Single handed mainsail drop, no lazyjacks

[longy]

^^ "figure eight" coiling. The only way to coil a line that needs to pay out smoothly.

 

[MultiThom]

Try not coiling it up in one direction, ie: don't coil it in loops. Coil it in two loops and reverse the lay between each loop. It runs sooo much nicer.

^^ "figure eight" coiling. The only way to coil a line that needs to pay out smoothly.

Even that way it is difficult to deal with. What works reliably is to use a reel for waterski rope. Drawback is that you have to carry one more piece of equipment and after hoist have to take the time to wind it up.

 

[SailingTips.Ca]

I use a feeder for hoisting to keep the luff from flopping about. Typically, I hoist in the marina while tied up assuming I can find an upwind parking spot for the evolution. Part of the issue is the amount of line for hoisting and dropping--2:1 main haiyard makes for about 100 feet of line and since it is small diameter dyneema it seems to love to get tangled on the drop.

So presumably you have a bolt rope so the luff is loose after the drop?

We have slides so the luff stays attached to the mast and we just use the whole boat as the lazy jacks, drop the sail on the deck/nets, crudely lash it down and re-fold later.

I think @Airwick has a bolt rope and almost always sails single-handed and I think he pretty much does the same thing.

 

[MultiThom]

So presumably you have a bolt rope so the luff is loose after the drop?

We have slides so the luff stays attached to the mast and we just use the whole boat as the lazy jacks, drop the sail on the deck/nets, crudely lash it down and re-fold later.

I think @Airwick has a bolt rope and almost always sails single-handed and I think he pretty much does the same thing.

That's what I've been doing (yes boltrope except for two slugs one top and one bottom) with the exception that I haven't been crudely lashing, I've been gathering the luff and bungying it together. So I have added a bungie from the float and will try to sandwich it down after drop to keep it from catching the wind once I start the outboard and drive back into the marina.

IN case you wonder what the slugs are for, the bottom one keeps the luff (tack) from squeezing out in heavy load from mainsheet tension (boomless); the top one keeps the head in the luff track when reefed since boltropes often like to squeeze out when the angle of the halyard allows more movement.

 

[Strategery]

Get you a shackle that spins connected from the tack to the mast. Bring your dewalt or makita cordless drill with a stainless hooked bolt. Pop the mainsheet shackle, pop the halyard and spin yourself up a furled / rolled mainsail in seconds.

 

[Sidecar]

So presumably you have a bolt rope so the luff is loose after the drop?

We have slides so the luff stays attached to the mast and we just use the whole boat as the lazy jacks, drop the sail on the deck/nets, crudely lash it down and re-fold later.

I think @Airwick has a bolt rope and almost always sails single-handed and I think he pretty much does the same thing.

Life is a lot easier if you can keep the mainsail luff attached to the mast at all times and you have a boom. As much as I love the idea of lazy jacks and bags, I can’t bear the thought of their weight and especially windage….. so what I have done is to have low friction rings attached at the desired “fold” points which basically match the hank/slide points on the luff along the leach between the reefpoints and run the relevant reef line up through them on the way up to the reef cringle, and then back down again as normal. Pull in the reef line as you drop the mainsail, and the reef line gathers in the leach for you. You can just make out the bottom ring in the photo:

PS:

I finally found the sketch I gave to the sailmaker. I should have had friction rings web stitched on, ended up tieing the rings onto the loops!

 

[shaggybaxter]

Even that way it is difficult to deal with. What works reliably is to use a reel for waterski rope. Drawback is that you have to carry one more piece of equipment and after hoist have to take the time to wind it up.
View attachment 573772

???
Sorry, you've lost me. I thought you said....

and since it is small diameter dyneema it seems to love to get tangled on the drop.

How does this help on a drop? Do you stand there and hold this contraption whilst it pays out? I can't even picture how this wouldn't just flip out of your hands.

 

[MultiThom]

???
Sorry, you've lost me. I thought you said....

How does this help on a drop? Do you stand there and hold this contraption whilst it pays out? I can't even picture how this wouldn't just flip out of your hands.

Yes, you pay it out off the reel which slows you down, but not nearly as slowly as when the dyneema tangles and gloms together at the sheave on the bottom of the mast. I've also tried tossing the line off the stern first to untangle, didn't work. It does help to have the mast "fixed" with the mast rotation inducers so it faces directly amidships. What helps the best, though, is to drop the main with crew while still going deep downwind, but I'm usually out alone.

 

[munt]

I sail on some 30 ft sportboats with a local club. For some reason they insist on sailing on and off an incredibly tricky med mooring situation. It's simply ridiculous. They sail up the way, drop sails and carry speed into the slip area which is super tight quarters then scull the boat in reverse with the rudder into the med mooring spot. The wind is very swirlly. So Saturday, wind gusty and swirlly, in we come, drop jib, then go to drop main. Of course the plastic luff feeder chose that moment to break, it turned into a perfect spike which poked through the main making it impossible to drop. Luckily we made a quick egress and sorted it before another successful attempt. They refuse to put a motor on these boats. My answer: SUP paddle! I don't think they'll ever try it but my answer to all small boat maneuvering questions is: SUP paddle!