LC is a magnificence!

Yes, it has to be a schooner rig, if the accommodation is as drawn, with a large mainsail and small foresail. The coachroof will need a great deal of reinforcement, though. The boat is too big for a single sail, and schooner rigs naturally have a high AR. The foremast will be very well forward, to clear the double berth, and the foresail will be small, so a split foresail doesn't seem to be worth the extra trouble, to me.

Interesting boat.  Very George Buehler 'little big' boat.  If I were building her, I'd want that chart table well aft - there's nothing worse than needing to consult the chart in the pouring rain and dripping all the way through the boat.  More displacement than I would like, but heaps of people like heavier displacement boats: how boring it would be if we all liked the same.  In this part of the world, the obvious choice would be plywood and if you're not a skilled wood worker, that would probably be the faster way to go.

Yes, a schooner rig would be the obvious choice - split on the front if that suits your accommodation layout, or you just want to try it.  I'm astonished that GB doesn't experiment more with junk rig, but suspect that he's still influenced by the slow, doesn't go to windward, misinformation.  That 'marconi' rig, doesn't look simple to me!

Welcome, Timothy!

Rambly? No, you write well, and it's clear that you're coming to junk rig for all the right reasons. So I, for one, would encourage you to write about that journey, as you become a fully-fledged junk rig sailor, by whatever means you choose - buying, building a new boat, converting an existing one, or whatever. It's always interesting to read about the ways in which people get to convert their dreams into reality.

Dear All, 

I've recently started corresponding with JRA new members. Some of their comments are very uplifting. I was thrilled to receive this one today which I cannot resist to share with you. While he is preaching to a converted, his summary is remarkable. Like majority of newcomers they are shy to post on the forums - so I took liberty of making it impersonal but still public. I am sure that you will give a warm welcome to our new member who is getting ready to fulfil his lifelong dream  .....  Read on. 

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 I have been interested in the Junk Rig for a very long time, and bought PJR something like.. 10+ years ago and read it cover to cover. Life didn't allow me to pursue my sailing dreams, but I am at a point now where it will, and I am determined to do it via a Junk Rig, at earliest opportunity.

I have a background in Physics and Maths, and I was always struck by the elegant simplicity of the Junk Rig. Every time I would sail I would get annoyed at the amount of rigging, lines, shrouds, expensive and delicate sails, and so on that a standard Bermudan rig required. All I saw was more and more things that could go wrong, even though sailing one that is well tuned is certainly enjoyable. I am not a racer.. I gave up adrenaline after I came out of the military.. and I always wondered why people liked being cold and wet when there were so many ways to fix that with either choice of rig, layout, cockpit/wheelhouse design, vessel design, etc. I finally understood that the entire thing is being motivated by racing (and by boat companies), and so much bad advice being given by people who race (to people who don't).. it really opened my eyes. I mean seriously.. if you have some sea room why on earth would you run off when you can heave to, make a nice dinner and wait out the storm? I wont abuse you with the full measure of my grumbling.. Im sure you have heard it before! :-)

In my view, the best way to deal with heavy weather is be warm and dry as much as possible, well fed, well watered, and to have your wits about you when things really got hairy. And the Junk Rig seemed to be the best set of compromises for long distance sailing, bar none, given that requirement. It also seems to be the very best rig for singlehanding I have ever seen. With a Junk Rig, you could conceivably setup a small ship of 60 feet (and a smaller one even better) with simple rigging and tackle to be easily single handed, without the need for expensive gear like a multitude of winches, stays, auto furling and so on, all of which could fail at a moment's notice and leave you dead in the water.

I joined the JRA because I remembered my dream, but also because I saw Roger Taylor's Arctic Sailing videos board MingMing I and II. I was struck by the handiness and simplicity of his work, and the absolute ease at which he sailed his rig. His idea of camber (using his 'piano hinge' method) producing what he reported as a 60 degree tack in light winds also intrigued me, and I was done. :-)

So, here I am! I haven't posted anything because... well.. I am still digesting the wonderful content, and the comments of the membership! I promise I will start posting once I feel I have something to say, or have a question that isn't answered by the voluminous archives. I’m still a novice with respect to the august membership, so I would like to make sure I have something good to say or ask about before I join in. 

(T.B.)