Hello,

If anyone is selling a 30 foot (max) junk rigged boat in North America east of the Mississippi then please let me know!

I am looking for a boat 30' or just under this length within 120 miles of of Holland, MI. I would prefer to have only a single mast and sail, but if there is a nice JR schooner available right around the corner from me I will certainly consider the opportunity!

If anyone is aware of any leads please let me know.

Thank you,

Scott.

Hi Bob,

(Edit: Oops. Sorry that you missed out on the Eastward Ho).

I would like to find something that is already properly converted or that was originally designed for a junk rig. I fully expect that this will never happen, but I thought I should post and see what happens.

Getting a low price on a boat with a perfect condition interior and a missing or broken rig would make me feel a lot more comfortable with buying a boat just to convert her over to a junk rig.

Please -- send links to any boats up this way that are for sale and are in your opinion a good choice to convert.

Scott.

James,

I have been wondering for some time why the boat designs i like are only in the UK and other far away places. On my first boat search I got really into bilge keel designs only to find out there are almost none in north america. The westerly boats seem to have great accommodations and features for their size. And no storage cradle needed.

This time I have learned the same about junk rigs. Is anyone will to speculate about why this is?

Scott.

  Invitation to speculate?  I hate to hijack the thread.  I think the bilge keel one is easier than the junk sail.  Bilge keel boats have enormous practicality around the UK because of the size of the tides people have to contend with.  People have their boats regularly - every day - 'dry out'.  That doesn't seem to happen in many places in NA certainly not enough to effect production design.  I think there is also a structural cost to providing that kind of "hold up the boat with angled supports" built right into the hull.

  Even more guessing going on here.  The junk rig motivation is I think 70% aesthetics  and 30% misplaced perceived need for pointing ability.  A Bermudian rig just looks simpler and more advanced.  People in the US and Canada are largely sailing in protected waterways for enjoyment and don't have a deep connection to the sea.  In the UK there aren't large protected areas of ocean/lake and the ocean is everywhere.  I think that forces a more practical mindful approach to sea going equipment.  Anything that keeps an ocean going sailor from going forward in rough weather is incredibly valuable.  

James Pike wrote:

  Invitation to speculate?  I hate to hijack the thread.  I think the bilge keel one is easier than the junk sail.  Bilge keel boats have enormous practicality around the UK because of the size of the tides people have to contend with.  People have their boats regularly - every day - 'dry out'.  That doesn't seem to happen in many places in NA certainly not enough to effect production design.  I think there is also a structural cost to providing that kind of "hold up the boat with angled supports" built right into the hull.

  Even more guessing going on here.  The junk rig motivation is I think 70% aesthetics  and 30% misplaced perceived need for pointing ability.  A Bermudian rig just looks simpler and more advanced.  People in the US and Canada are largely sailing in protected waterways for enjoyment and don't have a deep connection to the sea.  In the UK there aren't large protected areas of ocean/lake and the ocean is everywhere.  I think that forces a more practical mindful approach to sea going equipment.  Anything that keeps an ocean going sailor from going forward in rough weather is incredibly valuable.  

Those of us in New England keep hoping to see more bilge keel boats available here – from Cape Cod and north, our tides range from 10 to 18 feet, with the highest ones as you go further along the Maine coast toward Canada. it's a puzzle why bilge keels have not caught on more.

As for junk rig sailors in the USA, there are more of us than you would think! We are in the process of organizing a junket for this September, in Maine, and have had good responses by e-mail. I would take issue, on the subject of "deep connection to the sea!" There are long traditions on all the US coasts, including working sail, from before engines took over. But it's very true that you have to travel a VERY long way between coasts! I have envied the UK, for the coast being so nearby everywhere, and the way that influences how the inhabitants relate to the sea. In the US and Canada, it's a more select group, those of us who are near enough to feel it with so much connection.