How well will a lazy jack work with a only partially battened mainsail ? I have a 1981 Hunter 33 and am considering either purchasing a kit or trying to make one myself from some of the very nice posts on this forum. Any advice appreciated.
Lazy Jack Question
- Thread starter spadaforaj
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Mine works well enough with just the four short battens. Location of the vertical lines is key but not critical. I did eventually move mine back from their original hooks. Mine retracts against the mast. I found that by going farther back to a bale that was already there I was able to get a better fold on top of the boom. That bale is almost at the aft end. Then there are the other lines between the aftmost and the mast that can be moved forward or back to get the best collection. Unfortunately no pictures because they are always against the mast.
My experience
Up is much harder than down. It is easy to snag a batten on the jacks, especially if you are relying on someone who is unclear on the concept of "keep the boat into the wind" as I am. Down is a piece of cake, especially if you flake your main properly. Mine practically drops pre-flaked now. I would like to modify them so I can pull them against the mast underway though...if only to avoid chafe.
Up is much harder than down. It is easy to snag a batten on the jacks, especially if you are relying on someone who is unclear on the concept of "keep the boat into the wind" as I am. Down is a piece of cake, especially if you flake your main properly. Mine practically drops pre-flaked now. I would like to modify them so I can pull them against the mast underway though...if only to avoid chafe.
Keep the boat into the wind is harder to do, regardless of whether you're new or an old salt.
What I do is simple: I pull back only one side of the lazy jacks, and then off the wind a bit so that the sail is blown a little bit to the side where the lazy jacks aren't. Main sail goes up smoothly all the time.
Trying to get a main sail, with or without battens, up while still having the lazy jacks in place is very hard to do.
What I do is simple: I pull back only one side of the lazy jacks, and then off the wind a bit so that the sail is blown a little bit to the side where the lazy jacks aren't. Main sail goes up smoothly all the time.
Trying to get a main sail, with or without battens, up while still having the lazy jacks in place is very hard to do.
with practice they will work great for you. I would suggest making your own the manufactured ones are good but severly overpriced, and usely you will have to modify them any way
Lazy Jacks
There was a really good article in either Sail magazine, or good old boat a couple of months back on the positioning of the lines for lazy jacks. I'll have to look for the article. For a 30 ft boat, you could make them for under $100
Dave S
There was a really good article in either Sail magazine, or good old boat a couple of months back on the positioning of the lines for lazy jacks. I'll have to look for the article. For a 30 ft boat, you could make them for under $100
Dave S
Re: Lazy Jacks
This is really helpful - I found the artcle in "This Old Boat" - have another question though - I have seen the control lines either come down the mast, or down the length of the boom. I prefer the latter, but am also thinking about putting in a single line jiffy reefing system - seems like alot of hardware and lines on the boom. Any advise on that one ? Does anyone have both running down their boom and if so, how ha that worked out for you ?
This is really helpful - I found the artcle in "This Old Boat" - have another question though - I have seen the control lines either come down the mast, or down the length of the boom. I prefer the latter, but am also thinking about putting in a single line jiffy reefing system - seems like alot of hardware and lines on the boom. Any advise on that one ? Does anyone have both running down their boom and if so, how ha that worked out for you ?
single line reefing & lazy jacks
I installed both on my Newport 30 and they work just fine, I don't have the lazy jacks deployed while raising the main, it just eliminates a bunch of headaches. I don't use the lazy jacks when reefing the main either, it always seems that a batten get hung up some place and when sailing alone its no fun trying to get it all straiughtened out. All line lead to the cockpit, so for single handed sailing the lazy jacks are the second best thing I've installed on my boat. I did the instalation of the lazy jacks my self, I'll send pics some time soon.
I installed both on my Newport 30 and they work just fine, I don't have the lazy jacks deployed while raising the main, it just eliminates a bunch of headaches. I don't use the lazy jacks when reefing the main either, it always seems that a batten get hung up some place and when sailing alone its no fun trying to get it all straiughtened out. All line lead to the cockpit, so for single handed sailing the lazy jacks are the second best thing I've installed on my boat. I did the instalation of the lazy jacks my self, I'll send pics some time soon.
We have them on our h356, with two partial battens low and two full battens high. works well, especially if i reach up and tuck the back end of the sail in under the l.j. after lowering. the point about snagging on the way up is valid, but its the two full battens i have to watch for on mine, so that's a different issue.
A good idea is to spread the lazy jacks wide using shock cord out to the extremities of the middle spreaders. Snagging is almost eliminated. The gap in mine at the shock cord is about 1 metre and this does not inhibit the boom movement when running.
Lazy Jacks
I have them on my Bristol 43.3. Originally, only the top battens were full length. The lazy jacks did an ok job keeping the main under control. They do work better with the full length battens since I modified the sail.
A key trick to keep the lazy jacks from fouling on the sail on the way up, it to loosen them and bring them forward. I loosen them up and pull them forward and tension them into the reefing hooks.
I have them on my Bristol 43.3. Originally, only the top battens were full length. The lazy jacks did an ok job keeping the main under control. They do work better with the full length battens since I modified the sail.
A key trick to keep the lazy jacks from fouling on the sail on the way up, it to loosen them and bring them forward. I loosen them up and pull them forward and tension them into the reefing hooks.
ezjax system
this is where I found the information on instilation and measurement for the system I have
www.ezjax.com
this is where I found the information on instilation and measurement for the system I have
www.ezjax.com
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