3rd Reef

[bobsadler]

hi

can someone tell by approximately how much the total area of a cruising mainsail should be reduced with a 3rd reef in ?

thanks

bob

[gjordan]

Bob, I suggest that you look over the thread from a few weeks ago entitled STORM TRISAIL. and then PM ISLANDPLANET, since he seems to have the best knowledge on this subject._____Grant.

[bobsadler]

having done a bit more research it would seem that a good guide is that each reef in a three reef set up should reduce the mainsail luff length by 12%

if the main is considered a right angle triangle then with the 3rd reef in total sail area has been reduced by about 60% and the head of the main is about the level of the 2nd spreader on a two spreader rig

[edsailing]

Hi Bob,

Make it deep, it really is getting to be a storm sail, I'd be looking at a 75% reduction.

Good sailing

[sctpc]

Originally Posted by edsailing

Hi Bob,

Make it deep, it really is getting to be a storm sail, I'd be looking at a 75% reduction.

Good sailing

+ 1 mine are made by Hood and thats what they made my 3rd reef

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by bobsadler

hi

can someone tell by approximately how much the total area of a cruising mainsail should be reduced with a 3rd reef in ?

thanks

bob

On our yacht, the main is approximately 379 Square feet on a luff length of 48'. With the 3rd reef, the sail is reduced to approximately 132 square feet or about 35% of the full sail on a reduced luff length of roughly 26.6 feet. In general, we only rig the 3rd reefing line when making a long off-shore passage. We have carried this sail in 35-40 knots, gusting to 45+ without undue difficulty.

FWIW...

[bobsadler]

svH: yes, that how we'll be rigged for offshore as well. i'll end up with 40% of the main at the 3rd reef (but, god help us, there's always the storm trysail on a separate track )

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by bobsadler

svH: yes, that how we'll be rigged for offshore as well. i'll end up with 40% of the main at the 3rd reef (but, god help us, there's always the storm trysail on a separate track )

Bob--Your NautiCat is a sturdy, stable ship so I'm sure your plan is workable for her. Be sure to have a few cringles added between the luff and leach so that you can tie up the bunt of the sail. For that I use lenghts of velcro which is strong enough to capture the bunt but weak enough that if I happen to forget to release the cringles before fully hoisting the sail, the velcro will let go before the sail is torn (a lesson learned the hard way I regret to admit). The best Trysail is the one on hand but never needed. Let us hope that remains the case for you also.

Cheers...

[gjordan]

Something to ask your sailmaker about is if the 3rd reef clew should be a little higher than a normal horizontal plane. We have all seen boats with a reef tied in and the boom sagging, which can only be more likely with 3 reefs tied in. It cant hurt to have the boom a little higher, but to have it too low could be a disaster. Just something to think about.____Grant.

[bobsadler]

thanks all. this approximately how the full main (orange), 3rd reef (green) and storm trysail (blue) compare

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Something to ask your sailmaker about is if the 3rd reef clew should be a little higher than a normal horizontal plane. We have all seen boats with a reef tied in and the boom sagging, which can only be more likely with 3 reefs tied in. It cant hurt to have the boom a little higher, but to have it too low could be a disaster. Just something to think about.____Grant.

All of the multi-reef mains that I have commissioned have had the first reef parallel to the boom, the second with the boom up a few degrees, and the third with it up another few degrees. This has worked out over many miles of deeply reefed sailing.

The size of the third reefed main depends on whether one does or does not have a trysail. If not, then a deeper third reef makes sense to me (and that is what we have BTW).

Cheers,

Jim