Lazy Jacks

[Wandering Star]

Just purchased a used stack pack mainsail system and I want to install a couple of blocks for the Lazy Jacks. My question is whereabouts should they be fitted and what type of blocks? I’ve seen loose blocks fitted to spreaders and and cheek blocks fitted to the mast. Since my mast is down I can easily fit the blocks wherever I want - so any thoughts on preferences for mast or spreaders? I should point out there are already signal halyards fitted to the spreaders.

 

[zoidberg]

I've never got on with lazy jacks' adjustments at the mast. Too much string!
Instead, I've rigged them so they could be adjusted/eased from the boom-end.... using rolling hitches. Cheap, cheerful and effective.

For them wot cannot manage rolling hitches, that clever 'maker www.nodusfactory.com has some darned good ideas in their '25 catalogue.

* as part-answer to the OP's qwessie, I've found that securing the arrangements around the spreader roots proved satisfactory. No need for extra holes.

 

[LittleSister]

There have been some useful diagrams in previous threads on Lazy Jacks, and I think there one (previously available online) by Barton, which is supplied with their Lazy Jack kits.

My own lazy jacks are suspended from the mast above the spreaders, perhaps 2/3 the height of the mast.

In a recent thread on Lazy Jacks, it was suggested it was advantageous to have the lazy jacks suspended from above the spreaders, and ideally, but not necessarily, held outward a little at the readers, so they don't catch the sail battens as the sail is dropped, and aligning it with the wind to drop is less critical. (Most people don't have this, but some consider it worthwhile.)

 

[Tranona]

The most common is around 70% mast height and you can buy angled tangs with blocks to rivet onto the mast. They come with the kit from Barton if you intend using that. I have tried from the spreaders as it is easy but as suggested above it limits the amount of sail that is gathered in and more likely that battens will be caught.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Ours are low. We have twin diamonds rather than spreaders, the lazy jacks attach at the outer ends of the lower diamonds. They’re a rigid stainless fabrication, well able to support the weight of the boom and sail. But still just 1/3rd height. It all seems to work fine. It makes quite a big bucket to drop or launch the sail, plus of course once you have the first couple of battens out of the way, the whole head to wind thing becomes much less important. I can get that part of the hoist done in about 2 seconds.

 

[dunedin]

I've never got on with lazy jacks' adjustments at the mast. Too much string!
Instead, I've rigged them so they could be adjusted/eased from the boom-end.... using rolling hitches. Cheap, cheerful and effective.

For them wot cannot manage rolling hitches, that clever 'maker www.nodusfactory.com has some darned good ideas in their '25 catalogue.

* as part-answer to the OP's qwessie, I've found that securing the arrangements around the spreader roots proved satisfactory. No need for extra holes.

Ours are tied off under the top spreaders about 15cm out. No ropes down the mast to chap and make noise.

Adjust religiously once a season, via knots on the sailcover like Zoidberg.
When sail halyard is tight the boom goes up slightly and lazyjacks go loose. Ease halyard to drop sail and they tighten again. Simple.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Ours are tied off under the top spreaders about 15cm out. No ropes down the mast to chap and make noise.

Adjust religiously once a season, via knots on the sailcover like Zoidberg.
When sail halyard is tight the boom goes up slightly and lazyjacks go loose. Ease halyard to drop sail and they tighten again. Simple.

When it’s all set up properly, it’s great. Ours are adjustable with a clam cleat on the side of the boom, but once you’ve got it right, it’s rarely fiddled with.

 

[ashtead]

This might help to show blocks on ours

 

[Daydream believer]

Mine return from the spreaders to the deck. At the end of the season I can then easily run mousing lines up the mast & put the lazy jack lines away for the winter. My lazy jacks are set once at the foot of the mast and not touched for the whole season. Properly set I cannot recal ever getting my full length battens caught . But I do go almost head to wind with the boom just clear of my head to port when I winch the sail up just on stbd tack. The lnes are set so that the battens clear them pretty quickly on the hoist. I also have had the sail maker make the ends of the battens flush with the sail leech. Battens adjusted from the cars

 

[ashtead]

Defo head to wind for raising and dropping -helps to have an electric winch to raise but on the drop should fall straight into stackpack with about 3foot maybe left up (rather depends on how well the halyard runs out and if any kinks avoided) it’s certainly good enough to motor into the river/harbour etc once dropped.

 

[scozzy]

Mine are a good ft or so below spreaders ,blocks either side of mast with lines back to cockpit, nice and low to mostly avoid battens catching but importantly most of the sails bulk is of course forward so that's where you want your "net" catching everything, wouldn't be without them

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We bought some of Force 4’s lazyjack line. 12 plait hollowbraid polyester. The construction is just like dyneema, so it’s easy and neat to splice, but at a quid s metre, about 1/6 the price.

 

[flaming]

I've never got on with lazy jacks' adjustments at the mast. Too much string!
Instead, I've rigged them so they could be adjusted/eased from the boom-end.... using rolling hitches. Cheap, cheerful and effective.

For them wot cannot manage rolling hitches, that clever 'maker www.nodusfactory.com has some darned good ideas in their '25 catalogue.

* as part-answer to the OP's qwessie, I've found that securing the arrangements around the spreader roots proved satisfactory. No need for extra holes.

I just stick some strong bungee in the system somewhere. Doesn't really matter where, and then they become self adjusting.

 

[johnalison]

The exact arrangement depends on the boat and rig. Mine are attached to the mast and at one time I considered moving them out to the upper spreaders to make sail hoisting easier, but in the end decided not to as I managed well enough. The remaining problem was the noise of the falls against the mast when sailing, but I solved this by holding them out with light bungee cord, the line going through a plastic eye.