Reefing. No Reef Tack Cringle on my 2015 Eclipse Mainsail?

[Mike K]

Hi all,

Well after many years of desiring an Eclipse, I bought a used one this summer up in Annapolis, and sold my Legacy.  It is a nice 2015 Eclipse, and I think I'm the third owner.  It started in Florida and was called "Slow Ride" I think from what I remember seeing it for sale a couple years ago.  Then it was sold to Steve C who had it in Annapolis for a year or so and called it "Crows Nest".  Now it's back in Florida, and sailed on Charlotte Harbor off it's trailer, and will be called Luna (Eclipse).

I love the boat, and have had it out 3 times so far in fairly brisk winds each time.  The second time out I tried to reef the mainsail in the parking lot.  I don't think the previous owner ever had the reefing system set up, so I thought, "how hard could it be"?  I've had 4 sailboats and seen a few reefing systems in my day, but as you all know, the Eclipse goes it's own way on the reefing system.

So after a little research, I realized that you have to tie a line around the boom in the back, and through the slit in the foot of the mainsail and back down through the boom.  OK, I can figure that out.  There is a reefing leach cringle for that line to pull the back of the sail down, no problem.  There are also little grommets along the height of the reef for loosely tying the sail to the boom when reefed.  OK, no problem.

I also have 2 standard reefing hooks, one on each side of the goose neck.  The strange thing is when I got to the front of the sail, there is no tack reef cringle!  I raised the sail in the parking lot, and verified there is nowhere in the mainsail to hook through.  There is the sail reef reinforcement patch, but there is nothing else, no hole, nothing.  After scratching my head, I tied a small line on top of one of the standard nylon sail sliders and tied it to the hooks on both sides, then gently raised the halyard (and winced a bit).  It held, but that single little sail slider is not meant to hold the entire sail down with a good wind and halyard force pulling it up. I was also afraid of tensioning the halyard much, which you should do in high winds.

I've read on this forum and other places that to reef the Eclipse, you simply pull down the back line to reef the leach, and hook the front through a standard tack cringle.  The mainsail appears to be the original Doyle from the factory, and since the boat is only 5 years old, I have to assume it came from the factory that way.

My question is, am I missing something? Some kind of strap or something to hold the sail to the hooks?   I can't imagine that Doyle and Compac forgot to put the reef tack cringle in?

Thanks,
Mike K.

[alsantini]

Mike.  I  wish I had an answer for you but no such luck.  I have poured over all my photos and have a few that show the reef cringle in line with the reef lines on the front edge of the sail.  Question: is it possible that the previous owner tried to make a single line reefing system?  With it you would still need a small cringle on the edge of the sail but not large enough to capture the reef hooks.  I have been on a boat, years ago where the owner would use a line on the clew of the sail pulling it down to the boom.  He would then use a threaded sail slug with a hole in it and another line that was pulled down.  It never seemed efficient to me but he had started with a sail without any reef points.  Do you have a sail slug out of metal that can be placed in mast, pulled down and tightened thereby holding the luff down??

[Mike K]

Al,
Thanks for looking at old photos of the reef system on other boats.  I just saw that video of the Eclipse in Tasmania, and it clearly shows a reef tack cringle.  I guess I'm just out of luck.  I'll look more closely at the sail, as maybe there is a buttonhole type of slit that's similar to the one in the back for the line to go through for a short web or strap to pass through.  I'm not hopeful, and maybe Doyle Sails just messed up and no one caught the omission.  Maybe fair weather sailed only in the past?

If I strike out there, I will try to find a metal sail slug as you mentioned and see if that could somehow work.  Or I could bite the bullet and go to a sail loft and add the missing cringle.

[Andre]

I have no experience with an Eclipse, just 2 catboats - a PC and an HC, but if I follow what you're saying I don't think the metal slug idea would work that well. You'd have the shackle between the slug and the sail which are usually plastic and not very strong. Even if you replaced it with a steel one the luff grommets probably don't have reinforced fabric around them like a true reef one would. At least on my sails they don't.

Andre

[Vectordirector]

Hi MIke,

I'm in Punta Gorda Isles and had Eclipse Hull #23 for 6 years.  If you want to get together sometime I can look at your boat and see what you have vs. what my 2005 had.  I'm sure we can figure out something.  I now day sail a 1994 Corsair 24 trimaran #135 "Wavedancer" on charlotte harbor. 

PM me here if you are interested.

Vectordirector

AKA

Bryan

[slode]

Mike,

The Eclipse is quite different than most sailboats in the fact that the boom slides up and down on the mast track.  The downhaul line that should be rigged on the bottom side of the boom acts in place of a standard cunningham.   When reefing, hooking the eyes on the reef tack cringle to the j-hook on the boom is all you need to do.  Just re-set the main halyard to hold the boom at the same spot as standard.  The boom downhaul then acts to tension the sail. 

[slode]

Found a picture of what it looks like with the reef in.

[Vectordirector]

Slode explains it better than I could.  Mine on the 2005 was the same except for the web strap.  I put that cringle hole on the J hook.  Hardest part was finding that the original downhaul line was not very effective in the jaw cleat on the bottom of the boom, when it let go reefed in 20 knot gusts.  Originally was same as the reefing line for the jib, 1/8" black poly.  Horrible.  Replaced both with 1/4" sta-set.  Also found that a shot of sailkote really helps get those jaws to work better if they get stiff from storage. 

[Mike K]

Thanks all. The pictures help and make sense. I guess I have to get the tack cringle put in by a sail loft so I have something to go over the hook.

[slode]

My old sail just had the cringle.  My new one has a strap through the cringle with an eye ring on both ends.  I really like the new setup as it allows you to hook both rings, one on each side, to the gooseneck hooks.  The sail tensions much better when reefed with the load centered on the boom.  Just something I would suggest. 

[waterwheels]

I had the dog ears (web steps) added to mine too and found it very helpful.

I have also learned to leave the reef line on the leech (aft end) of the sail a little loose until you get the luff (forward end) of the sail hooked into the sail hooks, then tighten the leech reef line and finally the downhaul. Makes it much easier to get the sail on the hooks before it is being pulled aft. It also helps to have the down haul loose enough to be able to lift the boom with your shoulder should you need to.

Don