Eclipse Rigging Manual

[alsantini]

Des.  First off welcome.  A great boat....   I have #49 and sail northern Illinois in the summer and west coast of Florida during the winter.
I think the original set-up, which I believe you have, could do with a bit of change. I found that the cam on the boom would slip as I sailed.   I installed a bale on the port side of the boom aft of the reef cringle.  I tie off the end of the reefing line to it.  The line goes up the and through the cringle down to a turn block (same position as the bale).  The line then turns and follows along the boom toward the mast.  About 3 - 4 feet from the front of the boom I have a can cleat that holds the line with a figure of eight knot.  The position of the cam cleat allows me to put one foot in the cabin, one foot in the cockpit, drop the sail until my red line shows up on the halyard.  Catch the reef hook, pull up on the halyard to lock it.  I then pull on the rear reefing line until the sail is tight and I am done.  This one modification to the factory system has really worked well and I single hand most of the time up north.  To me, the key is the position of the cam cleat forward on the starboard side of the boom since it allows me to set a reef without moving around a lot.  I can reach the cam cleat, the hook and the halyard without moving and I can get it done quickly.  The system puts lots of tension on the clew pulling it down and aft which greatly helps with sail shape when reefed.  Sail On,  Al

[Whisper]

Hi Al, thanks for your reply . You have year round sailing I guess ,lucky you. Nice to have winter sun in Florida.
I think it's a great little boat as well very stiff and comfortable to sail.
Your system sounds good , but you must have away of holding up the boom,otherwise when you loosen the haliard the boom would drop ,even with the predetermined red mark in place.
Or am I missing something?
I think being able to adjust the gooseneck is a given in that it slides away when unrigging but if you could set it at a predetermined height when the sail is hoisted and have a Cunningham adjustment on the sail and do away with the down haul line ,then that would solve a lot of problems.
The Cunningham line would need a cringle placed in the sail about 150 to 200 up from the tack.
Back to the drawing board,
Cheers Des

[slode]

Des,

I think a track stop may solve a lot of your concern

https://www.wholesalemarine.com/davis-round-sail-track-stop/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkoDmBRCcARIsAG3xzl-JXe1-uLEPjqIeE_EB6vg5IQd7CpmhKy4eCsvLidzqwfpP8kHwoEcaAtMbEALw_wcB

If you set the nut so the middle of the gooseneck sits at the mast hinge point when resting on it, it should allow plenty of clearance for downhaul tensioning yet keep it high enough to make things easy for setting a reef and hoisting the sail back up with the halyard.  If find if you let the gooseneck drop below the hinge point it tends to jamb when pulling it back up.  I'll typically run all the sail slides and gooseneck up the mast and set this before launching to avoid any issues with getting things stuck at the hinge point when hoisting the sail.

[Whisper]

Thanks Slode for that info ,I agree I think that's what I'm missing and I appreciate your mounting advice .
I ordered the slide today , haven't been able to source one in Australia.
Unfortunately American suppliers charge an arm and leg for freight ! But what the heck it's only money .
Best wishes Des

[Vectordirector]

You can accomplish the same thing with a long (my boat came with a 3" long quick release ball end) clevis pin in the back bottom holes of the hinge slid through after raising the slides and gooseneck up above the hinge joint.  That is how I stored my main.  It makes getting the sail up much easier.  Then you pull the pin out and tighten the downhaul to pull any horizontal wrinkles out of the main.  Then slide the pin back in and it will keep the gooseneck and the boom up horizontal with the mast crutch on the gallows when you lower the sail or leave it out and the gooseneck will drop down below the hinge when you lower the sail. 

I had half a dozen of those pins on my hobie cat and they made rigging the boat much easier.  I hate the ronstan pins the Eclipse came with and put quick pins in the mast hinge as well. 

YOU MUST REMOVE THIS PIN AND MAKE SURE ALL THE SLIDES ARE BELOW THE HINGE BEFORE PUTTING THE MAST DOWN!!!  SAME IS TRUE WITH THE ABOVE RECOMMENDED SAIL STOP!!!  The manual also has this highlighted.   

Fair Winds,

Vectordirector

[Whisper]

Thanks for your input Vector Director , just need some good weather to try things out .
Cheers Whisper