New Main Sail

svheron35 · **Joined:** 15 Jan 2010 16:13 **Posts:** 54

My old, conventional main has finally given up the ghost and I am looking to buy a new one. I am trying to decide on just replacing it with a conventional main or going to a fully battened one. I am also thinking about various options in terms of lazy jacks, stack pack, etc. and would be interested in what others might suggest. For me one of the most important things is ease of handling. I do not race. And I do a lot of single handed cruising both on the Chesapeake and up the coast to Maine. Being able to reef and to raise and strike the sail easily counts, especially as the shadow of age creeps over me.

Velera · **Joined:** 29 Dec 2006 09:38 **Posts:** 656

I have a standard North Main with a couple reefs, the second one deep. I have been in 35 knots and would go to bare poles or my storm jib if it got worse as I see no point in a third reef. I have a Harken lazy jack system which helps, but is not ideal as I get older. I think I am going to do the Dutchman system next time as I had a heighbor in California who had it on his Catalina and really liked it, but it looked like something that would be best done with the purchase of a new sail. Full Battens seemed to be a passing fad for cruisers a few years back. I am interested in others experience. Like you, I just cruise a lot and handling the main is the most frustrating job.

jvoelxen · **Joined:** 21 Oct 2006 15:36 **Posts:** 268

I'm also very interested in changing out my main sail/stowage system and would love to hear about both the positives and negatives about the new offerings. I, like Ray, have a standard 2 reef main with a lazy jack system. It's OK but I'm looking for improvements. As I write I'm on a mooring at Martha's Vineyard waiting out the rain and 30-35 knot winds, which gives me a chance to check out the systems of the neighboring boats. I see some stack packs. I also have a 42 Catalina next to me that appears to have a Dutchman like system. Unfortunate for him, 1 of his 2 fishing line like guides is broken and is blowing in the wind. Doesn't seem like that would be easy to fix. I've also been intrigued by full length battens but I'm very concerned about sail track jamming on the way up or down. To summarize, I would like to make some changes but in the back of my mind is that I know the system I have now, it's OK but not great but I don't want to spend a lot of money and be very unhappy with the results, so your experiences would be very much appreciated and helpful.

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

I replaced my full battened main a few years back with another full battened and feel that it works for me. I did have the sailmaker make a heavier cruising sail with a third reef, but so far that third reef has not yet been used and I suppose it never will, but it didn't cost that much extra and I don't anticipate using a trysail. I have a version of the batt cars that make raising the main very easy and wouldn't do without them now. They use the existing slot and use some sort of low-friction slug as well as a heavy pivot point attachment at the end of the batten.

As far as lazy jacks, don't have them and really don't want them for I feel that they interfere with having a sun awning set up over the boom and this becomes very important this time of year here in the Chesapeake!!!

alpinista · **Posted:** 26 Jul 2013 12:47

I had a new suite of sails built last year for Betty Lou, and went with a fully battened loose-footed main with two reef points. The sails are heavy-duty high quality Dacron and should give us many years of cruising in our BC and Alaskan cruising grounds. I figured that as a coastal cruiser a third reef point would rarely, if ever, be used. No lazy jacks or dutchman or stackpack... I like to keep things simple.

One recommendation I would offer is to add a Strong Track from Tides Marine, especially if you have a fully battened main. The Strong Track is super simple to install, much less expensive than other batt car systems, and works like a dream. The old main was a struggle to raise and lower no matter how often I lubed the track. With the Strong Track, the main goes up like butter and drops to the boom instantly, with no batten-induced jamming.

I love the full battens, BTW. Gives you beautiful sail shape and reduces flogging to zero. Love the loose foot as well. Several major advantages, first it's much easier to flatten the sail, as much less resistance to the outhaul. In light winds easing the outhaul gives a great sail shape and makes it easy to power up. I can tie my reefing lines around the boom easily so that they are always in the right spot, and bend the main on and off with the battens in place.

T37Chef · **Posted:** 27 Jul 2013 22:48

Check out EZ Jax, a retractable version of lazy jacks, reply when flaking your main, stow after its ties up, put on your conventional sail cover and raise the main with no jaxs to interfer Wink

I had them for 6 years now I think and very pleased. Not a fan of the Dutchman, flakes the sail nicely but as mentioned, those monofilament lines needs replacing every few years. Stack Packs and the like, easy to use but I don't care for them, the annoying chafe.

my. 02

T37Chef · **Posted:** 28 Jul 2013 12:13

Check out EZ Jax, a retractable version of lazy jacks, reply when flaking your main, stow after its ties up, put on your conventional sail cover and raise the main with no jaxs to interfer Wink

I had them for 6 years now I think and very pleased. Not a fan of the Dutchman, flakes the sail nicely but as mentioned, those monofilament lines needs replacing every few years. Stack Packs and the like, easy to use but I don't care for them, the annoying chafe.

my. 02

T37Chef · **Posted:** 28 Jul 2013 21:02

Check out EZ Jax, a retractable version of lazy jacks, reply when flaking your main, stow after its ties up, put on your conventional sail cover and raise the main with no jaxs to interfer Wink

I had them for 6 years now I think and very pleased. Not a fan of the Dutchman, flakes the sail nicely but as mentioned, those monofilament lines needs replacing every few years. Stack Packs and the like, easy to use but I don't care for them, the annoying chafe.

my. 02

t37-panacea · **Joined:** 23 Dec 2006 17:26 **Posts:** 75

Hello All,
I am interested in replacing my old main and am looking for any recommendations and recent experiences with sail makers in the New England area. The boat is moored in the New Bedford area. Panacea came with a main with an attached foot and lazy jacks. Recent posts seem to favor a loose foot and I am looking for input on that as well.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice.
Mark

Zoombats · **Joined:** 16 Jan 2019 08:52 **Posts:** 103

I have a fully battened main, two reef point, an external track with cars and the Dutchman system. Everything works very slick and replacing the mono fill lines on the dutchman system is very easy. The dutchman system is on it's own halyard of 5mm Dynema so once the sail is secure it can be moved forward and the sail covered allowing awnings to be set up. #337

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