Fitting a Yard on a ketch rig

Looking at fitting a yardarm to my ketch >Has anyone done it ? have seen it on a schooner rig.

 

If you have gaff rig and wooden masts etc. It's a matter of mast type, so a short pole mast doesn't need one while longer poled can use it and with fidded topmast it's a must.. And it's about the same from a sloop to schooner and everything btw.
About modern rigging I don't know a s***

 

what would you want to do that for?!

what problem are you trying to solve, and where do you sail, ?

i have seen this on a gaff cutter in the marina where i keep my boat
it probably works well but you need to be able to get rid of it quickly! as a squaresail is a very powerful sail, a bit like a flat reaching spinnaker.it could have brails as is traditional or you could stick a furler in the centreline of it and roll it up , as on maltese falcon only simpler.
personaly i would carry a spinnaker,either way going up the rig to get rid of it is right out!
have fun, phil

 

If you have a normal bermudian rig with at least one set of spreaders -forget about yards - they not fit together. even if you have traditional gaff rig, with fidded topmast, supported by bakstays/side shrouds lead trough spreaders -a serious redesign of rigging arrangement will be required: on a gaff rig with topmast, without yards, there is usually a long spreader fitted TRANSVERSALLY

 

If you have a normal bermudian rig with at least one set of spreaders -forget about yards - they not fit together. even if you have traditional gaff rig, with fidded topmast, supported by bakstays/side shrouds lead trough spreaders -a serious redesign of rigging arrangement will be required. On a gaff rig with topmast, without yards, there is usually a long spreader fitted TRANSVERSELY and to full beam of ship. This allow max swinging room for gaff, but restrict swinging room for yard to just a ~20 degrees. To fit a yard, spreaders will have to be angled aft, attachments of topmast backstays on deck also moved aft. If topmast is supported without long spreaders, this will be less of a problem, but still...

Generally, gaff and yards do not fit well to same mast, because of completely different requirements for standing rigging arrangement.

 

The answer is a mizzen stay sail. They are often sited for the only reason for owning a ketch.

They are great, two once, they fly from the mizzen masthead, to the end of the mizzen boom and the tack is on deck at the aft lower to deck point on the upwind side of the boat. It's huge sail and turns a three know wallow into a six not cruise.

When it's time to take it down it falls right onto deck and packs into a tiny bag. Just awesome! Thinking back on it.

 

Yes, you can fit a yard on your mainmast, for your 42' ketch. The mast doesn't need to be fiddled to work well. This isn't a particularly useful sail (assuming square course), especially on a Bermudian and is better suited to a gaffer, though both would need to be "arranged" for this setup (moving the stays and shrouds around to suit). Is there a specific goal you're looking for or reason for such an odd sail plan request (considering the usual hoist options on a moderate size ketch like this)?