junk rigs

Try reading this site:

http://thesimplesailor.com/

He's taken his boat through some pretty severe storms IIRC.

As for racing, it's obvious the junk rig isn't competitive or they'd be used. Can't see this is an issue unless you're interested in racing or the maximum windward ability at all costs (including dollars).

I took this picture of a Jay Benford 'Badger' type dory over in the Gippsland lakes last year. The owner/builder is in his 70's and single-hands the boat everywhere. Looking at how he maneuvered it round the island, waited for a ferry to cross and then lined up for his marina slot was quite educational.

PDW

 

I have built several small junk rigs for sailing dinghys ( I have no experience with full sized cruising ones), from what I have experianced and read, they are easy to handle and have much lower risk of fouling.

They are easy to control in high winds because they do not flog, and the forces are generally lower (spread out over more members) so the risk of a point failure of a critical connection is lower. This means they are also lighter for the same size sail. They launch and reef faster with less effort, and can be dropped very fast without risk of fouling.

The problem with racing is that they do not point very well into the wind, so they are not considered competitive for racing. However for cruising this is not so much a disadvantage, and the easy of handling makes for less crew fatigue. They allow better control of the twist and angle of attack over most of the surface, so they can be very efficient in some conditions, but because of their lack of the ablity to adjust the camber, they suffer in other conditions.

If there was a simple way to make the battens/sail camber adjustable, without complicating the operation of the sail, they would be a more competitive for racing. I have been tinkering with that idea for a while but not sure I have found a good solution, I will eventually try out various means to do that on one of my dinghys. I might come up with some way to make the junk more useful, or perhaps not.

 

that boat looks fantastic under sail, i watched it for a while a few months back. my boat is moored near the raymond island ferry and i see that dory most times when i am up there.

 

Yes, that's where I saw it. The owner keeps it on a slip berth on Raymond Island just to the LHS of the ferry ramp.

You could try leaving a note on it asking him for more information and try to get a sail on it.

Mingming is an example of a hull where the owner says the junk rig works well.

The worst thing that can happen if you install a junk rig is, you'll have to scrap it and start again. Provided you're prepared to take that risk, why not try it and see what happens? I've the designer's plans for 3 different rigs for my hull so if I get tired of one, I can try something else...

PDW

 

good idea, i will go and see him. he is a friend of the previous owner of my boat.

 

Anyone know of any attempt at modernizing idea.

 

Define 'modernizing': Most of the junk rigs in the West are a modified and somewhat simplified version, and are designed for modern materials. In that sense, they are modernized.

 

In addition to the excellent ideas of Arne Kverneland that Zilver mentioned in post 6 you might also look at Slieve's impressive split junk rig.

Also, the Yahoo junkrig group is excellent, though you have to join (free) to view the files and photos section.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/junkrig/

More of Arne's helpful ideas --

And Slieve's Poppy