stainless Reefing Hook - Suncor Stainless
This is a simple slab reefing system you can easily install on your boat if you do not have one. If you already have a reefing system, be sure you understand how it works before you need it in rough conditions. Single Line Reefing: This method works very much like two line reefing, except that one line is run through both reef points (Figure 5) and then only that line is tightened to secure the reef. This can be the simplest system to put a reef in, but can be one of the more problematic to get to work smoothly because it may have a lot of friction. To some extent, mainsail reefing has turned full circle. First there were simple reef points – short rope pennants that could be used to gather up parts of a sail to reduce its area. Then there were rotating booms, around which a sail could be wound to achieve the same effect – roller reefing, in fact. It was slow, particularly when ‘shaking out’ the reef. But it was simple and reliable. No chafe - Reef lines will no longer chafe or break; lines are no longer permanently under tension in the jaws of jammers. On a mooring, odds are your boat is head to wind at all times and that is how your boat should be when you start to reef, head to wind. How To Reef
Reefing Your Mainsail: Are you onboard with reef hooks?
If your sail looks like a smooth airplane wing, rest assured you have done it correctly. It's the shape we are going for and there are no style points deducted for an ugly reef. Your first time reefing your boat should not be at midnight 25 miles out to sea with a freshening easterly. Adjusting your Genoa or Jib can help balance out the boat and reduce heeling. Furling in your headsail is a great way to reduce sail area. When you hold it at the top and bottom, it is quite strong. But when you apply just a little pressure to the middle, it can fold in half easily.
Reefing Kit Barton Marine - Tech Info - Sail Handling - Slab Reefing Kit
The Karver Reef Hook is available in various sizes, with options available with 1T - 40T SWL (Safe Working Load).
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On bigger boats like the Endeavour, a reefed main means a lower center of gravity in addition to reduced sail area. For areas with seasonal variance in wind strength or for those sailors traveling to areas with different conditions, if you find yourself constantly furling your 150% down to 115% that you might want to consider increase your sail inventory. When you constantly are partially furling your headsail you are doing two things: In addition, sailors that have sailed with the Karver Reef Hook have stated that its simplicity and high performance make it an efficient reefing system with provides complete satisfaction out at sea, never letting a reef drop out. Reefing is meant to increase your ease-of-use, flatten sail shape, reduce sail area, and re-positionthe boat’s center of effort. This reduces heeling and de-powers your sails to improve safety and stability in rough weather. From a fixed point on the port side of the boom, the line rises to the aft grommet in the sail, called a reefing cringle.
Reefing Your Mainsail: Are you onboard with reef hooks?
Being prepared for heavier winds and identifying when to reef is key to maximizing the performance and safety of the boat. Here are several things every sailor can do to be prepared: Keep lines organized All these sail controls will affect weather helm, which is the tendency of the boat to want to round up into the wind when it is overpowered. You always want a little weather helm, as keeping the bow from coming up creates lift to windward. It is also much safer for the boat to want to go bow-to-wind if you let go of the helm. As the wind increases so does the weather helm, so if it gets to be too much you will not be able to keep the bow down and/or will have to have the rudder so far over that it acts as a brake and slows the boat down. If sail controls are tight and you’re still struggling with excessive heel, a lot of weather helm, or both, it’s past time to reef. Remember, reefing when you first think about it is the best practice. Reefing Approaches An ingenious addition to their portfolio, Karver’s KHR Reef Hook offers an unconventional way to reef your mainsail. Reefing sails to induce the qualities of another sail, i.e. reefing to third reef instead of a Trysail on-board, can damage specific areas of the sail, damaging the smooth vertical representation that we design in the sail. In the example above you would slightly bag out the top of the sail which means that you have a deeper top which encounters higher velocities, and could cause weather helm in the boat.”No line stretch - Textiles stretch under load. In a pennant system, line stretch is unavoidable and contributes to a loss of performance. A reefing hook avoids this, ensuring mainsail shape is stable and maintained. Again, this will be different based on the sail inventory, experience, boat, and sailing conditions for each person. Ron, our Lead Sail Consultant regularly recommends that “one reef keeps you sailing, two gets you home safely”. Can Reefing Damage Your Sails?
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