reefing main for daytime storage

Hi all.
I keep my boat down on the beach and I was wondering if anyone ever just bungied up the main on the boom, instead of taking it off after every sail. Do they make a boom/main sail cover you could just slip on and tie/bungee on until the next time? Do any of you store main on boom and cover, and if so how? Or am I just being lazy?
Thanks....Simie

The people in my area who don't transport the sails to the beach use a PVC tube or a smooth ID drain pipe. They just tie the tubes to the earth anchors. There is less windage, wear on the boat and less chance of vandalism.

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1989 Hobie 18 Worlds Boat, Magnum Wings & Spinnaker
1987 Hobie Holder 20 #273

dale.vanlopik"at"att"dot"net

DVL. I hate to be nieve, but what do you mean by "earth anchor"?
I mean are you just referring to anchoring the tube to the ground ???thanks....Simie

NO ... NO ... NO ...

Recently we have had several instants of STRONG storms/microbursts coming threw ... and tossing boats on the beach around .... causing lots of damage. There are several methods of tieing boats down so they remain securely in place. So ALWAYS tie your boat down if you are leaving it in an exposed site .... or you just maybe filling out Insurance Forms ... for your boat ... and your friend's boat that your's lands on!!!!!!

Now, we used to bury tires in the sand w/ tie-down lines attached to them .... but that is frowned upon now since a old tire is considered toxic waste. You can bury a board w/ a rope tied to it, passing through a cement block (for additional wieght). Or you go to a local Arborist Supply or "Tractor Supply" and purchase "ground anchors" .... they come in different lengths w/ various size discs and screw into the ground. They cost between $6-$12 each usually. For normal dirt/clay I use a 30" lg w/ 4" disc .... for beach sand I use 42" lg w/ 4" or 6" disc .... I turn mine in flush/ground level on the lawn at the yacht club so that a lawnmower will pass over it w/o hitting it ... on the beach I tend to leave the shank up/exposed 3-4" .....

Back to your origonal guestion .... NO, I've never seen what you propose done for beach cat sail storage .... the H16 sail will roll around it's boom for storage (but it's tough on the sail as the beckets like to poke holes in the sail eventually). The H18 sail rolls best from the Top ==> Down (you fold the top two or three panels over). Then place in stage-box/tube .....

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

What Harry said;

We screw in a 3 foot earth anchor front and back so you can tie the front an rear cross bars down. We then use a strap to attach the tube to the earth anchor. A good cable & lock to one of the anchors secures the boat.

Tie your boat down or risk serious damage during a storm.

_________________
1989 Hobie 18 Worlds Boat, Magnum Wings & Spinnaker
1987 Hobie Holder 20 #273

dale.vanlopik"at"att"dot"net

Good point that I forgot to mention Mr DVL ... (thanks for catching it ... )

We use two ground anchors ... one at each crossbar on the boat's centerline. This is to prevent the boat from walking around in a circle .... if your boat is in a line of boats you don't want it to "walk around" till it hits your nieghboring boats .... ( I've seen it happen ... the boat turns 45* -90* to the way you left it !!!!). Please note that monomorans (ie: monohulls) typically place ground anchors on either side of their boats and tie-down to the shrouds or over the boat side-to-side ....

Note to David: I finally installed those Main Traveller Bumpers you sent me samples of several years ago (the envelope was buried/lost in my sailbox ..... w/ my spare parts ) .... they are NICE !!!! Thanks ....

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

Thank you all for the great advice! I'm a newby and was having a trouble rigging the main sail. After a few tries I'm catching on. The tube on the beach sounds like my best approach, along with tying the boat down to anchors. Thanks again all for the help/advice.
Simie