Sail Packs??????????........

Tally Ho · Feb 27, 2015

I ordered a Mack Pack for my O'Day 322, and will install this spring. If you have a loose gotten main, they can put slugs on the attachment points of the pack, and you are done. I have the rope bolted foot, and the original Mach Pack design called for cutting some slits in the sail near the foot (which I was not excited about). They now have a thin material that slides into the slot with the rope bolt, so no more cutting the sail.

I have a hard time dropping and flaking my main without crew, and I like to single-hand. Adding the lazy-jacks and integrated cover seems like a good solution. I had the lazy jacks on my old boat, and they made dropping the sail much easier. Hated having to mess around with the cover after getting to the dock, so the Mack Pack should help with that also.

Greg

Rick D · Feb 27, 2015

Most People Love Them

I didn't. Had two, one on my Hunter Vision 32 and on my 40.5. The one on the Vision was tolerable. The one on the 40.5 was buggy. The sail drooped over it on the aft when I dropped it and it was difficult to tuck it back in. I replaced the zipper twice too. Rolling it up for extended sails was a PITA and I didn't like the look of it unrolled. Ultimately, I removed it and changed to removable & deployable lazy jacks. I use a standard sail cover. Better. Not wonderful. A furling boom would be better. So would a new BMW X-5 over my old Subaru.

victorhoisington · Feb 27, 2015

Re: Most People Love Them

I too like to single hand and we usually have both dodger and bimini up so reaching the boom takes some effort. I've been looking at the kit from sailrite and their videos and will most likely build my own. the stack pack and lazy jacks just make sense to me.

My sail uses a bolt rope so, I'm looking at a couple of options to attach the cover to the boom but definitely not too excited about modifying the sail in any way.

Looking through past threads there seems tobe some discussions regarding chafe but, given my sailing is usualy only a couple of hours at a time I'm not too worried. Looking at some of the lazy jack systems, they all now come with chafe covers to help reduce thos issues.

fair winds!!

Tally Ho · Feb 27, 2015

victorhoisington said:
I've been looking at the kit from sailrite and their videos and will most likely build my own fair winds!!

I wish I could sew!

McIntoshUSA · Feb 27, 2015

http://www.sailrite.com/How-to-Make-a-Sail-Pack-Video

Ron20324 · Feb 27, 2015

I had a "Lazy Pack" -with lazy jacks- OEM on my B323. I've never heard from other folks on this, but mine let rain into the sail. Hoisted sail, and it rained on the cabin- and into it. If I would have let my boom slope downhill, the pack was still baggy enough that rain got in. I sewed a "rain gutter alongside the zipper. The water just collected deeper before getting in. When the pack degraded after 7 years, I made a regular sail cover. The lazy jacks terminate on the bottom of the boom, and they have enough "bag" to them that they are not on the sail when sailing. To clear the dodger and bimini, I found it necessary to set the boom to one side to be able to zip the zipper.

Baconsails.com has their version on display, and I like it. If they were making them when I mine died, I would have bought that. My OEM was NOT Sunbrella, but should have been.

I have the two 13' OEM rod battens if interested.

My slip neighbor got the 'pack locally made. It had alot of thingys that I did not like the design of, and would not do if I made my own (which I can do, yes I sew.) Lots of sewing, little tabs to secure, etc.

Bill Roosa · Feb 27, 2015

If you want to learn to sew I'd recommend "The Sailmakers Apprentice"
If you have a loose footed sail (tack and clew only) and you are going to attach the foot to the boom with the bolt rope the main will not set right as a loose footed sail does not have any camber sewn in like a boom footed sail does. Basically the foot will not have any camber and the sail higher up will not be able to have its camber adjusted very much as you loose the clew out haul adjustment avalable with a loose footed sail.
Perhaps I'm not understanding when you say loose footed and has slugs. Loose footed sails don't have slugs along the foot.

gettinthere · Feb 27, 2015

Here is a video I produced for Mack Sails on installing a mack pack. Might be instructional...

Mack Pack Instructional Video: http://youtu.be/ItrX9E2nKLU

All U Get · Feb 27, 2015

We have one that's a little different. The pack was made by a local loft and the pack has slugs which slide in the boom track. The main is loose-footed, no slugs just a tack and clew. Here's three pictures when it was first made. I've since altered a few items that make it work better.

We had issues with rain seeping through the zipper on top and filling the folds in the sail. Its going to happen. Ours holds many gallons if we don't raise it after a good rain. I've learned to leave one side slack so that the zipper isn't a low point.

As you may have seen in the other videos of packs, dropping the sail needs some stuffing to get it all back inside especially with a new sail. Ours is still stiff after three years and requires me to pull the boom over to the side of our bimini to stuff it and pull the zipper. The zipper likes to be pulled straight, you can't cheat off to one side.

I raise the main at the mast so my wife has to hold the boat to the wind. She doesn't have an easy time of it even with tell-tells, windex, and ST60 showing wind direction. Once the battens clear the jack lines we're good to go. I'm adding more line to the jacks to pull them free for raising.

Once the main is up we sometimes leave the pack up which doesn't seem to affect the sail shape. Other times I drop it level with the boom. Not too sure which is best.

We made a little cover for over the top if we're going to be in a marina or anchored for a while and that keeps the water out as well as bird crap.

The 3rd picture shows the inside of the pack as we loaded the main.

All U Get

Ps I found this picture of what it looked like while we cruised. Sorry no close ups of the reefing lines going through the rear of the pack.

tartansailboat · Feb 27, 2015

I made the Sailrite stack pack for my 87 Ericson 34, love it. Sure some problems some times raising the sail, need to dead into the wind but the admiral has that down pat at this point. Lowering the sail, I use the forward and rear reefing lines (brought back to the cockpit) to pull the sail down. Sail dumps nicely into the stack pack with the exception of about the last two feet which I pull down manually at the dock.

Bosman · Feb 28, 2015

Personally I love them and will never go back to any other design. I mostly sail single handed. There are some drawbacks, as mentioned by other people - the main one being water collection. My lazyjack lines, that support the bag, are adjustable. When leaving the boat, I simply loose my topping lift, adjsut tension on the lazyjacks and let the boom sit at the slight angle downwards. This allows for the water to simply drain out. My main is not loose footed and bags are attached to the sides of the boom.

Bill Roosa · Feb 28, 2015

OK woodster
That would mean that boom footing the "cut for loose footed" sail will cause it to not set correctly. FWIW

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