RunAgroundHard
Well-known member
A study in ugliness. A beautiful yacht ruined by a stack pack and fenders storage. Sailing is for leisure, ugliness is not leisurely.
Stack Pack or Not,,,,?
- Thread starter ctva
- Start date
A study in ugliness. A beautiful yacht ruined by a stack pack and fenders storage. Sailing is for leisure, ugliness is not leisurely.
RunAgroundHard
Well-known member
double posting deleted
Dellquay13
Well-known member
Mine is fully battened and I adjust it to lay level and alongside the boom, looking end on down the boom from the cockpit it is shaped like VOV, if that helps?
If you can see in my profile picture, the stackpack isn’t really noticeable
Daydream believer
Well-known member
When I first had the boat the wife complaine that the fenders made it look like a charter boat & did not like them there. So I have had them there ever since.A study in ugliness. A beautiful yacht ruined by a stack pack and fenders storage. Sailing is for leisure, ugliness is not leisurely.
Being mostly single handed it is easy to get them. Whereas opening a locker in rough weather & holding a lid open whilst I fish them out is not practical.
The stack pack does not worry me at all. In the grand scheme of things it is hardly noticed
I agree that the picture does not display beauty. But I had a crew on a club weekend to Boulogne. It looks much better without.
In this pic we were lining up to take pictures of another club boat - A Hanse 445- as it passed us. Hence sails oddly trimmed
johnalison
Well-known member
My sailmaker asked me if I wanted a stackpack when I last ordered a new main. I told him that I had managed without for many years and thought they looked ridiculous, to which he smiled and agreed. The point I don’t understand is the perceived advantage when dropping the main at sea. I can drop my main into the lazyjacks in exactly the same manner. Both I and the stackers will still have to go on deck to either tie down the main or zip up the stack at some stage, so I don’t see the difference.A study in ugliness. A beautiful yacht ruined by a stack pack and fenders storage. Sailing is for leisure, ugliness is not leisurely.
I can see that a stackpack speeds up the business of setting off or closing up after a sail, but for that minute or so I actually enjoy putting on the main cover. It is part of the boating ritual along with getting the deck gear ready and dealing with the lines. Now, if someone could invent self-retracting fenders, that would be really useful.
RupertW
Well-known member
The lazy jacks can be a total pain when raising the sail as the battens can get caught, and it took about 3 seasons for me to get the hang of almost always avoiding it.
But otherwise all positive as nothing ever needs adjusting and the sail disappears as quickly as possible out of UV. To me nothing shouts 1970s damp boats with sleeping bags and tinned food more than seeing a main flaked over the boom.
But otherwise all positive as nothing ever needs adjusting and the sail disappears as quickly as possible out of UV. To me nothing shouts 1970s damp boats with sleeping bags and tinned food more than seeing a main flaked over the boom.
rogerthebodger
Well-known member
I rigged up some extra lines on mt lazy jacks to allow me to pull the lazy jacks forward to allow easy raise the main sail.
The lazy jacks then allowed aft when lowering the sail.
RupertW
Well-known member
I played around with that but with the way they were rigged there wasn’t much movement and as I’m aiming for minimal tasks I worked on techniques instead so it rarely happens. I agree that’s the best solution if it’s a frequent problem.
Goldie
Well-known member
Having spent much of the summer in NW Spain while on the way back to U.K, I think the local sailors there may have the answer for you. Fenders are left in position and linked by a single line knotted through each of the lower eyes and then to the cockpit. Pulling on the line pulls the fenders to almost horizontal where they are, apparently, considered stowed.
Yes, it’s ugly and yes, it’s lazy but it seemed common practice in the area.
Wansworth
Well-known member
I had a batten less main which didn’t cause too much trauma raising and lowering
dunedin
Well-known member
What length of boat and what height of boom? Very different in a small boat where boom is short and low.
PS a don’t need to go on deck at sea to zip stackpack - and if sail is already wet may not even zip up in harbour.
Kwik Decision
Active member
I made sure the lazyjacks which attach to the stack pack are long enough to drop down each side, and once the sail is up, pull the lazyjacks forward, and hook under the rams horns. Our Kemp stack pack came with straps, three on each side, to hold it neatly either side of the boom when dropped down, but in practice I only use the straps at the back. I generally don't want a) to be sailing with the bottom foot of the main obscured by the stack pack, and b) to cause wear points where the sail rubs on the lazyjacks. Exceptions to this are when double reefed, I put the stack pack back up, and it keeps the bunt of the sail under control.
flaming
Well-known member
Even I use a stack pack when cruising.... I had one made that sits on top of the boom with velcro straps around the boom. This means I can simply undo it at both ends and pick the whole thing up, sail included, to change quickly from racing to cruising mode. It's especially handy as the main is on a bolt rope, so not captive at the luff when lowered.
To deal with lazyjack adjustment, I just put a length of strong bungee on the final down. Means you can play the kicker without worrying about putting too much tension into them.
To deal with lazyjack adjustment, I just put a length of strong bungee on the final down. Means you can play the kicker without worrying about putting too much tension into them.
Geoff Wode
Active member
Mine’s great. I sail singlehanded or with my wife. The pack has webbing straps which allow it to be tied down to the boom. It doesn’t interfere with the loose foot of the main and imho looks fine.
thinwater
Well-known member
I should add that with full batten sails (most multihulls) the sail stacks nicely with just two lazyjack wires and no stackpack. I've sailed in a gale without even tying up the reefed bunt. It just stays put, without flopping or flapping. So the control advantages of a stack pack mean nothing to us. There is the advantage of not having to place the cover over a furled sail, but that's easy from a hard top.
B27
Well-known member
Stackpack seriously reduces the time to get the main up or 'down and put away' compared to wrestling with a large cover that's often wet with rain and dirty with bird poo.
So we use our main when otherwise we might not bother 'because there's no real wind'.
Our stack pack has full length battens in it, so in theory it could be neatly rolled away down the sides of the boom.
Now, the real question is, does it improve the efficiency of the main by providing an end-plate effect?
Seriously, it's way quicker than ties and a cover.
So we use our main when otherwise we might not bother 'because there's no real wind'.
Our stack pack has full length battens in it, so in theory it could be neatly rolled away down the sides of the boom.
Now, the real question is, does it improve the efficiency of the main by providing an end-plate effect?
Seriously, it's way quicker than ties and a cover.
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
A study in ugliness. A beautiful yacht ruined by a stack pack and fenders storage. Sailing is for leisure, ugliness is not leisurely.
Each to their own. Here’s us sailing south of Grenada with the stack pack still rigged having just crossed the Atlantic with it rigged all the way. (The main was lowered and stowed in it for the crossing). It doesn’t worry me in the least what other people think because I think the boat looks quite nice thank you very much. We go sailing for enjoyment and the idea that I’m worried about what the boat looks like from outside is a minor consideration compared to the simple convenience of having a stack pack to stow the sail and zips up to cover it.
There’s absolutely no way my wife and I would have a sail that we had to climb up and flake over the boom over the top of the Bimini that is permanently rigged where we go sailing.
RunAgroundHard
Well-known member
Davits! Is there no end these deliberate acts of ugliness.
There is no need to justify your choices to me. As previously stated, I appreciate the benefits.
Aja
Well-known member
I have lazyjacks and a normal separate sail cover. Take cover off at the start of the day and set up lazyjacks at a suitable tension. Dropping the main into the lazyjacks then becomes an easy task securing with a couple of sail ties. Pull lazyjacks towards mast and hook onto reefing horns on boom. Replace sail cover as normal if needed.
Result is you get the benefit of lazyjacks and ease of handling that goes with that and a sail cover fitting as you would expect. Storage at the end of the season is also easier without the long battens associated with a sail-tainer type sail cover.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
How can you suggest that having to adjust lazyjacks makes an ease of handling? Also having to ponce about putting sail ties on the sail & manually having to place a cover on the sails. At the end of the season my lazy cover can be used to wrap the sail then the whole thing goes in the sail bag with the fully battened sail.
Seems to me that you have made a simple system into a total mess.