sail for a salmon troller

I'm thinking of buying a small sail for my 42' salmon troller. I have a boom that runs from the back of my cabin (about 20' long) and I would like to get a sail that would attach to this boom and then go up my mast which is about 20' high as well. Never been sailing and don't know a thing about sails. I was hoping to employ this sail on long runs when the wind is favorable and also be able to collapse the sail when it isn't needed. I'm hoping to find something that is not to difficult to put up and also improve my fuel economy. I've read a little on steading sails and at times it sounds like these would help steady my boat on the ocean when there is a breeze. Any information as to size to get, practicality, strain on the rigging, cost, where to buy one, etc would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

Mostly these kinds of sails are tremendous for roll damping. For improving fuel efficiency, it can help, depending on your operating speeds and typical winds, but that is a big variable. Before investing in a sail, do understand that you must be prepared to raise, lower and adjust it every time the wind changes strength or you change course.

If your boat suffers from a lot of rolling it would be a great addition. Realise though that when it will be most effective, and needed, at roll damping it will also be the noisiest and jarring, although on your boat you might hardly feel that.

 

Hey, the whole Bristol bay fleet was sailboats till the 60's.
I doubt you'll find any of the boats or hardware left lying on the beach, but you may find some books and photos on it at the Loussac Library in Anchorage.

I dont know anything about sailing either, but those things tipped over and lost the whole load quite frequently.
Also, if your hull dont have that rounded (corinthian roll) your in danger of slapping over on one side or the other with the wind. You wont like that!
You cant right the boat without help, and all the while your trying to right the boat, its filling with water. Ugly situation.

In short from my viewpoint you can have a Sail boat or a power boat but not both. Just my point of view.

 

Tell us about your hull shape. If you have an old time displacement hull with a good sized keel that would probably work best. It will take some fooling around but you can probably gain some benefits. I might suggest that you buy or rent a little sailing skiff and play around with it to get a grasp of the basics and to get a feel for rigging details before you start pouring money at your big boat. Are you operating out of SouthEast? The east coast lobster boys used to use steadying sails way back when, so did the Longliners from Ballard.

 

Re-reading his post I think I see what he'd going after.
This boom he's talking about is his work boom. It has the Pot-hauler or the Net hauler attatched to it.
It can swing side to side to work, at almost 90 Degrees to each side.
It's pretty high up above the waterline though. He'd be really top heavy with the sail up that high.

When he's on his way out or as soon as the Hull is filled, he wants to attatch a Sail from the aft end of the Boom, up to the mast top, and let the wind take the boat out to the fishing grounds or back to the Sale Dock.

Thinking about that in terms of Sail-Sq Ft/power somebody'd have to throw some math at the problem and in the end, I think he'd need another sail from the mast to the bow.

Those boats typically go about 10 Kts. Sail is about that fast as well, but it may be that he needs more sail than he can hoist.

With that much sail he'd be getting into a 'Crew' situation or he'd need a bunch of Hydraulics controlled by his little hand held. (has that been invented yet?)

His 42' boat is probably laid out with the Engines in the rear, V-drives, and Tanks right in front of that, and holds right up amid ships. The Gally and Crews quarters are pretty light and are probably all up past amidships.

The 32' werent like that. The Engine and fuel was amid ships, and the Holds were aft.

TollyWally asked: "Are you operating out of Southeast?"
Boy, I'd sure hate to be operating under sail in Southeast AK. Lots of Rocks sticking up almost to the surface down in and among those islands.