Lazy Jacks

[G.Sherman]

I'm considering installing lazy jacks on my catboat....
Since I'm new to this boat, I've no idea what the procedure would be.
I would appreciate a schematic or some kind of diagram showing the
setup.

[Tom Lathrop]

This is a typical one.

http://www.geocities.com/opahay/ideas.htm#lazy

[hansp77]

my uncle has lazy jacks on his boat, and I must say they really are convenient and.... Lazy

He's tried to convince me to get them on mine, but as yet I still am not biting- truthfully I have more pressing concerns than that, so may consider them at a later date.

I did a little googling, under catboat and "lazy jack"
there was quite a few hits, might be worth wading through it,
this one is listed as having 'Sailbrite Lazy Jack system"


here is a catboat guide with a bit of a write up on Lazy Jacks (go to the menu and click on 'rigging and Lazy Jacks" pp 20- or here is a prettier pdf of same)

[Ian McColgin]

I am not at all fond to the sailbrite system especially on a gaff rig but some like them.

I advocate "LazyLifts" called around here "LazyIans" because for a while it was thought I'd invented them. I think I sent drawings out and maybe one was posted on a thread but my ability to search is primitive at best. Anyone recall the thread and have a reference handy?

[Jim Ledger]

FWIW. I have, on my catboat, a quarter lift, which is a line spliced onto the topping lifts (port and starboard) in such a manner that it descends around the boom in the vicinity of the end of the gaff, much like a single lazy jack. The purpose is more to control the end of the gaff when raising and lowering sail than to contain the sail. However, when furling the sail it gets in the way, as would more loops that lazy jacks provide. It should be noted that this is just my experience and it could well be that I'm missing something.

[Ian McColgin]

Marmalade has, like most cats, a long gaff that's highly peaked. This lets me land the quarter lifts out where the gaff is contained and pretty much all of the leech. When raising sail the leech will sometimes pull forward and a batten will temporarily hang under one lift or the other but a short pause will free it. And once the sail is a little way up the leech is well abaft the slope of the lifts anyway.

Quarter lifts like this are much more convenient than a topping lift or a pair of topping lifts out to the boom end where they always foul on the gaff.

Some boats, especially if they have a sliding gooseneck, can have lazy jacks that do not need adjustment as they get loose enough to let the sail set when the boom is raised and are tight enough to contain the sail as the halyards are slacked. Most, however need adjustment to loosen when the sails go up and tighten as they are dropped. Many also need adjustment tack to tack to keep the weather jacks from flogging about.

LazyLifts solve all this. Imagine pullys up on either side of the mast such that the angle down to where the quarter lifts should go is 45 or steeper. One line passes (fairleads) under the boom there and up on each side through the pulleys and down about halfway, terminating in a thimbled eye or, if the boom is really heavy, a block on each end. The next line passes under the boom about 1/3 of the way back lift to tack, up on each side through the blocks and back down ending at a cleat on each side about 2/3 to the tack. If the boom is really heavy, make the porportions quarters, end the second line in another pair of pullys, and make a third lift line.

Since the lines can slide under the boom, you have a bit less than 4:1 or 6:1 advantage pulling either side - less as the lines with less strain also are farther forward to less advantage and less due to friction.

On many boats, LazyLifts are slack enough when the sail is up, becoming tight only when holding the boom up as the sail is dropped, and then getting slack enough to get the cover on when you raise the boom to a crutch or whatever.

The LazyLifts adjust themselves when sailing as the saill will push some slack out on the lee side allowing the weather side to trim up a bit.

For a heavy boomed catboat, it's well to have cleats on either side of the boom guiding the lift lines. In light air you need to be able to prevent movement side to side because you'll be using the weather lift to pick up the boom a bit to bag the sail and make her really happy.

Even for a wee boat, properly laid out Lazy Jacks or LazyLifts take the curse out of putting the sail up and down. They also make reefing far safer.

G'luck

[capnharv]

Ian,

Do you have any pictures of the routing of the lazy lifts around the boom?

This sounds like an intriguing idea that I may try on Amie.

Thanks!

Harvey