Fetching lug rigged yawl . .

[tattoo]

This is the first time I've seen John’s PocketShip lugger. It is intriguing! I too like the idea of a yawl rig and I’m surprised that “so far [there have been] no takers.”

For this solo sailor a simpler rig is attractive. By “simpler” I mean maybe an unstayed mast, with sail bent to yard [and maybe the boom] semi-permanently by lacing rather than tracks and cars, no outhaul, no peak halyard, no jib w/two sheets, etc., etc, … Maybe an asymmetrical spinnaker could be deployed. Maybe not, with an unstayed mast.

PocketShip Lug with mizzen.jpg (41.84 KiB) Viewed 5032 times

For John, I have some questions about his fetching “lugger”: (1) If you still had a gallows [not shown on his drawing], it looks like the yard would be long enough to provide a support for a “boom” tent – or at least provide a stowage position for the m’sail w/boom ferruled to the yard (and lashed to mast at the tabernacle and resting on the gallows). Would that work? And (2) it also looks like the mizzen sail (ferruled to its boom & yard) could be lashed under the ferruled and stowed m’sail at anchor (or with all 3 spars when trailering) . Would that work? Or, (2a) could the mizzen w/its yard & boom be lashed to its mast when not sailing; or, (2b) often left deployed (perhaps reefed) with its sheet keeping the boom amidships as a “steading” sail at anchor? What are the lateral forces for sails and keel w/centerboard? With lug sails, can they be reefed with about the same ease (or trouble) as with other sails?

For a sailor not much interested in speed – do you think your lugger would be easier and/or safer to sail solo than the standard PocketShip rig? Would a lug rig w/o mizzen be possible? Or, desirable? Couldn’t the bow sprit be shortened and used to stow the anchor outboard and thus make launching and retrieving an anchor easier? The fore - aft weight balance might be improved (anchor outboard) for a solo sailer at the helm? Could the mast be redesigned (hollow and tapered) to be stay-less –- extending its foot below the anchor deck down to a step on the keel (positioned for appropriate “rake” and braced to the bottom of the forward cabin bulkhead? Couldn’t the bulkhead serve as a “mast partner” with appropriate bracing with a thru-deck wedged mast opening? Could the redesigned unstayed mast be light enough for one person to step it? I would think that you could keep the tabernacle with the same design -- but maybe not if the mast cross-section must be increased? The tabernacle could serve as a side-to-side and for-and-aft support (for part of the bottom) an unstayed mast as well as support for trailer-transport of all spars as well as on-the-water support for ferruled m’sail and canopy or boom tent. An unstayed mast would also require a redesign of the aft support for a shortened bowsprit. Most catboats have what is called an "unstayed" mast -- but (because of the weight of the m'sail, boom, and gaff) they often have a forestay, sometimes attached to a short bowsprit. With a lug rig, the weight of the sail and spars is shifted forward, maybe enough not to require a forestay?

If the details can be worked out so that sailing solo can be made easier and safer (with a lug-yawl) and I can still deploy my “boom” canopy – I’d commit to ordering the sails, building the spars, and making the mast partner, bulkhead, mast step, tabernacle, transom, and bowsprit modifications this winter so that the new rig would be ready for the 2013 sailing season. And I’d make a detailed report to the forum members. Maybe there could be a number of sailors who would “take to” your fetching lugger! And if it works out -- I could offer for sale (to PocketShip owners) my sails, stays, all spars, and perhaps (if not useful with a lug rig) my spinnaker.

[John C. Harris]

Here's the sketch again. This BBS is as clumsy as all the others when it comes to posting images.

PocketShip Lug Rig - Thumb.jpg (80.68 KiB) Viewed 4999 times

A balanced-lug main and mizzen offers some interesting advantages. It won't be as fast upwind as the gaff sloop, so we can get that out of the way. It would be respectable for cruising duty. In the year 2013, All Important Maneuvers seem to be done with the outboard. But I digress.

The advantages are that the mainsail has only a single halyard, and no friction from a sail track. Loose the halyard, and down she comes, every time. You can rig lazyjacks to gather up the sail, boom, and yard as they drop. Balanced lug sails don't work with shrouds: unstayed masts, only. So you're spared that cost, windage, and source of entanglement. Reefing is easier than in the gaff sloop. No, I don't think there's a light air spinnaker option on this rig---the lug mainsail will set better for ghosting than the spinnaker.

The mizzen helps you keep the head to windward while you raise the mainsail. It IS nice as a riding sail at anchor. It's true that you can tune the helm balance with great precision with this layout, but that's just as true with the gaff sloop. And just like the gaff sloop's jib, oversheeting it will generate enough moment to briefly override the helm. The mizzen will need to be tended under sail with as much care as the jib, but there's only one sheet. I worry about the extra weight perched so far aft, especially given how some PocketShip builders blithely hang 300% more outboard back there than is needed.

The most important detail here is that the main mast must be unstayed. You could just have a hole in the deck with a watertight gasket, and step the mast on the keel. The 16-foot mast isn't so heavy that handling it this way is a huge issue. The garage-door-clipping fixed tabernacle IS a glorious creation that allows ultra-fast rigging, and as designed the highest loads are compressive. If the tabernacle was retained, it will have to be redesigned from scratch to handle a cantilevered mast. Here, I show the mast a little longer, for more "bury" in the tabernacle, with the bowsprit clipped and steeved up a bit to make room for the lower mast butt.

Cantilevered Lug Mast Option - Thumb.jpg (66.32 KiB) Viewed 4942 times

The tabernacle would have to be aluminum. It would penetrate the deck and bolt at the top and bottom to Bulkhead 2. Bulkhead 2 would need little if any additional reinforcement for this. I spent a minute studying the aluminum channel that's cheap and available, and there are two ways to do it:

Lug Rig Tabernacle Sections - Thumb.jpg (53.75 KiB) Viewed 4997 times

The option on the left is the aluminum channel that's the easiest to find at a metal shop. With 6mm webs, it would be bloody strong, though not very pretty. A pin through the butt of the mast holds the mast upright. I would probably fill the channel on the starboard side with wood, so the boom has something softer to bear against.

The option on the right is cleaner and a lot stronger. I like that as the mast cantilevers forward on a fast broad reach, the butt of the mast encounters solid aluminum, rather than Bulkhead 2. Theoretically, the pin at the butt holds the mast in the fore-and-aft plane, but in theory Pete's tabernacle shouldn't have gotten loose from Bulkhead 2, either <WINK>. Anyway, I could not quickly find this 3" x 3" ID aluminum channel. You could have it welded up pretty cheaply.

Both versions are tapered down to the bottom to save some weight. Speaking of saving weight, the bowsprit is retained only as a convenient place for anchor stowage. The boat would likely be improved by deleting the weight of the bowsprit entirely.

As for the mast, I think the stock mast is up to it, with a few inches added to the butt as discussed.

[tattoo]

Thanks, John, for the detailed reply. It’s obvious that you’ve given a lot of thought to the details. I’m very tempted to make the modifications. In most sailing conditioned that I’ve experienced with Tattoo, she can be balanced to sail a steady course (relative to the wind) with the tiller set (using a tiller “clutch”). And she has a nice “heave to” set up. But the balance is usually disturbed when the weight of the crew is redistributed. I suspect the same would happen with the lug yawl – maybe to a lesser extent? I’m going to visit Manassas’ only machine shop and inquire about aluminum channel and/or fabrication cost estimates. I’ll report results to the forum before making a decision.

A brief review of Rigs 17 (Balanced Lug) and 45 (a yawl with Balanced Lug Mainsail) in Bolger’s (1984) 100 SMALL BOAT RIGS indicates numerous pros and cons of the “balanced lug” rig. And problems with the mizzen if used with “carelessness and bad luck.” Nevertheless, I’ve always admired the look and utility of a yawl rig. Maybe, with some guidance, I’ll make the conversion.