Im for video instruction of junk rig, be it 3D , or standard Youtube fare - from sail design and making, through to using the rig.  (Zane 22 Feb)

Videos are always a good way to communicate, entertain, inform, promote etc.

However, I just want to make clear, I was referring specifically to the 3-D introductory clip which is current on the website, which I think has been useful and helpful for some people.

When it comes to drawing up a Johanna-type sail and matching it to a hull – and the making of a sail -  Arne’s notes are one of the outstanding resources which the JRA has to offer. They are so clear and confidence-building that they stand on their own merit and I doubt the need for video, 3-D or otherwise.

Its just that first step – that first inkling of understanding…. The shift from Bermudan rig to Junk rig is a major paradigm change. Once accepted, it is easy to forget how alien the rig seems to someone who might have a vague interest, but who has never seen it in action.

This is where I think the 3-D presentation shines a light.

Btw. what should the reason for making the 3-D presentation be if not to help people (design and) make their own sails? (Arne, 18 Feb)

I can answer that very simply Arne: The current 3-D graphic presentation has nothing whatsoever to do with helping people to design and make their own sails. That is a long way further down the track. The presentation is for people who know little or nothing about the junk rig, who may perhaps have heard that it has some advantages especially in the area of reefing and handing, and perhaps some interest, but who have little or no idea how it works. PJR would not have much meaning; that comes later. The best way, of course, is to see a junk rig in action. But for those many people for whom this is not possible, an interactive, moving 3-D graphic is a good second best. Arne this presentation is to provide basic introductory information -  a slightly different matter from promotion which, as you say (17 Feb), can be done with ordinary video.

It is sufficient that some people have found it helpful and informative. 

I am totally with Jim and Zane on this discussion.

Arne I also disagree with your suggestion that sail-making involves “slavish adherence” to numbers, or the proximity of an expert. I followed the design and the advice of an expert when making my first sail, and I am glad I did, but even experts sometimes need to be reminded that there is no mystique about this. I just came back from a 4-day cruise on the Tauranga Harbour in company with a little 4.2m Paradox. The owner has made his sail, with no help, to his own design – it is a sprit rig made from polytarp, with a couple of darts in it to give it some belly. To reef, he drops the peak and it becomes a leg-o-mutton. The boat is limited to a somewhat narrower range of sailing conditions than it would be if it were a junk rig – but I have to say, I was amazed at how well the boat sailed and how close-winded it was. Especially considering the little flat-bottom hull has no keel and relies entirely on its simple hull shape, its chines and its rudder for lateral resistance. You can click on the image below.

As an aside: I know that Arne has designed a junk rig for an enlarged version of one of these. This would undoubtedly be an improvement, but mainly from the sail-handling point of view. (Within its narrow range of optimal wind speed, this home-made sprit rig would not be beat by an expert-made junk, for simplicity or performance).

(This boat is also a magnificent example of something Arne often advocates – the large rudder as a contributor to resisting leeway).

As they say: "the smaller the boat........"

There are many different types of Junk Rig out there but all have the same basics in common.

An unstayed mast and full length battens.

Classic Hasler, Arne, Split Rig, Aero Rig, etc

Maybe, when we get back to some sort of post Covid normality ( lucky Aussies and Kiwis),  members who might be inclined, could do a short video of their own particular rig.

Maybe one segment filming on a quiet day to allow raising of the sail to explain the particular quirks of their rig and another segment, if help can be found, with the boat sailing,  demonstrating the various controls in action, including reefing, the various parrels in use and anything else which might be considered useful to a newbie.

Showing the partners and mast steps, deck strengthening,

Sheeting arrangements and the rational for same, etc.

With regards to building a sail, I find both Arne's and Slieve's instructions quite good.

Personally, when I built my Split sail, I did a lot of reading and asking questions on the website before I attempted to build. You can't get around the fact that you will have to do some reading. And then I did the actual work on some  small practice panels and things written in the notes became a lot clearer.

But still you worry when working on your own with no-one looking over your shoulder big you're making a mess of it.

But it worked out ok, and Mk2 will always be better than Mk1.

So maybe members video their own boats and then either editt the lot ntoo one video or load them onto a YouTube channel?

I learn best by watching, not reading a bunch of text.

Others are different, good on 'em.  .....

Anonymous wrote:

The late Robin Blain was a regular fixture at the Bealieu Boat Jumble, where he would demonstrate junk rigs with accurately constructed table-top models. Interested persons were invited to operate the control lines to help them understand how the rig works.

I expect it'll be some time before anyone visits a boat Jumble, but I wonder what happened to Robin's models. If they can be found, close-up photos or video shots would provide the greatest clarity for anyone who didn't have the good fortune to meet Robin or play with his models.