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Moved lazy jacks to spreaders

3K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Minnesail 
#1 · (Edited)
I took my little boat off it's little lake and down to a three-mile wide spot in the Mississippi called Lake Pepin. Great sailing! But that's another story.

In order to not bring zebra mussels back to my little lake I needed to let it dry out for a week or so, so I parked it in my back yard. Well with the mast down and all I couldn't resist tinkering a little bit!

I took the top of my lazy jacks off the mast moved them 18" out on the spreaders. Wow, what a difference! I love it. Previously my lazy jacks were kind of a PITA, I really wasn't a fan, but now I love them. No need to adjust them after I raise the sail, no need to be EXACTLY head to wind when raising or dropping the sail.

My sail is only partially battened, so it was always fighting the lazy jacks before. Now it just slides up and down. A small change but a big difference.
 
#2 · (Edited)
I took my little boat off it's little lake and down to a three-mile wide spot in the Mississippi called Lake Pepin. Great sailing! But that's another story.

In order to not bring zebra mussels back to my little lake I needed to let it dry out for a week or so, so I parked it in my back yard. Well with the mast down and all I couldn't resist tinkering a little bit!

I took the top of my lazy jacks off the mast moved them 18" out on the spreaders. Wow, what a difference! I love it. Previously my lazy jacks were kind of a PITA, I really wasn't a fan, but now I love them. No need to adjust them after I raise the sail, no need to be EXACTLY head to wind when raising or dropping the sail.

My sail is only partially battened, so it was always fighting the lazy jacks before. No it just slides up and down. A small change but a big difference.
If the sheet and traveler are loose you should have +/- 15 degrees latitude with lazy jacks on the mast. I dislike adding load to spreaders, but lazy jacks should be trivial.
 
#3 ·
I've done the same, though not quite as far outboard as yours, perhaps 12" or so... Agreed, it's a great way to go - although if using Amsteel like I have, you do have to take care regarding the possibility of cinching them up too tight, and loading up the spreader...

One additional benefit, when the system is retracted and stowed at the gooseneck, having them run thru blocks on the spreaders eliminates the possibility of them slapping against the mast...
 
#4 ·
Good solution!

The only downside is that you now have more windage from the lines.

Another option would be to double, and then add a little more to the length of the longest line for the Lazy-Jacks. Run this line through a cheekblock at, or just below the spreader, and then back down to the gooseneck. When you want the jacks deployed, pull the line tight, and raise the jacks. After you have the sail neatly furled, release the line, and retract the jacks along the boom and the line along the mast. This allows you to use a sailcover without slits cut for the Jacks. The jacks stay stowed this way when you raise the sail, and you'll never catch a batten in them.
 
#8 ·
My buddy has a stack pack that uses lazy jacks that go up to the spreaders but are on the mast and go thru turning blocks . We never get the main up the first time sometimes it takes 3 or 4 times . I suggested he move out the turning blocks to the spreaders , he just kind of looked at me with a glazed look that said I hate mast work .
 
#9 ·
This is my first boat, and I view everything as a learning experience. Last fall when I scraped it against the fence while backing it into my yard I didn't swear and curse (well maybe a little) I just thought "Hey, now I get to learn how to fix a gouge in fiberglass!"

And it's a cheap enough boat that I don't have to get nervous every time I drill a hole in it. I'm trying to do things right, like when I added deck hardware I bedded them with Maine's butyl tape, but if I screw up I don't worry too much about it.

So it's fun to try different things with the rigging. See what works and what doesn't. One day when I have a bigger and nicer boat I'll know what I want to do with it.

In this case moving the lazy jacks to the spreaders is a big win. I think JonE is right, 18" was too far. Probably half that would have done fine. (I don't think I'll move them though. How many holes does one want in one's spreaders?)
 
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