Flattening reef

[bayhoss]

I was thinking of adding a flattening reef to the main on my E28 in order to gain more flattening than the outhaul will provide. I have a lose footed main that is fairly new. I have always thought of the flattening reef as an outdated device for older sails that were shelf footed. Now I'm thinking maybe there is something to it. Pros, cons? Thanks in advance for any reply.

Best,
Frank

 

[E33MikeOx]

AFIK, a "flatening Reef" was developed by racers as a way around the sail measurement rules. Race boats have precisely measured sails, and markers on the mast and boom delineating rated rig measurements. If you outhaul your main beyond the marker on the boom (the marker is usually in the form of a band of contrasting color around the spar), your competitor(s) will observe that as a rule violation, they will then raise their red protest flag, and if possible, hail you that you are under protest. All else being equal, you will loose the protest.

If you are not racing, outhaul away to your heart's content. If all the outhaul in the world won't adequately flatten you sail, then you most probably need to take your sail to your favorite sailmaker and discuss a recut to flatten it out.

OTOH, if your sail shape is generally "OK" and the problem is your boom is too short to allow the amount of outhaul you want, then rigging a flattening reef would be a workable solution.

My experience with loosefooted mains is limited, but I can't see why the application of a flattening reef would be any different than for a "regular" main.

All the above is based on about 45 years of sailing and racing -- but, of course, that doesn't make me an expert. Let's see what the rest of the Ericson gang has to say

Mike Oxborrow
E-33RH JP Foolish, hull #25

 

[Seth]

Flattening reefs

......Licking my wounds from the prop discusssion, so I will try to focus on sail and sailing related topics

If you have a loose footed mainsail there is no benefit to adding a flattening reef. Sails that were designed with these things were deeper in the foot, and were designed so that this extra depth could be removed by tensioning the flattening reef. With the trend towards loose footed mainsails, they have all but disappeared. Max outhaul should get the foot as flat as it will get.

In your case, make sure you have some reasonable purchase to your outhaul-hand tight on any of these controls is not enough. If the sail still appears deep when tensioned up on the foot, your sail may just be a tad too long, or have too much design depth. Both of these are best corrected by your sailmaker.

So, don't bother with the flattener. Get some good purchase on your outhaul and have the sail checked for proper dimensions. You can fool around with rig tune to get some more prebend if the sail is generally too full, and call me in the morning.:nerd:

Cheers!!

S

 

[bayhoss]

Thanks Mike and Seth! I'll put the $$$ toword a rework of the outhaul.
Have a great holiday!
Frank

 

[E33MikeOx]

Hey, us geezers CAN learn! Thanks, Seth - for "straightening" me out on the issue of a Loose footed main versus a main where the foot is connected to the boom. As I said, my experience with the loose footed variety is limited.

Seth's point on purchase is right on target. One on the first things I did to our E-33 was to increase the purchase on the outhaul. I think is was originally 4 to 1 with plain bearing blocks. I changed it to 7 to 1 with Harken ball bearing blocks. More purchase is better!

Mike Oxborrow
E-33RH JP Foolish, hull #25

 

[exoduse35]

Seth, no need to feel wounded! I think all contributions on every subject are valuable here, and there is usually more than right answer to every question. Also most right answers seem to have a tendency to change over time... I have lost count of your posts on sails that start out "back then they"... That is the best thing about this site... A wealth of knowledge & history and lively debate without degenerating into something ugly. So please stop licking, it makes the rest of us feel bad

 

[bayhoss]

I'll go with the statement that Seth need not lick any wounds. Locking a prop in reverse may not give the absolute best speed but it stops it from spinning. Anyone that has gone over the side to make friends with the stinging nettles will certainly favor the fact that a locked prop will resist tangling in any debris in the water. A spinning prop will tangel. And besides, he liked my comparison of Eric Clapton and Briggs Cunningham!

Best,
Frank

 

[Seth]

Thanks guys

Thanks for the kind words, although rest assured I am over it!
And you are right-the beauty of this site is that we can (and do) ALL learn things from the group.
Happy holidays all!
S