Why is this page here and not on the WOA website?
Recently the Westsail Owners' Association website was moved to a new server that would allow the site to be more easily updated and maintained. While the basic content was successfuly transferred into the new site, a new Forum was started from scratch and the old Forum was converted to a collection of 41 PDF documents.Most of the Westsails are somewhere around 35 years old. They were well-built boats and most of the boats that were built are still sailing today... many half way 'round the world. But like all classic sailboats, they will all have problems over time, and most of the problems are relatively similar from boat to boat. There's a fair degree of likelihood that any problem that might come up has already been tackled by another owner. It's also fairly likely that the solution is buried somewhere in the archives of the Forum.
Long ago, I started downloading and archiving the entire Westsail.org website, with periodic refreshes. I did this mainly because I wanted a localized version of the site that I could access while cruising remote corners of the world, with limited access to the Internet. Perhaps the biggest benefit, however, has been the major improvement in my ability to search more than 11,000 posts efficiently.
It's likely that the old forum data could have been integrated with the new application, creating one contiguous and searchable source of information. But this would have required substantial programming and data manipulation and the decision was made by the WOA to take the current course. I therefore created this application as a means to preserve the seven years worth of resources that I consider to be incredibly valuable information for current and future Westsail owners. I hope you find it as useful as I have.
Jack Webb
1975 Westsail 32, Hull #438
svDrifter@gmail.com
Thread: "Lazy Jacks Main Sail"
12,268 posts on 2,444 threads • From Mar 07, 2004 - Jan 08, 2012
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Lazy Jacks Main Sail
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James Best (Member) |
I am looking for a good design that works and is not costly and possibly do it yourself or a package for westsail 32. Any suggestions or drawings?
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
Hello James, I did a DIY lazy jack installation that has served me well for a long time. I mounted two small blocks at the spreader wires where they are attached to the mast above the spreaders using an existing attach point. I used some small diameter three strand, a couple of SS rings, 6 eye straps on the boom and 6 carabiners. My wife did the eye splices. Total cost might have been less than $ 50.00 at the time. The jacks are only attached to the boom when it's time to lower the main. They store on the grab rails and belaying pins otherwise. A neat installation that I got from Bill DeLoach, long time owner of "Bes". I will try to send a drawing and / or photographs when I get a chance. If I have to replace the line, I'll use braided parachute cord next time because the three strand is a little stiff after 10 years. I just liked the neatness of the eye splice at the carabiners and rings. Werner |
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Thomas Koehl (Member) |
Werner, I'd be interesting in seeing a sketch of the setup. I may go with Aaron's combination of sail cover/lazy jack in the future, but I'd like an interim (or maybe permanent setup) arrangement to get me down to FL waters. -Tom
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
Hey Tom, I'm working up a sketch in Photoshop and will post it (somehow) in the next couple of days. If your mast is down it would be a quick and easy installation or as easy as projects can be on a boat. Werner |
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Wojciech Lukaszewicz (Member) |
My 2 cents on lazyjacks if I may...
I have attached them to small blocks under each spreader about 8 inches from the mast. Being about 20 in. apart means they're not in the way of main being raised. The bulk of the main is from spreaders down where you need jacks the most. The lines go down the mast from the blocks on spreaders for easy adjustment of the tension. On the other side they are attached to the stac-pack in 4 points on each side. Works every time. You will find 3 pics showing my setup here. Cheers, Wojtek (W28) |
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Jay Bietz (Administrator) |
Werner Hamp wrote:
This is Werner's image from his site -- nice illustratation....and the stack pak is a real nice bonus to the system. On Pygmalion I find the that the above works pretty good. Right click on the image and paste into the reply and resize to fit. Jay Last modified: 11 Jul 2011 9:27 PM | Jay Bietz (Administrator)
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
Hi Tom, Having reached the limit of my patience in trying to post original images, I have piggybacked a "Lazy Jacks" page onto one of my web sites. This is a diagram and explanation of the system. As I said, the total cost was somewhere around $ 50.00 in 2000 as I only had to buy the carabiners and blocks the rest being on hand. http://www.my-flashcards.com/rhapsody/ Werner |
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Thomas Koehl (Member) |
Looks like a simple and effective arrangement. I plan to add a couple of small blocks to the underside of the spreaders anyway. Am I weakening the spreaders if I drill a small 1/8" hole through them to thru-bolt a small eye to attach to? It doesn't seem like it would, but I wanted to ask before doing something irrevocable. -Tom
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
Tom, As I recall, by using the two small SS tangs with holes in either end, I was able to take one of the machine bolts out of the mast where the spreader wire attaches to the mast and simply screwed it back in with the tang now attached like an elongated washer, if you will. I then attached the block to the other end of the tang with a small screw shackle. I remember there was no drilling involved because the drill didn't go up the mast with me. The tang is probably the same as the one that's still in my spare parts bin. It measures about 3" x 1" bent out at about a 20 degree angle to stand the block off the mast. ( I'm not at the boat right now.) I did have to drill the boom for the padeyes and used regular SS sheet metal screws which cut their own threads. KISS right? Werner Jay, the cut and paste works fine if the image is copied from a web page. You are not pasting the actual image itself but a link to the web page where the image resides such as Picasa, etc. Notice that the text did not paste as it is not part of the jpeg image. Cut and paste does not work from images on your local drive. This one was created in Photoshop and saved as a jpeg then inserted on my web site.If the image is removed or moved from the web site it then breaks the link and the image will no longer appear in the post. |
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
Jay, This is what happens within the source of the post. http://www.my-flashcards.com/images/Laxy_Jacks.JPG The image is linked like this within the source code. If I remove the image from my web site you will only get a blank border or placeholder in the post. Werner |
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
Hey Guys, Sorry for the triple post here, but credit for the W32 image goes to Jack Webb, S/V Drifter from the cover of his digitized Westsail Build Manual slightly modified by me to Rhapsody's color scheme and sail number. Werner |
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Jack Webb (Member) |
Jay Bietz wrote: Perhaps I'm looking at a different photo... where exactly are you seeing a "stack pack" on this rig? |
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James Best (Member) |
Jay Bietz wrote:Werner Hamp wrote: Thanks for your info. This gives me a lot to work with. What size of rope did you use and how many feet is needed in total? During sailing do you unattach from the boom and stow on the shrouds? |
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
James, I don't remember the exact figure as I had the line on hand but it was probably in the neighborhood of 200 to 250 feet. I used a small diameter three strand nylon of about 3/8". It is the same line I use for the reefing gaskets on the main. The long control line is belayed on a belaying pin and the three jack lines are belayed to the center grab rail abeam the mast by looping them around and securing with the carabiners. I had them on stowed on the lifelines, but the way I am docked now, they were being used as assists when visitors were boarding which made for a very unsecure handhold so I removed the temptation, so to speak. I have to remove the jack lines from the boom in order to put the sail cover on so they remain stowed until it is time to lower the main. I can attach them to the boom after I raise the main and sail with them on and have them ready for lowering but normally don't do that due to chafe and wear and tear on the mainsail and jack lines. Since I have to go on deck to lower the main anyway it is just as easy to deploy them then. If you decide to rig this system, you can make the control line extra long so that you can coil it nicely around the belaying pins and it will give you enough to determine the best length since this line will determine how well the main falls into the jack lines. I tied the system together with bowline knots and experimented until the main fell nicely onto the boom and my wife (then girlfriend) did the eyesplices. The real truth is that after watching me for about 6 tries, she figured it out using trigonometry, gave me the measurements for the padeye locations on the boom, and it worked perfectly!!! Needless to say I was impressed and married her immediately. I will be returning to Florida tonight and will try to post some pictures and measurements in the next day or so. In case you missed the link to the diagram with explanations in the hubub of the previous posts, here it is again. This is where I will post the pictures. http://www.my-flashcards.com/rhapsody/index.html Werner |
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Bud Taplin (Member) |
James Best wrote:I am looking for a good design that works and is not costly and possibly do it yourself or a package for westsail 32. Any suggestions or drawings? I have a kit available for lazyjacks. Look in my Westsail Service Manual, Page A-25. You might not find that page if you have an old copy of the manual. |
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Ralph Weiland (Member) |
Werner Hamp wrote: Take a look at www.goodoldboat.com/reader_services/articles/tamers.php Looks pretty straightforward --- all I lack is time! |
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Norm Rhines (Member) |
Some thoughts on the lazy jacks. They are really nice when bring the main down! You can even drop it on a beam reach just using the down wind side. I use a four part system which works very well. If you use ss thimbles for the slides, use one or two sizes smaller than the line, they will never hit the mast. If the halyard for the lazy jack is long enough you can gather them all up and tie them under the cleat on the mast (the one for the lazy jack halyard) when not needed (It keeps them out of the way 99% of the time). Lastly: If you have them in the stored location (under the cleats) tie the bitter end of the halyard line off to the gooseneck (keeps some one from letting it go up the mast :( Norm Last modified: 18 Jul 2011 1:37 PM | Norm Rhines
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Jack Webb (Member) |
Jay Bietz wrote:Werner Hamp wrote: Jay, If you look at images in all these posts (or the lack thereof), you will clearly see the inherent problems with this method of posting images. And if you look through the somewhat limited posts made since February, you'll see several more examples of this "here today, gone tomorrow" phenomenon. What a shame to lose all these valuable contributions! You might recall that in a previous post, I clearly defined this and many other issues with the current hosting solution, in hopes that at least some of them might be resolved. So far, the most progress we've seen is "I'm experimenting with Google Search on our forum's only - Update - I've modified the script slightly 0619/2011 to hopefully include the subtopics. - Update the sub topics look to be out of touch with the google search. Jay". (I'm really not sure how one would interpret this malformed statement, but obviously experiment that didn't work.) Fortunately, I'm getting thousands of hits on http://Westsail.info, so at least members are still able to find what they need. And not only can that site be searched, its current Google search placement has already substantially passed the Westsail.org site, with every single post has been indexed at least once. (Yes... I actually track every hit, including those by search engines, in order to continually enhance the site, without unsuccessful experiments.) At this point, I'm still directing forum posts back to the "WOA Official Forum". It's been suggested by many that I should go ahead and make it a replacement. I'm patiently (or impatiently) hoping, however, that something is done to fix the issues so I don't need to do so! I guess the outcome is in your hands. Can you save it? |
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Werner Hamp (Member) |
Tom et al., I went sailing day before yesterday and took advantage by taking some photos of the lazy jack rig on Rhapsody. I will post some info and pics in the next couple of days and will move the topic over to the Sail Plan forum if you are still interested. Werner |
