Questions on rigging on my new boat - maybe you can help ?

[Mark.Wilme]

I spent today prepping the 2001 Beneteau 381 we just accquired for the trip home this next weekend. The marina stepped the mast but left the rest up to me, there are three things that are puzzling me :


1. Mast wiring
I have 5 wires from the mast to connect - in a double cable (2 wires) and a triple cable (3 wires). The double cable is a positive and negative for the anchor light, the triple cable is a common negative and then 2 positives for the steaming light and the deck light. BUT I have one extra cable coming through the conduit from the switch panel - it's not live. Any idea what it is ? anyone here owned a Beneteau and would know ?

2. Reef points (classic full batten main)
There are two reef points on the main, each equipped with a block fore and aft (4 blocks total). I have some (long) lines running inside the boom, but I don't know how to rig it - is this a standard type setup and am I likely to find a guide somewhere ? Despite the owners manual being close to 200 pages including full schematics for rig, plumbing and electrical it doesn't mention this anywhere. Does this sound like jiffy reefing ? Given the forecast for this weekend I am likely to be sailing at the first reef so knowing how to prep this would be useful. Otherwise I am tying it in manually.

3. Lazy jacks
Again, it's a lack of familiarity. On each side I have a pulley on the end of a wire running from about 80% way up the mast and the pulley is about level with my lower spreaders. A a 3/8 line passes through the pulley, on one end is spliced a small snap shackle, the other end is '"free". (Actually one of the lines is snapped so I have to run a new line through anyway.) There are small low load eyes on the side of the boom. Do I assume that the snap shackle just clips on and the free end is somehow snugged ulled tight and then later released and stowed at the mast afterwards ?

Note there is also a block on the port side of the boom, about 2ft back from the mast.

Grateful for any advice in case you have a similar set up on your boat, are familiar with these setups or you have owned a 381.

Forgot the camera but got a lot done. Worked 10.00am : 10:00pm, with an hours travel on each side. But aside from the above (and a broken zipper on the dodger) we are ready to being her home.

Yes, I'll take photos on the trip back.


Mark

[dmairspotter]

I'll bite on #2 despite having limited (near zero 0) Beneteau time.

If the blocks are for single line slab (jiffy) reefing. I believe you would start the reef line at a fixed point, presumably the aft end of the boom, up through the aft block, back down to a block at the aft end of the boom, forward to a block on the forward end of the boom, up to the forward block on the main, then down to cleat, or turning blocks to the cockpit.

If there is a separate line for fore and aft, (maybe the long lines in your boom?) then the line aft line would go up through the reef point and down to a fixed point on the aft end of the mast. You would then have a second line for the forward point.

Blocks at both ends would lead me to believe it's single line reefing though.

[Ceasar Choppy]

If I read your description on your mast wiring correctly, you have a total of six wires: you have 2 in a harness and 3 in a harness and 1 extra. I would guess the one extra is for future use or fishing more wire in the conduit.

Re your reefing and lazy jack set up, take a look at the Harken web site. They have diagrams for these.

[Figment]

1. As I read it, you have more wires on the boat than you have coming from the mast. Possibly the boat is prewired for wind instruments, but the mast isn't?

2. what dmairspotter said, but obviously work from the middle outward so you won't have to re-run the line through the boom.

3. I've yet to see two boats with lazyjacks rigged exactly the same. I think this is going to be one of those things you tinker with mid-voyage.

Have fun!

[catamount]

2 -- single line reefing. You can see how mine is set up here: http://sailing.thorpeallen.net/Greyhawk/Reefing/

3 -- how many eyes are there on each side of the boom? Are there any lines attached to these eyes? For a three-leg Lazy Jack set-up, you might have a bridle of line attached to a pair of eyes, and the line from the block with the snap attachs to this bridle. Then pull the free end down (pulls snap and bridle up), lead it through the block on the forward end of boom and tie it off somewhere. Lots of different ways to configure Lazy Jacks.

Regards,

Tim

[Mark.Wilme]

Thanks one and all.

The harken link helps, looks like I have something there very similar.

I actually got a diagram from a chap at Neil Pryde sails showing how the reefing works. He calls it continuous reefing and it's very similar to Greyhawks. 2lines, 2 reef points.

From a fixed point on the aft end of the boom the line goes up, through the rear block, down, through the boom, out at the mast end, through the second block, back down and through a fairlead in the gooseneck and down to a block at the mast step and back to the cockpit. Second reef (lobger line) does the same. I will find out how much friction this adds and whether it is a workable solution or not.

Mark


I also have wind instruments and a cell booster - I ommitted them in my description because they were the obvious (and well marked) connections.