Lazy Jacks... the good, the bad and the ugly

[SanFran 6]

Thinking about installing for next summer.  Id like people's opinion on them.  It'll be great for single or short handed sailing (which is likely to be the main use), but is there a down side?   I hear a lot about the hoist and drop of the main, and sometimes getting a bit of a tangle.  Any thing else?   Has anyone installed and thought it not worth the effort, hassle?

[Vorpal Blade 87]

A well set up system will make your life easy.

Our main is around 50sqm and its a one person op to both hoist and stow, and when you put in a reef it controls all the loose sail. 

 

[Kevin McCready 29]

My feeling, subject to being corrected, is there is less need the smaller the boat. I wouldn't bother on my 30 footer. They've been great on a bigger boat though.

[KM... 868]

I agree with Kevin, on 30ft and less they are nice but hardly a necessity.

But it is easy to set up good simple drama free lazy's, even more so today with cordage that are made specifically for that application. No need to sew ends or have knots or to even have to get some Pro in to make and set them up for you with the new cordage.

Do set them up so once your main is up you can pull them forward and hook them around the gooseneck or something there, it is very easy to do. There is nothing, not a single thing that is good about sailing with the lazys still deployed unless you are the most laziest slob of a S.O.B in existence who is intent on becoming morbidly obese and want to clock out due to a massive coronary. If you do leave them up you'll also look just as big a Muppet as the newbie boat renter motoring a yacht down the harbour with all the fenders still hanging over the side.

As you may notice I do have the odd issue around some aspects of lazy jacks

[Black Panther 688]

Go the whole hog and put them onto a stacpac type boom cover. Wonderful  

[Terry B 30]

I have a 29 foot yacht. When I bought her she had no lazy jacks. I sail a lot on my own and the sail hanging all over the place when dropping the main was annoying. Not life threatening, just annoying. Difficult to see past/around when going into crowded anchorages.

So I looked on-line and found & made (myself) a simple system that goes forward to the mast once you've tied the sail to the boom.

Had it eight years and I really rate it. Very easy to use and I've yet to have to replace any of the cordage. It means I can tidy up once I'm anchored - not when I'm bouncing around on the deck. I am in my sixties so I'm a little more cautious than I used to be.  And no need to cut holes in the current sail cover - just pull the jacks forward to the mast before putting the cover on.

It's not deployed when pulling up the main (that would be a PTA trying to avoid the fully battened main catching on jacks every metre!)

And the thing is it costs sod all to set up (at least on the 29 footer).

 

Sooooo, as you can tell, I'm a fan😃

[SanFran 6]

Good stuff, thanks for the comments.  Yup, I'm closing in on 60ish, and feeling the need to make life easier on a 32 footer.  Who has the set up KM?   Local chandler or self sourced?

[vesper1 2]

I had lazy jacks for several years on my Townson 38 and honestly it was one of the best days work ever getting rid of them, not worth the hassle better off without them.

[bigal.nz 32]

We have lazy jacks, but not the stack pack - they are a pain in this configuration so we are getting a stack pack built. Will let you know the outcome once we are out of lock down.

I too have heard about the cordage getting caught (and we have a fully battened main) - apparently the size & type of the cordage needs to be right. For us 6mm sashcord on the aft most line was recommended - anything smaller increases chance of tangle (40ft boat).

[ex TL systems 57]

I have had them on many different boats from 28 to 46 feet and would not be without them. Always leave them up too. If you have full battens and good cars with a lazy bag you can just let the halyard go and the sail drops into the bag. Too easy. Can also use as a back I up or replacement for the topping lift too. If the batten ends get caught on the way up you can pull the cords forward but I just go head to wind and watch what I am doing