US2247219A - Device for reefing sails - Google Patents

Description

June 24, 1941 J. c. CHILDS DEVICE FOR REEFING SAILS Filed June 8, 1939 //v vz/vroe JOHN an; as

W lrroelvzr Patented June 24, 194i 9 Claims.

The present invention is directed to sailing vessels, more particularly to construction of sails whereby reefing and similar effects may be obtained.

In the handling of sailing vessels, situations frequently arise where it is desired to increase or decrease the amount of sail area, to change the form of the sail, and like situations. It has been previously proposed in order to accomplish effects of this character to provide means for reeling the sails in various manners. According to such proposals, it was customary to provide a number of reefing points along a sail, said reefing points being of various characters. Often, they consisted of a series of rings sewed to the sails with ropes passing through the rings, whereby under the desired circumstances the ropes might be tightened around the bolt rope edge of the sail or even around a spar and thus decrease the area of the sail. However, such reefing points had numerous disadvantages, among which was the fact that the strain of the roofing points was concentrated at a relatively small number of stations along the sail,

placing undue stress upon the same and frequently tearing out. In order to avoid this, it was proposed to sew onto the sail at such points additional pieces of fabric, which in a measure prevented damage to the sail, but at the same time required considerable care and skill and expense. Furthermore, the actual process of reefing a sail with a number of spaced reefing points was rather slow and tedious and many times the effectiveness of the reef was decreased because of the considerable time necessary for obtaining the same.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the difficulties and disadvantages inherent in prior reefing devices and to provide a structure for reefing and other purposes which is cheap, easy to install, which is highly effective and positive in operation, and which allows the reefing to be performed more rapidly and readily than was the case heretofore.

In practicing my invention, I replace the spaced reefing points with a device which provides an extremely large number of such points, and this is accomplished by the use of a slide or zipper fastener, such as is now well known. The Zipper consists of two strips of tape having a series of lugs at adjacent edges and a slider whereby the two sets of lugs may be caused to mesh and to lock together. In my invention, I utilize two or more such strips of tape which are sewn or otherwise secured to one or the other side of a sail along the proper lines and by means of the slider the reef may be taken in or let out, as the case may be, with great dispatch and ease. Thereby, it becomes possible to obtain quick, neat and adequate reefing of sails.

In the accompanying drawing, constituting a part hereof, and in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, elevational View of a mast and sail fitted with a slide or zipper fastener for the purpose of providing a roach reef;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing multiple conventional reefs on a sail;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing one of the sets of fasteners in operative position to form a reef; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal, cross-sectional View through a spinnaker fitted with the present invention.

On the mast l is a boom 2 held thereon by gooseneck 3, as usual. A sail 4 is secured to the mast l by slides 5 on a track 6 and to the boom 2 by a similar arrangement. Rings may be used, if desired. At the foot of the sail, and substantially parallel to the boom, is secured a strip of tape i having a series of Zipper lugs 3 along the upper edge thereof. A similar strip of tape 9 having corresponding lugs it facing lugs 8 is secured to the sail above tape i in such a manner that the ends it and t2 thereof are adjacent to the ends of tape l with the central portion of tape S'being spaced a substantial distance from the corresponding portion of tape 1, thus being in arcuate form. A slider i3 is provided with a ring It or other means for operating the same. When it is desired to reef the sail, it is merely necessary to grasp the ring it or a rope or Ianyard tide thereto and pull the slider it from point it to H2. ihereby, in an extremely short time, the complete reef is made. The strains and stresses are distributed over a number of points, thus minimizing the danger of or damage to the sail.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the tape l is secured to the foot of the sail and a similar strip of tape I5 is sewn above the same in parallel relation thereto. A set of lugs it faces lugs 8. A pin if at one end of tape i5 is intended to be introduced into slide It at the proper time for securing lugs t and it together. An additional strip of tape it has lugs is facing lugs 8 and has a pin 25? similar in character and function to pin H. In order to form a reef, lugs 8 and It may be intermeshed, or if a deeper reef is desired, lugs 8 and I9 are intermeshed. The meshing may start at either end of the tape.

When a reef is taken in, a considerable amount of canvas is involved, which canvas is ordinarily in a bunched condition which may be untidy. Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided means whereby such excess canvas may be totally encompassed in a pocket and thus streamlining of the excess canvas is obtained. To accomplish this, additional zipper tapes are provided. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a tape 2! having lugs 22 is secured to the sail 4 on the face opposite to and coinciding with tape 7 and lugs 8. An additional tape 23 having lugs 24 is sewn opposite to tape 15, but ordinarily is placed a number of inches lower than tape l8. An additional tape 25 having lugs 26 is placed opposite tape 58 but in a position a sufficient distance below to complete the encompassing of the loose canvas in such fashion as to provide a snugly fitting pocket.

When a reef is formed by interrneshing of lugs 8 and i6, extra canvas 2'1 is bunched on one side of the sail. Thereupon, lugs 22 and 2d are caused to interniesh forming a pocket having a smooth outer surface and entirely enclosing the excess canvas 2?. Similarly, when the upper reef is made, a pocket may be formed by means of lugs 22 and 26 to stow the excess canvas.

In Fig. 5 I have shown two spinnakers. 2B having tapes 3t and 3! sewn or otherwise secured to adjacent edges thereof, having lugs 32 which are intermeshed. This changes the shape of the sails so that wind passing into the same is divided at the lugs 32, but exerts its force on the two portions 28 of the sail and thus increases the eflec tiveness thereof. Eaoh of the spinnakers may be used separately if desired.

While I have above set forth a few specific examples of the manner in which my ideas may take practical form, these examples are not to be considered as defining the scope of my invention but merely as illustrating the nature thereof. Various other embodiments thereof are possible, as, for example, the reef instead of being of the types shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may be a diagonal reef starting at the tack of the sail and extending diagonally to a point partway up the leach. The diagonal or straight reefs need not be in straight lines for their entire lengths but they may be curved at desired points, as upwardly at the end of the boom to lift the same. Instead of a singl roach or other reef as shown in Fig. 1, a multiple roach or other reef may be installed as in Fig. 2. The roach or other reef may be placed at other positions on the sail, as along the luff of the sail, or only partly on the luff. Reefs may be provided for introducing draft into a sail by a similar arrangement.

Sails are often provided with battens in suitable pockets open at their ends. When a batten breaks it is often difficult to readily remove the broken piece without injury to the canvas, and a zipper arrangement may be used along the side of the pocket instead of sewing, thus facilitating the removal of the batten.

In Fig. 5 there was shown a balloon sail provided with a zipper. In place thereof, one may use two or more pieces of sail each provided, at or near an edge, with a zipper tape whereby they may be united to give various new and useful eifects. One may add a bonnet (hunt) to a spinnaker or other large sails, the zipper tape being in horizontal, vertical, angular or any other 75 position. These and combinations of the various types of reefs may be obtained by my invention.

A Genoa jib is usually furled in thread stops and hoisted onto a stay. The threads are intended to be broken by a pull on the sheet, but if the threads are too weak they will break prematurely and if too strong the sail will not open properly. By providing a zipper about the furled sail, this difficulty is easily eliminated.

Although the ordinary type of slide fastener has given good results in practice, in case of a sail fabric which has an excessive amount of stretch, the effective meshing of the zipper lugs may be interfered with. In such case, special lugs may be provided which have deeper recesses and correspondingly longer cooperating projections to allow greater drift. It may also be advisable to utilize a zipper tape made of the same fabric as the sail so that there will be the same amount of expansion or contraction in both. In some cases, it is advisable to attach the zipper tape with the thread lines thereof parallel to the thread lines of the sail, or, in other Words, to have the direction of the weaves of sail and tape coincide, or nearer to complete coincidence than ordinary tape.

The present invention is applicable to all sizes, shapes and types of sails, including square, triangular and others. It makes possible the rapid change of shape, amount and character of canvas to meet changes in sailing conditions. It also enables one to experiment with new shapes of sails and to more quickly determine the most favorable combinations in the particular vessel for different Weather conditions in sailing.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to said sail, a second similar strip of zipper tape secured to said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, and a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock.

2. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to one edge of said sail, a second similar strip of zipper tape secured to said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, and a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock.

3. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to a central portion of said sail, a second similar strip of zipper tape also secured to a central portion of said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, and a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock.

4. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to the foot of said sail,

. a second similar strip of zipper tape secured to said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, and a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock.

5. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to said sail, a second similar strip of zipper tape secured to said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock, and a third similar strip of zipper tape secured to said sail a greater distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape.

6. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to said sail, a second similar strip of zipper tape secured to said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, and a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock, an additional strip of zipper tape secured on the opposite face of said sail and a cooperating strip of zipper tape on said latter face, whereby they are adapted :to form a pocket for excess sail formed by the cooperation of said first mentioned tapes.

7. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to the foot of said sail, a second similar strip of zipper tape secured tosaid sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, and a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock, said second tape being substantially parallel with said first tape, said slide being at the inner edge of said sail to facilitate formation of a reef.

8. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, said strip being secured to the foot of said sail, a second similar strip of zipper tape secured to said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, and a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock, said second tape being of arcua-te shape with the ends thereof adjacent to said first tape at approximately the edges of said sail, the curvatures of said tapes being different.

9. In combination with a sail, a strip of tape, a series of zipper lugs along one edge thereof, a second similar strip of Zipper tape secured to said sail a spaced distance from but in cooperative relation with said first tape, a slide adapted to cause said tapes to interlock, said second tape being of arcuate shape with at least one of its ends adjacent to said first tape and said slide being located at the junction of saidtapes to facilitate formation of a reef.

" JOHN CLARKE CI-IILDS.

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