Lateen Rigged Cruiser

I tend to agree in as much as a masthead sloop is about as easy as it gets, except for a cat, which would be all but impossible on this boat.

The real problem with the OP seems not to be the rig choice, but it's setup and takedown. There are a few different ways to hoist and douse the stick. A tabernacle is an option, but you can also use a gin pole or an A frame. The A frame setup is more secure than a gin pole and it can be broken down and stored on the boat, so useful for getting under bridges too. A gin pole is simpler, but it can permit the mast to sway around during the hoist. If the deck has a stout pivoting step, not a big problem, but if it's a dinky sheet metal thing, it'
ll break after a few uses.

I know a guy with a Hunter 25 that uses his electric trailer winch over a gin pole (his spinnaker pole actually), to hoist and douse the mast. It's remote control and literally just a button push once he's setup and ready to hoist or douse. Give it some thought and try a few things, as most of this is about familiarity, not necessarily equipement.

 

On River boats in the UK with a frames the a frame is arranged so it's a permanent fitment and is shaped to match the curve of the deck - ends up like a toe rail almost when not in use.

Still leaves the problem of mast overlapping stern though. However permanently fixed a frame and a quick remove tabernacle would go a long way to reduce setup time.

 

The mast on this boat isn't especially heavy and pulling the pivot bolt, picking it up and setting it down a some chocks is a few minutes of effort.

 

You might also want a permament support at the stern to hold the mast when you are trailering, and also to support the mast when put into the tabernacle and hanging well off the stern. The stern rail itself is never strong enough. The stern mast support ( I know there it a term for this but it escapes me ) could also have a raised and lowered position. The lowered position for trailering, and the raised position for mast raising.

 

It is called "gallows".

 

Thanks Gonzo.

So there you go. "Jesus Bolts" and "Gallows" should just about cover it.

 

There are also sex bolts . . .

 

A Rogalla Lateen might work, with the Boom as long as the Yard.

It would be an interesting engineering challenge to say the least.

First off, both the Yard and the Boom would have to be as long as the boat, and even then you would still be short 13 sf of sail.

Second, the mast would have to be moved forward up to the aft end of the "V" berth, if not further.

Third, the mast would have to be engineered to be free standing, which means it would have to come through the top of the cabin and step at the bottom of the boat. A very sturdy tabernacle could be built, so the portion of the mast above the cabin could pivot aft, but this would require a very sturdy pivot and equally sturdy locking pin.

Fourth, The Hull, Cabin and Deck would have to be re-enforced to take these new loads.

Fifth, the sail would have to be specially cut for this rig, with some allowance for bending of the Yard and Boom, which will also require some engineering calculations for their design as well.

And sixth, in order to keep the rig/hull balance right, the sail would have to be reefed to the Yard, on one reef, and to the Boom, on the other.

As with any cat rigged boat, reefing operations in gale conditions could be interesting to say the least, as the whole sail would have to come down, before you could reef. This would leave you in the trough of the waves, unless you started your engine, or threw out some kind of drogue.

The only cat rig where this is not true is the Chinese Lug.

 

Oops!

I made a math error.

With both the Boom and the Yard as long as the boat, the Sail Area would be only 195 sf, not the 212 sf I originally stated.

A roach can be added to the leach of this sail to get back all or most of the missing 30 sf, but this would require Battens. These Battens would have to all be splayed fan like, with their front ends pointing at the Tack of the sail.

 

I'm not sure you will need the same sail area as the low aspect ratio lateen sail is a pretty powerful little rig. Not so good upwind, but very powerful downwind.

For an equilateral triangle of base 20 feet I also get an area of 20 x 20 x root 3 over 4 = 173 square feet. I think the boat is a bit longer than that, but I think 173 square feet is a lot of sail for a lateen rig. Could be lots of fun.