Lazy Jacks and sail bag replacement?

[Carmel2]

HI,

Well the UV has finally done it's work. So it's time to get a new main sail bag and lazy jack system. As an all in one replacement what have you found easy to install and above all easy to use in a bit of a chop...........if it helps it's for a Jeannea SO 37 2001.

 

[sailorgirl]

We didn't bother on our SO47- the Mediterranean UV got to the plastic zip too quickly making it a regular expensive repair.

I replaced the lazy jacks using some bargain string picked up in La Rochelle. I adjusted the ends so that they could be fixed to points where the mainsheet and reefing points are attached to the boom - simple loop in one side and a bobble on the other. By making them removeable we could have a cheaper to maintain overboom cover.

Standard practise is to put the lazyjacks on when lowering the sail (even when reefing) and tie them back to the shrouds once we are in port (so they don''t rattle on the mast).

 

[TigaWave]

I agree with the zip thing but ours lasted at least 5 years in sunny places. Could there be UV resistant ones?

In future though I would get a stack pack made up to my design using a flap to cover over the sail with a broad piece of velcro. Lazy jacks on the outside to the boom, then you could roll up the cloth on either side when sailing to stop it flapping around. one batten the length of the pack would help you roll it up, and more velcro to hold it in place beside the boom. Anew type of main cover is born!

 

[charles_reed]

I had mine made for me as none of the ready-made were acceptable.

It cost about €250 for a 30m2, fully battened main which is slightly smaller than yours, I think.

I agree that zips are pernicious and seem to only last 3/4 years in the Med, but mechanical failute not UV degradation appears to be the problem. Replacement is expensive and tedious (the last cost €100), but Velcro when I used it on the last boom-bag was unsatisfactory. I suspect the answer is to have a Velcro-fixed flap over the zip, which would, at least keep out that staining red laterite from the Sahel.

It does help a lot in that the big main has a loose foot which makes attaching the boom-bag very much easier than with a bolt-rope foot.

the advantages of a mast-furling main is that you don't need a boom bag or mighty thews to hoist the main every time you set sail.

As for using them in a chop - that's down to the positioning and tautness of the lazyjacks, which takes many hours of patient experiment (and mine don't need taking down in harbour 'cos they don't flap).
Probably the best way of stabilising the whole thing is to have some boom-gallows into which to drop the mast.
I use a strop and hook from the cockpit arch and with a gas-strut can dispense with the topping lift.

 

[Carmel2]

Sailorgirl

We had a bit of string and now I want to improve the system.

Tiga Wave.

That sounds like what I am after........you make it, and I will test it........sound's good to me

 

[TigaWave]

I know a great sail maker at the back of power boats in Chaguramus (is that how it's spelt?) and it's only three or four weeks from the Med.

 

[snowleopard]

We got ours with the sail from Doyle. It's a loose-footed sail and the tack moves about 3 ft laterally as a result of being attached to the heel of the pivoting wing mast. As a result the stackpack is sewn to the foot of the sail. The arrangement generally works well though there were a couple of problems-

The original zip was pretty lightweight (about the size you'd expect on a cheap holdall) and extended about a foot beyond the aft end of the bag. The aft end of the zip was permanently joined and the dangling bit was to let it open wide enough. Within a few days use, the dangling part had got caught in the reefing lines and mangled beyond repair. I bought a new heavier zip of the size you'd see in a good oilie jacket with an end that allowed the two halves to separate. It took most of a day to hand-sew it in but it's served me OK for 15000 miles since.

The other snag was that the reefing lines have to pass through slots in the bag. These were reinforced with leather patches but the 3 slots very soon joined up into one long tear. I've since sewn strips of webbing on to hold the ends of the slots together.

A batten along the top edge is essential.

Our bag is about 2 ft deep but has another panel extending a further 2ft up the sail. When the full sail is set this is supposed to just lie against the sail and when lowered, the extra piece drops down inside the bag. In practice the wind gets between the bag and the sail so the bag bellies out into an unsightly tunnel. I don't really see the point of it.

The bag is made of white UV cloth - it has got very stained with dirt, mould and guano over the years and is impossible to get clean.

 

[jeremyshaw]

All good advice here. I would just add a few comments based on owning several bags:

a) Expect to replace velcro every few years in hot climates. Seems to have poor UV resistance. Zips 5 yrs and don't skimp.

b) I find boom-attached bags a problem as the bag always breaks loose in a gale and flaps like mad. If like me you have blocks near the gooseneck then bits can get jammed in causing general mayhem.

c) Make the bag so that you can seal the end up in harbour. In Tobago every night the birds would try to roost inside our bag and I kept having to drive them off until it was dusk and they decided my friend's boat was less hassle.

d) Do use mini-blocks if you are having a 'tree and branch' system. Otherwise the loops wear and don't set properly.

e) Think about drainage. My current bag traps water when it rains with the sail up. I need to stick a couple of grommets in the bottom to let it drain.

f) If you want a bag that goes round the mast (not necessary in my view if it is designed well) then have a separate bonnet otherwise you get too much material lying around and velcro won't hold it in a gale.
Best wishes

 

[snowleopard]

[ QUOTE ]
d) Do use mini-blocks if you are having a 'tree and branch' system. Otherwise the loops wear and don't set properly.

[/ QUOTE ]
Mine has stainless rings instead of blocks. They don't chafe the sail but also strangely they don't damage the rope which is a type with a very hard shiny sheath. It may be a bit hard to track down in chandleries. It is white with a red fleck.

 

[macd]

"Do use mini-blocks if you are having a 'tree and branch' system. Otherwise the loops wear and don't set properly"

Like snowleopard I've found that stainless rings work fine in home-made systems, and see no point in the complexity and expense of blocks. Ditto nylon thimbles, which I currently use. There has been a small amount of chafing over a couple of seasons, but if you allow a few inches of extra line, the jacks can be adjusted so it's not confined to one spot. Even replacing the whole lot costs only a tenner or so.

 

[Shanta]

I made my first sail catchers or pack a main, whatever you want to call it for our ketch about 9 years ago. They have survived constant use for the first 5 years, a tornado in the med and constant sun for the last 4 years. They are made with standard weight canvas and a number 10 size zip (Heavy marine zip) with a flap over it. Our sails are attached on sliders so the bottom of the bag is joined with short lenghts of webbing between each slide, so no water collects.Even in a med storm. They both have separate front sections to cover the 'hump' of sail at the front. And 40mm wide battens on each side on the top edge. Very easy to use. A flap over the zip is an absolute must and it doesnt need velcro if you sew it on right. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif