I want to make the lazy jacks running (although likely not all the way to the cockpit), so I can lower sail bundles down to the deck or coachroof.  But with a simple triangular fabric sail catcher, the remaining (running) lines would then chafe against the sail.

So I started trying to think of solutions like two or three shorter fabric catcher sections, or a big tail of rope going through a block at the top of the catcher and cleated off to the fabric somehow.  It just got complicated and I felt like I was chasing my own tail.

Has somebody made this work well already?  I feel like I must be missing something.

Barry & Meps / Stellrecht & Schulte wrote:

David Tyler wrote:
Aft corner as far aft as it will go without interfering with sheeting or boom attachment. Bottom edge about 5 - 6 feet.

I've got two sails, one with an 18' boom & 25% balance, the other with an 11' boom and 5% balance.  Do they really get the same size sail gatherer?  Or should I use something like 0.3 * Batten length?

Thanks,
Barry

Yes, 30% of batten length sounds fair to me.

Barry & Meps / Stellrecht & Schulte wrote:

David Tyler wrote:Better again is to make the lower span of the topping lifts as a pair of triangles of sailcloth, stitched to the sail. This is very kind to the sail, without being too aesthetically unpleasing.

• Where are the two corners of the triangle placed along the boom, as a percentage of the boom?
  
• Aft corner as far aft as it will go without interfering with sheeting or boom attachment. Bottom edge about 5 - 6 feet.
• How high is the top corner?
• About one third to one half of the panel height.
• Where (horizontally over the boom) is the top corner placed?
• Draw a line from mid point of the lower edge upward to the masthead (for a fixed topping lift) or to the turning point where the topping lift returns to the deck (running topping lift). The top corner should lie on this line to keep the tension in the edges equal.
• Or is the top corner placed to keep the yard from getting caught behind the upper span? 
  
• If the yard is as long as the battens, there should be no problem. But yes, the same rule applies as with lines, that the yard mustn't get behind the lift.
• How strong is it?  I would probably use spare sailcloth and give it a boltrope with the same webbing I use for the sail.
  
• Yes, use the same cloth, with a wide turnover for strength, and a webbing edge for chafe resistance.

Since you are using Odyssey, you don't need a sailcover for UV protection, but if you make one for industrial pollution/gull protection, cut away the lower edge by 6" in way of the triangles.

Chafe will always be a consideration with lazy jacks and the junk sail. On Easy Go we have not put on a sail catcher but a number of drop lines from the lazy jack and around the boom to help consolidate the material. Works pretty well. The best advise I can give about the lazy jacks is to make a system that can be lowered to the deck at sea for repairs. Our previous versions did not allow us to easily get the sails on deck for repair. The stitch in time concept can really save a lot of work and frustration in the long run. We had a small tear in the sail last summer on our trip to Newfoundland and with our latest lazy jacks were able to lower the sail to the deck and repair it with the sewing machine with minimal unlashing. All done in a short mornings work and ready to sail again. Our lazy jacks run down to the deck by the masts and are cleated there. Also using the double mast lift took pressure off the sail against the mast and virtually eliminated all the chafe at this location. Finally we use seat belt webbing from the auto wreckers to give chafe protection on the batten pockets. We only use it once the batten pockets show signs of wear to minimize the amount of work and material required.

I've read on how to construct lazy jacks in PJR, and it looks easy enough to do. I have also been looking at pictures of rigs here and in the newsletters, and many of them have some sort of fabric to catch the sail bundle when reefed, rather than just lines.

I have also seen Mack Pack or Stack Packs for a Bermudan main sail with a zipper at the top to shut it when the sail is furled.  They always looked like a very good idea, but I'm not sure if they could be applied to a junk sail or not.

What have you done or seen done, and why would you use it instead of the basic PJR line version?

Barry