# Home Made Lazy Jack System



## teddius

I am putting a lazy jack system on my boat (Harken wants nearly $600 for theirs in a bag! ) I am going to make my own. So I have a Hardin Seawolf/Formosa/CT/Islandtrader 41. I was wondering if anyone has experience with these boats and setting up lazy jacks and if they know the proper dimensions for my lines or ratios of mast height to placement and length of line, etc.

Thanks


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## PBzeer

You might want to check this thread.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/39837-lazy-jacks-poor-person.html


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## US27inKS

I bought one of these and installed it on my boat 2 weeks ago. I like the way it works, but you do have to move the lines forward when sailing.

SailCare


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## brak

I made my own lazy jack system (copied PO's really) by using thin line (can't recall the size, probably 1/4" or less) with thimble eyes on the end (instead of usual blocks). One advantage of this is that the whole thing is so light that it doesn't really need to be removed while sailing (though I usually do it anyway - but really it does not interfere and can barely be seen).


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## TSOJOURNER

*Here's a homemade idea*

I copied this from someone else on another thread thinking I'd try it this summer. I can't vouch for it (yet).

_______________________

I made my own using only line and a couple of SS eyes. My lazy jacks do not retract, and this has not been a problem. The way I installed my lazy jacks was keeping it simple. I ran a line around the mast over the top of the spreaders and brought each end to within 30" above the boom at its midpoint. Tied a bowline at each end. Then I tied a line to the bowline and went under the boom thru an eye that I installed and back up to the other side to the other bowline and terminated that line. I did this two more times so that I ended up with 3 triangles, alongside the lenght of the boom. The lines are not tight but relatively slack. I have been doing this now for 5 years with no problems.


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## brak

This is approximately how my system is set up, though it does have two small cheek blocks on the mast.


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## BreakingWind2

Here is a well explained article on homemade lazy jacks. Inexpensive too!

Tips - Lazy Jacks

Dave


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## EO32

My PO had purchased a "Home made" Lazy Jack system with PVC loops and wads of shock cord, knots and line. I took me an hour to untangle it and lay it out to even figure out what it was.

It also took about a hour to put it up, using the spreader halyard cord, and it was just a mess.

Looking at various designs I came up with this.










I tried it out this weekend and it works great.

10 Pad Eyes $5
1/8 shock line $5
100 ft 3mm cord $25
6 clips $10
About $40

I drilled and tap my boom to install the pad eyes with #10 SS screws.

The Red lines are the 3mm cord and the blue lines are shock cord.

The Alpine loops are a very nice loop knot.

I had spreader blocks so I used those, but you could put pad eyes or cheek blocks on the mast. I also had "Aladen" cleats on the shrouds.

Two bonus features.
1. The two main lazy jack lines can be unclipped and used as sail ties.
2. The two unclipped shock lines can be attached to halyards when cleated to the shroud cleat to pull the halyards from banging on the mast.

The very aft spring line is attached and also acts as a sail tie.


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## Boasun

Now if I had made the lazy jacks it would have been professionally made.   
But considering that most sailors in the old days had made & repaired their own gear & sails. You are not doing any less then they did in their time.
Have Fun and enjoy life.


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## sailingdog

Instead of drilling and tapping the boom, I would have used stainless steel or monel pop rivets. It isn't very likely that you'd need to remove a padeye, since they really don't need to be maintained, like a line clutch or a winch would, and pop riveting is probably better on a spar, since you don't have sharp screws sticking out into the interior to chafe/snag/rip the lines running through the spar.


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## EO32

Funny you say that. I used pop rivets when I mounted my horns to the mast, but I'm glad I used screws on the boom.

1) The screws are #10 /32 machine screws 1/2 inch long, so they won't catch on the outhaul inside the boom. (I tapped the boom holes)

2) One of the Pad Eyes broke as I tighened the screws down, so it was a simple repair. I used Tef-Gel on each screw.


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## sailingdog

Were these plastic padeyes?? I can't see a stainless steel one breaking from tightening a screw...


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## EO32

sailingdog said:


> Were these plastic padeyes?? I can't see a stainless steel one breaking from tightening a screw...


The PO had a bunch of Chrome Cast Pad Eyes. My boom is round so it broke right where the bend starts.


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## sailingdog

This is why I only use good stainless steel padeyes on the spars on my boat...  I've never had a problem with one breaking... or regretted using stainless steel pop rivets on them.


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## max-on

What kind of 'clip' did you use?



EO32 said:


> My PO had purchased a "Home made" Lazy Jack system with PVC loops and wads of shock cord, knots and line. I took me an hour to untangle it and lay it out to even figure out what it was.
> 
> It also took about a hour to put it up, using the spreader halyard cord, and it was just a mess.
> 
> Looking at various designs I came up with this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I tried it out this weekend and it works great.
> 
> 10 Pad Eyes $5
> 1/8 shock line $5
> 100 ft 3mm cord $25
> 6 clips $10
> About $40
> 
> I drilled and tap my boom to install the pad eyes with #10 SS screws.
> 
> The Red lines are the 3mm cord and the blue lines are shock cord.
> 
> The Alpine loops are a very nice loop knot.
> 
> I had spreader blocks so I used those, but you could put pad eyes or cheek blocks on the mast. I also had "Aladen" cleats on the shrouds.
> 
> Two bonus features.
> 1. The two main lazy jack lines can be unclipped and used as sail ties.
> 2. The two unclipped shock lines can be attached to halyards when cleated to the shroud cleat to pull the halyards from banging on the mast.
> 
> The very aft spring line is attached and also acts as a sail tie.


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## sailingdog

Probably one of the kinds that you find on shock cords:


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## max-on

Thanks SD.

It's midnight, do you ever sleep?


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## sailingdog

Very little as I've said before....


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## bubb2

If it were me I would use the money I saved making my own lazy jacks and get a stack pack sail cover. With the stack pack and lazy jacks you can drop the sail right into the sail cover and zip it up in a minute. Same goes for hoisting sails, just unzip the sail cover and haul away. To me lazy jacks are only one half of the system.


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## sailingdog

Bubb2-

The stackpack is a great idea, but a StackPack is a Doyle sail loft creation and is attached to the sail.... a better idea is to get a StackPack like sail cover that uses the sail track on the boom instead. Gui's boat has one.


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## bubb2

sailingdog said:


> Bubb2-
> 
> The stackpack is a great idea, but a StackPack is a Doyle sail loft creation and is attached to the sail.... a better idea is to get a StackPack like sail cover that uses the sail track on the boom instead. Gui's boat has one.


Dog, sorry I used stack pack like I use band-aid. I have one on my boat also, not a Doyle. The sail cover slides in to the track on top of the boom and bolt rope on the foot of the main then also sides in after the sail cover is in place. For winter storage I take the boom off completely. Come spring I reattach the boom at the goose neck and the ridged Vang then run my jiffy reefing lines and I am done, 45 min if I stop for a beer.


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## sailingdog

Bubb2-

I don't understand why Doyle has to attach their StackPack to the damn sail. There really isn't any need for that if you have a loose-footed mainsail, which is pretty much the case for most modern sails. 

How are the girls doing... still staying out later than you'd like?  OF course to you, they'll always be six years old... I think that's true of all parents.


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## BlueBustard

The best I've seen (so far) are E-Z-Jax (ezjaxdotcom.) Their advantage is that they are immediately stowable alongside the mast and boom while under sail. When needed, they can be swiftly deployed.

By doing some math and some advanced head-scratching, you could copy their design for your own personal use. But why bother when their cost is so reasonable?


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## sailingdog

Blue-

The home made lazy jack system on my boat can what the EZJax can, and were probably a lot cheaper to make.  Will be leading the system back to the cockpit later this summer.


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## TSOJOURNER

SD,
Why are you leading it back to the cockpit? I usually don't touch mine. They are slack enough not to interfere with the main (other than a batten hanging up once in a while when raising the main) and still tight enough to be effective.


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## TSOJOURNER

Can a lazy jack system also function as a boom topping lift? My San Juan still has the pig tail hook on the backstay, so this seems like a significant improvement.

Thanks


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## sailingdog

I like the idea of slacking them off completely when sailing. 


teshannon said:


> SD,
> Why are you leading it back to the cockpit? I usually don't touch mine. They are slack enough not to interfere with the main (other than a batten hanging up once in a while when raising the main) and still tight enough to be effective.


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## EO32

My homemade ones lift from the center of the spreaders and have some shock cord in them, so other than getting a batten caught while raising, they barely rest against the sail.


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## Sailor Brit

BreakingWind2 said:


> Here is a well explained article on homemade lazy jacks. Inexpensive too!
> 
> Tips - Lazy Jacks
> 
> Dave


this is a Chinese site and written in Manderin? Is this link correct?


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## SV Siren

Sailor Brit said:


> this is a Chinese site and written in Manderin? Is this link correct?


That link and post are 13 years old. It would be safe to assume that the web address was not renewed at some point and some company parked their webpage on that address in hopes of selling it for $$ to someone wanting to purchase that address.


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## Sailor Brit

thank you!


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## SV Siren

Sailor Brit said:


> thank you!


If you are seriously looking for info on making your own, there are several other threads already, or you can create your own post and pose a question to the group.


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## Sailor Brit

Thank you again - I am new to this I need to find where to make a new thread!!!


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## SV Siren

Sailor Brit said:


> Thank you again - I am new to this I need to find where to make a new thread!!!


Two things:
1. Google is a great search tool, the search built in here is not so great. Doing a google search "Lazy Jacks Sailnet" will give you a bunch of results.
2. To create a post in general, go to the "forum" part just under the Sailnet Logo, top left, this will give you a listing of the different forums. Select an appropriate forum, and then a subforum and from there you can "Create Post'. For Lazy Jacks, just click on the "Gear And Maintenance" tab, and create a post.


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