I have been looking into installing a lazy jack system on out 1991 Hunter 30T. Are ther any pro or cons that i should know about?
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You'll hear some pros & cons but I love mine. I bought a kit by Barton but there's lots of instructions in the archives to do it yourself. I single hand a lot and used to dread dropping the main - now it's the least of my concerns.
Yes, there are.
I, give you the negatives first; 1) They cost money and work to install. 2) You may have to modify your sail cover. 3) Gives you a narrower point in which to raise your main. If not directly into the wind or in shifting winds the sail battens may get tangled in the jacks making it difficult to raise the sail. 4) The would need to be adjusted every time you sail. Loosen them to allow the sail to attain its shape and then tighten them to facilitate step 3 next time you use the boat. A loose, floggin jack line catches sail battens. Not all Lazy-Jack systems are alike but these are general drawbacks. The positives are; 1) Facilitates the handling of a heavy main sail especially when singlehandling. 2) Facilitates reefing when equiped with single line reefing leading to cockpit. It avoids a trip out of the cockpit. 3) As handling of the sail is simplified it will perhaps induce you to stop and anchor for lunch more often. My rule of thumb is that if the weight of the sail is light enough for me to easily handle and its size is not to cumbersome then the negatives outweigh the positives. If the sail is heavy with a large roach then it is a necessary. I find that cutoff in boat sizes to be about 30' so it would be your particular decision but bear in mind that if you can do without them don't get them as they can be a nuisance. Some systems can be dropped, which means that you you can have the best of both worlds and only use them when you feel like it. But you would still have the extra lines and blocks and cleat cluttering your mast and boom. Some people swear by them but I personally do not like them. Hope this comments help.
I, give you the negatives first; 1) They cost money and work to install. 2) You may have to modify your sail cover. 3) Gives you a narrower point in which to raise your main. If not directly into the wind or in shifting winds the sail battens may get tangled in the jacks making it difficult to raise the sail. 4) The would need to be adjusted every time you sail. Loosen them to allow the sail to attain its shape and then tighten them to facilitate step 3 next time you use the boat. A loose, floggin jack line catches sail battens. Not all Lazy-Jack systems are alike but these are general drawbacks. The positives are; 1) Facilitates the handling of a heavy main sail especially when singlehandling. 2) Facilitates reefing when equiped with single line reefing leading to cockpit. It avoids a trip out of the cockpit. 3) As handling of the sail is simplified it will perhaps induce you to stop and anchor for lunch more often. My rule of thumb is that if the weight of the sail is light enough for me to easily handle and its size is not to cumbersome then the negatives outweigh the positives. If the sail is heavy with a large roach then it is a necessary. I find that cutoff in boat sizes to be about 30' so it would be your particular decision but bear in mind that if you can do without them don't get them as they can be a nuisance. Some systems can be dropped, which means that you you can have the best of both worlds and only use them when you feel like it. But you would still have the extra lines and blocks and cleat cluttering your mast and boom. Some people swear by them but I personally do not like them. Hope this comments help.
Thanks
Ken , Benny, Thanks for the info. Looks like a 50-50 deal... Perhaps I can sail on a boat in the spring to help make up my mind. Thanks again.
Ken , Benny, Thanks for the info. Looks like a 50-50 deal... Perhaps I can sail on a boat in the spring to help make up my mind. Thanks again.
Dutchman
If you can afford it, Dutchman is absolutely the way to go. Drop the sail and it flakes on the boom by itself; same with reefing. I had one installed when I bought a new main two years ago, and would never have another sail without it.
If you can afford it, Dutchman is absolutely the way to go. Drop the sail and it flakes on the boom by itself; same with reefing. I had one installed when I bought a new main two years ago, and would never have another sail without it.
I will have them on every boat .....
Hey all! I have owned two cat 22s previously and I now sail a Columbia 26. I'm looking at a 89' Hunter 30T and I'm glad I found this great resource. First off...I have installed the Harken lazy jack kit on all three of my boats. I've also upgraded all of them to full batten mains and this combo is great. Installation is a snap. I adjust mine on the first sail of the season and I never touch them again. I've yet to find any negatives. I usually sail with a boat load of non-sailors and I am working around them so I view it as a safety measure. My roller furler and lazy jacks allow me to sail up to my dock with grace under pressure in a very tight marina. Just my 2cents.
Hey all! I have owned two cat 22s previously and I now sail a Columbia 26. I'm looking at a 89' Hunter 30T and I'm glad I found this great resource. First off...I have installed the Harken lazy jack kit on all three of my boats. I've also upgraded all of them to full batten mains and this combo is great. Installation is a snap. I adjust mine on the first sail of the season and I never touch them again. I've yet to find any negatives. I usually sail with a boat load of non-sailors and I am working around them so I view it as a safety measure. My roller furler and lazy jacks allow me to sail up to my dock with grace under pressure in a very tight marina. Just my 2cents.
I had my original (I think) sails reconditioned by "Sail Care" this winter. Well worth the price, by the way. Packed in the return box was a fair amount of marketing material, one item of which caught my eye. The "Sail Cradle MK IV," Lazy Jack, but with a distinction...it is stored when not in use on the back quadrant of the mast. Literature claims it does not therefore interfere with the sail cover, runners, etc.. My main concern is this may be a real racket maker in an anchorage, unless held out like or with halyards. After I see how well the 1st Mate does with sets and take-downs I may be in the market! Here's the link.
Paul....
Just mounted two small Harkin blocks on the upper spreaders. Used a 10/32 tap and SS machine screws to mount a SS pad eye, and hung the block. Important to mount them around 8" or so out from the mast. Though there may be a better one out there, I have been pleased with this setup.
Just mounted two small Harkin blocks on the upper spreaders. Used a 10/32 tap and SS machine screws to mount a SS pad eye, and hung the block. Important to mount them around 8" or so out from the mast. Though there may be a better one out there, I have been pleased with this setup.
Gary, I want to install blocks in the same place
I have heard only good things about spreader mounted lazy jacks. But tell me, what is your guess as to the thickness of the metal you tapped into. Isn't the spreader covered by a thin skin of aluminum with the real support structure underneath? Or am I all wrong on this?
I have heard only good things about spreader mounted lazy jacks. But tell me, what is your guess as to the thickness of the metal you tapped into. Isn't the spreader covered by a thin skin of aluminum with the real support structure underneath? Or am I all wrong on this?
Oh no....
the spreader is made of very tough aluminum, maybe 1/8" thick. There is no other structural component underneath.
the spreader is made of very tough aluminum, maybe 1/8" thick. There is no other structural component underneath.
OK Gary, you da man, Thank you.
It looks different on the rig rite page (and in my feeble memory), but you have the first hand knowledge here. You told me what I needed to know. Thanks again. Well I suppose we've beaten this thread to death... Onward
It looks different on the rig rite page (and in my feeble memory), but you have the first hand knowledge here. You told me what I needed to know. Thanks again. Well I suppose we've beaten this thread to death... Onward
EZ-Jax are a better solution...
for our boat. They accommodate a standard sail cover, provide more containment as the sail is lifted or doused, can be retracted during sailing thus eliminating any interference with the main and, if necessary, can be cockpit-contolled. Their Website is http://www.ezjax.com/.
for our boat. They accommodate a standard sail cover, provide more containment as the sail is lifted or doused, can be retracted during sailing thus eliminating any interference with the main and, if necessary, can be cockpit-contolled. Their Website is http://www.ezjax.com/.
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