Rigging pulling boats for sail - Thorne's dory

[Thorne]

By request, I'm starting this thread on the Chamberlain dory skiff I've restored and rigged for sail.

Having dealt with the two extremes in small wooden boats -- (very stable) Blue Jay sailboats and a (extremely tender) Banks Dory pulling boat, I really expected the dory skiff to be too tender to sail comfortably. I was wrong. She sails very nicely, and I haven't swamped or sunk her yet, even though I've been out in winds that have broken one mast and one bowsprit.

Even though I (more or less) followed the plans from Mystic on building the CB and where to position it, the boat ended up with severe weather helm, not much dampened by an oversize rudder or sailing with the CB angled aft. I did trim the top/upper width of the CB to preserve my front thwart, and lengthened it to hopefully counteract the missing width -- so that it is more of a modern high-aspect foil, and can hang straight down just like the rudder.

The weather helm was probably caused by several factors -- even though the position of the head of the CB was the same as the plans, the width at the top was much narrower, and the angle when fully down more vertical. Combined with shifting the mast step forward to keep the front thwart, and not using a small jib as per the plans -- all resulted in the weather helm issue. Since the only jibs I could find were much too large/long in the foot, the bowsprit would have to have been used anyway unless I wanted to come up with the cash for a custom small jib.

http://www.luckhardt.com/cb-design1.jpghttp://www.luckhardt.com/cb-painted.jpg

Adding a bowsprit and jib completely corrected the weather helm issues, so the boat is much better balanced when the wind picks up.

http://www.luckhardt.com/biglagoon1.jpg

At this stage she seems to sail fairly well in comparison to other wooden boats of similar size and shape, but of course can't be compared to boats designed to sail rather than row -- either in speed or stability under sail.

http://www.luckhardt.com/rudder-tiller1.jpg

I *should* trim the rudder length, as currently it is the same size as the centerboard -- aka far too big. But rigging up the new yoke head with the 2:1 steering line setup solved the issues with having to pull too hard on the lines, and I'm not sure what disadvantages I might encounter if I took off 8" or so off the end of the rudder (and replaced the inset lead weight).

http://www.luckhardt.com/newyoke2.jpg

I've got it mostly recorded on my webpages -

http://www.luckhardt.com/dory1.html <- building
http://www.luckhardt.com/dory2.html <- sailing/rowing

[almeyer]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Thorne. Nice web site too. I'm curious, do you have pins or cleats for your sheets? It would seem that you've got your hands full, with two lines for the rudder, another for the main sheet, and two more for the jib. Not meaning to criticize, just still on the learning curve.
Al

[sharpie]

Yes, Thorne, thanks indeed. I am wondering how you determined the area of the foresail to offset the weather helm, and also, I am curious as to how much canvas you are flying with both main and foresail?

[Thorne]

Al -

Well, I sail smiling & barefoot and hold the extra lines 'twixt teeth n' toes...

...nah, but tempting to try to pass it off, eh?

;0 )

The steering lines only need a tug now and then, usually the downwind line as the weather helm is just about perfectly balanced now with the jib. So I leave them coiled on the floorboards or draped over a knee.

I'm still trying to figger it all out, and until then just hold both mainsheet and the active jibsheet clenched in my sweaty little gloved palm. Adjusting them can be a thrill, but hey, that's what sailing is all about, right?

No cleats yet, just a single block on the aft end of the CB case for the mainsheet to feed through and run aft to the 'helm' area. If I could figure out how to make it work and still stay traditional, I'd be happy, but small belaying pins are too difficult to work with and too slow to release for active dinghy sailing. Might go for small jam cleats, but hoping to find a more trad alternative.

The jibsheets run down through a pair of bronze rings I've lashed to the thwart-support-rail (can't remember the proper nautical term) as fairleads, which works reasonably well.



Sharpie -

I'm a cheap bastich whose woife keeps a running total of what I spend -- you know, the old question, "Do you know how much you've spent on that boat so far?".....

So my current rig is a mast, boom and sail from a Sabot (craigslist $65). The jib I got cheap from Bacon in Annapolis ($45), and is nearly the same size as the mailsail, each being aprox. 38 sq ft. Since I couldn't afford anything nicer and/or smaller, and 50% of all dinghy jibs seem to be roughly the same size (Luff 12', Leach 13', Foot 6') -- that's what determined the jib size.

http://www.luckhardt.com/stnlgn06-4.jpg

Surprisingly enough, it is a damn good rig for a pulling boat that size sailed around SF Bay -- enough to move it in light airs, and I can drop the jib in a pinch. Anything more would be too much in the howling gales we call "afternoon winds" all summer long, plus too much for the narrow-sterned Chamberlain dory skiff lines -- not much reserve buoyancy there in any case.

Sure I'd love to have Todd B. make me up a custom suit of sails in Egyptian cotton, and build up a lovely spritsail and jib rig -- but until the sight of Hell freezing over is obscured by the flocks of flying porcines, I suspect I'll have to make do with what I can make up myself...

;0 )

I was sailing with an ancient cotton Melody sail on a not-much-younger mahogany mast from (I think) a Snipe, using a sprit-boom setup -- but it broke on a windy day on Whiskeytown Resivoir and I haven't come up with a new sail to use on the much shorter stick. Picked up a large tanbark sail at a marine flea, may cut it down to make both jib and spritsail -- but as none of the camber and lines would be correct, it would probably be more for looks than anything very functional.


http://www.luckhardt.com/CDSw-flag1.jpg

PS - despite doing the sailing rigs and trailer on the cheap, the boat was restored as properly and traditionally as possible - using silicone bronze hardware and fasteners, marine paint and varnish, white oak and clear VG doug fir, copper rove rivets, etc.

[Hwyl]

Your Union Jack is upside down!

[Thorne]

Are you sure? -- (hit the refresh button)

Say, what is the earlier period one called? The one used after 1606 and before 1801.

Could have been worse -- here's what James' Focus Group came up with....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/magazine_enl_1144679591/img/1.jpg

[Hwyl]

Did you edit it?

P.I. has posted about that flag before, it's supposed to represent the Union of England Scotland and who knows where else.

I'm a supporter of this one.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40983000/jpg/_40983991_beach300.jpg

[Thorne]

Yes, the miracle of Photoshop(tm)!

We support that flag too -- we sorta portray a 16th-17th C. sorta-Welsh militia unit sometimes -

http://www.cardiffrose.com/DSCN2585.jpg

http://www.cardiffrose.com/meetngreet1.jpg