Lazy Jack

[Dionysis]

Once again the novice sailor returns. First I want to thank any of you who offered advice on my recent VHF radio post. It was much appreciated and I think we got it all figured out thanks to your willingness to share some knowledge. Secondly.... I have a stupid question. What is the purpose of a "lazy jack" a buddy of mine said m boat looks like it used to be set up for it but the lines are broken / missing. I found a new setup on Amazon that would fit my boat link but just want to know what it's for before I start making my last minute christmas list. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kloudie1]

Can be handy ..:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazy_jack

Holds mainsail as you douse it.. can be quite handy when single handing.. downside is ya may have to have a custom mainsail cover made to accommodate the system. Some folks have the top points very adjustable so the lines can be brought alongside the boom when under way..

 

[Stu Jackson]

Lazy Jack Trick

Many folks complain about full battens getting caught up when raising the mainsail. They then spend a lot of time moving BOTH sides of the lazy jacks to the mast.

We developed an easier way with our lazy jacks.

We have a small cleat on the forward starboard side of the boom. When we put the halyard on the headboard, we move ONLY the starboard side of the lazy jacks forward and snug them under the forward side of the horn of this cleat.

Then, when we raise the mainsail, instead of going exactly head to wind, we bear off a tad to starboard so the wind is coming from the port side of the bow.

We then raise the mainsail and it doesn't get hooked on the lazy jacks even though the port side jacks are still there.

Been working for 18 years.

Yes, we have to go forward again to unhook the starboard lazy jack for dousing the sail if I forget to do it right when the main is raised, but there's never any hurry. The drill is: after the main is raised, I unhook that starboard lazy jack, so they're both ready to go when we drop the sails at the end of the day.

So, for those of you with lazy jacks, consider doing only one side.

Your boat, your choice.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Had the same problem with the battens. Redesigned the lazy jack so the various triangle apexes (don't know that that part has a name) don't fall so they hook a batten end. Did not have to have a custom ms cover as the top line is attached to a turning block that comes down to a cleat on the mast. After lowering the main and flaking it just release the line at the cleat and lower the lazy jack lines so the come out along the boom end at the goose neck.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Very handy, as Claude said. If you think you have a wornout lazy jack system, look for cutouts in your sail cover. As mentioned, having a permanent system means they always have to pass thru the cover.

 

[Bill Roosa]

They don't HAVE to pass through the cover BTW. You do need to properly flake the sail so it sits on the boom without the lazy jacks though. I have a high aspect ratio ms so that is a little easier to do than a low aspect sail.

 

[Hunter Ad Bot]

 

[thinwater]

I have full battens and I NEVER move the jacks to hoist. If they catch, they are positioned wrong or too tight. Yesterday it was gusting over 30 knots. No problems. They don't need to reach very far aft with full battens.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Dionysis;
From the standpoint of boats under 27 feet, let me give you a different perspective as you are not dealing with a lot of sail, weight and so forth.
Lazy Jacks if properly installed and used are great to have and installed many over the years but on the smaller boats to include the Hunter 26.5 which I sold as well when in the business, I did not suggest them. First the area of sail to include weight is much less than a larger boat. If the smaller boats have either a topping lift or some type of rigid vang, I use to teach my customers to turn into the wind , drop the mainsail with ties in hand, sheet in the mainsail grabbing the back end of the mainsail always pulling it backward on the boom, folding it first in small folds with the folds becoming bigger as you went forward of course tying in two or three places. The key is your technique how to flake the mainsail quickly on the boom and to be frank, I could do this a lot faster vs. dealing with lazy jacks and in heavy airs, that was a must for me to tie down the mainsail quickly. Many will disagree with me but the key here is knowing how to flake a small mainsail correctly. One other thing, I also taught when flaking, try to get the battens to lay as flat in line with the boom as well.

 

[Benny17441]

Lazy jacks like windlasses are for larger boats where the mainsails or the anchors would be too heavy to comfortably manage. The benefits of Lazy Jacks are practically overshadowed by the hassle of using them. They obstruct the raising of the mainsail and require frequent adjustments when setting up and then underway.. In a large boat they might be a necessary evil but in a small one I would not have them.

 

[jssailem]

for the small boat flaking of the Main. Once you get the hang of it you'll wonder what you were even thinking.