skiff mast on 23 foot trailer sailer

[amwes2009]

just wondering if any one would help me with , if putting a 18 foot skiff mast on a 23 foot trailer sailer and removing back stay origanlly on old mast would work.Also moving side stays back a bit .

[Hunter25]

You will have to provide more information about the different boats and rigs, but I proposed something like this years ago and promptly was informed of all the difficulties I would run into so I did not do it.

[gonzo]

Why are you doing that?

[alan white]

Yeah. Why?

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by alan white

Yeah. Why?

Two of you ask WHY? You should be asking WHY NOT?

Old 18 rigs seem to be plentiful and inexpensive down under. I know there have been quite a few budget sportboats and trailer sailers that have used discarded 18 rigs.

I think a lot of time they opt for #2 rigs, since the #1 rigs are too big for many trailer sailers. Without knowing more about the boat you have and the rig you would like to use no one can answer you with certainty.

If you know the rigging layout you want to use and the righting moment of the boat you can calculate the moments required for the rig. You can then check the moments of the 18 tube you are considering to see if it might be a good fit.

If possible you should think about keeping a backstay and using a flicker if you want a big roach main. This will give you more options in the future.

[Ramona]

Sailed a few times on Young 20' trailer sailer, the one with water ballast. It had a 16 ft skiff rig and was over powered in about 15 knots and we had to put in a reef. The main is heavily roached and there is a lot of sail high up.

[Typhoon]

Most all skiff rigs on large, heavy trailer sailers end up in the water.
These small, light skiffs don't power the rig up like large heavy trailer sailers and the mast or standing rigging (usually backstays)usually fails.
On a skiff, get a gust, boat shoots forwards (or over). On a TS, boat leans over, then slowly goes. All that time between gust and acceleration is extra load on teh rig.
By all means do it, but be aware that if you beef up the stays and do a proper job of it, it's not much cheaper than buying a suitable section and building a proper rig for your particular boat.

Regards, Andrew.