Skerry, square mast/spars, round mast/spars? Sail?

[SC73]

I have acquired a CLC Skerry, no idea when it was built, a while ago I think, I have the rudder and dagger board but no sailing rig. I see the mast partner and step is square, and having watched a few youtubes I see the mast and spars are often square, I had envisioned a round mast etc, any reason to change things to accomodate a round mast? (I have to make it so can be either at this stage).
Also is the standard CLC lug sail considered a good shape? I have seen a picture of one by I think Todd Bradshaw which looks very good, I think it is a modified shape though?
Thanks for any thoghts on this.

[Peerie Maa]

My mast is square at the mast partner and round above, which was quite common.
Round masts are normal for lug rigs, square for Bermuda with tracks, for the sail and boom gooseneck

[Edward Pearson]

You make small boat masts square at the bottom and round above the partners most usually. All square works fine, Herreshoff often did.

Solid, or hollow with plugs in the ends and at the support point.

For spars and any oars, in Devon you want to go to Stones Boatyard of Salcombe and ask for straight grained, close grained air dried Sitka Spruce. They have the best Sitka Spruce imported from Canada in long lengths.

Use a taught fishing line to mark center so it's as straight as possible, measure off diameters to either side. Cut the taper then just mark it out with a 'spar gauge' then plane it down octagonal with a long bed plane, ideally a Stanley Number 7. Then take the edges off 'till it's 16 sided and finish with a fine set on the No.7 (or a spar plane if you have one) and it'll be round look lovely under high UV filter flexible tungoil spar varnish like Epiphanes or Int. Schooner. Precoat with cuprinol then tung oil if you want the full monty.

If you touch it with sandpaper you won't know why it was called silver spruce...it's a beautiful translucent silver surface colour, that goes immediately you lower yourself to sanding it.

Square at the bottom to stop it rotating. I'd use paint at the top and bottom, it's a more durable cover for the end grain than varnish. Some people find a beehole is good enough for the halyard, otherwisre a Tuffnol sheave bigger diameter than your mast dimater at that point is ideal and easy to source. The halyard will be then clear of the mast and varnish up and down. Run it on a bronze pin or get a ball bearing sheave. Leather for the rub points, no metal tacks (split and rot point) coat with Neats Foot oil. Small copper tube for the mast socket drain. Round over all edges.

Mast tie down, so it can't jump out if unstayed. Crumpled aluminium foil in a hollow mast if you want good radar reflection and have shipping nearby.

In case you're wondering Sitka Spruce is an order of magnitude stronger than 'red wood' you'll find in box stores from Scandinavia. The shavings are extremely strong. It's worth it. Stones will sort you. If you laminate it up from thin pieces, it will be stiffer but masts sometimes break at glue lines. Epoxy is OK, Resorcinol is best for laminating masts. Alansons in Bristol will supply that to you, not far from you. If you're mast is pretty small anyway, hollow maybe more trouble than it's worth, though light is good to reduce heeling on a skinny boat.

If you go to Stones, get enough for some oars if you can and make a good set if you don't already have some good ones.

[Edward Pearson]

CLC Skerry's lug sail looks pretty normal. Just stick to plan A.

In the UK, Sanders sails (Lymington) make all the hundreds of lug sails for the Solent Scows and will make a fine job of it. Where I get mine.

North Sea Sails do alot of traditional work.

James Lawrence on the East coast.

Ideally make the spars and give them to the sail maker so they can factor in the spar bend.

[SC73]

Awesome infornmation! Thank you Edward and Nick, yes making some oars is on the cards I have some but they are a bit industrial and possibly not quite long enough. I have all the standard texts, Oughtred, Culler, Gardner so along with your thoughts I should be able to have a fair crack at this.
Many thanks.

[Todd Bradshaw]

The sail in the middle of this illustration is one of the lugsail conversions that I designed and built for a Skerry. I think it both looks and works better than the original spritsail that CLC specified. I don't know whether or not they are still using that design.

assorted-lugsails.jpg

I raked the mast a bit (moving the partners a little) and managed to get the new center of effort for the balanced lug a bit lower than their original spritsail for more stability. You can see how both sails fit the boat here.

SK2 copy.jpg

Here is the new spar plan

SK3 copy.jpg

and here are the basic dimensions for the sail. Any good sailmaker should be able to follow them, adding draft as needed.

SK4 copy.jpg

[SC73]

Todd, many many thanks for that! That is indeed the picture I have seen of your lugsail, it does look the business, and I think usually if it looks right, it almost certainly is right. CLC do now have a balanced lug option on the Skerry which is is more popular than the spritsail these days I think. Your details on the mast and spars will be really helpful too as I am starting from scratch, I dont think it will be a problem to shift the partner back a bit to achieve the rake. Thanks a lot for your very helpful input.
Daryl

[Todd Bradshaw]

I did one for a guy who sailed in a pretty protected lake with light winds most of the time, so he wanted to increase the size a bit. Top of my head I don't remember by how much...maybe 10% or so. And he wanted the "Viking Stripe" with alternating cream and Tanbark panels. This is the only photo that I have of it.

balanced lug copy.jpg

[SC73]

Interesting! I'd probably go for something a little more incognito myself, but I bet he was well pleased with it!

[Autonomous]

FWIW I started building my Skerry sprit sail rig immediately before the lug rig became available. I had time to cancel the sprit sail but ended up with an extra spar and gooseneck in the process of switching to the balanced lug. Per CLC's instructions the spars are square with a generous radius on the corners.
I have another lug rigged boat that has round spars and there are no overwhelming advantages I've seen in small, light boats.

[stromborg]

The plans for my gaff-rigged Eun Mara show a square sectioned mast with well rounded corners. As far as I know in practice they get finished round. I think the Oonagh from Off Center Harbor/Doug Hylan might have an octagonal mast.

[SC73]

Ah thanks for the input all, seems the answer is my perception that masts are round, what's with the square stuff, was misplaced, so it will be round, square, or roundy square when the time comes. Thanks again to Todd for the sail plan.
Cheers m dears!