Most successful daysailor ever?

Just checking.. I actually kinda like the sprit rig, As you say; simple, practical, easy, etc. But "gives up little in performance to the marconi sloop?" Hmmmm.......

Steve

 

That may need a bit of clarification Steve. I referred particularly to the sprit boom rig and not the loose-foot boomless rectangular sail type. The later suffers a bit in controlablilty and in offwind work but excells as a workboat rig where it can be brailed up to the mast in an instant for a clear working area. The sprit boom is actually the same kind of rig used by windsurfers in a usually higher tech version. Like all ketches, the cat ketch suffers just a bit in speed when compared to sloops on a sail area basis but excells in good manners and ease of handling.

We may have taken this thread a bit far off course.

 

No shi-ite!

I'm not sure I'm going to let you slide out of it by likening the sprit rig to the wishbone rig, either. Too easy.

True. Peace?

Steve

 

As far as I can tell, the only diference between the wishbone rig and the sprit boom rig is the make up of the boom. A friend built a cat ketch identical to one of mine except he used wishbone booms and I used straight ones. The sails and masts are identical. His booms are fancier, more difficult to build and rig but they have not proven to be any faster, much to the surprise of both of us.

The only thing proven so far is that we probably know less about sail shape and their aerodynamics than we thought.

 

A sprit boom does not a sprit "rig" make, but I see your point. Comparing an Oppie or traditional "sprit" rig to a leg-of-mutton with a sprit boom is still far-fetched, IMNSHO. I love the ability (sprit-boom or wishbone) to adjust the fullness of the sail "on the fly", and have even played with ways to make the sail self-flattening in higher winds. It seems possible, but as usual you can't get something for nothing, and so it usually doesn't work that way....

Steve

 

Say what?

Hey, how did you guys manage to leave the Hobie 16 off the list? I'm pretty sure over 100,000 have sold.

Charlie

 

Easy - it's a catamaran...