I finally managed to get out by myself to try out the new CDI roller
furling on my 28' S2. Why didn't ppl tell me how much easier it would
make sailing? (Oh, many ppl did, but being something of a
luddite....). It was great, furled and unfurled at least 6 times just
cuz it was so easy. With a hank on jib, after I put it away, I would
not get it back out for any reason cuz of the hassle, now, no problem.
Its great. NOW, I want Lazy Jacks.

Wait until you sail on a boat with roller furling masts.......Totally
spoiled....Lazy jacks like hell....



On 27 Oct 2003 15:44:41 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

I finally managed to get out by myself to try out the new CDI roller
furling on my 28' S2. Why didn't ppl tell me how much easier it would
make sailing? (Oh, many ppl did, but being something of a
luddite....). It was great, furled and unfurled at least 6 times just
cuz it was so easy. With a hank on jib, after I put it away, I would
not get it back out for any reason cuz of the hassle, now, no problem.
Its great. NOW, I want Lazy Jacks.


Larry W4CSC

"Very funny, Scotty! Now, BEAM ME MY CLOTHES! KIRK OUT!"

(Larry W4CSC) wrote in message ...
Wait until you sail on a boat with roller furling masts.......Totally
spoiled....Lazy jacks like hell....



On 27 Oct 2003 15:44:41 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

I finally managed to get out by myself to try out the new CDI roller
furling on my 28' S2. Why didn't ppl tell me how much easier it would
make sailing? (Oh, many ppl did, but being something of a
luddite....). It was great, furled and unfurled at least 6 times just
cuz it was so easy. With a hank on jib, after I put it away, I would
not get it back out for any reason cuz of the hassle, now, no problem.
Its great. NOW, I want Lazy Jacks.


Larry W4CSC

"Very funny, Scotty! Now, BEAM ME MY CLOTHES! KIRK OUT!"

I dunno, not being able to fix things easily worries me. I spose
thats why I also drive an old truck with 300,000 miles on it.

Lazy jacks are great for large mains -- they were an essential part of
being able to handle Swee****er short handed, but her main is 750 sq
ft.

On a 28' boat, though, I might pass.
1) They interfere with the sail cover. Either the cover has to be cut
around them or you have to pull them down to the gooseneck before
putting on the cover.
2) If you have battens, you have to be very careful hoisting the sail,
else the battens get caught under a lazy jack. Although you routinely
head upwind before hoisting, with lazy jacks you have to do it with
considerably more precision.
3) If you rig them with blocks up the mast, then the portion going up
the mast will slap in the wind. If you rig them deadended on the upper
mast, then the block under the boom will catch the sail.

Jim Woodward
www.mvFintry.com

(Parallax) wrote in message . com...
I finally managed to get out by myself to try out the new CDI roller
furling on my 28' S2. Why didn't ppl tell me how much easier it would
make sailing? (Oh, many ppl did, but being something of a
luddite....). It was great, furled and unfurled at least 6 times just
cuz it was so easy. With a hank on jib, after I put it away, I would
not get it back out for any reason cuz of the hassle, now, no problem.
Its great. NOW, I want Lazy Jacks.

x-no-archive:yes (Parallax) wrote:

(Larry W4CSC) wrote in message ...
Wait until you sail on a boat with roller furling masts.......Totally
spoiled....Lazy jacks like hell....



On 27 Oct 2003 15:44:41 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

I finally managed to get out by myself to try out the new CDI roller
furling on my 28' S2. Why didn't ppl tell me how much easier it would
make sailing? (Oh, many ppl did, but being something of a
luddite....). It was great, furled and unfurled at least 6 times just
cuz it was so easy. With a hank on jib, after I put it away, I would
not get it back out for any reason cuz of the hassle, now, no problem.
Its great. NOW, I want Lazy Jacks.


Larry W4CSC

"Very funny, Scotty! Now, BEAM ME MY CLOTHES! KIRK OUT!"

I dunno, not being able to fix things easily worries me. I spose
thats why I also drive an old truck with 300,000 miles on it.

We have a roller furling jib, a roller furling staysail and a behind
the mast roller furling main. Totally accessible to be fixed.
Unfortunately, I don't think they make them anymore. You might look
at the boom furling ones though.


grandma Rosalie

On 28 Oct 2003 05:09:51 -0800, (Parallax)
wrote:

I dunno, not being able to fix things easily worries me. I spose
thats why I also drive an old truck with 300,000 miles on it.

What's to fix? Lionheart has a hollow mast with a huge slot cut in
the back of it where the sail comes out. The end of the sail is
pulled out on the huge hollow boom by a "car" that rides on rollers
pulled by a line that wraps around a pulley built into the end outer
end of the boom, an outhaul, which loops back around inside the boom
to the mast so you can pull on it while uncranking the furler.

The furler is a long 2" diameter stainless steel rod running on roller
bearings top and bottom, the bottom a thrust bearing holding up the
vertical load. It's driven by a right-angle bevel gear to a shaft
that comes out the forward side of the mast through another hollow
top-to-bottom hole full of cables. You insert a winch handle into the
handy fitting and either furl or unfurl after pulling a locking pin
out of its hole. This lets you furl it up and sail with any amount of
sail you're comfortable with in heavier weather. The long rod has a
slot cut in it, top to bottom for the sail to slide up into pulled
along by another "car" that is the uphaul, another line over the top.

I probably wouldn't survive it's "breakage". The mast is HUGE and has
SIX shrouds holding it up.....

You don't even have to turn into the wind to furl it......



Larry W4CSC

"Very funny, Scotty! Now, BEAM ME MY CLOTHES! KIRK OUT!"

(Jim Woodward) wrote in message . com...
Lazy jacks are great for large mains -- they were an essential part of
being able to handle Swee****er short handed, but her main is 750 sq
ft.

On a 28' boat, though, I might pass.
1) They interfere with the sail cover. Either the cover has to be cut
around them or you have to pull them down to the gooseneck before
putting on the cover.
2) If you have battens, you have to be very careful hoisting the sail,
else the battens get caught under a lazy jack. Although you routinely
head upwind before hoisting, with lazy jacks you have to do it with
considerably more precision.
3) If you rig them with blocks up the mast, then the portion going up
the mast will slap in the wind. If you rig them deadended on the upper
mast, then the block under the boom will catch the sail.

Jim Woodward
www.mvFintry.com

(Parallax) wrote in message . com...
I finally managed to get out by myself to try out the new CDI roller
furling on my 28' S2. Why didn't ppl tell me how much easier it would
make sailing? (Oh, many ppl did, but being something of a
luddite....). It was great, furled and unfurled at least 6 times just
cuz it was so easy. With a hank on jib, after I put it away, I would
not get it back out for any reason cuz of the hassle, now, no problem.
Its great. NOW, I want Lazy Jacks.

Larry:

In suspect that such a sail furling system would cost an appreciable
fraction of the value of my 23 yr old boat so probably isnt a good
investment. If I ever buy a newer boat, maybe.

On 28 Oct 2003 06:20:26 -0800, (Jim Woodward)
wrote:

Lazy jacks are great for large mains -- they were an essential part of
being able to handle Swee****er short handed, but her main is 750 sq
ft.

On a 28' boat, though, I might pass.
1) They interfere with the sail cover. Either the cover has to be cut
around them or you have to pull them down to the gooseneck before
putting on the cover.
2) If you have battens, you have to be very careful hoisting the sail,
else the battens get caught under a lazy jack. Although you routinely
head upwind before hoisting, with lazy jacks you have to do it with
considerably more precision.
3) If you rig them with blocks up the mast, then the portion going up
the mast will slap in the wind. If you rig them deadended on the upper
mast, then the block under the boom will catch the sail.

I agree with Jim on this one. Our main is 47 foot hoist by 15 foot. It
has slugs so it doesn't all come out of the mast when it drops.

I bought a Harken lazy-jack kit when we bought th eboat in 1989, but
have never installed it. Using them on other boats in the mid 30-foot
range is a PITA to me. We normally sail as a couple, so my wife keeps
the boat into the wind while I take the main down or hoist.

We changed to hank-on jibs about 5 years ago and love it this way.

Getting the main up single-handed is a hassle compared with double
handing. I normally hump the halyard by the mast, and my wife at the
wheel gathers the line through the clutch.



I have a new autopilot that might be able to keep the boat into the
wind, but won't be able to try until spring.

Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Religious wisdom is to wisdom as military music is to music."

(Parallax) wrote in message . com...
I finally managed to get out by myself to try out the new CDI roller
furling on my 28' S2. Why didn't ppl tell me how much easier it would
make sailing? (Oh, many ppl did, but being something of a
luddite....). It was great, furled and unfurled at least 6 times just
cuz it was so easy. With a hank on jib, after I put it away, I would
not get it back out for any reason cuz of the hassle, now, no problem.
Its great. NOW, I want Lazy Jacks.

Larry:

I suspect that such a sail furling system would cost an appreciable
fraction of the value of my 23 yr old boat so probably isnt a good
investment. If I ever buy a newer boat, maybe.

Our boat is also 23 years old - we got the roller furling as a safety
measure so we would not have to go out on deck especially in bad
weather to adjust the sails.


grandma Rosalie

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

I bought a Harken lazy-jack kit when we bought th eboat in 1989, but
have never installed it. Using them on other boats in the mid 30-foot
range is a PITA to me. We normally sail as a couple, so my wife keeps
the boat into the wind while I take the main down or hoist.

We changed to hank-on jibs about 5 years ago and love it this way.


Many people *enjoy* testing their ability to endure pain and misery. I
did too - a long time ago. I still "test" because my boat came hank on
without lazyjacks. I too spend mucho time forward with my child bride
steering into the wind - which is, by definition, *always* blowing a
gale or shifting constantly or both. If it weren't I wouldn't need to
adjust the sails. But I can no longer imagine LIKEING it when (not if)
the half-flaked sail catches an errant breeze and heads over the side
blinding the tillerman, let alone depending on the autotiller that can't
see wind shifts. IMHO that's *almost* as much fun as loosing a good fist
fight. The only reason I don't have lazyjacks and a RF genoa 'rat now'
is the yardbirds can't get off their lazy's to install them. Hopefully
by xmas ....