Best angle for lazyjacks?

[Renoir]

Didn't need jacks on my last boat which I put over 25000 blue water miles on. Had no trouble even at night and in storms. My present boat is a center cockpit 39' with the boom high and long and the main is just not as tractable as was the one on my last cruising boat (less slide friction).

I'm even considering adding a third set of reef points because I cannot depower the main going hard on the wind sufficiently in 40kts. This will make the boom even busier than it is now with two sets of jiffy reefing gear. Still, I will consider your suggestion yet don't quite have the visualization.

Any more comments that might help. I did install a boom gallows which makes handling the main bouncing around at sea much safer and easier. As it is without some sort of main catchment method I still consider handling the main with the boom so high off the deck and cockpit enclosure a danger in heavy winds and seas.

[Ian McColgin]

I combine quarter lifts with lazy jacks - called locally LazyIans but more properly LazyLifts.

In general, think of the boom divided in quarters and label the stations clew, 1, 2, 3, tack.

A continuous line passes under the boom at 1 (fairleads help), up on each side through blocks under the spreaders or cheek blocks on the mast, and down about half way, each ending in a thimbled eye. A second line goes up from under the boom at 2 (again the fairleads), through the respective eyes and down to cleats at each side of the boom at 3.

This arrangement provides maximum lifting power on the boom at 1. If you set it for just a little boom droop when the sail is down, then the slack created when the sail's lifted will be enough that the leeside lifts will push out with the sail and the weatherside tighten. Tack by tack.

When you reef, just tighten whichever side is easier to reach to peak up the boom, incidentally firming up the jacks which helps contain the bunt of the sail while you tighten the reefing tack and clew.

G'luck