What the heck are these stay like things for?

[Finallybuyingaboat]

Okay, finally going to be putting my redone Grampian in the water next week. I have another problem/question which none of the guys I talked to at the Marina seem to be able to answer. I have two "stays" that are attached about 3/4 of the way up my mast. They each have a small block/pulley on the end of them, but they are not long enough to attach to anything. They end about 4 feet above the boom. I am assuming they have something to do with bringing the sail down, but I am stumped. A few of the guys I have asked do a lot of sailing, but no one could explain to me how these are used. I will try and take a picture this afternoon to help explain it.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

What is left to do...Sand and paint the deck, repair the sails, glass in the new right bulkhead, rebuild the forward seat, paint the inside of the boat, replace the vinyl on the pop top hinge, put on bottomkote, and then toss the whole mess in the water to see if it floats! Looks like I have a busy few days ahead of me!

[BarryL]

Hello,

It sounds like you are describing lazy jacks.

Here is a manual that describes them:
http://www.harken.com/pdf/4058.pdf

My boat came with them and I like the way they work.

Barry

[Finallybuyingaboat]

Thanks Barry

That is exactly what they are! That would also explain all the extra hardware on the boom! Okay, now I have to go out and buy more rope!

[hellosailor]

Lazyjacks can be convenient, but on a 23-foot boat?

I'd say to save your money and see how easy it is to simply flake the sail when you are dropping it.

You head up into the wind (engine on) with some room about you, make sure the topping lift is attached, center and tighten the boom down, and then standing at the aft end of the boom, just let the main halyard out slowly with one hand, while pulling at the leech of the mainsail so it neatly flakes over the boom from side to side, with the other hand.

On a 23' boat in any kind of reasonable weather this is slightly harder than buttoning your shirt. Or maybe not even that hard.[g]

Lazy jacks?! Nah, that's more stuff to buy, more stuff to maintain, more stuff to go wrong, more stuff to replace. The boat may be bigger than you are, but don't let that intimidate you.

[JT1019]

I would buy line....not rope. You should move forward with reconnecting the lazy jack system. If you already have all the hardware the cost of the line should be minimal. There is nothing worse then having your field of vision depleted by a sail, lazy jacks can greatly increase your margin of safety.

Good luck!

[BarryL]

Hello Again,

On my boat, the line runs along the boom and actually holds the sail is shock cord. When I commissioned the system this year I made the lines taut, but not too taut. The shock cord can stretch to hold the sail as it comes down. It's also easy to retract the lazy jacks for sailing.

I can take pics if anyone is interested.

Barry

[knothead]

Originally Posted by JT1019

I would buy line....not rope.

A piece of rope that has a specific purpose is called a line, especially in nautical usage. (Wikipedia)

[sailingdog]

I think JT meant small stuff, or line less than 1/4" in diameter, when he said line, rather than 1/4" or heavier, which is normally called ROPE.

Originally Posted by knothead

A piece of rope that has a specific purpose is called a line, especially in nautical usage. (Wikipedia)

[lbdavis]

Originally Posted by Finallybuyingaboat

I have another problem/question which none of the guys I talked to at the Marina seem to be able to answer.

A few of the guys I have asked do a lot of sailing, but no one could explain to me how these are used.

Am I the only one that would question a yard, or guys that do a lot of sailing, that couldn't recognize lazy jacks?

[sailingdog]

If it is a primarily a power-boat marina, they might not know what lazy jacks are or recognize them.