Foremast rake and sheeting angle

  • 14 Nov 2014 21:24
    Reply # 3151690 on 3143435
    Deleted user

    Roger, you mentioned earlier extending your mainmast to gain sail area. Do you plan on keeping the mizzen and foremast?

  • 14 Nov 2014 21:15
    Reply # 3151683 on 3143435
    Deleted user

    That is the best way to learn......it is called experience. And wow....I really do well at gaining experience.....lol.

  • 13 Nov 2014 21:25
    Reply # 3150014 on 3148799
    Roger Scott wrote:

    Mistakes! Who me?  Never! No idea what you're on about. ;0)


    Talking about one of my own memorable stuff-ups, actually :-(

  • 13 Nov 2014 06:57
    Reply # 3148799 on 3143435

    Mistakes! Who me?  Never! No idea what you're on about. ;0)

  • 12 Nov 2014 21:06
    Reply # 3148500 on 3143435
    A 38 ft boat would be fine with two masts.  For sailing wing and wong, you want a bit of forward rake in the foremast to keep that sail flopped out.  This would have the additional advantage of stepping the mast further from the eyes of the boat.

    If you are really worried about MOB, why not have a de-mountable davit that you can fit in a midships socket?  You could use it for your dinghy, too.  

    You can bring an RIB up from leeward, Roger, but would have many more problems with a larger, less manoeuvrable boat.  If you approach from windward you would have more chance: the boat will drift faster than the victim: a good thing if you are upwind; bad if you are downwind.

    Practice makes perfect.  If you do it enough, you know where your bow is, where the waterline is, how fast you are going, how much way you are carrying.  You shouldn't need to see your buoy for the last minute or so, to retrieve it effectively.  But we all make mistakes, of course ;-}

  • 11 Nov 2014 19:33
    Reply # 3147636 on 3143435

    Other traits of my foremast included some difficulty in picking up a mooring single handed. It was hard to see from the cockpit and when you did get close, a gust could easily push the bow away from target. I generally approach from the lee and hoisting the mizzen could possibly mitigate that effect to some extent, but I haven't tried yet. If you are planning on going off-shore, this won't be an issue.

    A positive aspect of raked foremast was the ability to sail by the lee. Often on a broad reach, I could keep the foresail on opposite side of main and mizzen. It is interesting and because it is higher up, the sail catches the wind better than on the lees side. All sails are easy to trim and provided the boom is high enough, you have great visibility. I found the foresail can obstruct visibility if on the lee side and depending on the angle, with my main mast positioned quite far forward I often couldn't even see the foresail except by looking up the lee side. It means more stooping and generally upper body movement. It was good for my waistline!

    Regarding the MOB situation, as a single-handed skipper I hope never to be in that situation, but looking back to the time I helped out with rescue boats at regattas, we generally approached from the lee and dragged the individual over the windward side.   We didn't want the rib to land on the person and we kept him or her well away from the prop. In theory by using the mizzen as a 'wind-vane', one could possibly approach from the lee and remain reasonably settled in the water, avoid landing on top of the person and keep him/her well away from the engine. Nonetheless, using the foremast as a hoist somehow conjures up images of the dangling person frantically trying to avoid banging into the pointy end of the boat, not to mention the anchor(s). That would probably be the case even in a 1 metre swell. If MOB is a concern, maybe get some advice from the coastguard. They must have good gear and pretty efficient ways of doing it.


    Roger






  • 10 Nov 2014 19:52
    Reply # 3147061 on 3143435
    Deleted user
    My phone keeps changing words.....mastered instead of masted. Sorry.
  • 10 Nov 2014 19:28
    Reply # 3147037 on 3143435
    Deleted user
    I am particularly interested in Annie's opinion on a rig design for remote areas, short handed. Also interested in other qualified opinions with experience in this area with junk rig. As my conversion is a Morgan 382 , 9 tons, 38' a two mastered rig seems the minimum number of masts. I am trying to learn others experience with three mastered junk rig with smaller fore and aft sails.
  • 10 Nov 2014 19:17
    Reply # 3147033 on 3143435
    Deleted user
    I am interested in a rig for visiting remote areas. I am considering a three masted junk for the balance and reefing options. In my drawings the three masted rig still has enough sail area but is lower aspect. The shorter mast in the bow is appealing as far as reducing weight in the bow. In my two mast schooner drawings the forward mast isn't that much farther aft, within 2.5-3' (one meter) but is not a raked mast As far as MOB recovery using the raked foremast, from my experience that would be a difficult operation for several reasons. Short handed I think it would be very difficult due to limited visibility from the helm as you would lose sight of the MOB at the last few seconds and would have to run forward to work. It is more likely in my mind you would be attempting MOB recovery in less than ideal conditions. It is amazing the separation that can happen in that three second sprint to the bow. If you have plenty of crew that helps. The bow of most boats is moving more than other parts of the hull vs amidships or aft quarter. Working at the bow in the confined area and trying to use your weight and strength to haul someone aboard is less than ideal. In rough weather, at night recovering men from the water what worked best over time was stalling the boat just upwind of the MOB and drifting down to them with the aft quarter/amidships being the target area. I think a halyard used as a lift from a mast that is inboard actually helps bring the MOB over the rail. A lift point outside the rail may actually make recovery more difficult. I apologize for heading off topic a little but it is related to the use of a raked mast. This post made on a phone so please excuse errors.
  • 09 Nov 2014 19:30
    Reply # 3146351 on 3143435
    Robert - a big mast and sail right in the bow will certainly affect the boat's behaviour at anchor.  Raising some of the mizzen would probably correct this.  If you are planning to go sailing in high latitudes where you are likely to experience hurricane-force winds at anchor, it might well be worth considering having some method of lowering the foremast.  If you plan to stay in more clement latitudes, it should be much less of an issue.
       " ...there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in junk-rigged boats" 
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