Lazy Jack Cradle Cover

DougM · Dec 22, 2013

I have a Beneteau with a Neil Pryde lazy bag. It is completely independent of the sail , and slides on to the boom with slugs in the boom track. So far it has lasted six seasons. The only maintenance has been to re stitch some of the seams because thread has failed. I would suggest if,you are having one made to specify the more expensive UV resistant thread.

For normal day sailing we just leave the bag attached to the lazy jack lines, simply slacking off the lines.For longer sails or racing we drop the bag and roll it up against the sides of the boom. Because it is in no way attached to the sail it does not affect sail shape. It certainly makes life easy for stowing and covering the sail.

Captn TJ · Dec 22, 2013

Uno Mast said:
I'm planning to get the lazy jack and cradle cover from Doyle. The cradle cover works like a stack pack but you don't have to sew the main to the cover. Has anyone bought this from Doyle? Seems to be much cheaper than the Mack Pack. Am I making the right decision? Also, does anyone know how the cradle cover compares to the sewn on stack pack when considering sail shape?

Just bought the same bag from Doyle. I had the NP bag that came with my B423 - over the past 6 years we've had the zipper resewn a couple of times. What I really didn't like about the NP bag was that there was one less attachment point for the bag (then NP) and the aft end of the bag was a tight fit for the main.

My dock neighbor has the bag you described and the one that I bought this fall. The 'bag' is bigger and accommodates the sail better. It also has one more attachment point I mentioned previously and the battens and attachment points are sturdier than the NP bag. Much better than NP and also better than the Stack Pack since it's easier to service either the bag or the main.

Beneteau 321 · Dec 23, 2013

We have a 1997 Beneteau 321 (1997 )we are second owner.
Doyle Main with stack pak and lazy jack lines attached to cover.
Cover has a bolt rope which slides into boom works great.This is original cover had some minor repairs made to cover when we purchased boat (stiching and upgraded full lenght zipper and had some reinforcing added to cover piece that goes around mast

Tejas · Dec 29, 2013

As for thread failure due to UV, you might want to specify Tenara thread.

DougM · Dec 29, 2013

Short or full battens can be a matter of preference. In some ways full batten sails are easier to deal with. The main thing to consider is that if the battens stick out of the pockets they can catch on the lazy jack lines when raising the sail. I clipped the ends of a couple of upper battens so that they were secured fully inside the edge of the leech. That seems to have solved the problem.

Captn TJ · Dec 29, 2013

DougM said:
Short or full battens can be a matter of preference. In some ways full batten sails are easier to deal with. The main thing to consider is that if the battens stick out of the pockets they can catch on the lazy jack lines when raising the sail. I clipped the ends of a couple of upper battens so that they were secured fully inside the edge of the leech. That seems to have solved the problem.

Doug

I power into the wind and raise the main. This seems to avoid the lazy jack problem with full battens. I'm exploring a new main - both sailmakers recommend two full and two partials that will minimize both the lazy jack and binding problem. .

Gunni · Dec 30, 2013

Uno Mast said:
Any of you guys have a preference between short or full battens when using this system?

Yes, full battens. With a low friction car/slug system (Stong Track) you point the boat up loose the halyard, and the battens drop the sail into the bag. This is a really good set up to make your boat a single hander. I can drop my full batten main in 5 seconds, and reef it almost as quickly and easily. Plus you get the advantage of more sail (full batten sails have more roach), and improved shape.

Captn TJ · Dec 30, 2013

Gunni said:
Yes, full battens. With a low friction car/slug system (Stong Track) you point the boat up loose the halyard, and the battens drop the sail into the bag. This is a really good set up to make your boat a single hander. I can drop my full batten main in 5 seconds, and reef it almost as quickly and easily. Plus you get the advantage of more sail (full batten sails have more roach), and improved shape.

You can have a full roach with a combination of full and partial battens. A fellow dock mate has an extreme roach with that combination on his B393. The extreme roach is a problem, however, since the sail gets hung up on the split backstay.