Low cost, high performance lazy jacks

[JRacer]

I make it a point not to have any lazy bags on my boat.

 

[SailormanDan]

I make it a point not to have any lazy bags on my boat.

Wait! Adapting all this to my new, upgraded lazybag is the whole reason I am reading this post.

 

[Roadking Larry]

I started to suggest Sail Care's Sail Cradle system but you have it figured out

MY Cal 2-27 came with one of those abominations still in the package. I installed it per the directions. You can't sail with it deployed so you can't use it to contain the sail when you drop it. I never did figure out the intended benefit of the thing. I modified it into lazy jacks.

 

[Ron20324]

I like my lazy jack/lazy bag setup (I don’t race any more), because the way I have it set up I can drop the bag and secure it to the sides of the boom. The only problem that I have not solved is the chafing of the lazy jack lines where they are threaded through the spreaders. if I didn’t change those out every year, and one of them failed, it would mean a trip up the mast. At age 73 that is no longer appealing.

Doug, I just change out my sail cover for a new Lazy Bag(cover replaced the OEM LazyBag.). In the process, someone went up the mast to move the lazy jacks out on the spreader. He said there were ferrules that the jacks ran through the trailing edge of the spreaders. Previously, I did not like the OEM jacks going through the spreader, so I put twisted D shackles in the spreaders and ran the jacks through the D's.

 

[Hunter216]

For years we have always saddle-bagged (large even flakes) the laminated mainsail on BlueJ's boom for storage. With 2 or more, this is an easy task due to the mast track and the full battens. No complaints, and it helps keep the main in great shape.

But there are times when I think about lazy jacks. I even have a Harken set somewhere in the house, I never installed them. Never because thought they were heavy, got in the way of the mainsail, and required mods to the sail cover.

But when I solo, or when we're just stopping for lunch on the hook or at a restaurant, I'd really miss them. And we've been doing more of that stuff lately. So I starting thinking about it more, and made a list of requirements.

Light weight
Totally and easily retractable for racing and covering
Do not interfere with racing or racing crew during sailing or maneuvers.
Minimal sail interference when sailing with them deployed
Removable (on/off)
Does not require cover modification
Simple and Hi-tech

The Harken set uses thick dacron line and blocks suspended in the air. I wanted to avoid all of that. So I stole some ideas from the Pogo 12.5, and made a set entirely out of dyneema and low friction ceramic rings. Oh and a half dozen eye pads.

View attachment 166199

The top five feet on each side is 1/8 dyneema luggage tagged into pads 9 inches out on the spreaders. This trick helps keep the slot open when hoisting. The other end has a 7mm Antal ceramic ring spliced into a small loop. These rings hold the 'sling' of 5/64 dyneema that holds the sail. The sling starts luggage tagged to a pad 3 feet back from the gooseneck on port, goes up to the ring, down to a bail under the boom 3.5 feet (still optimizing position) from the clew, and up and down on starboard. Then to an eye and a cleat.

I went with a dual loop first, I think it will be OK. Even with the full battens the sail is about as big as you want to go with two. I have the option to mod it into a three loop system, but that complicates pulling it forward neatly.

The 5/64 dyneema has a breaking strength of 1000lbs. The weakest point of the whole thing is the rivets in tension on the spreaders. If I thought we would ever load those up with the jacks, I would move those to the mast and hold the upper part wide with shock cord.

Two more pads on the mast hold soft shackles that hold the whole thing captive when pulled forward. It also does not clang when retracted. It must weigh about 8oz, and is totally invisible against the sail. Total cost, 55 bucks? To celebrate I went for a solo sail, and in the middle of it dropped sail and anchored. Then sailed home!

View attachment 166200

@Jackdaw I was reading this as I want to install a LJ system on my 216. I don’t think I want to attach it to the spreaders as I don’t want to add any stress there so will attach it directly to the mast. You mentioned bungee cords to hold the top open. How would that attach?

BTW on one of my previous boats I tied the first connection to the boom and had a carabiner (sp?) clip to the bail. That way I could leave the system on the mast if or when I wanted to take the boom off.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I make it a point not to have any lazy bags on my boat.

Exactly! Everyone pulls their weight

 

[Justin_NSA]

MY Cal 2-27 came with one of those abominations still in the package. I installed it per the directions. You can't sail with it deployed so you can't use it to contain the sail when you drop it. I never did figure out the intended benefit of the thing. I modified it into lazy jacks.

I did the same thing to the one on my Mac. The only advantage over real lazy jacks was I didn't have to modify the sailcover.