Folding boom?

Looks like if you leave the boom out of the sleave you could reef by wrapping the sail around the mast (depending on how far you can wrap until you get to the battens). This is what Toppers do.
It's also good because it's very easy to do on the water, let the outhaul loose, take the boom off the, twist the mast which wraps the sail, put the boom back on the gooseneck and off you go. 

Edited by mozzy - 09 May 19 at 10:31am

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Guests Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Guest Group	Post Options Post Reply Quote Guests Quote Reply Topic: Folding boom? Posted: 09 May 19 at 10:30am
	Looks like if you leave the boom out of the sleave you could reef by wrapping the sail around the mast (depending on how far you can wrap until you get to the battens). This is what Toppers do. It's also good because it's very easy to do on the water, let the outhaul loose, take the boom off the, twist the mast which wraps the sail, put the boom back on the gooseneck and off you go. Edited by mozzy - 09 May 19 at 10:31am

MerlinMags Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Admin Group Joined: 19 Mar 04 Location: UK, Guildford Online Status: Offline Posts: 584	Post Options Post Reply Quote MerlinMags Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 09 May 19 at 10:29am
	Three ways to reef: 1. Buy a smaller sail to use instead 2. Roll sail around boom (need 2 eyelets put into the sail) 3. Tie ropes at intervals to bunch the sail up (needs 5 eyelets) Fitting eyelets to a sail can be done in a DIY way, but I would be a bit wary. They have to be damn tough to cope with the pull from ropes and wind. (Rolling around the mast works with SOME sails, IF you have a way to stop it unrolling!) Edited by MerlinMags - 09 May 19 at 10:30am

Eisvogel Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 09 Dec 16 Location: Birmingham Online Status: Offline Posts: 135	Post Options Post Reply Quote Eisvogel Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 09 May 19 at 10:27am
	Can you not reef the sail by winding it around the mast?
	Enterprise 20361 (Eisvogel), Laser 102727 (Halcyon), Laser 121986

MerlinMags Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Admin Group Joined: 19 Mar 04 Location: UK, Guildford Online Status: Offline Posts: 584	Post Options Post Reply Quote MerlinMags Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 09 May 19 at 10:00am
	A rope running from the end of the boom to the top of the mast is called a "topping lift" and it does indeed put the sail (mostly) out of action, as you suggest. This is not suitable in strong winds though, as the sail will still cause a lot of drag, and erratic rolling of the boat. You probably don't need to add a hinge to the mast-to-boom connection (called a 'gooseneck') as this surely already pivots up and down? Don't worry too much about the sail not touching the boom. As long as the boom is long enough for the sail to be pulled tight, this is fine to see a gap in the middle. You want that rope very tight in strong winds to keep the sail flatter.

fasteddy Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 08 May 19 Online Status: Offline Posts: 9	Post Options Post Reply Quote fasteddy Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 09 May 19 at 9:46am
	Hi all.. Am very new to sailing, bought a fibre glass 12 foot dinghy with a single sail for myself and my son. We live in north Scotland so have many large and small lochs, plus the coastal waters around the highlands to play in.. We have had one very fun afternoon in Loch Shin which was also our first time sailing.. Loved it.. Pic shows the boom not set into the sail as it should be, will be correcting that by moving the clasp on the mast further up so the boom can slide into the sail. Now we are looking at getting our boat a bit more ready for the summer. First thing that we see as a bit of a problem is that the sail cannot be reefed. It slides directly onto the mast and then slides onto a boom (mast and boom are aluminium tube). We also have an electric transom motor to help maneuvering in and out of launch points, but we cant use this as we cant stop the sail from propelling us at any point. As the sail cannot be reefed, I was wandering if a form of hinge could be fitted where the boom connects to the mast, and then a line running from the top of the mast could be used to pull up the boom, thereby putting the sail out of action until the boom is lowered again. Apologies if this is all old hat for all you experienced folk out there, we are trying to read as much as possible and talk to other sailing folk, but I am finding very little info on modding a small craft and so have joined this forum in search of wiser minds.. I am an engineer so have no hesitation in having a go at anything.. Any ideas or suggestions? Edited by fasteddy - 09 May 19 at 9:52am