Main Sail Handling

[phild]

Does anyone have any experience with retrofitting their existing main sail with a combination lazy jack/boom fitted main sail cover such as the Doyle Stack Pack, Mack Pack or other such systems? Thanks!

[PDQ-Dave]

We have a Doyle Stack pack and enjoy the ease of sail handling aboard s/v Pacifica. The construction of the bag is robust and the over sized zipper easy to operate. Our sail uses conventional slides and tends to hang up a bit when we drop the sail... no fault of Doyle. To avoid hang ups consider the addition of a "Ballslide™ Batten Systems" by Ronstan. We used this batt car system on our monohull and were very pleased with it's performance over 15,000nm cruising the South Pacific.

Link to Ronstan website: http://www.ronstan.com/marine/SAbattensystems.asp

[36041]

Phil,

While in the Bahamas this past season, I was on another PDQ 36 named Sam the Skull and Jon, or more correctly his wife Barbara, had made their own "stack pack" style main sail cover. I believe Barb did the design herself based on a similar sail cover they had on their monohull. I've seen them pop up here on the owners site from time to time, so maybe you can try and contact her directly for pictures, etc.

Tom
36041
http://www.tendervittles.net

[ATTITUDE]

Love our Mac Pack! No separate sail cover to deal with. One less hassle One less reason not to hoist the sail. Great company to deal with. They know sails and sailing.

[phild]

Dave,
My understanding is that the Doyle system needs to be sewn into the foot of the sail. Did you add the system to an existing sail or were they purchased as a unit? Does the integration of sail and cover present any special issues? Thanks!

Doug,
How is the Mack Pack fitted to the boom? Do you normally roll it up once the sail is raised in order to keep it from flopping around? How were the Mack folks to deal with? Do you have a contact? Thanks!

[PDQ-Dave]

Our Stack pack and sail came together as a unit.

[ATTITUDE]

Phil:
First, I apologize for using Mac Sail and Mac Pack. It is, as you have written, Mack Sail. Duh! I've been at the store at least a dozen + times over the last 5 years. They are only a couple three (Maine saying) down the road from me.
Rather than my trying to explain the "bag/cover", Mac Sail's website: http://macksails.com/ has it all. The "bag/cover" does not flap around. It can be easily removed if you desire. When hoisting the main, the battens can catch in the lazy jack lines if the boat has some speed and isn't close to dead into the wind. No big deal to fix on the fly. Again, I good not be happier with my Mack Pack.
Ask for Trevor. Feel free to mention my name - Doug Most. Last month they installed a new VHF antenna, wind direction indicator, anemometer and LED anchor light. All this was secondary to a lightning strike last fall.
If you are in Sunny Florida and want to see the Mack Pack on ATTITUDE, just let me know.

[next exit]

Where in sunny Florida? Really wet right now where in Next Exit is.

[1 Cool Cat]

Hey Don I thought you were in Ontario

[ATTITUDE]

We are in Hobe Sound. Just south of Stuart. Feel free to give me a call - 561.222.6121