Lazy Jacks stowed

[Tmacmi]

I am going to install lazy jacks this season. I get the gist of the construction and have seen a couple of different approaches to rigging them.

I want to install halyards so I can drop them when sailing or for under the sail cover.

I have not for the life of me found a good description or photos of how/where the lines are stored once they are dropped by the halyard.

All information appreciated.

[Bill O]

Never seen them on a separate halyard, but suppose that could work.
We leave them up while sailing and pull them to the mast when we put the cover on. We just use extra line in the lazy jack system then hook it around a cleat or winch on the mast.

[JPA Cate]

@tmacmi,

We used to do that with our lazy jacks. We made a bag, just only big enough to contain them, and set the bag just a little under the gooseneck on the mast. Flake and jam into the bag. They stay tidy and ready for you to put back up to drop the sail. If the boat didn't have them before, you'll find yourself modifying the cover to accept the lazy jacks, or making a new one.

We had the blocks (just tiny ones) lashed about 2/3 out from the mast on the bottom spreader, to open the "mouth" to make it easy for the sail to come down and be contained.

Eventually gave up the practice, because we like to have them rigged to catch the sail when reefed.

However, when you are day sailing, the need for the above flexibility is less.

Ann

[Knotical]

Do you want to pull the lazy jacks once the sail is deployed for aesthetics or something else (chafe etc.)? They just hang on either side of the sail when we are sailing, I don't believe they would add much to windage.

My problem is mainsail battens getting stuck in them when raising the sail

[RaymondR]

Zipped sail cover that stays on the boom with the lazy jacks attached to the sail cover is the way to go if you are raising and lowering the sail a lot.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by navdi

My problem is mainsail battens getting stuck in them when raising the sail

We wait to deploy them until just after we raise the main and saves that headache from happening.

[Knotical]

Originally Posted by Bill O

We wait to deploy them until just after we raise the main and saves that headache from happening.

Thanks, Bill, I will try it this year.

[slug]

Originally Posted by Tmacmi

I am going to install lazy jacks this season. I get the gist of the construction and have seen a couple of different approaches to rigging them.

I want to install halyards so I can drop them when sailing or for under the sail cover.

I have not for the life of me found a good description or photos of how/where the lines are stored once they are dropped by the halyard.

All information appreciated.

You must go to the shipyard, walk to the mast area and observe

The gold standard is internally run lazy jacks to a mast mounted jammer or cleat

External are ok but they degrade the paint finish when they slap on the spar

[Tmacmi]

Originally Posted by navdi

Do you want to pull the lazy jacks once the sail is deployed for aesthetics or something else (chafe etc.)? They just hang on either side of the sail when we are sailing, I don't believe they would add much to windage.

My problem is mainsail battens getting stuck in them when raising the sail

I'd like to be able to take them down once the main is raised to limit chafe and otherwise not be driven crazy by stuff draped around the boat (I'm a little crazy like that)

one of the designs I saw had cheek blocks about 2/3 the way up and then cleats on each side. (once I see the height on our boat I may do what Ann suggested placing the blocks on the spreaders)

Then the first split (leg?) of the jack was spaced such that when lowered it hooked over the reef rams horn at the goose neck. I don't like the idea of encumbering the rams horn but you get the drift.

BTW Navdi, you are sailing the boat that is thus far making the list for the next boat I'm dreaming about.

[Svsumurun]

Here you go

https://sailcare.com/site/sail-cradle-mk-iv/

[mlydon]

I get the lazy jacks stowed right after dropping the sail. The jacks STAY stowed until I am ready to drop sail.

essentially, you make a system where the forward-most 'jack', terminates at a cleat say 5-6 ft back from the gooseneck. Line runs from the cleat, up to a block either mounted to the mast, or at the end of some length of line attached to the mast. through the block and back down to another block at the end of the line.

a loop of line is attached from rearmost to next forward, of a length just long enough that when stretched out, it goes just shy of the gooseneck. This loop runs through the block we mentioned before.

So, when you tension the line at the cleat, you have the two rearmost points traveling up to a block on a line, that line reaching up to a higher block, and back down to the cleat.

Remove the tension (uncleat), and pull the rear loop forward to the gooseneck, along with the block and tail that runs to cleat, and loop all around a reefing hook. tensioning the tail and cleating it off will pull the whole mess parallel to the boom and mast, ready for sail deployment. I have the tail run THROUGH the base of the cleat with a stopper knot at the end it so I don't lose it.

if possible, size the loop(s) so that all blocks/rings end before the gooseneck, but it's not critical. I prefer that, as it's less stuff to clang against the mast when the wind kicks up.

The attached image is a slightly different setup, with daisychained loops, all rings still end up shy of the gooseneck.

Takes longer to describe than to rig ;-)

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...cks-90769.html

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Tmacmi

I am going to install lazy jacks this season. I get the gist of the construction and have seen a couple of different approaches to rigging them.

I want to install halyards so I can drop them when sailing or for under the sail cover.

I have not for the life of me found a good description or photos of how/where the lines are stored once they are dropped by the halyard.

All information appreciated.

Read this article. I followed his instructions almost to the letter and I really like the outcome. The only difference is that I did not use blocks, I used stainless rings, but will change to blocks sometime later. The whole lazy jack collapses along the boom and the halyards (one on each side) you can bring them to the mast winch cleat or the lifelines. If you decide to adopt it, I know where to get excellent and inexpensive aluminum sister clips.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

Read this article. I followed his instructions almost to the letter and I really like the outcome. The only difference is that I did not use blocks, I used stainless rings, but will change to blocks sometime later. The whole lazy jack collapses along the boom and the halyards (one on each side) you can bring them to the mast winch cleat or the lifelines. If you decide to adopt it, I know where to get excellent and inexpensive aluminum sister clips.

I missed the link:

https://www.cruisingworld.com/photos...ng-lazy-jacks/

[pilott]

I have external lazy jacks on both my mainsail and my mizzen. each runs from a block on each side of the mast
I leave them up when sailing, but stow them when I put the sail cover on.
I have a cleat on the side of the mast, at the same height as the gooseneck. To stow the jacks, I loosen the line so all the jack lines lie horizontal along the boom, then loop them around the cleat, and secure the line - very neat

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by navdi

Do you want to pull the lazy jacks once the sail is deployed for aesthetics or something else (chafe etc.)? They just hang on either side of the sail when we are sailing, I don't believe they would add much to windage.

My problem is mainsail battens getting stuck in them when raising the sail

I keep them up when sailing.


Lazy Jack Trick
Many folks complain about full battens getting caught up when raising the mainsail. They then spend a lot of time moving BOTH sides of the lazy jacks to the mast.

We developed an easier way with our lazy jacks.

We have a small cleat on the forward starboard side of the boom. When we put the halyard on the headboard, we move ONLY the starboard side of the lazy jacks forward and snug them under the forward side of the horn of this cleat.

Then, when we raise the mainsail, instead of going exactly head to wind, we bear off a tad to starboard so the wind is coming from the port side of the bow.

We then raise the mainsail and it doesn't get hooked on the lazy jacks even though the port side jacks are still there.

Been working for 20 years.

Yes, we have to go forward again to unhook the starboard lazy jack for dousing the sail if I forget to do it right when the main is raised, but there's never any hurry. The drill is: after the main is raised, I unhook that starboard lazy jack, so they're both ready to go when we drop the sails at the end of the day.

So, for those of you with lazy jacks, consider doing only one side.

Your boat, your choice.