I went over to admire the Doyle Stack Pack on Chris's C36 on C dock. While looking at it I noted that He had added a block to the main halyard at the head. It looks as though the halyard dead ends at the masthead after coming down though this block. His halyard looked to be smaller diameter than on my boat, this too could reduce friction. The extra block would multiply the purchase on the main halyard, noting some other complaints about the effort hoisting the main I wondered if anyone else here had tried this. It would require a much longer halyard. I will quiz Chris about this next time I see him.
Back to the reason I was eye balling Chris's boat, any comments about stack pack systems. I have lazy jacks now but incorporating the sail cover in this system sounds attractive.
Cepheus dream
C36 MK I # 825
MK I Tech Editor No Mas
Steve, I did a Bahamas trip many years ago on an older non-Catalina with the stackpack and I was very impressed. It is very easy to let the sail fall into the stack and zip it up. Alas, I can't recall how neat the flaking was, nor more importantly, how neatly the battens lay in the pile, but I loved being able to quickly zip the stack shut at the end of the day. You're a racer though, and I would wonder what the aerodynamic effect would be of that surplus sunbrella hanging up there. Probably it is not negligible.
Just today the Admiral and I put the sails on our boat [I know, it's very late...house projects this year have had priority.] and as I was rigging the Dutchmans I recall thinking fondly of the stackpack. At the moment, though, I am used to, and satisfied with, the Dutchman system that came with our boat.
Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
Larry, I have misled you, I may be racy but I am not a racer.
Cepheus dream
C36 MK I # 825
MK I Tech Editor No Mas