Lazy Jack Pros and Cons

[NGB]

My E28 had a lazy jack installed when I purchased it 14 months ago. It is the first time I have sailed with one, and I am still trying to determine if its benefit outweighs the trouble it causes.

Obviously, the major benefit is that it is an efficient way to keep the mainsail tidy on the boom. The trouble I have is getting the lazy jack lines out of the way when trying to raise the mainsail. My wheel pilot is not perfect at maintaining a course into the wind, and if the sail is not perfectly centered the headboard of the sail hangs up on the lazy jack line as I hoist it. I loosen the line as much as possible before hoisting, but the lines on either side are still problematic. A marina mate recommended that I hook up a lazy jack line that is long enough to allow me to pull both up to the mast and out of the way. I am wondering if anyone else has found this to be an irritant and has any suggestions.

 

[Mindscape]

Lazy Jacks

Try a search on this board on 'Lasy Jack' - you'll fnid a thread that has some details. I' pretty sure it refrences an article from Good Old Boat that has some additionall info.

 

[u079721]

Harken has a tip that helps with getting the sail hung up on the lazy jacks. It involves running a length of shock cord from the lazy jacks, about a third of the way down on each side, to the outer tip of the spreaders. You then tension the cord to hold the top upper slot of the jacks open. I've been using this rig on the Harken lazy jacks on my E-38 for 10 seasons or so, and it just about eliminates hang up everywhere except for the aft edge of the full battens.

 

[Jim Payton]

NGB, Mindscape is correct. I posted a question about Lazy Jacks and it got number of responses. It is listed just a few posts down from this one on "Maintenance & Mechanical". I built the system from the Good Old Boat magazine. It has some drawbacks. among which is that the sail battans get caught when raising the sail.

 

[NGB]

Thanks for all of the responses, folks. This proves the point that there are no new problems in sailing -- just new people experiencing them.

 

[noproblemo2]

Lazy Jacks

We just installed that last month and just love it!! Sure makes things easier.

 

[Filkee]

Lazy or Not?

I have been ogling the lazyjacks on a friend’s 35-3 and was wondering if there are strong opinions out there on what works best for a 32-3. There appear to be a number of “kits” available on Defender from the usual suspects like Harken. What day you?

 

[e38 owner]

I seem to remember Guy posted some really good info on Lazy Jacks. I did a quick search and could not find it. I am sure there are people on this site with better searching skills than I

 

[Christian Williams]

I'm pleased with mine, which is made in Spectra with eye splices (no blocks, just thimbles).

The outer attachment point of the lazy jack to the boom should be determined by trial and error. The position is a compromise position between keeping the leech stacked on the boom, and the likelihood of full-length battens catching on the lazy jacks when raising the sail.

The lazy jack lines should be long enough to permit the lines to be drawn forward to the mast and secured there, for "no lazy jacks."

Then you have to decide whether you want a standard sail cover ("no lazy jacks"), or a sail cover with slots in it ifthe lazy jacks are to be left deployed at all times, when sailing and at the dock.

I have slots, because I figured sail ties no longer necessary. However, I still need sail ties in order to haul the full-battened, heavy cloth mainsail down so it looks neat under the sail cover. The slotted cover takes a long time to put on (50 snaps), and maybe a normal cover is easier (with the lazy jack lines moved to the mast).

The rig is superb at keeping the sail on the boom when reefed, or for any sudden douse. They are hardly visible when sailing and cause no chafe. I would not be without them now.

Here's the rig. Note the "passive hanger line" on the spreader, it's important.

 

[Loren Beach]

Links:

Lazy Jacks

Ok, a few months ago I decided to save some $ and get an alternative mainsail management system. This system does what it is supposed to do but I am not pleased with it. My expectations were higher than its function. Taking the main down solo is the issue and there just doesn't seem to be any...

ericsonyachts.org

Super-Simple DIY lazy jacks?

I'm working on updating my E29 so I can single hand her. I'll be getting an autopilot which will take care of many things, but I still need a way to be able to flake the mainsail myself. The harken system seems unnecessarily complex. Is there any reason I couldn't simply tie parachute...

ericsonyachts.org

This subject comes up regularly here and on other sailing sites. Try a Google search and start out with ericsonyachts.org and then the words you want.

 

[Filkee]

Not so lazy

Thanks for the ideas everybody. Lots to ponder.

 

[tenders]

I installed Guy's design on my 32, keeping the standard sail cover, but removed it when I took my mast down after three years. No regrets about trying it but no regrets about removing it, either; my fully-battened mainsail is easily tamed with the "fake-it-then-flake-it" approach - one or two casually-applied sail ties as it's dropped, followed by simple flaking once tied up. The lazyjack didn't improve on this.

It was another set of lines slapping against the mast and having to be secured when moored, required an additional step to free up and secure the jacks against the mast at each raising/lowering, and required, if not actual action, at least attentiveness, to ensure the boom toppinglift was properly adjusted so the weight of the boom was never supported by the lazyjacks.

Admittedly a system with an integrated sail cover where you just drop and zip might have its appeal. But that is more about not wrestling the sail cover than not wrestling the sail.

 

[G Kiba]

Harken has a tip that helps with getting the sail hung up on the lazy jacks. It involves running a length of shock cord from the lazy jacks, about a third of the way down on each side, to the outer tip of the spreaders. You then tension the cord to hold the top upper slot of the jacks open. I've been using this rig on the Harken lazy jacks on my E-38 for 10 seasons or so, and it just about eliminates hang up everywhere except for the aft edge of the full battens.

Love the idea! I usually just play the game of steering the boom straight while raising sail. Sometimes it works- sometimes not. This makes the most sense. Thank you.

 

[Parrothead]

My Lazy Jacks can be collapsed forward to the mast which is how they're stowed. I leave them collapsed when raising my full batten main and deploy them after the main is up. Never a batten snag, no unusually careful steering required.

 

[David Grimm]

As a newbie my boat came with the dutchman system. At first I didn't like it because the two skinny lines that run from the pockets at the bottom of the sail to the topping lift were old and beaten by the weather and eventually broke. Dutchman would have replace them for free but I'm impatient and went to Lowes and purchased smooth titanium weed wacker line. I love the system now. Easy to setup and take down in the winter months. I'm not sure how it will hold up lowering the sail in 25 knot winds but I feel confident with it. It's also virtually invisible. You do need sail ties but less of them. The sail cover needs zipper seams at the two lines.

 

[patrscoe]

Christian,
I am about to install lazy jacks on my 34-2, as I have on previous sailboats but I notice that your sketches shows the initial hanger line that I typically attached to the mast with cheek blocks is on the underside of your hangers with perhaps a small block.
I think that would provide a potential for the mainsail to not fall directly on to the boom. You seem very pleased with how they work.
I have a full batten main.

What's your input: Underside of the spreader (if so, how far out?) or on the mast?

 

[Christian Williams]

What I call the "passive hanger line" spreads the lines of the lazy jacks to reduce fouling of full-length battens. (I still have to feather boom for the initial raise of sail).

They attach less than a foot outboard of the mast on the upper spreader, and the lines are about five feet long. No blocks necessary with Spectra, it's very slippery through a stainless thimble.

The system works well, and was the recommendation of both sailmaker and rigger. Yes, the mainsail is quite secure on the boom, even with my stiff 9.1 oz. Dacron.

 

[toddster]

...So the lazy jacks are ultimately hanging from the spreaders? Seems like there could be potentially large loads applied there, through accident or tomfoolery. (e.g. Just saw a picture of someone climbing into their stack pack for a nap.)

I actually screwed a couple of eye-straps to the spreaders for just that purpose, but chickened out when i considered that the outer end isn't really secured against vertical loads.
...which sends me down the rabbit hole of worrying whether the spreader tips should be seized to the shrouds. They weren't before...

(Google says that Brion Toss says you absolutely should be able to stand on your spreaders and they shouldn't move. Hmm...)

 

[Christian Williams]

I wondered about that too, but in the real world there really isn't much strain on the lazy jacks. I had one chafe through at the boom, courtesy of over-tight reef pressure for a few days. Otherwise no issues after many miles, weather and the usual fouls and complications.

FWIW.