Sailing rig question

[kharee]

Is a square sailing rig feasible for a sail-assist or get-home rig for a power boat? I am a non-sailer but would love to fly down wind in a good blow. I would of necessity need to keep the sail size moderate due to a bad shoulder. A 70-30 motorsailer or powersailor type is what I envision.

[Canoeyawl]

Of course it is feasible… In fact I think it’s a good idea.
A square rig will give you the most sail area for the least spars. It is a powerful rig and the area can be kept low.
Years ago a friend rigged a scow/garvey with a square rig and it worked very well on any point with the wind aft of the beam. That boat did have a big rudder however. It was fun to sail and he enjoyed it. One of his tricks was to just let the foot out further rather than reef.
I think to employ this effectively you will need a working knowledge of spars and rigging.
Square rigging and sailing advice won’t often be found at the local marina. You won't be a "non-sailor" after you get this one going!

[kharee]

I've got a book from the library right now but it just briefly touches on square sail rigs and skips on to what the author considers more modern rigs. I think I need an older reference book, something by Chapelle maybe.

[Woxbox]

You can certainly do a square rig, but I suspect a dipping lug or balanced lug would be more practical. Fewer lines to fool with and easier to trim off the wind. Here's a dipping lugsail on a powerboat, one of Bolger's fast motorsailers. This rig is pretty big for the boat, but the same thing would work scaled down, to be sure. A sail like this trims with one sheet. http://www.boatdesign.com/jumps/mckib/tn_Ada1640x480_jpg.jpg (http://www.boatdesign.com/jumps/mckib/Ada1640x480.jpg)
A traditional squaresail has a sheet and a tack off each end of the sail, one of each which is working at any given time, so there are two lines to adjust instead of one. And that's as simple as it can be done. Normally, there are also two braces from each end of the yard, which also need to be handled. And then to douse the sail, a pair of clewlines. And maybe you'll need leechlines, buntlines, bowlines .... the list doesn't ever seem to end.
The sail shown above would normally be dropped and then raised on the other side of the mast for a tack of any duration, but with the use you have in mind -- and what I believe Bolger intended with the above design -- this wouldn't happen routinely. You'll want to do some real research. Make sure the mast can be dropped very easily and will take the forces applied to it, and so on. But projects like this are great fun.

[NealmCarter]

A square rig is a complicated affair..looks simple, but its not. Hopefully this pic of my motorsailer will attach...HappyNewYear

[Tom Hunter]

kharee,

Check out Claude Worth's "Yacht Cruising" a marvelous book and he used square sails regularly. His advice on sail handling is excellent and if you have (or want) an older style rig he is a great source.

[brian.cunningham]

fore & aft steadying sails will make your boat more at ease when anchored. Rig it right and you could also make some headway when needed.

http://www.passagemaker.com/discus/messages/2/2332.jpg

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

Having a fixed rig complicates your deck quite a bit. You should look into kite rigs, you might be able to find one that you could deploy without a mast.

[johnw]

The most sail area for a given height of mast is the sprit rig. You might look into that.

[Jay Greer]

L. Francis Herreshoff was a great fan of square rigs. He often speaks of their virtues in his writings. The rig need not be complicated. In fact a simple single yard can set what is known as a "Captain's Handkerchief" with a raffee above it, if more area is desired. This can be, also be, used in conjunction with a small "spanker" in order to reduce roll on a powerboat.

[Boatmik]

Francis Herreshoff was a great fan of square rigs for running in the tradewinds - ie sailing away from the wind.

If the rig is for safety reasons it might go to windward or reach more easily if it was a lug rig.

And then you would need a centreboard or leeboard as well.

But making a planing powerboat hull sail is quite difficult - there is too much drag from that wide transom corner that is well underwater. A displacement powerboats where the transom is more or less above the water may respond quite well to having a sail added.

Lug and lateen rigs only require a shortish mast which is either easy to step or not too big if left stepped all the time.

Finally the sail and leeboard need to be reasonably large to make a boat sail OK. There is no point adding them at all if they are too small.

Best Regards
Michael Storer