Questions about wood mast design for 24' catboat

[Yoth]

Hello!

I'm building a 24' long, 10'6" beam, (loosely based on an 1883 Cape Cat) catboat with an unstaid mast, and I have some questions about designing the mast. I'm building it out of wood, and would like to know more about what dimensions the mast should be, and round or square? It's a triangle sail - the luff is 30', the boom is 21'6", and the leech is 33'. The boat is a lightweight, cold-molded hull. I also need to know how heavy to build the mast (out of sitka spruce). The mast will be stepped on the keelson through the deck. I apologize to all of the traditionalists for not using a gaff rig, but I needed something ultra simple for my son to sail.

If you've built this type of mast before and wouldn't mind discussing it over the phone, please include a phone # in an e-mail so I can give you a call. Thanks in advance for any comments, web sites, articles or other information that you can send!

J. Yothers
Harbor Springs, MI
(231) 526-5756

[gonzo]

You can find all that information in Chapelle's books. I owned a 34' sharpie with unstayed masts. It had two pine trees. They were debarked and lightly shaped.

[Florida_mariner]

Two pine trees...that's totally cool...

I have a Sharpie I just finished building but it's much smaller... I wonder if smaller pine trees would be sufficient ? I've been losing performance with it unstayed like an old traditional sharpie...

thanks for that tip...with all the little spindly pines around me here in NE fl
I can't believe I didn't think of that myself duh (slapping forehead)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/St_Aug...rida_Sharpies/