On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 15:05:47 GMT, "Ed Thomas"
wrote:
We've started the process of buying a newer and larger boat. One of the
major choices is the method of handling the mainsail. I have no experience
with either furling, lazyjack or "dutchman" systems. I'd appreciate any
comments or experiences with any or all these options. I'm leaning right now
to a "stackpack" type system.
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I had a friend who installed a "stackpack" on a C&C 34. He liked it a
lot.

I used to install a variation of Lazy Jacks on my old Cal-34 when I
was cruising with the family. It was very effective in helping to
corral the mainsail on the drop. What we did was to run a loop of 3/8
shock cord around the boom, secured on each end. When ready to drop,
we would lead each spinnaker halyard aft around the shrouds and attach
to the shock cord on each side of the boom (the shock cord had small
loops tied into it for this purpose). By raising the halyards about
12 feet, the shock cord would be lifted up and create large triangles
into which the main would drop. This requires 2 spin halyards of
course, but it does eliminate the installation of permanent clutter,
and is easy to rig, not to mention inexpensive.