Lazyjacks are a system of light lines running from a point partway up the mast down to the boom on either side, forming a cradle that catches the mainsail as it is lowered so it flakes on the boom rather than spilling across the deck. Usually rigged as an inverted Y or a series of legs from a single line on each side, they are often combined with a boom-mounted sail cover, commonly called a stack pack, into which the sail drops. The beginner should know that lazyjacks turn a two-person job into a one-person job on a boat of almost any size. The experienced sailor adds two cautions: lazyjacks will catch batten ends on the hoist if the boat is not head to wind, and left taut while sailing they chafe the sail and spoil its shape.
How a Lazyjack System Is Put Together
- Mast attachment: a pair of small blocks or eyes on the mast, typically at about 55 to 65 percent of the luff length, one on each side. Some systems use a single halyard-style line so the whole rig can be slackened or hauled from the deck.
- Legs: from the mast block, a line drops to a small ring or block, from which two or three shorter legs run down to eyes or a track on the boom. Three legs per side is common on boats up to about 40 feet; larger mainsails may need four.
- Boom attachment: eyes screwed or riveted to the boom sides, or a sewn loop on the stack pack, spaced so that the sail flakes in even folds between the legs.
- Adjustment: a cleat on the mast or boom, so the lazyjacks can be eased right off when sailing and taken up before the drop.
Why Sailors Fit Them
The case for lazyjacks is straightforward. Dropping a big mainsail without them means the sail slides off the boom on one side or both, the crew has to gather and flake it while the boat rolls, and the person on the helm cannot help. With lazyjacks and a stack pack, one person eases the halyard from the cockpit or the mast, the sail falls into the cradle, and the cover is zipped shut in a minute. Short-handed cruisers, charter fleets and anyone sailing with children or guests fit them for that reason alone. They also reduce the chance of a sail going over the side in a breeze or of somebody being knocked down by a flogging clew.
What the Sailmaker Worries About
Lazyjacks and sails do not always get along. When the sail is hoisted, the batten ends and the headboard have to rise between the legs; if the boat is even ten degrees off head to wind, the sail bellies to one side, a batten hooks under a lazyjack, and the halyard comes up hard. Persist and you can tear a batten pocket or bend a batten. The remedy is to hoist head to wind, or to ease the lazyjacks right off and pull them forward to the mast before the hoist, which many experienced crews do as a matter of routine. Under way, tight lazyjacks press into the leech and the body of the sail as it fills, chafing the cloth at every leg on every tack and, on a fully battened sail, stopping the battens from taking their designed curve. UK Sailmakers advises easing lazyjacks fully when sailing, and building the leech and batten pockets of a mainsail that will live with lazyjacks with extra chafe protection. A stack pack should be cut so its top sits well below the boom’s underside when the sail is set, or it will hold the foot up and ruin the shape of the lower sail.
Setting Up and Using Them Well
- Position the mast blocks high enough that the legs fan out to catch the whole sail, but not so high that the lines stand off in the wind and slap the mast at anchor.
- Space the boom eyes so the sail flakes evenly – the sailmaker can mark the sail’s natural fold points if you ask.
- Ease them when sailing, and if the system allows, pull them forward and hook them at the gooseneck.
- Take them up before the drop, head to wind, with the boom centred and the topping lift or rigid vang holding the boom up.
- Check for chafe at every leg where it touches the sail, and at the boom eyes, each season.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lazyjacks
Will lazyjacks damage my mainsail?
Not if they are eased when sailing and the hoist is done head to wind. Tight lazyjacks chafe the leech and batten pockets and distort the sail’s shape, so a system that can be slackened from the deck is worth having.
Can I fit lazyjacks to a fully battened mainsail?
Yes, and they work particularly well because a fully battened sail flakes itself in neat folds. Take care on the hoist, since long battens are the ones most likely to catch a leg.
Lazyjacks are a simple idea that makes sailing a bigger boat with fewer hands safer and less tiring. Fit them so they can be eased, hoist head to wind, and they will look after your mainsail as well as your crew.