Doyle Sailmakers Inc.
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2
FORWARD TO STACKPACK MANUAL
by DON STREET
As boats become larger and larger with the aid of modern winches, either hand, electrically
or hydraulically powered, most sail handling problems can be solved. But the one difficult
problem that continually faces all crews is the furling and covering of the mainsail,
especially on boats with a main or mizzen of 400 square feet or over.
There are various methods for stowing large mainsails and mizzens - internal roller reefing
(too expensive), behind the mast roller reefing (too inefficient), zip-furl (you have to rely on
a zipper and my son-in-law, Scott Vogel, bowman on STARS AND STRIPES, says that one
thing he learned while racing on 12 meters is "Don't trust zippers!"), the Dutchman, and
now the StackPack.
We installed the Dutchman system and sailed with it for over 1,000 miles. We have now
sailed roughly 4,000 miles with the StackPack. If you are buying a new mainsail, the
StackPack is the way to go! With the Stack- Pack, one person, or at the most two people,
can stow and cover their main and mizzen, regardless of the size of the sail.
Further, the full length battens in the StackPack are a definite plus. Being an original
doubting Thomas and believing nothing until I have tested it in all weather conditions, I
had serious reservations about the efficiency of full length battens. Now after 4,000 miles
using a fully battened main, I am firmly convinced that fully battened sails are the way to
go - so much so , that we now have a fully battened mizzen!
One of the greatest things about the StackPack is the fact that whenever the sail is down,
the sail cover is on it. It is not a case of having to urge a tired crew to cover the sail to
prevent sunburn. The StackPack is really easy and is done automatically once the sail is
dropped.
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