Does Anyone Actually Reef Their Main?

I sailed my old H16 once with no jib and a single-reefed mainsail. I was 16 at the time (~135lbs) and sailing single-handed. It was in a very protected bay, and I was still hiking out going upwind. I could still trapeze on a reach, too.

Being able to reef means you can sail in a lot more wind conditions, and since it can be done on the water, it's a nice safety feature when the storms come up.

Its not a bad option if your into racing and it looks too windy or have a light crew, you can still go out and stay in the competition. I've done this when I was a few kilos lighter on my first 16. I'm disappointed my new boat doesn't actually have the reefing points so I might get a sailmaker to put some in just in case. Another option is to get an old hobie 14 main to use when your fuzzy dice are blowing horizontal.
Cheers Phil

Here's a photo of my wife and I sailing our H16 for the first time (first time either of us had ever been on a sailboat) It was windy and we reefed the main and left the jib in the van. We had a great time learning to sail and just as we were feeling confident, I turned downwind in a nice gust and promptly pitchpoled the boat. In other words, even with a reefed sail, you still have to be smarter than the boat. I'm looking into making my Prindle 18 sail reef-able, but haven't heard of a great way to lock the main halyard into the reefed position. The old Hobies were set up great for this.
Jack Hoying
Fort Loramie, Ohio

To be honest when i first got onto a 16 i was 15 years old and only weighed 58kg and well my crew weighed the same. At first we didn't know we could reef your main but now we do. The only problem now is i own a new boat and all new 16's dont have a reefable main so it comes back to skill and rigging. You will be surprised who much rigging can take the power out of your sails so just dont worry about reefing and have fun trapezing.

From Julian

i like to reef when i'm sailing solo if the wind is 10kn+, at 150# righting is unlikely.

I can see how reefing would be nice for solo sailing. However, I almost always sail 2-up and have never reefed a H16 sail. Since the mid-80s the sails have been built without the reef points and the halyard has only one stop, so it is kind of academic.

Fun Fact: The Worrell 1000 logo (boat going through the surf) is a H16 with a reefed main.

You dont need to reef your main ever. Im 17 and i sail my 16 by myself way to offen and well i have sailed in 25knots with main and jib and i addmit its a bit full on but god dam its fun and you wont believe how fast reaches really are unless your one up in those winds One last thing I have alost capsized my 16 and been able to right it myself and i only weigh 68kg and thats nothing. When righting a hobie it doesn't matter to much about weight its more the way you do it.

These days, I am mostly sailing solo. I feel pretty comfortable up to about 20 knots. After that, the boat starts getting a bit spooky. One October, I just had to get one more sail in. I went out in some really heavy wind. I took a beam reach, but I had to spill all the wind possible just to stay stable. I got to a wind sheltered bay, and tacked back the way I came and called it quits. No fun when you have to constantly worry if the boats gonna dump into cold water. I'm not sure if reefing would have made it stable enough that day.

I also can't imagine sailing a H-16, without a jib. That's gotta make turning tough.

I'm gonna assume from the responses that reefing a H-16 has minimal advantages at best. If Hobie abandoned the option, there couldn't have been too many fans of reefing.

-But its still not too late to change my mind, if you have some good experiences to share.

OK so there's some ballsy sailors out there that don't need to reef. For my money I'd rather have the flexability of it at least being available (and then not use it) or enjoy a strong wind sail without having to scare the crap out of ya wetsuit!
Just my 2 cents worth.
Phil

i have a 79 boat and it does not have the comptip mast. the halyard has two anchor points. i paid extra on my new sail for reefing points for two reasons.

1. crowded trampoline or small kids on board make for a swinging boom accident. the reefed main adds quite a bit of head clearance.

2. when it is early season with high wind conditions and i absolutely do not want to deal with getting wet and getting a sailboat back on its feet. i dont wet suit here in texas but the water is still cold thru april where i live.

i dont use the reef all that much but i consider it a worthy feature. there have been many days that without the reef i wouldnt of been sailing.

ps its a great way to learn how to sail the h 16. i used it all the time in the beginning. depowering the boat enables you to work on technique and not having to worry about the boat going upside down. nobody showed me anything when i got my hobie. i was taught by the school of hard knocks. kind of like training wheels for your hobie.