Lazy Jack all the way to top of mast?

[Fishzine]

Getting ready install some lazy jacks on my Columbia 36, and have a question.

I have a pair of cheek blocks already mounted at top of mast on either side, they are about 10 inches below top of mast. They didn't have line run thru them when I got the boat, but I did run some 3/8 line to the starboard side block to use to raise tools when working on the mast head. If they were lower on mast they would be perfect to run the new lazy jacks (plan on them being retractable lazy jacks so I don't have to modify sail cover). I know the starboard one is good, but didn't check the port when but I believe it is good too.

So any reason lazy jacks can't be run all the way up the mast?

I have only ever seen them run just above the spreaders which matches the how-to's I have read. Granted I don't normally look for how lazy jacks are run, but quick look around neighbor boats were all about 2/3 to 3/4 the way up the mast. Thoughts?

[Rucksta]

The higher the lazy jacks are mounted the more opportunities there are for catching a batten on the way up.
Higher is also more difficult to clear when it catches.
Higher is more cordage = expense, weight aloft & windage.

Sorry don't know any good reasons to mount them high maybe someone with different ideas will come along and we'll learn something new.

[capn_billl]

It may be less than ideal, but would it be possible to run a single line to midmast, or a more appropriate point before the first bifurcation?

[nuku34]

The OP says the lazy jackes will be retractable, so they won’t be in the way when the sail is raised. They will only be deployed when the sail is lowered, then, after putting on sail ties, they will be pulled forward and secured and the sail cover put on. This is exactly the way I do it and there is never any problem raising the sail and catching battens because the lazy jacks are not in use at that time.
So to get back to the OP’s question, I can’t really see any big drawbacks to having the main lazyjack lines run almost to the top of the mast. One drawback might be that when they are secqured forward, there will be those two long lines slapping against the mast when you are sailing.
I have led mine in the usual palce, to just above the spreader (I have a 10m boat with single spreaders). Both lazyjacks are connected together to a single line after they go through the mast blocks; that single line then terminates on a cleat on the side of the mast about 0.5m above the gooseneck. I have a large spring opening clip on each side of the goseneck that I use to hold the jacklines forward.
This setup works very well. I don’t sail with the jacklines deployed. They are only useful in containing the sail when its lowered. But since i don’t have reefing points, I could see lazyjacks being used to contain the bunt of the sail when its double reefed. I’ll try it next time I’m out in 25+kts

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by Rucksta

The higher the lazy jacks are mounted the more opportunities there are for catching a batten on the way up.
Higher is also more difficult to clear when it catches.
Higher is more cordage = expense, weight aloft & windage.
.

Absolutely.

[CarinaPDX]

And if at or near the masthead the sail will escape underneath it when lowering or reefing, thus making it a useless exercise. And a single line will allow the belly of the sail to fall off the boom and onto the deck - precisely what lazy jacks are meant to stop. Instead of trying to invent your own way of doing things the first thing you should do is study other lazy jack designs; lazy jacks are not nearly as simple as they appear. When lowering the sail the outermost lazy jack will take the most load, and being longest will stretch the most, so this should have no more than one block in the fall, while lazy jacks further forward may form a cascade but will similarly not be equal and so some thought and experimentation will be necessary.

Greg

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Fishzine

Getting ready install some lazy jacks on my Columbia 36, and have a question.

I have a pair of cheek blocks already mounted at top of mast on either side, they are about 10 inches below top of mast. They didn't have line run thru them when I got the boat, but I did run some 3/8 line to the starboard side block to use to raise tools when working on the mast head. If they were lower on mast they would be perfect to run the new lazy jacks (plan on them being retractable lazy jacks so I don't have to modify sail cover). I know the starboard one is good, but didn't check the port when but I believe it is good too.

So any reason lazy jacks can't be run all the way up the mast?

I have only ever seen them run just above the spreaders which matches the how-to's I have read. Granted I don't normally look for how lazy jacks are run, but quick look around neighbor boats were all about 2/3 to 3/4 the way up the mast. Thoughts?

Just a quick question, why do you want them to the top?
SV Cloud Duster

[Jim Cate]

Ummm... Why not move your extant cheek blocks down to a better location? They won't mind being relocated!

Jim

[Nico Domino]

Lazyjacks best mounted on lower spreaders, if close to mast will constantly catch the batterns when hoisting. Having a funneled shape will make life much easier. The higher-up they are the more problems.

[BlackHeron]

Not using the lazy jacks for hoisting the main is giving away one of the benefits of having them. Having the sail spill off the boom once the sail ties have been removed all over the place and reducing the visibility at the helm is something we prefer to avoid. Then again we have a center-cockpit, so when the sail dumps onto the head of the person at the wheel it even more annoying, along with the loose slab reefing lines falling around their neck.

The lazy jacks keep everything in place once the sail ties are removed and before the sail is hoisted.

As for weight aloft we use 1/8" dyneema for our lazy jack lines. It is super-slippery so it can't really get much of a purchase on the sail material so as to chafe on it, even if it is left in place while sailing. If not eased though, it can mess up sail shape when the outhaul is eased way out to increase camber. 1/8" is strong enough for the job, even with such diminutive line.

Weight aloft is minimal. What does a couple hundred feet of 1/8" dyneema weigh? Much less than a kilo. The low-friction rings where the jacks split off probably weigh as much as all the line. Running a larger diameter halyard is easier on the hands though, or splicing a fatter section on at the bottom where it is handled.

[CarinaPDX]

One of the greatest benefits to rigging proper lazy jacks is to terminate them on the top of an opening mainsail cover. The main lowers inside of the cover, then walk aft stretching the sail out, and finally walk forward with the zipper - fast and easy stowage.

Greg