bow sprit

[1stnewyorker]

Hello WB friends,

I am considering putting a short bowsprit on my 18th Century replica 23-foot dory, though I'm not quite sure how to add the spar in a proper manner. Does anyone have a pic of how to attach it? Also, how do you attach the jib to the bowsprit? thanks in advance for any advice offered.

[paladin]

have you figured out what it will do to sail balance?

[1stnewyorker]

That's one of the reasons I'm considering adding one. In strong winds, I often miss stays and I hoped that moving my jib forward would help. To be honest, part of my consideration is aesthetics.

[paladin]

I do not know how your boat is constructed....but a short sprit can be added with a small fitting made for the stem with the base (inboard end) attached to a frame or "bulkhead" just aft of the stem...

[Thorne]

Ed, who builds boats up in Eureka CA, added a short bowsprit to his latest lapstrake dinghy this year. It bolts onto the stem and below one of the stringers to each side of the inside of the bow.

Now this wouldn't be super strong, but it could be tied down to the stem's towing ring below and with the top of the stem notched to support it to one side, it should handle pretty strong winds.

Here's a couple of pics with Ed in the first -

http://www.luckhardt.com/edboatdetail.jpg

http://www.luckhardt.com/edboatdetail2.jpg

[1stnewyorker]

Thanks a million for the pics, what a beautiful boat. Do any of you have an opinion on whether a sprit would help bring the boat around when coming about in a very heavy wind? As it is now, I often mis stays when it's really blowing.

Thanks.

[Ian McColgin]

A lot of small boats of dory shape have a hard time tacking in a good blow. If she's otherwise well balanced - only gets a strong weather helm when the rail gets down a ways, then I think you'll have to develop sailing tactics first.

Before getting to those thoughts some questions:

As implied above, what is the weather helm at various angles of heel?

Have you changed the weather helm by changing board position, if that's variable and not controled by a rod pretty much forcing one down angle?

Where do you sit and what happens when you move foreward or aft?

Now on to tactics.

Leeward also could be a bear to tack in a strong breeze. She's the Chamberlain gunning dory model so there's only a tiney rudder. I have never gotten around to making a jib but she is sensitive to my weight and I can balance her by where I sit. She's a little twitchy to meet wind shifts by weight control alone, but in a steady breeze on a weather shore I can lock the rudder and make her bear up or off by weight and sail trim alone.

To tack in a strong breeze, remember she'll loose weigh quickly due to the wind. That's what's putting you in irons. So tack hard and fast from good boat speed.

A dory should not be pinched anyway. Sail her on what the 505 gang thinks is a tight reach. 5 points off the wind, maybe 6. This means you'll be tacking through a bit over 100 degrees total turn, rather than the more typical 90.

As you tack, leave the main free until you're around and have the jib sheeted (if you're flying the jib). This will allow the bow to fall well off. As you then trim the main you'll be able to gether speed without forcing the bow into the wind. Trim and head up deliberatly - not too fast.

If you are going so slowly that the rudder can't get any bite, then just trimming the main, especially if you're already scooched up into the wind a bit, will just drive the bow up and you're in irons.

I found with Leeward's small rudder that I could not control her very well sailing backwards as one can with a big ruddered boat like a Beetle Cat or such. With a big rudder, one can have fun sailing backwards and sail out of irons by reversed rudder action. But sailing out of irons was easy enough if I let the main sheet run free and just sat well back in the stern for a bit. The bow would pay off. In a high wind I found it best to let the sail right dead abeam and sit back till she had some real speed on a very broad reach before trying to trim and bear up.

So tack big. Get her over to nearly a beam reach before you trim the main and let her gather some weight before you trim and head up.

Lastly, while I'd not put a bow sprit on such a boat, there is a very nice clubbed jib that works. No stay. The club pivots on the stem about 1/4 or less back from the tack. It's self-tending and self vanging and does lovely things for the main.

G'luck

[TomF]

What Ian said.

If you have to have a bowsprit, how far forwards is your mast? The Hampton boats used to sometimes ship a removable bowsprit in light winds. It was a plank sprit with what amounted to a set of boom jaws in the aft end. This part was butted against the mast ... and a hole cut in the plank bowsprit allowed the stemhead to go through. Put a pin into a hole drilled through the stemhead to hold the bowsprit in place, rig some kind of bobstay, and you're away. The jibs were always set flying.

[1stnewyorker]

Overall, her weather helm doesn't seem bad unless we're in a real stiff wind and very close hauled. Then my arms get a hell of a work out. You make a great point by advising that I let out her main to gather speed prior to a tack. I have a habit of pushing her as tight into the wind as possible as I make my tack. I do have about 8 inches or so to adjust my centerboard forward or aft. Should I move it aft to lessen the weather helm? Maybe I should forget about the bowsprit ;)

[Ian McColgin]

Sounds like a weather helm induced by the heeling - not at all uncommon. If you can hike out getting your weight outboard and perhaps a little aft that may help. It also helps to be willing to carry a little luff and depower the sail a bit. That combined with sailing a bit freer than appears your habit will do just nicely.

Most boats with a pivoting dory should be designed such that the board's correct position is down as far as possible with some board still in the entire slot. An open slot and hanging in the water pendant both add drag. However, lots of dories are designed such that the parallel sides of the board do clear the slot and the pendant, often an iron rod, is more like half way down the board and thus always in the trunk. If CB case turbulence or wash coming up in the case are a problem, a pair of stiffish rubber slats on either side of the slot on the bottom, each overlapping to the edged of the slot opposite where it's secured, will do. The board will push them aside going up and down and they keep the water from sloshing. They keep the sand out of the slot when you drag her up on the beach as well.

Anyway, moving the CR aft comes down to raising the board. The movement is actually not very much if the board goes down to no more than 30-45 degrees anyway, and you loose lateral resistance. It's worth some experiment but you'll likely have more luck changing your position with changing wind and angle of sail.

G'luck

[1stnewyorker]

Thanks Ian,

Just returned from Lake George (250th anniversary of the battle of Lake George) and I tried out some of the advice read on this posting. Moving the CB aft definitely had a positive effect on her weather helm, as did partially pulling the centerboard. Thanks again,

Scott