Ulmer Kolius Stack Pack

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CaptLen
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 8:42 pm

Ulmer Kolius Stack Pack

Post by CaptLen »

"New" 38 came with the UK version of a stack pack. Test sailed the boat two days last weekend prior to the voyage from RI to CT.
Overall, I was very disappointed with the stack pack. I had original slides and lazy jacks on the 36 and with good McLube maintenance the main came down fast and easy. It was easy to get the lazy jacks out of the way for hoisting (I'd put Garhauer rigid vang on) and the sail cover was manageable but a bit of a pain to put over the head of the sail while standing on mSt steps.
I may not really understand the stack pack fully, but so far I zhave a lot of issues with it- would appreciate feedback. Hoisting is a real pain as battens want to get snagged on lazy jack supports for packs. Mxist be perfectly into wind and even then they can snag. Once sailing, pack sides seem to need to be "furled" by loosening lazy jacks or they billow out like giant speed brakes. dropping sail is easy, but no better than my old lubricated slides/lazy jacks, then zip up the pack and follow by fastening the canvas piece (separate piece) around the forward side of the mast to seal the cover then try to hang on while securing the little top hat over the head since the pack does not go that high.
Seems like I had it easier with the old conventional sail cover unless someone can tell me if I'm doing somethimg wrong here- I may go back to the old system and junk this. Thanks for any feedback

Belanich
Posts: 97
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 10:51 am

Re: Ulmer Kolius Stack Pack

Post by Belanich »

I have the North sails version (quick cover) of the stack pack with Harken ball bearing batt slides it was new and already on the boat when I bought it last year (F38). The way it was originally installed made no sense and was difficult to uses. I have changed/added a few controls to make things easier. Since the stack of slides at the mast is very high I leave the main halyard attached and lash it down with a shock cord. I attached a small block at the mast and one at the end of the boom and ran a continuous thin line from the zipper slider to the toward the mast on the inside of the lazy jacks then to the block and toward the end of the boom on the outside of the lazy jacks around the boom end block back to the zipper slider. This allows me to zip and unzip the cover easily. Sometimes the line get caught on the battens, so tuck the line out of the way before you hoist. When I go out for a quick sail I leave the forward mast cover on and tighten the lazy jacks slightly to prevent the cover from flogging. I I plan to race or a long sail I remove the mast cover, lower the lazy jacks and roll up and tie the cover. To make this easier I added clam cleats to control both the lazy jacks and the forward upper end of the sail cover. I replaced all lines with amsteel blue and added/ replaced blocks with ronstan low friction rings.
The system now works better but if I had to replace the system I would go back to lazy jacks and standard cover. It does make stowing the sail easy, just let go of the halyard to drop the sail into the bag, stuff the sail down and pull on the zipper line. So It works well for a quick sail but if you are racing or going for a long sail the old system is better. One thing I do not like about the quick cover is that it is very tall and acts like a sail at anchor. The boat is constantly sailing back and forth at the mooring and it creates a lot of windage.
Hope this helps.
Michael Belanich
s/v Dolcetto, F38 #65

CaptLen
Posts: 41
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 8:42 pm

Re: Ulmer Kolius Stack Pack

Post by CaptLen »

Mike, thanks for the detailed reply and information. I have already started leaving the halyard on and hooking it under a reef hook then snugging it down. The boat has the Strong track and cars so the sail goes up and down easily. I've tried slacking off the lazy jacks to make it easier to hoist (battens don't catch as easily) and slacking way off to furl the sides while sailing but had trouble getting the sides to align in order to zip. I'm very interested in you putting a block on the mast for the zipper line because the tension on it (necessary to keep it from umzipping in the wind) distorts the port cover and makes it harder to get the fronnt piece zipper up. How did you attach the pulley to the mast- did you screw it in? I can see that would make it a lot easier. I'm still considering just lazy jacks and a sail cover like I had on the 36-
Thanks again for the thoughts

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