handling the mainsail

After getting direction from the Admiral's back surgeon that her rope pulling days are over we recently put our IP27 up for sale. This is a huge disappointment for both of us and we are already having second thoughts. Besides putting two years of refurbishing into the boat it was supposed to be the "last boat" and was to be used for cruising our Great Lakes area.

One of the things I have been thinking about is adding a system to the mainsail which would allow it to be raised or lowered without need of going forward from the cockpit until I can get to it back at the dock. Harken, Schaeffer and a few other manufacturers make a lazy jack system that looks like it would work. Our dock neighbor added a Dutchman system to his boat but that required a great deal of modification to the sail and sail cover.

Does anyone have any experience with lazy jacks, good or bad? Any other things we could consider besides adding in mast or in boom furling?

Good Morning,
Sorry to hear of the back problems. It is a disappointment, to be sure.... My "Admiral" has had some mobility issues recently that have put a crimp in our sailing dreams.
But as far as handling the mainsail, we have in-boom furling (LeisureFurl by Forespar, offshore model) on our 1995 IP37 and absolutely love it. You might want to consider this option. More info: www.forespar.com/leisurefurl/
Best,
Bob

Glory wrote: After getting direction from the Admiral's back surgeon that her rope pulling days are over we recently put our IP27 up for sale. This is a huge disappointment for both of us and we are already having second thoughts. Besides putting two years of refurbishing into the boat it was supposed to be the "last boat" and was to be used for cruising our Great Lakes area.

One of the things I have been thinking about is adding a system to the mainsail which would allow it to be raised or lowered without need of going forward from the cockpit until I can get to it back at the dock. Harken, Schaeffer and a few other manufacturers make a lazy jack system that looks like it would work. Our dock neighbor added a Dutchman system to his boat but that required a great deal of modification to the sail and sail cover.

Does anyone have any experience with lazy jacks, good or bad? Any other things we could consider besides adding in mast or in boom furling?

We use Lazy Jacks and they work very well. We do have a traditional sail cover but simply pull the LJ back along the boom after the sail is down and cleat off at the mast. One thing we always do is leave them up while sailing. It is sort of a safety thing, in case we have to drop sail quickly. We are also in the process of adding a Strong Track to make it a little easier for me...being a bit "long in the tooth", these days.

Please reconsider before selling your lovely boat (Glory?). My hubby isn't able to do a lot of physical work on the boat and most of it falls to me...a person who is not very big. Would your wife consider just taking the helm and letting you do the deck work? Sam (my hubby) was so unhappy that he could not do a lot that it just broke my heart. I really am more of a gardener than a sailor but I told him to just sit at the helm and I'll (try to) do everything else. So far, so good. Other than forgetting a few things along the way (I once grabbed the main halyard instead of the main sheet - paid for that one big time), things have worked out pretty good for us. Of course, we are very careful not to get into any serious weather and we aren't crossing oceans.

Glory was the name our boat came with, we have since changed it to Island Star. I just couldn't figure out how to change my profile here I should also update the photo of our boat, I finished the 5th coat of gloss Cetol varnish before launch this season, she is a pretty girl for sure.
I appreciate your suggestion, however a. my wife is the worst boat driver in the world and b. old habits do not go away, she will try to pull ropes no matter what. If the IP stays it will need to be set up for one person so I can drive and handle the sails.

I am sorry to hear that, Craig. I do hope y'all can figure out a way to enjoy Star. Since I am not at the helm a great deal, I'm a bit out of practice. So, I certainly understand not being the best helm's person. I need to practice more. But to be honest, the thing that literally scares me to death is docking. I need to practice that more, also. Please tell your wife that she may PM me anytime and we can visit. I am confident that you guys will find a way. *big hug*

Glory,

Here is a different point of view - The thing that is critical to single handling the boat - is a good auto pilot! Yes put lazy jacks on Glory (aka Island Star), bring the mainsail halyard to the cockpit, get ready to raise the main before you head out from the dock, point it into the wind, set the AP and take your time raising the main. Really easy. Reverse the order coming home. Motor up in to the wind - set the AP and drop the main. Bingo - done. Motor to the dock. If the wx goes south while sailing, motor into the wind set the AP and drop it - the lazy jacks will do the rest. Motor into the wind just like the fishing trawlers until the squall passes.

Hate to see you sell the boat over this - good luck with the health issues.

George
Delicia

Craig:
I am actually the person who had the competing offer on Glory when you purchased her. I am glad to hear you have restored her. After a good restoration I believe the boat appreciates a new name provided you go through the proper renaming ceremonial duties. I did end up buying an IP27. I too installed Lazy jacks and one of the trick I use in handling the main is to use my reef lines to shorten the sail form the cockpit as I begin to take down the main. This really helps to control the sail as about half the surface area is controlled before I drop it. In addition it ensures that my sheave cars in the boom run freely so when I need to actually reef they work well.

Mark

Hi Mark, nice to hear from you. Were you the person from Ohio? I'm glad to hear that you ended up with an IP27 as well and thank you for the input on the lazy jacks. She was a sad pup when we took delivery, I'm not sure if you got the entire story but her previous owners took up golf and just let the boat sit uncovered for a few years before making the decision to sell. Other than replacing the foredeck light bulb(that worked fine last season), the restoration is complete.

We use the official de-naming/re-naming ceremony on our boats provided by Latitude 38. Always a source of entertainment at Commodore Perry where it is also tradition that buying a new boat means buying a 1/2 keg for everyone to help celebrate.

We are currently locked into the listing contract, without getting into too many details the listing on the internet did not actually go live until this past weekend instead of 30 days ago when it should have. No one really seems to know what happened there. In any event, we have not had a great deal of interest yet. Unfortunately this is like listing your house for sale but only you and the agent know about it. Not a great situation. If the boat does not sell within the contract timeline we will be canceling the contract and going forward with the modifications suggested here. I really like the Doyle setup that Hayden suggested, I wish I would have know about that before signing the papers.