[Rhodes22-list] Gaff Rig

[Roger Pihlaja]

Ed,

Gaff rigs are an answer to a material of construction problem, not the
answer to what is the most efficient sail shape.  You see, sailors have
known for centuries that fore/aft marconi rigged sails are more
aerodynamically efficient for going upwind than square rigged sails.  Any
shape sail will go downwind, all you need to do is present surface area
perpendicular to the wind.  The problem our ancestors faced was what
material to build these fore/aft sails out of?  The most efficient sail
shapes tend to look like half of a long skinny ellipse. But, the wind
loadings on the sailcloth in this shape sail are well beyond what
traditional sailcloths like canvas, linen, & burlap can stand, especially in
the upper 1/3 of the sail.  This is where the gaff rig comes in.  By making
the upper part of the sail separate with it's own boom & furling mechanism,
the most heavily loaded part of the sail can be furled in heavy weather,
thus saving the delicate sailcloth from being ripped to shreds.  Other than
that, gaff rigs are strictly of historical interest.  They carry more weight
aloft, so they heel more.  They don't go to weather as well.  The gaff
mechanism tends to jam up or down at the most inoportune moments & fixing it
frequently means going aloft in a bosun's chair in lousy weather.  With
modern sailcloth, the need to separate out the the upper 1/3 of the mainsail
because of the limitations of the sailcloth has completely gone away.  Get a
gaff rig if you want to have a traditional looking boat or have an interest
in history.  Otherwise, they are pretty obsolete.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kroposki" <kroposki@innova.net>
To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 7:51 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Gaff Rig


>
> When it comes to sails, what is the advantage of Gaff
> rig versus ours or Bermudan?  Anybody ever put a gaff
> on a Rhodes22?
> Ed K
>
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