MacNaughton Farthing questions...

Not much. I'm too poor to do anything with it rather than make a scale model of it. Its major vice is a complete lack an auxiliary power arrangement. Fully loaded, this boat will displace well over 3,000 lbs. An outboard engine is damned near mandatory. The only alternative I can think of is a long, very vulnerable sculling oar. Scaled up by 50% (with 3.38 times as much displacement) it might make a decent small motor sailor, for a somewhat affluent couple to motor sail around the world in. It would probably even fit into a shipping container, if the mast had a tabernacle.

 

Thanks, Sharpi... very interesting comments.

Serge's comments on his boat are interesting. He put the slot in the keel as he felt that the boat would make enough leeway for the keel to exacerbate heel by generating lateral lift. It took me several reads before I understood his rationale. His idea was that the cutout would reduce heel generated by leeway.

He also had anticipated generally light winds. He encountered much stronger winds than anticipated and felt that his rig should have been considerably lower, but of course that is evident only in hindsight. He had two occasions during the circumnavigation when he felt he may have come close to capsizing, which given his propensity for striking cyclones is testimony to the stability of the design. Apart from his penchant for grounding, the feature that had him considering pulling out of trip was the rapid roll motion. And having said that, the boat was unquestionably highly successful, in that he completed the journey without any significant problems apart from a meths stove fire! A very creditable performance.

My own offshore singlehanding experience has given me an aversion to both cockpits and deck work, and a preference for robustness and simplicity. Acrohc looks like a fine boat, and I really like the way his 'hatch' folds back to become a seat. Clever!

I'm about to head to Europe for a month, and I'm considering re-rigging my current boat (20 ft trailer sailer) as a junk rig to try it out when I return. I sail out of a short harbour that faces the Pacific, and all trips begin with tacking in short steep chop and end with a run. It's an hour or two to get into the Pacific from launch. I'm keen to find out about the performance of a junk in those conditions.

What would you like to do with your design, if money was no object?

 

Thanks Paul. I guess seaworthiness is subjective, but if I had the choice I'd prefer to go offshore in a Colin Archer than a Volvo 60.

My experience of singlehanding is a mix of fear, exhaustion, hard work.... and also a wonderful sense of isolation, and a connection to the sea, weather, boat and myself. I have a background in long, solitary ventures in the mountains, and being alone on a little disc of ocean seems to amplify the senses in a similar way. I have found that I like being a self-contained society and a democracy of one. The hazards are obvious, but I feel that some experiences are sufficiently profound to be worth risking a future happiness for.

Cheers,
Bryan

 

I would try to build it and sail it across the Atlantic. If I enjoyed the trip, I'd continue on from there.

 

I'm thinking that I'd sacrifice some windward ability for ease of use, but I'm not sure how much - hence the experiment. I've done a couple of sketches to see if a junk would work on my current boat, and there's a couple of gotchas. I think the ideal position would see the mast going through the middle of the forward hatch, stepped in the centre of the toilet. The boat sits stern low (the designer was a little slapdash) and I've been thinking for some time that I'd like to change the swing keel to a "cruiser" keel, and this would bring the CLR very slightly forward and lower the CG, as well as help with roll damping which might be a good idea on a small boat with an unstayed mast. If I decide to run with it I'll post some sketches here for feedback from those who know more about design than me, which is everyone.

I hoped you'd say that. I love boats that show how little is necessary to cross an ocean.

 

I'd like to know a little bit more about your present boat.

What make is it?

What kind of sloop rig does it have? My guess is a 3/4 rig.

The 3/4 sloop rig is my favorite Bermudan rig. My previous boat had one, and I found it quite handy.

Its jib was on its ow roll up stay, which hung just behind the fore stay.

Once the wind started to build, the jib was rolled up, leaving only the mainsail.

That cut the sail area by around 40%.

Further increase in wind meant a reef tucked into the main, which, because it was set over the cockpit, was relatively easy to reach.

On another 3/4 sloop, there was no roller furling. This boat was smaller and it was purchased by a man in his 70's.

Going out on the tiny fore deck to douse the jib didn't seem like a good strategy on a fifteen foot boat.

The solution was simple and cost less than $10. I rigged him a jib down haul.

It is a very simple device. It requires a small pulley just below or at the tack of the jib. Through that pulley, a thin line goes up the luff of the jib, to its top. This line is thread through the snaps of the jib, so it will not bind. The other end of the line runs to a cleat at the cockpit edge or near the halyard.

To drop the jib, the jib halyard is relieved and this line is used to pull the top of the jib all the way to the deck. Once that's done, the sheet for the jib is cleated tight. The sail stays on the fore deck more or less reliably, until it's needed again. I set this up on this fellow's boat and it worked quite well.

I guess my point is there are relatively inexpensive ways to make a Bermudan rig handy and easier to deal with.

Below, I'll show you a Bermudan rig alternative I drew for my LOLA design.

It has no reef points at all. The three sails, which are roughly the same area, are either fully set or fully furled.

The first one to be furled is the stay sail in the middle, which reduces the sail area by about a third.

If the wind builds further, the main and the jib are furled and the stay sail is re-set.

Now the sail area is reduced by roughly two thirds, with a very easy to reach, high aspect ratio sail driving the boat.

This rig suffers a point or two on efficiency, when all sails are set, as the closely spaced heads of the sails interfere with each other, but I think its simplicity and ease of use makes up for that. Only seven standing rigging lines are needed for this rig: a fore stay, an inner fore stay, a back stay, and two sets of shrouds, upper and lower.

The rig shown has double lowers for greater survivability, and a single reef point in the main.

Unlike a more conventional cutter, no running back stays are needed.

 

Thanks Sharpi - I'm currently overdosing on pizzas, gelatos and smooth red wines... on holiday in Italy, and I won't be home for a few weeks. I'll get in touch as soon as I'm back.

Thanks for the info, and I look forward to carrying on the conversation soon.

Cheers,
Bryan

 

Hi Sharpii2,

Thanks for your interest in this, all appreciated! I've decided to run with a new build, and will contact you privately.

Cheers,
Bryan