Happy Easter, everybody!
Like most (I imagine) wanting to convert to junk rig, I have trawled through and read all the articles, have owned PJR courtesy of a charity shop in South Africa for some 15 years (originally belonged to a P.D.West who inscribed his/her name on the copy), and now want to put all the theory into practice.
I own a Falmouth working boat type design gaff rig boat - a Tamarisk 29 - and want to change. The rig is gaff cutter, and the mast is a solid wooden built pole. I have measured it at 36'. It is very heavy.
The boat (LAXEY GANDER) is 29'06" in length, and according to the information that came with her, sets about 54.15 sq metres of sail, including topsail. This, when following the advice in PJR, amounts to a junk sail of 59.7 sq m. The topsail sail area is 7.5 sq m. Without this, the junk sail area is 51.3 sq m. She is the boat with the huge red ensign and tan decks in the photo; the one on the right.
I have essentially two questions:
1. Do I need to factor in the topsail when deciding on the sail area? I have not been fortunate enough to sail in conditions less than F4 with her, so I have never set the topsail, and although Laxey can be sluggish in a tack, the topsail would be the first reef. If this is the case, and I need to look at a junk sail having an area of almost 60 sq m;
2. Do I need to consider two masts as opposed to just one, given the theoretical sail areas quoted above? She displaces 15,800 lbs. (7.05 tons, 6.40 tonnes). At the moment, I am unsure (obviously), but am inclined to want to use just one mast for simplicity's sake. I'd like to use the existing mast, which I'd step on the keel as suggested by Arne.
I have approached a well-known firm for a ballpark quote, but I am not in a position to have them design a sailplan for me, due to financial constraints - so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
Jonathan