What do you do with your Stack Pack while sailing?

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by jackdale

I dislike stack packs.

Stow your lazy jacks at the gooseneck. Use sail ties to flake the main to the boom. Once you are back the dock put on a proper sail cover.

I know a crusty old (probably my age) sailor who eschews refrigeration, watermakers and furnaces as well.
His wife just rolls her eyes.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Bloodhound

Why would anyone go through the hassle of catching battens on lazy jack lines while raising sail, when stowing the lazy jacks at the gooseneck is so straightforward? IMO, lazyjacks are for neatly folding the sail when it's dropped, otherwise they should be stowed. What am I overlooking?

You are not overlooking anything. Some setups have little problem with catching battens (ours, for example), while it is a large problem for others. Getting them out of the way when raising the sail on those boats is a good idea.

You don't even have to stow them - just slack them when you are at the mast raising the sail and tighten them up again when the sail is up. That way they are ready for whenever you want to drop the sail.

And the lazy jacks don't help in folding the sail neatly - just containing the sail until it can be folded. Sometimes you get lucky and the sail drops in perfect folds.

Mark

[jackdale]

Mark

Most of the boats that I sail do not have buntlines (reef lines through the reef points). The strain of reefing is taken up at the reefing cringles. The buntlines are cosmetic. On most charter boats they are removed because some folks forget to untie them when shaking a reef which does tremendous damage to a main. If you are concerned about the aft part of the sail hanging down, the safety line around the boom through the reefing cringle will solve that. This safety line can be difficult to tie when using a stack pack

SM

I am a huge fan of stowable lazy jacks as a sail handling system. I also like watermakers, fridges, freezers, furnaces, windlasses and autopilots. I have developed an appreciation for rolling furling genoas (but not mains).

I am on the view that sail cover comes off at the dock prior to departure and is put back on at the a dock. The halyard goes on at the dock is removed when back at a dock. At anchor I like the main halyard run through the foremost sail tie to prevent halyard slap.

I have seen too many stack packs with broken zippers, missing zipper cords and torn seams.

[SmartMove]

Originally Posted by mtnsapo

i have a stack pack on our cat, my comments

1. it is a bit more a PITA to raise the main, you have to be careful not to catch the lazyjack line(s) on the battens when you raise the main, dead upwind and timing is key in high or shifty winds

2. once the main is up, we don't fuss with it, it is jsut there, doesn't catch wind, or flutter or anything, it is out of mind

3. putting he sail away is easy breezy. well worth the little PITA of 1. and it protects the sail really well form UV and elements

4. we have enver had a problem isth "drainage". Not sure whate you mean. The worst I have ever had to do is spray off the bird **** from the cover periodicaly. the sail has never stayed wet or developed mold or meldew. this is in SF bay where humidity is alway spretty high

Brian

Ditto here, except we have a mono.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by jackdale

....
I have seen too many stack packs with broken zippers, missing zipper cords and torn seams.

Replaced mine with snaps and ties. Ties secured to loops at base of lazy jack legs and use to chinch the stack pack closed. Snaps secure the fabric flaps over the sail. All quite simple and easy to repair in remote locations -- as opposed to a very long fancy zipper.

[Palarran]

I found that keeping the main sheet loose and having the boat on auto-pilot instead of hand steering solved the problem of getting battons caught in the lazy jacks.

[bene505]

Having a stackpack makes solo sailing very easy. You have to look up when raising the sail, to prevent the battens from catching. But 1) that's not a big deal, just takes timing, and 2) if a batten catches on a lazy jack, just lower the main a couple feet and retry. If I'm not motoring into the wind or raising the main at anchor, then I'll slacken the leeward lazyjack.

But I usually just leave the lazy jacks tight, because I raise the main at anchor/mooring or use engine+autopilot to keep her into the wind.

It's not a big deal when raising, and it's an amazing advantage when lowering. Instead of flaking the sail, I'll sometimes need to pull some loose sail aft a few inches to get the sail lower for easier zipping. Being able to simply close the zipper on the stack pack is excellent. It takes less than a minute to lower the main and have it stored. On a 50' boat, when sailing solo, that's saying something.

Since we have a loose footed main, I do lower the lazy jacks so the stack pack flops down when needed, i.e. at the begining of the season, when setting up the reefing lines using a bowline around the boom. There are slots in the stack pack for each reefing line. Make sure your design includes those, if that's your reefing line setup.

Regards,
Brad

[Stu Jackson]

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 13 years.

Yes, we have to go forward again to unhook the starboard lazy jack for dousing the sail, but there's never any hurry.

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

Your boat, your choice.

[hoolie]

We don't have full battens, but the top two do tend to catch on the lazyjacks. But as others say, it's no big deal and even if they do catch it only involves lowering the main a couple of feet then getting the angle to wind right.

Rather do that from the cockpit as the lazyjacks can only be adjusted at the mast. Normally wouldn't be a problem, but in lively conditions ... ...

[scubascooter]

Just put a stack pack on and I am already loving it.
I see no need to fold up while sailing unless on a long passage.

Scott

[Palarran]

I'm wondering how many of you roll up your stack pack on long passages and if you do, have you had problems with your sail when reefing? In the past, I've just kept mine up, but am now thinking that I'd like to roll up at least the windward side. I have the type with a long batton on it and it will stow nicely. If you do this, do you then tension the lazy jacks to keep the sail somewhat controlled when reefing?