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Converting Colvic Watson 22' Bobtail to Junk Rig

  • 17 May 2011 10:38
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    Reply # 592935 on 591691
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Stavanger, Tuesday

                                 Add a boltrope

    Chris, I am generally very much for using cambered panels in the junk sails, but in this case, when it is meant for a motor sailer, I can see Annie’s point of making it flat. However, I think that even the flat sail should be given a proper boltrope all-round. The best is to hand-stitch on a pre-stretched rope (an old halyard would do fine). This keeps the luff and leech just that little tauter and stiffer, and combined with the rope’s weight seems to prevent fluttering to start. A flat sail which is only hemmed at the edges ( as shown in PJR) is fairly prone to start fluttering and this may shorten the life of the sail  -  and it is quite annoying to watch too.

    Now, hand-stitching on a boltrope sounds like a daunting project, but if you do it the Chinese way, it will not be that bad. I have described the method in chapter 5 of "The cambered panel junk rig" found elsewhere on this page. I remember I roped a 32sqm sail in 8 hours sharp and that included splicing in a number of hoops for the battens to rest in.

    Good luck!

    Arne
  • 17 May 2011 00:55
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    Reply # 592697 on 591691
    Anonymous member
    Welcome aboard!  You sound to be getting a lot of fun out or your rig already.  Your comment on the rake of the mast has me a bit confused.  I assume that you mean the mast will be raked forward, ie that the top will be forward of the foot.  That's what will help your sail hang out happily when running.  I have just re-rigged my boat and was running in a very light wind the other day, with a nasty slop running down on the beam and shaking the boat around.  In truth, there was barely enough wind to sail with, but the sail sat out at right angles to the boat and stayed there.  With an upright mast it could not have helped but swing back and forth and with any other rig I'd have been motoring.  So the rake is a Good Thing.

    I've put camber in my sail because I like sailing on all points of sailing, but if you are going to be strictly a motor sailer, it might be easier to go for the flat sail.  It would probably be quicker, but not much - it only took me about 80 hours to make my sail, single-handed, and I had a huge amount of cutting to do because the panels and the cloth width had no relation to one another.

    You should be up and running :-) very soon, methinks, at your present rate of progress.
  • 15 May 2011 23:27
    Quote
    Reply # 591915 on 591691
    Anonymous member
    Hi Chris, and welcome to the place where you can ask all the questions you need to, to get the best junk rig on your boat. 
    Do I understand correctly that you are raking the mast forward  by 4 degrees? If so, this is just what Annie Hill has done on Fantail, to keep the heel aft of the forward berth, and it's worked out well.
    As Paul says, now you should be looking at all the stuff we've developed since PJR was written, and the consensus of opinion amongst junkies is that building some camber into the lower panels is the best way to go (though some who aren't looking for good windward ability stick with flat sails). It's not too hard, once you've got your head around thinking in 3D. 
  • 15 May 2011 22:46
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    Reply # 591887 on 591691
    Deleted user
    Welcome aboard, Chris. You seem to be off to a good start. What Paul said, junkrigs are getting better all the time. There really has been  great improvements since Jock and Blondie wrote PJR. And the info is right here.

    Welcome to our blogroll too.

    http://www.junkrigassociation.org/members_websites

    Fair Winds,
    "MD!"
  • 15 May 2011 21:40
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    Reply # 591864 on 591691
    Anonymous member
    Chris,

    You're wrong, the high point of the Western Junk Rig has not passed, it has yet to arrive. With people getting poorer, they also tend to get more sensible. I think that we will be seeing a lot more junk rigs in the future.

    You have done the right thing in joining the JRA. You will find lots of knowledgeable support and assistance here. PJR is good and still the bible for all the basics. Read the news letters to get up to date on what has happened since. Take a serious look at putting some camber into your sail. It is not hard and the heavy Colvic hull will benefit from you doing so.

    I have enjoyed browsing your blog.
  • 15 May 2011 16:16
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    Message # 591691
    Deleted user

    Hi all!!

    I have had Bobtail for three years, it was designed as a cruiser/sailer but for some obscure reason a mast was never fitted... for some time I have contemplated fitting one but it seemed too complicated... then I was lent a copy of "Practical JUnk Rig" ... the rest is history!  I have just started the conversion and have a blog to keep a record of the progress ... I hope you find it interesting and I would welcome any comments or contributions you may have. Regards Chris Vossel-Newman

    http://junkrigbobtail.blogspot.com/
       " ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats" 
                                                               - the Chinese Water Rat

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