lazy Jacks. Problems and solutions please?

[colhel]

I've just fitted, but yet to try, lazy Jacks. I'd be interested to hear of problems anyone had and how you resolved them.

Thanks

 

[SolentBoat]

Baton entanglement when raising the mainsail.

Solution: curse and try again.

I'm new to these as well!

 

[CliveG]

Baton entanglement when raising the mainsail.

That is a usual problem.
Need to make sure the boom is dead in line with the wind and the person on the halyard is watching until the battens are clear.

Ianfr of the forum has set up a system to pull the lazy jacks to the mast before hoisting.
Seems good but leaves a lot of rope around

 

[sailorman]

we can lower off the wind, IF, the halliard is eased & the leach flaked at the same time working forrard from the clew

 

[maby]

Sail batons getting caught is certainly the most common complaint. Make sure there is plenty of slack in the mainsheet and motor close to the wind as you raise the sail. Some people recommend deploying the genoa first and keeping it backed while motoring just off the wind to provide a wind-shadow and reduce the flogging in the mainsail.

 

[lpdsn]

First thing is to set them up so the aft most lazy jack is not too weak to hold the sail when it is dropped.

Battens being caught during the hoist is the main issue once they're set up properly. Solution one is for the helmsman just to yell stop and go when necessary - that's usually easier than getting the person hauling on the halyard to do it, but it'll depend upon the layout of your boat.

The other solution which works quite well is to make the lazy jacks adjustable, so you can slacken them and hook the whole gubbins around a cleat on the mast for the hoist. Also reduces windage a wee bit when sailing. I admit to being lazy and sticking with the stop/go method.

 

[doug748]

If you have full length battens the inboard end (very near the car) can get caught in the vee formed where the lazy jacks attach to the mast. This is a variation of the batten entanglizeation already described. If you feel any undue force is needed when pulling up the sail - stop.

Cure as described by SolentBoat.

Wash the lazy jacks at the end of every season and always use your sail cover when you can; as the rope will tend to mark your sail.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Only problem is that you need to face the wind to raise the main; which can be a pain , but there are more advantages.

 

[lpdsn]

Only problem is that you need to face the wind to raise the main; which can be a pain , but there are more advantages.

I'd say it was the other way around, you can push the boom out and hoist the main under headsail easier than with a flaked sail held on by sail ties because you don't have to have crew untying the ties whilst the boom is out over the side.

 

[Lodesman77]

I've just fitted, but yet to try, lazy Jacks. I'd be interested to hear of problems anyone had and how you resolved them.

Thanks

Didn't you try them when you fitted them?

They catch the battens if fixed.

Fit them so you can slacken them and take them forward for hoisting, and re-tension them for lowering.

.

 

[Twister_Ken]

If you do that the main falls of the boom and that can cause other problems.

 

[capnsensible]

If you do that the main falls of the boom and that can cause other problems.

Not a problem for boats without lazyjacks, surely!

Anyway, Im getting increasingly fed up with the ones Ive got and they are very soon for the chop. I say that every week but they are seriously, seriously gonna go. Soon.

 

[lpdsn]

If you do that the main falls of the boom and that can cause other problems.

The trick of the trade is to use sail ties before you undo the lazy jacks. Come to think of it, none of the boats that I've seen use this technique have had a stackpack, just lazy jacks attached along the boom.

 

[lpdsn]

Not a problem for boats without lazyjacks, surely!

Anyway, Im getting increasingly fed up with the ones Ive got and they are very soon for the chop. I say that every week but they are seriously, seriously gonna go. Soon.

If you have the main flaked on the boom and undo the sail ties then push the boom out over the water and the main falls in the water then it can be a problem. Depends on the boat I guess.

I can't say I'm a major lazy jacks fan, but then flaking a 56m2 main on the boom when sailing double-handing without an autohelm was enough to make me lazy and fit them.

 

[ianfr]

That is a usual problem.
Need to make sure the boom is dead in line with the wind and the person on the halyard is watching until the battens are clear.

Ianfr of the forum has set up a system to pull the lazy jacks to the mast before hoisting.
Seems good but leaves a lot of rope around

Not my design, but works well for me. The lazyjacks are fitted with a downhaul, which pulls them along the boom out of the way for hoisting and sailing.
Merely let off the downhaul and hoist reverses the process.

A diagram here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xsggsvkpncte92p/Skip%20lazy%20jacks.pdf

Feel free to ask any questions

Regards

Ian

 

[mdonnelly]

Several boats including my own have them attached to the spreaders. No fouling of main when being raised and serve their purpose when main being lowered.

 

[dancrane]

Possibly it isn't relevant since my boat's a dinghy - but being a dinghy meant putting up with the vast mainsail flooding the cockpit when it's lowered. I felt that could be improved...

...so I fitted lazyjacks to spare connections on my Osprey's upper mast. There were dire warnings from many here on the forum, and much questioning as to why I wanted lazyjacks...

...but I've been consistently impressed by what they do, simply and controllably. If I find a batten-end is caught, I can slacken the lazies on the caught side and just shake them free...

...and in the dinghy park, I drop the lazyjacks to their slackest setting and pull them tight along the boom and up the mast, no more in the way than the halyards. Cover fits fine.

I have several 'settings' - just loops in the end of the lines which control the lazies - so, one setting keeps the boom overhead when rowing, another setting is just 'horizontal', and one is a bit slacker for sailing, when you don't want the boom's weight pulling on the lazyjacks and corrupting the sail shape.

View attachment 35163

The photo doesn't do it justice, but for easy controllability which isn't available on most dinghies, it just works. I'll never again want a rig where only the sail supports the boom, and once the sail is lowered, it drops, flops and flaps about on deck. I haven't worked out why mine is the only dinghy so-equipped!

 

[Koeketiene]

Fit them so you can slacken them and take them forward for hoisting, and re-tension them for lowering.

.

+1

 

[Koeketiene]

If you have the main flaked on the boom and undo the sail ties then push the boom out over the water and the main falls in the water then it can be a problem.

Why the hell would you do that?

 

[colhel]

Didn't you try them when you fitted them?

They catch the battens if fixed.

Fit them so you can slacken them and take them forward for hoisting, and re-tension them for lowering.

.

Thans All, plenty of food for thought. As a temporary measure I've attached them with the spinnaker halyard until I can get up the mast to fix them properly There will be some adjustment as I'll be rivetting blocks to the mast and bringing the lines down.. I haven't tried them yet as we are on a marina berth and the wind was blowing straight from the stern.