Lazyjacks, stackpacks etc.

[Poignard]

Just to be controversial, I love my furling main. Don't need to go head to wind, just slack off a bit, it furls better under a bit of tension.

Tighten the topping lift, let off the outhaul and just wind the main into the mast and it's gone - no tidying up or anything :encouragement:

.... must admit, the old worn sails could catch in the slot and jam when unfurling, so it had to be unfurled on a port tack, but that is no longer necessary since I got stiff new sails in 2016 - works like a dream for both reefing and furling/unfurling.

Do you have vertical battens or no battens?

If the latter, do you find the loss of roach has caused a notable reduction in the boat's performance?

The reason I ask is that the ability to take off the mainsail without having to round up appeals to me.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Do you have vertical battens or no battens?

If the latter, do you find the loss of roach has caused a notable reduction in the boat's performance?

The reason I ask is that the ability to take off the mainsail without having to round up appeals to me.

I have no battens ... but I am not a 'performance' oriented sailor and also don't have a folding prop (I do keep the hull clear of fouling) ... I usually cruise under sail at 6-6,5 Knots but she will cruise along at 7-8 if pushed. It's a Bavaria 36 from 1999 - I've never had the feeling of being out-sailed by similar boats but I've also never raced her.

The sails were new from Crusader sails in 2016 and I'm very pleased with the way they set, I hate flapping leeches which can be a real problem in roller furling mains but I can usually get her sailing with all tell-tales streaming nicely and a good boat speed.

To reef under way I will let off a bit of outhaul and then wind in the sail until it is tight again .... I can do it without losing speed or flogging sails - it also helps if the outhaul and furling line go to different cabin-top winches.

I reef the genny in the same way, but because of the way the boat is set up it works far better on port tack as I only have one winch available for the furling line and genoa sheet on a starboard tack.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Do you have vertical battens or no battens?

If the latter, do you find the loss of roach has caused a notable reduction in the boat's performance?

The reason I ask is that the ability to take off the mainsail without having to round up appeals to me.

I've got an inmast furling main (Selden) with a vertically-battened sail. It has a modest roach. The rig was designed for the boat and I have to say it sails brilliantly well, points high, very easy to reef to any degree required, single handed, in the cockpit, with no effort needed (elec winches).

 

[Nina Lucia]

I am a devoted fan of my stackpack (or however you choose to spell it). Sailing short-handed it means I can drop the main in seconds and worry about tidying up after berthing. Reefs require attention to tack and clew only and harbour stowing is a question of running the zip along the top. I have just done an OPB* trip on a boat with nothing to catch the sail as it comes down and it was a 5-10 minute job for 2 people to stow it with the helmsman unsighted for a lot of that time.

Why make it hard for yourself?


* Other People's Boats

Definitely, Stackpack,I love them as well!

 

[Kukri]

I have just decided to fit lazyjacks and would welcome a "pointer" to an article on "how to do it". Fully battened loose footed main. I don't want a stack pack, at least until the present sail cover wears out.

I'm assuming that one starts 2/3 up the luff.

 

[pagoda]

Jeanneau 42. Lazyjacks and a normal sailbag. Fully battened main with batten cars etc. I still like to flake the sail into the bag - can't stand just dumping it , though short handed in dubious seas we still do that occasionally.

 

[Babylon]

Funnily enough I currently have exactly the same setup on my 27 footer with its modest mainsail, fitted by a previous owner, which I've managed fine with for years. So I voted flake down by hand.

But I've just ordered a stackpack/lazyjack package from Crusader Sails, the reason being that I'm frequently single-handed and the coachroof on my narrow-beamed boat is awash with trip-hazards - oversize dorade vents and housings, liferaft mounted just forward of the sprayhood, etc.

Its a convenience I'm looking forward to benefitting from, when reefing as much as when coming into a harbour or anchorage, and should make covering the mainsail when finally stopped a quicker and more frequent occurrence!

Just a brief update on my own post from three years' ago: the stackpack/lazyjack combo I fitted shortly after has proved itself time after time for speed, convenience and safety. Sometimes a brief snag when hoisting (short battens) with head roughly to wind and the mainsheet slightly loose, but just let the halyard down a few inches and then whip it up again as the snag momentarily frees.

Minn, the method of lazy-jacks is the same with or without a pack. I'm not in a position to describe the setup exactly (there must be loads of diagrams online), but there are in effect two systems:

- Mine, where the tension for each set (side) is adjustable via the forward (control) jack (the aft two are on a closed loop held up by a block at the end of the forward one), but its string-length is limited (adjust via a flying-cleat) and so they stay in place all the time. This system has never been a bother to me or presented a chafe issue;

- Others, where there's enough line on the forward one to lower the whole set and gather it all down and forward to be made off on a mast cleat. I once crewed on a Bav 42 across Biscay where there was plenty of time to do this when underway and it made sense when on long passages and when surfing downwind.

One point to be made about choosing to not have the pack element: the mesh-fabric at the bottom (the sides are obviously heavier canvas) fits in the groove in the boom, effectively wrapping around the bolt-rope of the sail itself, so bending the sail on becomes a whole lot tricker as the two need to be urged up the groove at the same time. But only need to do this every year or two when the sail comes off for cleaning/repair.

 

[Boathook]

Yes, that would certainly work.

Suppose you were to shake out a couple of reefs. Would you start the engine to do that?

With my stack pack I reef and unreef whilst sailing. Just depower the main by easing the sheet. When taking the reef out, the main might have to be eased a bit more but it is only for a few seconds to get the batters clear of the lazy Jack's.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I have just decided to fit lazyjacks and would welcome a "pointer" to an article on "how to do it". Fully battened loose footed main. I don't want a stack pack, at least until the present sail cover wears out.

I'm assuming that one starts 2/3 up the luff.

Going back to another post, if you start so the rear most leg catches the longest/ lowest batten then take it so that it is roughly parallel to the topping lift you have your start point and it fixes the point at which you attach at the mast. You can then work forward spacing the legs equally choosing on the length of your boom whether to have 4 or 6 legs.

You can use blocks to adjust the length especially if you are going to take everything forwards after hoist or as I did just incorporated a leg of strong bungee cord to allow for boom movement.

 

[Babylon]

Here's a picture of mine - as simple as you can get, albeit a small (27ft) boat.