E32-3 Reefing Mysteries [Master Thread]

[Filkee]

There is nothing I want more than to be able to reef my main. I mean, refrigeration would be nice but here I am in year two, more than a little baffled by the subtle differences between the pictures in the manual and the bits and pieces I have found in plastic bags under berths. Below are a few photos of my boom setup. Help me figure out the message in the messenger lines (at least I have that much going for me). Humbly...

 

[Christian Williams]

Photo Left 2: Looks like a sheave is missing from the boom-end sheaves box.

Photo Left 1: The block on the boom track was for external slab reefing, or used to hold the end of the reef line. However, nobody does it that way anymore.* So you can simply remove the sliding block, and in fact the track, too.

To set up a reefing system, replace or repair the sheaves in the sheave box at the end of the boom. We have threads on the topic.

The gooseneck fitting sheaves have small cam levers to hold a reef line under tension. These are visible in the gooseneck photos. They do not work very well, and are to be removed if the reef lines are led back to the cockpit and a winch. (A winch is really mandatory for reef lines; it is very difficult to haul a reef tight without one).

The other photos show a messenger line left for re-reeving one of the two internal reef lines. You can discard the old messenger line.

The reef lines run through the boom-end sheave box, forward inside the boom, and exit downward at small plastic sheaves built into the gooseneck fitting.

It is crowded inside the E32-3 boom, so you will want to take it apart to work on this.

Remove mainsail. Remove gooseneck and reef sheave end cap. Just a few machine screws, not difficult.

Inside the boom is the outhaul, probably a 3:1 purchase.

Inside also is the topping lift, probably 2:1.

Check their condition. Fouls are common and may make all the lines inoperable. Good time to replace all internal line.

When you re-run the reef lines, after the end sheaves are replaced/repaired, take care how they cross the long internal bolt that holds the outhaul purchase just aft of the gooseneck. Over or under? It's important to provide a direct path for the reef line from end sheave to gooseneck sheave.

(An electrician's fish tape is invaluable for this work, and much other stuff on boats. I keep one aboard at all times.)

When finished, you'll have two internal reef lines exiting the boom at the gooseneck. Until you lead them back to winches at the cockpit (need a line clutch, so an existing winch can be shared), you can make do with the cam levers.

*The fitting on the track is not needed for the fixed end of the reef lines. After passing through the cringle on the sail, the line can just be be tied around the boom. It's easy, with a loose-footed mainsail. You can also use the "just tie it" method with a slugged-foot main by marking the boom at the proper tie down point (to be determined by experimentation).

A few pictures here: http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?111-Paint-Boom-Revise-Outhaul

We are working on boom internals at minute 2 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf-pvDF6-kM

Below: a blue reef line exits the gooseneck fitting (the reef cam levers have been removed).

 

[Loren Beach]

Boom Boom !!

I have the same boom castings.
About photo 3, what is that wire for? If it's the original wire outhaul tail, It should go underneath that ss pin. We use that pin to contain an ss ring that in turn provides a handy place to clip on the halyard shackle when the main is furled. (We have always had a solid vang, and unless the halyard and sheet are socked up tight, the boom will wander from side to side when the main is down.)

Interesting that some remove the worthless cams at the front. I can see why....
We have never used them, having both reefs led down the cabin top thru organizers and thence to clutches and to a #30 self tailing winch on each side. The cams must have worked OK when in the design stage at Kenyon. Perhaps.

The tackle inside can be challenging to work around, so if the tag lines are running freely, I would be cautious about removing them. After we acquired our boat in '94, I took the boom home and removed both ends to refurbish all the stuff inside. Not so much difficult as tedious. :nerd:

Keep the sheeves and swivel assemblies on the goose neck well lubed with "McLube" or similar. Wear and Friction are bad things, and the soft aluminum does not like either one.

Keep the photos and comments coming!


ps: is that rag there to keep small birds from building nests inside? (same here...)

 

[Filkee]

Photo 3 had to be the blurry one. I believe the wire is the topping lift. Then there’s a little messenger loop behind it.

As as soon as I posted last night I found a bunch more threads. Same as it ever was. I hope I can find a way to get around to this this summer.

 

[Christian Williams]

Yes, that's the topping lift.

If the one sheave on the end cap still turns, you could try pulling a new reef line through using the existing messenger line.

At least that would get you started.

 

[Filkee]

Getting started is key. Pulling the boom is probably a non-starter this summer with family in tow. The full Monty will require alone time.

 

[Afrakes]

Have the same setup

Filkee, Pay me a visit and I'll show you how mine is laid out. I'm at Plattsburgh Boat Basin.

 

[Filkee]

Plattsburgh

I will look you up next time I head north.

 

[Kenneth K]

I'm in my second year of owning a 32-3 as well. I was committed to figuring out the reefing system this year. I think I figured out something that works.

My setup is like yours, but all my in-boom lines are in place. I haven't had my boom apart yet, but it seem like the lines inside work like this:


There's a fore-line and an aft-line that work together to form a two-to-one purchase, via a block that moves fore and aft inside of the boom. The fore-line is dead ended with a stopper knot at the top of the boom near the gooseneck.

The aft-line will get strung through the clew of your sail and then most likely attached to the boom with a bowline. I also have the sliding blocks on tracks. The track doesn't come forward enough to be any good on the second Reef, but it may be usable in place of the bowline on the first reef. You can see it in my pictures. I don't use the block for anything more than a place to hold the knot (or, skip it and just tie a bowline).



Other folk have mentioned that the jammers at the gooseneck aren't much help. That is true, but you will need to use them unless you have another means of securing the reef lines (ie, lines led aft to organizers/clutches/winch, or lines led down to a winch and cleat on the mast).

I realize all this stuff about about lines inside the boom doesn't do you any good for now. You might try rigging up something like this in the mean time:
(all lines external to the boom)

There is also the problem of where to attach the reef tacks. My first reef tacks-on easily at the reefing hook on the gooseneck (like Christian's photo). For the second reef, the bundle of flaked sail blocks access to the reefing hook, so I made a lanyard with a cunningham hook to pull the tack down and forward (to about the same position it would be if in the hook). The lanyard attaches to a ring at the mast base.

 

[Filkee]

Boom Shaka

Today I went out to the boat and ate a can of soup and worked on drawer catches. Need to develop some confidence but I see line fishing in my future and really appreciate all the responses.

 

[Christian Williams]

>>>the bundle of flaked sail blocks access to the reefing hook

The usual solution is a"dog bone." A piece of webbing with a ring on either end. Can be as long as needed. Does not have to be webbing, can be jury rigged with a piece of line and a couple of spare shackles instead of rings. In my opinion all reef luff cringles should have dog bones if they are to hook onto a horn.



Another solution is semi-permanent reef downhauls, led back to the cockpit to a line clutch. Means all reefing can be done from the cockpit. Helps pull a sail down when reefing downwind. Also, means yet another set of lines to foul or forget when reefing.

 

[Kenneth K]

The usual solution is a"dog bone."

A dog bone might be nice, but a crisp new virgin white sail like that, ahhh... priceless!

Actually, my main has a Dutchman sail flaking system, so I can't control which sides of the boom the sail flakes on. It's not just the height of the flaked loops, it's that I can't pull the flaked loops back far enough to expose the hook. You think a dog bone would still work?

 

[Christian Williams]

You can try it--takes five minutes to rig one up.

I did once have a very long temporary temp dogbone up high, and I found that it flogged around too much when not in use.

Anyhow, easy enough to try.

I have never had a dutchman system. Had to look it up to see how it works. I'll start a new thread on furling systems. If you have the time, perhaps give your impressions there:

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...ey-of-Mainsail-Furling-Systems-Goods-and-Bads

 

[Bolo]

Boom end repair

Filkee, As far as the boom end repair goes, here is a link to what I did to replace the sheaves on my E32-3 that are part of the reefing system. I'd put repairing your reefing system high up on your to-do list because I can't imagine sailing without being able to reef, especially on a E32. I'm also going to add a downhaul lines, and run them back to the cockpit, to my two reefing points that will allow me to completely reef with out having to go to the mast. The way it is now I have to go to the mast to secure the tack. Refrigeration is nice but sailing safety is more important (and I consider reefing a big part of that) especially if you single hand your boat like I often do.

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoex...om-end-sheaves-replacement-The-Fix-on-a-E32-3


BTW: On a completely different subject. You'll find Christian William's blogs,posting and his book "Alone Together" a wealth of information (not to say that others are not) that certainly have helped me over the years with my boat. I guess you'd consider him our "Master Yoda". A much taller Yoda but a Yoda just the same.

 

[Tom Metzger]

Filkee, Pay me a visit and I'll show you how mine is laid out. I'm at Plattsburgh Boat Basin.

Filkee - Ditto for me at WBM before we talk about the 4hp OB.

 

[Filkee]

Visiting the neighbors

Clearly, I need to pay some social calls across the lake this year. I will bring ice. If this keeps up we will have to declare our own region.

 

[Filkee]

Reefing madness

Thanks to everybody for the advice and support. This morning I successfully pulled lines through the boom and led them aft. There were sheaves and rejoicing on a Sunday morning. Now I just need a little wind.

 

[Roger Janeway]

Guidance sought for a similar Kenyon boom on E26

This thread discusses mechanics that seem very similar to those I’m noticing in the Kenyon boom on my E26-2 (1986). But there might be a few differences since my smaller sail area means less mechanical advantage is required. I can see at least one block inside my boom & it seems to be for the topping lift. In contrast, my outhaul is strange and might have no boom-internal block.

How do I determine precisely which Kenyon boom I have on my E-26? I’d like to know before I start messing with it.

It was very satisfying to use electrician’s fiberglass poles to run a mouse line through the boom, then pull a reefing line for the leech cringle all the way through the boom. The tricky part was getting on the correct side of the outhaul wire.

 

[Christian Williams]

which Kenyon boom I have on my E-26

You might be able to compare boom sections at http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/Kenyon_Spars/KENYON.php#Boom Sections

 

[Roger Janeway]

More questions about Kenyon Booms: Topping lift & Much-reviled spring cams

Thanks to Christian, Rig-Rite, and a tape measure, I have identified my boom as a Kenyon E-section.

Two questions, if you don't mind questions from a newbie E-26er in this thread:

(1) TOPPING LIFT. The photos from Filkee (Msg #1) and Kenneth K (Msg #9) show different ways of running the topping lift wire to the boom. When I surveyed mine, it was like Filkee's depicted in the first three photos, running outside the clevis pin to the sheave and then into the boom. My rigging surveyor promptly "fixed" it and placed it inside the clevis pin, so that it runs directly from the mast head down to the sheeve. I've encountered no problem so far in about 20 hours of sailing with this. This is also how it is shown in Kenneth K's 2nd photo of Msg #9. I do not see why I would want to have the topping lift wire in direct contact with that clevis pin since it moves across the pin. So what are the reasons for doing it one way or the other? Should I stick with Kenneth K's example, or go back to Filkee's?

(2) GOOSENECK REEFING LINE CAMS. I understand the complaints about these. Rig-Rite offers a Conversion Kit to upgrade them to new "friction-lock lever-action cams." Does anyone know about this product? In particular, I would need them to stay open on their own during the brief period that I'm at the mast shaking out a reef. (That, at least, is a feature of the sticky original lever cams.)