Attaching Balanced Lugsail to Yard and Boom

[Ron Hotchin]

I could use some basic advice on attaching a balanced lugsail to the yard and boom. Is there a "best" or traditional way of attaching the throat to the yard and the tack to the boom so they're secure? Also, is an outhaul needed for tension at the peak as well as at the clew? Please give me a clue! Thanks.
Ron

[Todd Bradshaw]

There isn't usually much reason to get too fancy about it. Most balanced lugs are fairly small and given the available weights and finishes of current sailcloth, fairly stiff for their size. This means that you're probably not going to have a lot of sailshaping ability available by messing with outhaul tension. It tends to be more of a "lash it to the spars so that the edges look decent and go sailing" type of thing.

A hole through each end of the spar and a simple lashing is usually all that's needed. The hole needs to be a bit past the end of the sail and the lashing usually is a combination of a couple turns from the corner ring out to and through the hole (to pull the sail out) and a few turns through the corner ring and around the spar (to keep the sail close to the spar). Some people use small fittings like eyebolts and eyestraps instead of holes in the spar ends, but I don't think they gain anything. The same is true of trying to put a sheave in the spar and lead a line from the sail, through the sheave and back to a cleat. Chances are, it's adjustability won't get used much once you're out sailing.

I'd probably lash the throat and tack corners to holes as mentioned above and then use the following method on the clew and peak ends of the spars. It's pretty classy and though not really adjustable in flight, it does adjust pretty quickly when you are shaking-down and tuning the rig. The tail ends of the spars are built like this:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/p45d2ac4cb86b01af6fbf7e3f821836a2/fc0b6398.jpg

and the sail's clew and peak are attached like this:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/pa5590260d50f9ee562be69e4a79fed40/fc0b6372.jpg

[Ron Hotchin]

Thanks again, Todd. Very elegant and straight forward. It also fits in nicely with the wooden and somewhat traditional nature of my boat - the fewer metal fittings the better. The Catbird 16 is coming along well, just finish work left really, but of course it's time consuming. I had the sails made by Michelle Stevens in Lunenburg, very nice work, and like you say, the material is quite stiff. With a bit of luck, I might even get the boat launched this summer.

[Thad]

I like that outhaul setup but would say that there are various sail lacing choices.

[Todd Bradshaw]

I usually use spiral lacing in drawings since I'm basically lazy and it's easier to draw than hitching or robands which are also possible and which can have certain advantages. On the other hand, I've been playing around quite a bit with sail to spar lacing techniques lately when I hang newly built sails up in the yard for "test hoisting" and shape evaluation. On sails smaller than about 80 square feet I seem to run into the same "fabric stiffness in proportion to sail size" that I mentioned earlier. Robands have the obvious advantage of being seperate so that you can lose one and the rest of the sail stays put, but on small, rather stiff sails I'm not sure that robands or hitching make much, if any, real contribution to sailshaping compared to simple spiral lacing.

[Ben Fuller]

For non traditional elegance, a clean line, and low drag,think about having the sail maker give you a sleeve for the yard, with a gap for the halyard lashing. Especially effective in an high aspect ratio lug. For me the top was closed and the bottom took the lashing. Sail stays on it and is rolled up around the spar. Disguises the black magic spar.

For the boom if it is stiff enough, try the basic brit techique of loose footing. Lash tack and clew.

[ 05-31-2003, 04:32 PM: Message edited by: Ben Fuller ]

[Milli]

I like the idea of an adjustable outhaul for a balanced lugsail (not sure how much it will get used ??). Is the method Todd described good and secure ?? It wouldn't be great to come loose when sailing, especially on the peak end of the spar.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Milli, it's generally quite secure since the forward end of the sail's is made fast and the aft lashing is put in under a bit of tension. This pulls the edge fairly tight to remove wrinkles in the edge and to make the rounded edge of the sail lie straight against the spar. It would be unusual to purposely set it loose enough to have much play at all between the corners as it results in funky sailshape (like you see on a hanked-on jib without enough halyard tension or a Sunfish sail without enough outhaul tension - the edge looks scalloped between the points where the intermediate grommets are attached to the wire or spar).

I suppose various types of line might hold better than others, but most seem to create enough friction as they cross over themselves to stay put. If in doubt, you could always use a slightly longer chunk of line and finish the thing off with a couple hitches around the spar, which would still be pretty quick to put in and take out. In general though, I don't think you'll need them.

[ 06-03-2003, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: Todd Bradshaw ]

[Milli]

Thanks Todd, sounds interesting. I am making a new boom right now and will use this idea. If I Make the clew adjustable should I also do the same on the peak end of the spar (ort could I get away with out doing that ??)

[Todd Bradshaw]

I'd probably do both. If you ever wanted to try cranking the peak outhaul tighter than normal to flatten the sail in high wind the upper one might be handy to have. It also is a pretty classy looking system and takes care of the task cleanly and neatly.