Lazy Jacks
JB- I might be wrong, but if you typically trailer sail, I don't think lazy jacks are a real good option, just from what I've seen of them. Seems like it would take a lot longer to rig the boat and tear it all down. If you leave it in a slip all season, well that's a different story. I only have my boat out for this winter because I wanted to do a bottom job and re-wire it, as well as adding single-handed rigging. After that, she'll stay in the slip until time for the next bottom job or we decide to take her on a vacation or to side tie at a friend's dock at another lake in the area for a month or so. That long dissertation aside- yes, I'll likely add lazy jacks when I buy a new main sail. Bill- Two books I'd recommend which will put sailing terminology into proper perspective and which do a great job at explaining it on the most elementary level (which was REAL necessary for me anyhow) are the ASA basic keel boat book and Colgates off-shore sailing school book. Believe it or not, the off-shore book covers more sailboat basics than the title implies. That's another plus if your prospective M-25 is set up for single-handing with at least the halyards run aft. I consider that most of my sailing is single-handed since the Admiral likes to get a tan when she's on the boat and not mess with those "rope thingies" and that "stick" at the tail end of the boat. When you look at the sails, the fabric should have a "crisp" feel for it. Look for patches and patch tape, seams which are coming apart, and don't be afraid to ask how old the sails are. My Mac came with a working jib, Genoa, and two main sails. I thought: "Wow- it's got a great suite of sails". Well, turns out three of the sails were OEM that came with my boat 21 years ago (Abby's not "old" just "mature") and the spare main is from a Venture 25 so that dates to what the late '70's. The two head sails are still pretty good, but the original main is pretty brittle and prone to tears in high winds, and the spare main is beyond blown out. A new main sail will run anywhere from $425 to close to $1000 depending on the options you want. Jibs and Genoas will run anywhere from $300 to $600- or more. So, don't be afraid to use sail condition to your advantage when purchasing, especially if the sails are long in the tooth.
JB- I might be wrong, but if you typically trailer sail, I don't think lazy jacks are a real good option, just from what I've seen of them. Seems like it would take a lot longer to rig the boat and tear it all down. If you leave it in a slip all season, well that's a different story. I only have my boat out for this winter because I wanted to do a bottom job and re-wire it, as well as adding single-handed rigging. After that, she'll stay in the slip until time for the next bottom job or we decide to take her on a vacation or to side tie at a friend's dock at another lake in the area for a month or so. That long dissertation aside- yes, I'll likely add lazy jacks when I buy a new main sail. Bill- Two books I'd recommend which will put sailing terminology into proper perspective and which do a great job at explaining it on the most elementary level (which was REAL necessary for me anyhow) are the ASA basic keel boat book and Colgates off-shore sailing school book. Believe it or not, the off-shore book covers more sailboat basics than the title implies. That's another plus if your prospective M-25 is set up for single-handing with at least the halyards run aft. I consider that most of my sailing is single-handed since the Admiral likes to get a tan when she's on the boat and not mess with those "rope thingies" and that "stick" at the tail end of the boat. When you look at the sails, the fabric should have a "crisp" feel for it. Look for patches and patch tape, seams which are coming apart, and don't be afraid to ask how old the sails are. My Mac came with a working jib, Genoa, and two main sails. I thought: "Wow- it's got a great suite of sails". Well, turns out three of the sails were OEM that came with my boat 21 years ago (Abby's not "old" just "mature") and the spare main is from a Venture 25 so that dates to what the late '70's. The two head sails are still pretty good, but the original main is pretty brittle and prone to tears in high winds, and the spare main is beyond blown out. A new main sail will run anywhere from $425 to close to $1000 depending on the options you want. Jibs and Genoas will run anywhere from $300 to $600- or more. So, don't be afraid to use sail condition to your advantage when purchasing, especially if the sails are long in the tooth.
