Why choose a lugsail

Could someone please explain why you would choose a lug sail rather than say a marconi rig. Dingies as far as I know usually use a marconi rig. There must surely be advantages to a Lugsail beauty not being one of them. So what is the practical advantage.

 

Well, if you are talking about dinghies they have most often unstayed mast so they can't be Marconi rigs which, by definition, has stays. Bermudan sail, the triangular sail also seen on many Marconi rigged vessels can be on a dinghy too but becouse of the small size of most dinghies they benefit more from lower mast and spars, lower center of effort with other rig types, not only lug.
BR Teddy

 

Sorry I thought Marconi/Bermudan was the same thing (see how little I know). So then the advantage of a lug sail is lower CE on an unstayed mast. Are their any handling advantages?

 

hi can any one tell me in detail about the inclining experiment and how its calculation are made

 

First you would have no sails up. Put a weight on the extreme beam till the boat is inclined then remove the weight and time the result. The boat will start to rock toward the opposite beam. start the stopwatch when the boat rocks back toward its starting point it will stop for a moment at its starting point stop the stop watch. You can calculate a good approximation but you don't want to do that if you have a boat.

 

i am asking about how it will be done in ships of bigger size

 

Mik, there are many advantages and disadvantages to every rig. You're correct the Bermudian and Marconi are essentially the same (now), but previously, when wire stays came to be, any rig with lots of spreaders and wires was called Marconi, including gaffers. After a while, the term Marconi came to mean triangular mainsails on stayed rigs, regardless of type. I've never used the Marconi term, simply because it could mean any stayed rig, while Bermudian is typically related to triangular mains, which initially where called "jib headed" mains.

The lug, in it's various forms can be free standing or stayed, just like any other rig, including Bermudian. Granted, making a Bermudian headsail stand well is more difficult without stays, but it can be cut to do so well, as several production and custom boats have proven.

I'm not a fan of the lug, but I know quite a few that are and I'll let them pronounce their virtues. In small craft I can see some advantage with a single lug as it's only sail, but I prefer multiple hoist options for varying wind strengths and conditions. I also don't like the "fouled tack" particularly in light air. I've sailed small lug craft in zephyrs and they just can't do anything on the fouled tack. Of course, a full or half wishbone could eliminate this issue, but again, it's all about the compromises you need to make. The same can be said about reefing, which is less neat on a lug, but there are ways around most of it's vices.

 

Welcome to the forum, Marinewar34. Maybe it would be best to start your own thread on this subject, rather then hijack this one with an off subject question.

What class and in what school, are you looking to find the answers to your assignment problems?

 

Short spars, therefore easy to stow in the boat if you want to drop the rig. Easy to drop the sail. Reasonable efficiency if set up properly. Some people like the looks.

 

My balanced lug is great. Will it point as high as the Bermudan rigs I've had and sailed on? No.
But the loss is countered by the simplicity and ease of use. I prolly wouldn't put one on a keel boat with efficient foils. On my sail & oar boat it's just about perfect.

 

Big advantage: short spars.

Big disadvantage: a bad tack

Balanced lugs seem to work even when they are very crudely made. Because the mast is shorter, it can be solid, which makes it easier to make.

To get the same Sail Area on a Bermudan rig, with the same short mast, the boom needs to be quite long, or you have to deal with a lot of battens.

A taller mast is harder to stow.

The yard comes down quickly, when the halyard is let go, with a lug rig.

The sail has to be pulled down with a Bermudan one.

The biggest advantage of a lug is that it is the easiest four sided sail to set up, that is easy to reef.

The problem with reefing a three sided sail is that the Center of Area (CA) moves forward as the sail is shortened.

If the boat has a single sail, that means you can end up with a lee helm, after the last reef is tucked in.

With a four sided sail, this is less true. In fact you could end up with a more weather helm after the last reef, if the yard is as long as the boom and it's not cocked up at too high an angle. (See attachment)

There are basically three types of four sided, fore and aft sails:

1.) sprit sails,
2.) gaff sails, and
3.) lug sails.

The sprit sail can have the same proportions as a lug, but is not easy to reef.

The gaff sail can have the same proportions as a lug, but it's a little more complicated. It usually needs two halyards, jaws for the gaff, a goose neck for the boom, and a kicking strap of some kind, to keep the end of the boom from rising.

A lug needs just one halyard, one hold down strap, to keep the boom from rising, and maybe a parallel, to hold the yard to the mast. All of this is relatively easy to make.

 

Thank you now I have the info I wanted.