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Old 11-17-2005, 07:26 AM   #1
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Default Alternative rigs

I came to sailing a year ago in my later middle years and have since managed to get some of the qualifications and sailed - as crew - some 5,500nm in the UK, Canaries, Eastern Australia and Indonesia. - all of this on conventionally rigged mono- and multi-hulls.

I'm now agonising about buying my first cruising yacht and recently become fascinated - read mesmerised - firstly by the Gary Hoyt freestanding rig and then the James Wharram wing sail and also, of course, the vessels on which they have been used.

I guess that this is the sort of subject which attracts a variety of views/opinions and, like the gentleman who recently, asked the question about keel forms, would like to learn more other's knowledge and/or experience of what appear to be attractive alternatives to more conventional rigs.

Over to you!

PS: Part of the answer for me, of course, would be to actually experience sailing on yachts with these rigs so, if there's anyone out there looking for crew, I'm interested and available!
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Old 11-17-2005, 06:02 PM   #2
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Peter,

I cannot help you with the info you seek, I am a " traditional " sloop man myself( although I have been known to sail on a ketch in the South Pacific)

I am more interested in your reason for being mesmerised by the alternative rig...

Others , more knowledgeable on this BB will help you out, me I just wanna know why you dont like sloops.

Hey where are you now ? If close to OZ , remember you can search many yachts for sale by looking at " www. boatpoint.com. au"

good luck

rumrunner....
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Old 11-18-2005, 02:28 AM   #3
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I am fairly new to sailing but have gathered enough to know that I am going to be sailing for the rest of my life. I decided to build my own yacht and after a lot of time and effort (hours on the internet and discusions at the local club) I am now in the process of building a Wharram Tiki 30. The Tiki Wingsail is very efficient and easy to use - perfect for a newbe like me. And of course Wharrams are among the most seaworthy and stable boats on the ocean.

AnKa
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Old 11-18-2005, 03:14 AM   #4
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It's not that I don't like traditionally rigged sloops; many are quite, quite beautiful and, I guess, a joy to sail if you've been doing it for years and/or have crew available.

The free standing rig seems to offer a more direct response to the aim of translating wind force safely and effectively into forward motion thru an occasionally extremely difficult and unpredictable medium.

If the ancients had had carbon fibre, you'd have to wonder if we'd have a market place for any rigging at all or, indeed, how much taller masts might have become!

It can't be that simple - can it?
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Old 11-22-2005, 12:41 PM   #5
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Peter....it probably boils down to the rig you're most comfortable with. I've sailed only sloop and cutter rigs. I like the cutter arrangement. However, there are probably also good arguments for things like junk rigs, which seem to be nice and simple and fairly easy to manage. They're not a fashion item at present, but they've carried a lot of people over a lot of oceans over the centuries. I guess if you want to arrive at a decision, you will need to sail on boats with different rigs and decide which one you fancy. Cheers...Tel.
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Old 11-25-2005, 02:03 PM   #6
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I have a 46 foot custom steel schooner with Gallant sails on frees standing CF masts. You can see pix of her at www.svaphrodite.bostekanesthesia.com. I've only had a chance to sail her during sea trials before purchase but found her responsive in light winds. The original owner and builder sailed her through the Carribean and up the St. Lawrence to the Great Lakes. I'll be launching her next year after refitting and plan to take her to the Med.

I'd like to hear from anyone with information on the Gallant rig.

Carl Bostek
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Old 11-25-2005, 03:45 PM   #7
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Carl,

A good looking yacht.. strong also.Tell me about her performance under that rig... has she done a loty of " offshore" sailing ?

rumrunner
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Old 11-25-2005, 06:16 PM   #8
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I'm beginning to really enjoy this. Trouble is there's just too much to learn and too little time and brain cells to cope with all the stuff - including the Gallant rig - on, amongst others http://www.boatdesign.net which is well worth an hour(!) of anyone's time!
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Old 11-29-2005, 07:05 PM   #9
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Hallo Peter

In the late 80's we designed and built our own 42 foot wingsail junk centreboarder, 'Mudskipper'. We sorted out the problems up and down the east coast of Australia in the early 90's and are now in the UK in the 7th year of a circumnavigation. We don't mind longish ocean passages (the latest being a non-stop haul from Lowestoft UK to Lofoten Islands in arctic Norway) and have ridden out our share of gales.

We chose junk rig because we wanted the lowest possible technology for easy DIY repairs, with low working tensions and a lot of backup redundancy. We made it a wingsail junk in order to get an improvement in performance over the standard junk. The sails are an amalgam of ideas from various sources, with some inventions of my own.

The rig has worked very well for us. Although rough and very low tech, the aerofoil generates a lot of drive at windspeeds below 8 knots so we are able to keep sailing long after most heavy cruising boats like us have switched on their engines. The double sheeting and full battening enables us to keep the sail up and drawing properly in a heavy slop with light winds.

On the other side of the envelope it is a solid comfortable rig in gale conditions, with instant single-halyard reefing, no whining shrouds or drumming leaches, and no dramas from flogging sails or sheets. There is a lot of built in redundancy so the sails are never out of control. There are several other tricks which make ocean walloping a lot more fun. For a heavy weather, long distance passagemaker we would never go back to a conventional rig.

We are currently wintering on Mudskipper in East Anglia before heading back to the Med next year. If you want to see the boat or get more details, drop us an e-mail.

best wishes

Peter Fry and Ruth Herman
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Old 12-02-2005, 11:05 PM   #10
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There is a British yacht, a catboat rigged with a stayless mast, that I have seen in a few races near to me. It is fantastically fast, especially on the downwind leg as the trim of the single full battened main is far more efficient than a standard main and jib downwind.

Unfortunately I cannot remember it's name for the life of me...sorry

ben
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