new sail diagram for the green boat.

[Sailing reenactor]

O.K. I have some pictures of a new sail diagram idea.
The three dagrams are all to scale more or less.
The picture in the bottom left hand corner doesn't count.

The top left has a total sail sq. ft. of 41.
The top right has a total sq. ft. of 45 1/2.
The bottom right has a total sq. ft. of 58 1/2.
My concern with the bottom right is the mass of the sail is so far forward. My boat is 14. ft long and 4 ft. wide. Thoughts???

Here is a picture of us on the lake.

"Keep er head strait, hoist de sail!"

Haul in!

My sister took a video, and from that we were able to tell that we did move some. However slow! Just need more sail.
Do I need to pinch in the corners of the sail and sew them to make the sail take more of a bowl shape? Right now it is just a flat cloth.
Thoughts???

[P.L.Lenihan]

It looks like you're having almost too much fun playing sailor. However, what I think you really need first is a sailboat hull.After that,it is just a hop, skip and a jump to match the sailboat hull with it's intended rig.

Have fun and wear life jackets before you get too carried away!

Peter

p.s. the gaff has to be peaked higher up then dead horizontal.....at least to my eye.

[sv Lorelei]

Put the sheets back on the bed, Skippy!

Actually my Dad and I went through similar permutations with a pirogue we didn't get to sail right for much the same reasons you won't be able to get this one to sail right....but we had a heck of a time doing it and learned a lot in the process!

[Sailing reenactor]

I decided to add just the jib sail, the large one. It will be 8 ft. tall and along the base will measure about 3 ft 2-4 inches. I started working on it ,but my thread is too thin for the cloth, so it keeps breaking. That will increase mt sail sq. ft. by 50%. If that don't work...well let's just see if that works!

[JimD]

My concern... is the mass of the sail is so far forward. My boat is 14. ft long and 4 ft. wide. Thoughts???

There are some very basic relationships between the center of lateral resistance of the hull, the center of effort of the sail plan, and the distance between them, among other things. And you need to have a grasp of these things before you can have any hope of drawing up a workable sailplan. Start with a design primer like this very useful one from Jim Michalak: http://homepages.apci.net/~michalak/...%20Area%20Math , or this courtesy of Ted Brewer: http://www.tedbrewer.com/yachtdesign.html

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

How come you started another thread? Are you trying to steer clear of all the good advice that was posted on the previous one?

[Sailing reenactor]

Absolutely not!
I'm a member of another forum and everytime you ask a new question you start a new thread. Also I wanted sailmaking advice so I was hoping more people would see/respond.

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

When you are having trouble making that thing go the last thing you need is excess weight. Quit giving rides to one and all. Having someone perched right on the transom, as in the picture, is a speed killer in itself. The farther your transom goes down in the water the slower the boat will go.
Trim is very important in a small sailboat. You want the boat to ride level if at all possible. Go out on the water by yourself and sit in the middle of the boat.
Forget about flying a bunch of sails. You have enough problems sorting things out without trying to educate yourself in the science of sail design. If that boat is capable of being wind powered a single sail of a minimum size will do the trick.
Here are some dimensions of small sails:
http://www.boat-links.com/Sails/index.html
Also, it wouldn't hurt to post a close up of your sail and rigging. From a distance it looks like you have lines going every which way.

[Tom Hunter]

Don't add a mizzen mast, it will just create confusion without adding any capability.

[Sailing reenactor]

The excess weight is my dad...no offence taken. We all got a big kick out of that one.
The rigging consist of a forward, starboard, and port stay. A halyard raises the sail on the corner near the mast. A rope goes through a pulley at the top of the mast to raise the boom. The rope I'm holding onto in the picture is the sheet. Once the mast is raised it is all pretty simple, the hard part is keeping everything in order while raising the mast.

[Sailing reenactor]

I went with the middle sized jib sail, plan. I also added a considerable amount to the main. This has nearly (if not) doubled my sail sq. ft.
I'm gonna try to get my sister to take me to the lake some time. She's a bit ramp shy, and has trouble backing though. My mom and dad are leaving to go on their 20th anniversary so dad won't be here to do it.

[Rick Tyler]

Dave, look at some pictures of standing lug rigs or bigger sprit rigs. They carry a lot of sail down low. I agree -- a mizzensail would be a waste of time and energy. Likewise, your boat isn't going to benefit much from a jib, especially a big one. You need more drive that won't tip your boat over.

Good luck!