Brian Kerslake wrote:On Paradox we've stuck with 'traditional' lazy jacks/mast lift (see photo just added to 'Gallery of members boats'). We were  happy with that system on our previous boat Matanie (Sunbird 32) on which we had very little sail-pinching and repairs to do - in fact the original sails lasted until we sold her after circa 30 years.

We've led the 10mm 3-ply lazy jacks back to the cockpit because (i) every other line is there (ii) we need to raise the boom a little to fold the spray-hood (got in the habit of doing that while tackling marina berths) (iii) need to drop the mainsail bundle into the crutch. It makes for less clambering to the mast. Will be taking up David's idea of softening the lower spans with tube later - makes sense.

Am a bit wary of the weight of the reefed sail bundles being taken by the pad-eyes some 8 feet/15 feet down from the top of each mast. Would rather the upper spans hung from the top of the masts and passed down through the pad-eyes - an easy enough mod though. Will probably beef-up the upper spans too, at least on the main.

Hmmm, how to say this without it sounding a bit rude...I like your crutch.:D

Jeff McFadden wrote:

Annie Hill wrote:With his permission, I have uploaded Arne's article: New Lazyjacks for Johanna into 'Arne Kverneland's files.  A great system, by the way, which I think many people may copy.

I think we all regret Arne's departure.  Let's hope we can persuade him to reconsider in due course.

I wrote him expressing my regrets soon after the event and didn't even get a reply, but one hopes that his feelings will soften with the passage of time. He is sorely missed here, and it is so hard to track a thread over there.
What will be will be.

I also wrote a similar e mail to Arne.  I have never met  him or had anything to do with him first hand.  I thought that I should record that I did get an immediate, considered and kind reply.  I also hope that in time he will grace these pages again. 

With his permission, I have uploaded Arne's article: New Lazyjacks for Johanna into 'Arne Kverneland's files.  A great system, by the way, which I think many people may copy.

I think we all regret Arne's departure.  Let's hope we can persuade him to reconsider in due course.

Gary Pick wrote:I see Arne has started using a different layout for his Lazy Jacks. He has run a line each from the masthead to the aft part of the boom, from these lines another line runs from around the height of the first batten down to a bit aft of the mast and attaches to the boom. Short lines then run down to the boom at regular intervals. He has a PDF on it.

Yes, Annie will be posting the PDF shortly. She is currently on her way home from Bay of Islands so it likely will be a day or two before she manages it.

Barry & Meps / Stellrecht & Schulte wrote: 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.

I have a thimbled eye at the bottom of the topping lift, and a pressed stainless steel eye at the top of the triangle. I connect the two with a lashing of 4mm cord, with its bitter end made fast to the topping lift eye. The lashing is about 6" - 12" long when made up, but the cord is long enough for the sail bundle to come down low, with at least one turn of the lashing remaining in place. I find it easy enough to lower the sail bundle for repairs, and to raise it again; but I wouldn't want to do it this way every time I sail.