Question About my Main Sail

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Makara
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Joined: 1/11/19
Posts: 13
Question About my Main Sail

Please see the attached photo. I'm pretty new to sailing and recently purchased a 95 Catalina 36mkii. Can someone tell me why near the bottom of the sail why it attaches to the slide with line?

Joe - -
Mobile, AL.
S.V. Makara
1995 Catalina 36 MkII - Hull #1401 

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bakerha
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Joined: 7/23/10
Posts: 267

Joe: A little larger picture showing more of the lines connections would be good.  But if that is the mast I am guessing that it is a Jiffy Reefing system.
https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/jiffy-reefing.html

My boat has a form of that. A single line reef led to the cockpit.

_____________
Harold Baker
S/V Lucky Duck
Duncan Bay Boat Club
Cheboygan Michigan - Lake Huron
1989 C-36 mkI TR/WK M25XP

Wally-1840
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Joined: 11/9/09
Posts: 117

Hi,
It’s  called a mainsail jackline. It allows easier reefing as the sail doesn’t bunch up as much at the mast end. You can find a good description on Catalina Direct.

https://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?feature=34

Wally
"Onanne"
2000 MKII, deep keel, tall rig
​Lake Champlain
 

Makara
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Joined: 1/11/19
Posts: 13

Thanks Wally... Makes sense..

Cheers!

Joe - -
Mobile, AL.
S.V. Makara
1995 Catalina 36 MkII - Hull #1401 

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Parsons
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Joined: 6/2/16
Posts: 95

To amplify what Wally said, the jackline allows the luff (front) of the sail to move more freely with respect to the mast when there is not much tension on the halyard.  In the case of reefing, it allows the sail to drop down below the level of the slug stop at the bottom of your track, and allow for a more complete reef.  If you did not have that, the front of the sail would be still pretty high even after you set your reef.  As a side benefit, it also protects the bottom slugs from shearing off when you really crank down on the reef.  Play with it a little as you set a reef, and you'll be able to visualize what I just said.

Congratulations on your new boat, and keep asking questions.

John Parsons
"Water Music" 1999 Catalina 36 Mk II - Hull 1771
Tall Rig, Fin Keel
Bay City, MI, USA

Makara
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Joined: 1/11/19
Posts: 13

Thanks for that great information Parsons.. Concerning reefing, I do seem to have to rigging issues..

Look at these two attached photos. When I pull tight the reefing line, the line really likes to bind up on the hole where the line runs into the boom. It looks like it should be more on the sheave, rather than rubbing against the edge of the boom. Looks like a chaffing issue to me.

Comments?

Joe - -
Mobile, AL.
S.V. Makara
1995 Catalina 36 MkII - Hull #1401 

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Parsons
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Joined: 6/2/16
Posts: 95

I agree that this looks like a source of chafe, but only for the last foot or two of the reef when the reefing line is pulled closer to the mast.  Try experimenting with someone else setting the reef, and I would guess that it is not fouled until the reef point is very low.  You could try to reduce chafe by using a Dremel to increase the size, and smoothness, of that entry point.  I do not think that a half-inch modification to the boom would weaken it at all, and it's aluminum so the work would be easy.  Now that you mention it, I think I'll look at mine in the Spring!

Personally, I added a Carbo Airblock to the front reef point to make the entire thing run smoother.  You don't want one on the back because the reef is smoother if you set the luff first, then the leech, so that's why you only want to reduce friction at the front.  Also, the entire reef on single-line reefing runs through the front, and only the two feet run through the reef point on the leech.

John Parsons
"Water Music" 1999 Catalina 36 Mk II - Hull 1771
Tall Rig, Fin Keel
Bay City, MI, USA

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