The system I have used successfully on my gunter-rigged P14 is only
slightly more complicated than a topping lift but offers some of the
advantage of a lazy jack. A small line attached at the top of the mast
(equivalent to the stay-to-mast attachment point on a P19) runs down under
the boom, back up to a block on the opposite side of the mast, then down to
a fairlead or cheek block, and aft to a cleat near the cockpit. I have a
hook under the boom that retains the loop of line under the boom. The loop
acts like a simple one-line lazy jack that not only supports the boom but
helps confine the sail when lowered.
Under sail, the line can be eased by either unhooking the loop from the
hook on the boom or by adjusting at the cleat. The boom does not have to be
directly over the cockpit when the sail is lowered, but can be hauled in
with the sheet after the sail is lowered. Of course, on a gunter rig, the
luff of the mainsail is attached to a yard and the halyard raises and
lowers the yard.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA