"Alan Gomes" wrote in message
...
Capt. JG wrote:
"Alan Gomes" wrote in message
...
Capt. JG wrote:
"Alan Gomes" wrote in message
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Can't imagine they would catch the battens coming down. Our problem
was catching the battens going up.


Precisely. I often read of people who complain about the battens
hanging when raising the sail. But that's why I installed mine so I
could pull them to the mast, just because of the problem you have
mentioned. I only deploy them for dropping the sail, which is when I
need them anyway. I guess the issue with some setups is that they
cannot be pulled forward to the mast and kept out of the way; they
just stay up all the time.

--AG
Ah... ok. Made me nervous. LOL This is the reason why I chose the other
system... yet more stuff to do. Do you have help or do you single hand?

I usually single hand. Sometimes even with non-sailing guests it amounts
to the same thing. :-)

It is true that I have to go to the mast to release the jacks before
dropping the sail. Takes less than 30 seconds. But it really does help
with flaking the sail, and actually keeps it secure enough so I could
dispense with sail ties until I get into the dock. But typically I put
on a few ties to hold it and then pretty it up when I'm back at the
dock, before I put on the sail cover. So while not perfect it is
definitely a net positive.

Alan Gomes


Yeah, I pretty much do the same thing with the dutchman. I pop the
halyard, give a couple of tugs to get the mail all the way down, then one
tie with the halyard captured underneath it. On the way back to the
cockpit, I flip the clew end of the main onto the boom, and it pretty
much stays. If the wind is really up, then I'll put another tie on near
the leach.


Though I've never used it the Dutchman sounds like a really nice system.
What do they cost? I was able to install my own lazy jacks quite
inexpensively and it was easy to do.

Alan Gomes


The biggest issue is getting the holes made in your sail, which needs to be
done by a sailmaker familiar with the system (pretty easy to find). As I
recall, it was about twice what a LJ system would cost if you bought it,
including the sail modificiation. Unlike the LJ system, this would have to
be done every time you switch mains. The first question I asked Quantum (who
did the mods) was, "Is it worth it for my main?" This was sort of a loaded
question, since they're in the business of selling sails. One of the
sales/tech guys took a look and said it was worth it, given the good
condition of the main.

Here's a promo video... http://www.mvbinfo.com/dp_03_SF_brochure.html

Here's an article on sailnet:
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...an-system.html

Here's a pro/con by the Dutchman maker:
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...pros-cons.html

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com