Camber in sails

  • 11 Sep 2015 01:15
    Reply # 3519761 on 3481437
    Deleted user

     

    Hi Graham

    Many Thanks for a quick response.

    Will email and or call Gary for info.

    While the philosophy of the new build is Keep it Simple Sailor, I am prepared to accept some complication to reef junk rig style from the cockpit. - After all, many fully battened Bermudan rigged boats are reefed in this manner.

    It occurs to me that the ability of the junk sail to drop (Self Reef) when the halyard is released is a function of the weight of the yard, battens, sail cloth and an inherent lack of friction in the system, ( No friction from mast tracks etc;)

    It is possible of course that Gazza prefers to reef from the mast to avoid spaghetti junction back in the cockpit.

    Keep on Cruzi'n:  Cheers: Mike

  • 11 Sep 2015 01:07
    Reply # 3519759 on 3481437
    Deleted user

    Hi Ian

    Have contacted Gary Allan the owner of "Grace Ellen" Pictured.

    With constructive comments from Gary, I intend to pursue this concept with my "Shoe Horn"  build.

    It occurs to me that the right weight of sail cloth, yard and battens, with a single part halyard  led back to a winch next to the companionway hatch. should eliminate sufficient friction and have enough weight to reef as a normal junk rig.

     

    Cheers: Mike 

     

     

     

     

  • 10 Sep 2015 15:24
    Reply # 3518995 on 3481437

    I suppose we can call this type of sail a fully-battened standing-lug with junk-style sheeting.  It seems to be a very elegant response to well known issues of sail design, construction, and rigging.  I don't really understand why the issue has not attracted rather more informed comment here than it has to date!

  • 06 Sep 2015 00:07
    Reply # 3512149 on 3481437

    Copy of my email to Mike, for public interest:

    Hi Mike

    I think you are right in assuming that Gary prefers to keep it uncluttered and work at the mast.  There is no reason you could not bring the reefing lines aft.  On a bermudian rig, you usually only have 2 or 3 reef positions, whereas on a junk, you can drop one panel at a time, which gives you a lot more options.  You'd only need to lead tack lines back from each of the horizontal battens however - in my case that would be 4 - as the three panels above that on my rig are fanned, with little luff between the forward end of the battens, so that is still manageable.  On the plus side, you would not need to tie down the leech as you would in a bermudian sail, as the sheet fulfills that function, though I do sometimes tie the battens together at the leech when running with deep reefs, to avoid the risk of a fan up.  Arne Kverneland has devised a system for preventing fan ups without tying the battens that might be worth investigating.  I have not tried it yet.

  • 05 Sep 2015 23:41
    Reply # 3512144 on 3481437
    Deleted user

    Many Thanks Graham

    The Jung Rig Association contains a wealth of talent and information.

    Now have  "Grace Ellen" as my screen saver. The Sails Set so well.

    Will contact Gary for details. Surprised this thread hasn't created more discussion !!!

    Cheers: Mike

  • 04 Sep 2015 23:19
    Reply # 3511218 on 3481437

    His name is Gary Allen and his boat is called Grace Ellen.  I have his mobile phone number and will email it to you privately.  Tell him you were recommended by Graham Cox on the yacht Arion.

  • 04 Sep 2015 21:45
    Reply # 3511143 on 3481437
    Deleted user

    Hi David

     

    About to commence the build of Gary Underwood's "Shoe Horn" Design and have had

    thoughts that a fully battened conventional cut junk rig sail was the way forward.

    i.e. Construction as for a fully battened main.

     

    Do you have a contact for the "Aussie" ???

     

    Cheers: Mike 

     

     

     

  • 16 Aug 2015 01:21
    Reply # 3481503 on 3481486
    Deleted user
    Graham Cox wrote:

      However, I am not sure if they can be reefed and furled in "automatic mode" from the cockpit or a Jester type of arrangement.  Gary goes to the mast to handle his sails, and from memory, I think he needs to adjust his topping lifts every time he reefs, and has a tack downhaul that he moves up the luff to the lowest working batten, against which he then tensions the halyard like one would with a gaff or bermudian sail.  He said that if he did not do this, the sail did not set well.  Gary is a traditional sailor who prefers to work on deck but I'm very happy to stay in Arion's cockpit these days!.

    Well the above would be a major consideration when thinking about this type of sail. One major bonus of the junk rig is being able to do everything from the cockpit, and when I release my halyard the sail is down instantly. The need to tension the luff is also a consideration because that of course is how the fullness is controlled on a conventional sail. I am always amazed at the tautness of the luff on my sail without any halyard tension.

    Thanks Graham for the info. It would still be interesting to explore the concept further.


    Last modified: 16 Aug 2015 01:22 | Deleted user
  • 16 Aug 2015 01:10
    Reply # 3481486 on 3481437

    Hi David, the boat in question is Grace Ellen, built and sailed by Gary Allen.  He has made two round trips from Australia to NZ aboard her.  I met Gary and sailed aboard Grace Ellen in 2014 in the Whitsunday Islands.  I took some photos of Grace and also some of the sails from her decks, which were published in one of my JRA articles recently.  Gary originally had flat sails which he retrofitted with hinged battens, but tore the sails in a squall, perhaps from tensioning them on the battens too tightly.  He then had the new sails built with traditional camber (like gaff or bermudian sails).  They look beautiful and the boat is extremely fast, both on and off the wind.  They also look superb.  However, I am not sure if they can be reefed and furled in "automatic mode" from the cockpit or a Jester type of arrangement.  Gary goes to the mast to handle his sails, and from memory, I think he needs to adjust his topping lifts every time he reefs, and has a tack downhaul that he moves up the luff to the lowest working batten, against which he then tensions the halyard like one would with a gaff or bermudian sail.  He said that if he did not do this, the sail did not set well.  Gary is a traditional sailor who prefers to work on deck but I'm very happy to stay in Arion's cockpit these days!.

  • 15 Aug 2015 23:21
    Message # 3481437
    Deleted user

    I was having a tidy up of my computer and I found this photo:

    http://junkrigassociation.org/page-1401723/43590476

    I seem to recall this Australian yacht being mentioned in one of the forum topics recently, and that the sails have been built using conventional sail making techniques for putting camber into a sail, and then hinged battens have been added to the sail creating what seems to me to be the best of both worlds, that is junk sails with camber but without the complication of depending on hinged battens or trying to build camber into each individual sail panel, and with all the handling advantages of a junk sail. Looking at the photo the sails seem to be setting beautifully and the battens appear to be quite lightweight for the size of the sails. The battens probably do not need to be as strong as what would normally be required for a junk sail as they are probably performing a slightly different function, that is the sail and the battens working together to create shape. I know the yacht has made a couple of trips to New Zealand and I have heard from several sources that it has very impressive sailing performance. The yacht by the way is a Hereschoff design of about 11 meters and has lee boards.

    So I am wondering as a point of discussion whether anyone else has built junk sails using this method and whether we have overlooked the obvious. I am also wondering if anyone else has any information on this boat and the construction of her sails.

    PS, I am not sure if I have created the link to the photo properly so maybe someone can sort this out, the photo is in the Technical Forum illustrations.


    Webmaster Edit: Address converted to link - Chris

    Last modified: 16 Aug 2015 01:02 | Anonymous
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