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Illustrated Guide to Better Boating through Lazyjacks and Parrels Part 1 of 4
While the default rigging of the Lighthouse Tender Peapod lug rig is certainly serviceable, it lacks a few convenience features. For example, releasing the halyard to drop the sail can make the boom drop into the cockpit and set the sail and yard flying, possibly overboard. Tightening the downhaul requires that the downhaul tension be released and may require 2 hands to re-tighten it. There's a saying that if you want to make something convenient, give it to a lazy person to fix. Here I'm going to share the benefits of my aversion to hard work as applied to sailing the Peapod with all of you. Note that there's nothing new here other than the application to a Lighthouse Tender Peapod. Most of this will work on any balanced lugger (and already has at some point somewhere). Let's start with the hardware that needs to be added to the boat.
First, at the base of the mast I replaced the 2 black plastic horn cleats with brass ones. This was done mainly for looks. I also added a bronze fairlead. The fairlead replaces the downhaul cleat while the halyard cleat turned into brass. At the front of the mast I added a cleat for the lazyjack halyard which is the 1/4” braided nylon line running up the mast. The line with the Brummel clip is the port side lazyjack halyard coming back down (the halyard splits into 2 at the masthead). There's a starboard version on the other side of the mast. The bungee cord keeps the lines under control until they're hooked to the lazyjacks.
Up at the masthead I added a pair of cheek blocks, one on each side, for the lazyjack halyards. You can also see the lazyjack halyard splitting in two as it enters the cheekblocks. The V prevents the halyard from pulling through the blocks if it gets uncleated.
I replaced the single downhaul line with a 2:1 tackle made up from a trapeze/vang clamcleat, a block and a snap swivel. The clamcleat is lashed to the boom. The line coming from the clamcleat to the right is the new downhaul line.
I also added a parrel to the boom. It's simply another length of 1/4” nylon braid lashed to the boom next to the downhaul lashing. The space between the Brummel clips needs to be long enough to wrap around the mast with a touch extra to allow the clips to be fastened and unfastened.
The next piece of new hardware is a beaded parrel for the yard. Once again, it's 1/4” braided nylon line with Brummel clips, but between the clips there are wooden beads to make it easier for the parrel to move up and down the mast. The tail on the left is to lash the parrel to the yard next to where the halyard attaches.
Finally, the lazyjacks themselves are lashed to the boom. One end is 40” back from the front of the boom and the other 40” ahead of the back of the boom. Use whatever your favorite lashing technique is. I used a clove hitch secured with 2 half hitches and a stopper knot. The length of each lazyjack is 104”, not including the lashings. 48” behind the forward lashing I installed a Brummel clip. This results in a triangle that is 40” at the base, 48” on the forward side and 56” on the aft side with a Brummel clip at the vertex. These numbers may vary some; the position of the Brummel clip can always be adjusted for smoothest operation. Remember, there is one lazyjack on each side of the boom. (Continued in part 2.)
6 replies:
RE: Illustrated Guide to Better Boating through Lazyjacks and Parrels Part 1 of 4
>>Do you have any problems with upper spar smacking into the cheek block, or getting marred by it?
Not that I've noticed, yet.
>>What benefit do you think there is of having a separate parrel as you have set up?
First is that it better controls the fore/aft position of the yard when reefed or when rigging. With the beaded parrel the yard can't move back and forth as far as with the halyard parrel. This is especially useful when angling the rig to avoid interference with rowing.
Second, the beaded parrel with the Brummel clips makes it easier to split the boom/yard/sail from the mast while leaving the mast stepped. Using the halyard parrel I have to untie/tie the bowline knot that anchors the halyard to the front of the yard. With the beaded parrel I just unclip the parrel from itself.
Last week at the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival I actually completely rigged the boat on the water. I started with a purely rowing configuration, albeit with the retracted rudder in place. It's not something I plan on regularly doing, but it was an interesting experiment. The beaded parrel made it much easier than the halyard parrel would have.
With the sail fully up, I don't think that you'll be seeing any real difference between the 2 parrels. The difference is mostly when reefing, rigging and rowing.
Finally, the beaded parrel length does matter. If it's too short it will bind; too long and you might as well just use the halyard parrel (at least as far as fore/aft position control goes). Fortunately, it's easy to remove the Brummel clip and add or remove beads so it's reasonable to experiment until you find the right length.
Laszlo
RE: Illustrated Guide to Better Boating through Lazyjacks and Parrels Part 1 of 4
Thanks! I guess I will be experimenting with lazy jacks again this fall. As far as seprating the spars from the stepped mast, I too quickly found the bowline a hinderance at the end of the spar. I ended up putting a snap hook carabiner that I can clip to a small loopof line in the top front spar. Makes rigging/de-rigging and general untangling messes easier. I did something similar to by bleater line, with multiple loops to put the carabiner in so that I can trim the fore-aft position of the lower spar to adjust weather helm for different wind conditions. Although that being said, I have sailed 95% of the time in the middle position, so perhaps that is not needed.
-Nate
RE: Illustrated Guide to Better Boating through Lazyjacks and Parrels Part 1 of 4
Hope it works out for you. It's working for me. I just got back from an afternoon sail where I rigged it for rowing (with the boom/sail/yard tilted over my head), rowed out to where the wind was, changed over to sailing, sailed until the wind was completely gone, re-rigged it for rowing and rowed back to the dock. The only issue I had was that the beaded parrel hung up on the y-knot in the lazy jack halyard. Pulling the halyard a few times fixed that and re-rigging the parrel over, not under, the halyard kept it from happening again.
While I was out there I checked out the yard vs cheek blocks. Even with the yard raised as high as it would go, there was no interference.
This was the first time I was doing all this for real as part of sailing, instead of as the main goal to test the set-up. I think I'm ready to call it done.
Laszlo
RE: Illustrated Guide to Better Boating through Lazyjacks and Parrels Part 1 of 4
Well done! How did you attach the main sheet to the boom? I didint like how the block (strap?) digs into the boom when it is lashed directly. I made a run of macrame knots about 2". Not sold on my idea.
Dean
RE: Illustrated Guide to Better Boating through Lazyjacks and Parrels Part 1 of 4
Mine's lashed to the boom and I haven't noticed any digging. Maybe I just haven't sailed it enough yet.
Laszlo
RE: Illustrated Guide to Better Boating through Lazyjacks and Parrels Part 1 of 4
» Submitted by nate C - Fri, 10/11/24 » 4:34 PM
After studying your setup, I have a few questions. Do you have any problems with upper spar smacking into the cheek block, or getting marred by it? I suppose your beaded parrel can maybe run some interference on that. Or just run the spar up slightly less far up. But I find I already am fighting for visiblity forward with my sail fullly hauled up, and can tell if I have lost a precious inch or two.
And regarding the parrel, I have the halyard working as a parrel as per the build manual. I thought of putting beads on it after it exits the bottom of the spar and goes to forward end of spar to possibly do similar to what you have going on. But What benefit do you think there is of having a separate parrel as you have set up?
Thanks in advance....