small boat spars

[chief]

Need some info on where to get some Douglas Fir Spar material that is 1 1/2 inch around and 10 foot long for small boat gaffs and booms. Have built a hollow mast 2 inches in diam. and need these solid spars to finish the rig

Thanks

[chief]

Need some info on where to get some Douglas Fir Spar material that is 1 1/2 inch around and 10 foot long for small boat gaffs and booms. Have built a hollow mast 2 inches in diam. and need these solid spars to finish the rig

Thanks

[chief]

Need some info on where to get some Douglas Fir Spar material that is 1 1/2 inch around and 10 foot long for small boat gaffs and booms. Have built a hollow mast 2 inches in diam. and need these solid spars to finish the rig

Thanks

[JimConlin]

I've seen in local lumber yards DF milled to approx 1.5" dia. for closet pole and somewhat larger for stair railing.

[JimConlin]

I've seen in local lumber yards DF milled to approx 1.5" dia. for closet pole and somewhat larger for stair railing.

[JimConlin]

I've seen in local lumber yards DF milled to approx 1.5" dia. for closet pole and somewhat larger for stair railing.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Hi chief,
I don't know what kind of rig you're building but you might want to think about laminating them from thinner stock. 1.5" is pretty skinny for a ten foot gaff, yard or boom and if you go that skinny you're going to need all the stiffness you can get out of them. It's really tough to build general-purpose small boat sails that work well in varying conditions when the spars are really bendy.

Normal dimensions for wooden ten-footers would be more like 1.75"-2" maximum diameter (tapering on the ends to around 80% to 85% of maximum on the forward end and 60%-70% of max diameter aft) for gaffs and yards. For booms, a similar, but slightly larger diameter plan usually works best on lug and gaff sails (2" to 2.15" maximum diameter for a ten-footer, tapered on both ends). On lateens, you can generally make both boom and yard to the yard's specs and it works fine.

A long spar with a uniform diameter, like a big piece of closet pole, generally doesn't work all that well. Tapering the ends not only cuts down weight aloft but often gives the spar better flex/bend characteristics and the sail sets better.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Hi chief,
I don't know what kind of rig you're building but you might want to think about laminating them from thinner stock. 1.5" is pretty skinny for a ten foot gaff, yard or boom and if you go that skinny you're going to need all the stiffness you can get out of them. It's really tough to build general-purpose small boat sails that work well in varying conditions when the spars are really bendy.

Normal dimensions for wooden ten-footers would be more like 1.75"-2" maximum diameter (tapering on the ends to around 80% to 85% of maximum on the forward end and 60%-70% of max diameter aft) for gaffs and yards. For booms, a similar, but slightly larger diameter plan usually works best on lug and gaff sails (2" to 2.15" maximum diameter for a ten-footer, tapered on both ends). On lateens, you can generally make both boom and yard to the yard's specs and it works fine.

A long spar with a uniform diameter, like a big piece of closet pole, generally doesn't work all that well. Tapering the ends not only cuts down weight aloft but often gives the spar better flex/bend characteristics and the sail sets better.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Hi chief,
I don't know what kind of rig you're building but you might want to think about laminating them from thinner stock. 1.5" is pretty skinny for a ten foot gaff, yard or boom and if you go that skinny you're going to need all the stiffness you can get out of them. It's really tough to build general-purpose small boat sails that work well in varying conditions when the spars are really bendy.

Normal dimensions for wooden ten-footers would be more like 1.75"-2" maximum diameter (tapering on the ends to around 80% to 85% of maximum on the forward end and 60%-70% of max diameter aft) for gaffs and yards. For booms, a similar, but slightly larger diameter plan usually works best on lug and gaff sails (2" to 2.15" maximum diameter for a ten-footer, tapered on both ends). On lateens, you can generally make both boom and yard to the yard's specs and it works fine.

A long spar with a uniform diameter, like a big piece of closet pole, generally doesn't work all that well. Tapering the ends not only cuts down weight aloft but often gives the spar better flex/bend characteristics and the sail sets better.

[Nicholas Carey]

douglas fir closet rod is great stuff (and it comes in the right lengths).

Sad to say, though, at least here in Seattle, it's gotten hard to find. Mostly it's hemlock these days. :(

[Nicholas Carey]

douglas fir closet rod is great stuff (and it comes in the right lengths).

Sad to say, though, at least here in Seattle, it's gotten hard to find. Mostly it's hemlock these days. :(

[Nicholas Carey]

douglas fir closet rod is great stuff (and it comes in the right lengths).

Sad to say, though, at least here in Seattle, it's gotten hard to find. Mostly it's hemlock these days. :(

[skuthorp]

I made spars for my Macgreggor from a recycled housebeam, we call it oregon but it's douglas fir. The mast, of the same wood was a re-used boom from a much larger yacht. I've got plenty left to rig Oughtred's ELF, my next project. Old timbers are of much better quality and I laid in a stock some years ago, including some 4"x14"x26' bridge beams that are at least 100 years old.

[skuthorp]

I made spars for my Macgreggor from a recycled housebeam, we call it oregon but it's douglas fir. The mast, of the same wood was a re-used boom from a much larger yacht. I've got plenty left to rig Oughtred's ELF, my next project. Old timbers are of much better quality and I laid in a stock some years ago, including some 4"x14"x26' bridge beams that are at least 100 years old.

[skuthorp]

I made spars for my Macgreggor from a recycled housebeam, we call it oregon but it's douglas fir. The mast, of the same wood was a re-used boom from a much larger yacht. I've got plenty left to rig Oughtred's ELF, my next project. Old timbers are of much better quality and I laid in a stock some years ago, including some 4"x14"x26' bridge beams that are at least 100 years old.

[cs]

I was able to find good straight grained Doug Fir at Lowes. I laminited my spars up from 3/4" material and shaped them by hand.

Chad

[cs]

I was able to find good straight grained Doug Fir at Lowes. I laminited my spars up from 3/4" material and shaped them by hand.

Chad

[cs]

I was able to find good straight grained Doug Fir at Lowes. I laminited my spars up from 3/4" material and shaped them by hand.

Chad