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Mainsail Lazy Jacks
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Mainsail Lazy Jacks
Do you find yourself frequently sailing with your headsail only when sailing short-handed? Install a Harken or Schaefer lazy jack kit on your boat to allow for a quick and easy reefing system for your mainsail. If you are sailing singlehanded or with a limited crew, a lazy jack system allows for quick flaking of the sail as the halyard is dropped. First used on oyster dredging boats in the Chesapeake Bay, lazy jacks have become a popular mainsail handling tool on cruising boats of all sizes. Having Lazy Jacks on your boat will allow you to more easily enjoy your boat, with less need for an experienced crew. Lazy Jacks work especially well on boats with fully battened mainsails but can be used with conventional sails as well. Combine a Lazy Jacks with a single line reffing kit and a battcar system for the ultimate in easy mainsail handling.
Installing Lazy Jack Systems
Lazy Jacks are relatively easy to install. The Harken Lazy Jack kit comes with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. Both the Harken and Schaefer Lazy Jack Kits contain all the hardware needed for a typical lazy jack installation, including rivets, padeyes and screws. There are few important things to consider when installing Lazy Jacks on your sailboat. Make sure your lazy jacks are installed in such a way that they don't interfere with the spreaders. If you find that your lazy jacks tend to snag spreader tips, there are 2 solutions. The easiest is to rig shock cords to pull Lazy Jacks forward out of the way of spreader tips. Rig a length of shock cord on each side of the sail. Dead end shock cord at or near gooseneck and run it up to blocks that are suspended from wires. If this does not help, you will need to reposition Mast Tangs so they are lower on the mast and do not interfere with spreader tips.
Using Lazy Jacks
Lazy jacks make handling your mainsail much easier. When hoisting the sail, make sure that the head of the sail and any battens clear the lazy jack lines on the way up. When hoisting a mainsail on a boat with Lazy Jacks, it is especially important to look up and that the boat is head to wind. Forcing a sail that is caught on a lazy jack can damage the sail or the lazy jack line. It also helps to lose lazy jack lines a little when hoisting, although in many applications this is not necessary.
Bringing a sail down or reffing a mainsail is when Lazy Jacks become very helpful. Ease the sail slowly and evenly and the lazy jacks will help the sail fall onto the boom in an organized, flaked manner.
We at MAURIPRO Sailing are fully committed to being your Lazy Jack and Mainsail handling specialist not only providing the marine and sailing community with a comprehensive and easy-to-use website but with all the appropriate technical information that you might need to select your sailboat hardware and equipment.
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