01 Jun J/46 Reef Lines

Posted at 21:28h in Boat Work, Sailing by

This is our 3 reef setup. We added a 3rd reef line sheave to the boom. It fit in the existing box with no modifications.

Grey line is reef 3/4. Our new main has 3 larger reefs rather than 4. We almost never use the 1st reef. We have only used the 4th once. 2 and 3 seem to be the cruising sweet spots.

Ideally one would add rigging for lines back to the cockpit to accommodate additional reef tack/clew lines and vang while maintaining the spare halyards. We have pulled our second jib and spin halyard to use those jammers/blocks for reefs.

We also have a cunningham and strop for tack attachment points.

Our setup could be optimized and likely will get to that project at some point, but works just fine as it is. 

Hope that helps. Don’t mind the coffee making setup! It saves a lot of propane and keeps the steam out of the interior.

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4 Comments
  • Richard York
    Posted at 12:13h, 10 June

    Great rig there, Curtis. I had a yard add jammers in year 2, so I have five do each halyard winch. Two-line reefing. Third reef not led, but then again I have never sailed in latitudes starting with 5. Sail Safe … Dick Y.

    • sweetruca
      Posted at 18:05h, 26 August

      Thanks Richard! We are following suit and just added two more clutches outboard of our existing ones. We also remember your trick for the vang! Great recommendations! Being able to manage all sail controls from the cockpit singlehanded is one of the aspects that make these boats so great offshore.

  • Denton Earnhardt
    Posted at 23:12h, 20 June

    I would like to see how you do your cunningham tack and strop set up. I have enough sheaves for four reef lines on the clew end but only room for two at the tack as the first two reefs are single line via a seldom one line reefing boom set up. I was planing on doing the strop for the third reef tack as well.

    • sweetruca
      Posted at 18:03h, 26 August

      We have a dyneema strop spliced the gooseneck with a wichard shackle, a standard cunningham purchase which leads through the goosneck and to a hook for the tack/cunningham/reef, and a reef tack line led back to the cockpit clutch/winch. We will try to grab some photos of this one day. We are trying a few new changes as well.