Advice on sourcing a stayless rig

Gonzo,

I think the "bendy mast" is an advantage it is designed to twist off in the gusts.

What rig do you think is more appropriate for my application?

It needs to be around 10m2 (100sqft), light (under 10kg) and inexpensive (under $600). These are specifications for the entire rig sail, mast, boom etc.

All the best

Gareth

 

Does it have to be new? For $600.00 there are plenty of old dinghies, with rigs included to be had. One of the advantages of buying an old boat is that it includes a lot of extra parts (spares). The rig from a boat like a Penguin, Vaurient, Sunfish or a Firefly would work. Sunfish rigs are self standing.

 

Gonzo,

I like the sunfish rig a lot and I am planning to use something similar on my next project, however the point I am trying to make is that a windsurfing rig is the most appropriate for my folding cat, weight and price are the main priorities, and I don't believe that you can get a new rig that weighs under 10kg for under $600 except by using a windsurfing rig.

All the best

Gareth

 

What currency are we using? I got to check the exchange rates.

 

US $, I'm trying to be as helpful as possible

 

Let me see if I can find a good deal in rigs. Converting dollars to pence and pounds overheats my computer

 

Gonzo,

Did you ever manage to find that 10m2 (100sqft), light (under 10kg) and inexpensive (under $600) rig for me?

Gareth

 

Stayless Rig

I would also be interested in such a rig. Gareth have you had any luck with the windsurfer rig idea?

Andy

 

Sunfish Dual Stayless Rigs

I am setting up a Dual Sunfish Trimaran, Hope to have results in the next week. Any action on the Cat with the two Sunfish rigs?
Lane Thomas
Austin TX

 

Stayless rig

Hiya

I don't know about the cat using a sunfish rig, but I am hoping to get my cat on the water end of this summer. I have just bought a second hand Neil Pride 8.1 metre sail....so I guess I'll see how a windsurf rig on a small cat works.

Over on a windsurf forum, I was told Greg Konnecke successfully used an 8m windsurf race sail in the Moth Worlds.....

 

Gonzo, I think you'll find that windsurfer rigs don't produce too much lift because of the windward heel of the rig (although some gurus note that the aft rake means they are effectively raked to windward), or rather they don't provide as much as many people think. One of the legends of the sport says that 17 degrees windward rake (IIRC) is optimum and that only provides a few kg of lift I believe. You can also look at the typical racing technique, where the mast is often fairly vertical and sailors use long harness lines to keep it vertical, rather than short lines that incline the rig to windward.

The Olympic sailors are perhaps closest match to dinghy/cat rigs, because they have smaller rigs than FW boards and sail in light winds at times (unlike wave/freeride etc sailors). They work very hard at keeping the rig as vertical as can be for as long as possible. There are rigs and there are rigs, and the raceboard type sails aren't as extreme in many ways as the slalom/FW/wave rigs.

Perhaps the best example is that we can (in a good breeze) produce enough lift for a flat-water jump easily, but we choose to sail with a more vertical mast because it's faster. It seems that many people think the lift from the rig is a major reason why boards go fast, but some guys (like World Cup racer/dinghy sailor NEvin Saynre and Freedom rig designer Garry Hoyt in an old SW article) reckon it's a minor effect at best. Even with the mast vertical, the right board is faster than an equivalent dinghy (non-foiler Moth) around a typical course so it's not just that.

See http://www.moth.asn.au/development/development_worlds_2000.html for an example of a windsurfer rig used to win the World Masters' championship in one of the world's most advanced dinghy classes.

Alyne, why not just try an old raceboard rig (fully battened, camber induced)? Around here you can pull immaculate ones out of dumpsters in the back of windsurfing shops so they can't cost much!

 

boomless sailboat

Hi - I searched the forums to try to find information about "boomless" boats and I was directed to this forum. Please refer to my post dated 07-14-05 in the Boat Design forum called "Colvic Craft "Victor"-England-boomless" - to which have been no replies... so I'm still hoping for some information/opinionis abd thought perhaps this forum may be able to help me.... thanx so much... ~Diane

 

Hey CT 249
i'm also from sydney,
i don't belive i'm aware of this magical dumpster?
Is there any chance you could let me in on you little secret as well?
Cheers, thanks
Bolts

 

Small rigs - effective alternatives

There are a couple of designs which *work* very well, either of which you could employ:

The 'Catapult' ( no longer in production ) is a 16' demountable daysailor, which uses a wishboom. The multipart mainsheet is led to an eye on the rear beam centreline. That works. The guys who race this reguarly have another purchase from the wishboom end to the mast foot, which they use the better to control the sail shape. The system - basic and tweaked - works well and is robust. I know, 'cos I dinghy-camped one for years, two-up and with camping gear.

You may also use a boomless - but battened - mainsail, which has the multi-part mainsheet clipped into the clew ring. This is efficient and saves weight/money/bruised heads. Before someone tells us that "this won't work because...." let me point out that Richard Roscoe's 32' Farrier F-9AX 'Triohe' won her class in the 2003 RORC Fastnet Race, the class series that year ( 3 Firsts and a Second out of 4 RORC Starts ), and dozens of other races since. She has that mainsail arrangement.

 

Gonzo is right. Why not think of a rig that is simple, kid friendly and cheap ? I'm thinking of something like a sprit boom rig. Jab the mast in the hole, unfurl the sail (furled around the mast) insert the sprit and go. The boom/sprit will not bash any heads, and it gives very easy draft control. The sailboard rigs are quite sophisticated and will cost as much or more than the simpler rig. If I wanted convenience I would not want a full battened sail like the sailboards have.
Check out Harold Paysons web site for cheap and practical boats, sails, etc.