andyswan
New Member
Hi has anyone any experience of fitting a bowsprit to an Itchen ferry or similar cruiser
Adding a bowsprit
- Thread starter andyswan
- Start date
LeonF
Well-Known Member
Why Andy ?? Looks or performance ?? I have one on my Victoria 800 and it makes the look of the boat and is essential for the cutter rig but unless you have one like the Westerly Pentlands there is a problem with the anchor warp/mooring line chafing on the bobstay. The bow roller needs to run right over the end of the bowsprit. I lash the mooring warp or anchor warp to the end of the sprit but am planning to have a fitting made to lead it though.
andyswan
New Member
Hi Leon
I have a problem with weather helm and the considered opinion is that I need to move the centre of effort forward of the mast to cure it and one way would be a bowsprit arangement. The original Itchen Ferry is a Gaff rig with a bowsprit and mine is a 1980s GRP sloop rig, as far as I can tell the mast is in pretty much the same place as the gaffer hence the original question. If you have any other ideas to help with weather helm they would certainly be well received. I have experimented with my rig and found that if I put in a reef in the mainsail and fully unfurl the Genoa then the weather helm is more acceptable. This leads me to think the balance between the two is suspect.
I have a problem with weather helm and the considered opinion is that I need to move the centre of effort forward of the mast to cure it and one way would be a bowsprit arangement. The original Itchen Ferry is a Gaff rig with a bowsprit and mine is a 1980s GRP sloop rig, as far as I can tell the mast is in pretty much the same place as the gaffer hence the original question. If you have any other ideas to help with weather helm they would certainly be well received. I have experimented with my rig and found that if I put in a reef in the mainsail and fully unfurl the Genoa then the weather helm is more acceptable. This leads me to think the balance between the two is suspect.
dur
Well-Known Member
As you say the orginal itchen ferry was a gaff rigged fishing boat (from the village of Itchen Ferry). I believe the grp bermudan cruiser uses the same hull as the grp Tamarisk gaff cutters (built originally as a 22 then a 24). My Tamarisk 22 has 6 foot of bowsprit out board and I know of a 24 which has extended the bowsprit to 9 foot which apparently sorted the weather helm. My 22 is pretty hard nosed in blow. I dare say I should reef earlier, especially as there is precious little under water.
But NB, a) a gaffer has much more main sail aft than a bermudan and b) a big sprit is a lot of weight out front and one of the ways of reducing weather helm is to shift weight aft!!
It is said by some that the 22 hull has the same lines as the genuine itchen ferry "Nellie" currently up for sale. This is truly beautiful (to my eye!) see http://wicormarine.co.uk/nellie/ for what a real prodder looks like.
But NB, a) a gaffer has much more main sail aft than a bermudan and b) a big sprit is a lot of weight out front and one of the ways of reducing weather helm is to shift weight aft!!
It is said by some that the 22 hull has the same lines as the genuine itchen ferry "Nellie" currently up for sale. This is truly beautiful (to my eye!) see http://wicormarine.co.uk/nellie/ for what a real prodder looks like.
richardabeattie
Well-Known Member
I fitted a bowsprit to my old Westerly 22 to cure weather helm and it certainly did. It also improved balance going downwind. Even more important it looked good. Just a short timper sprit bolted throught he deck and held down by a bobstay to the stem. Then a WM furling gear. All very cheap and cheerful. To simplify I brought the jib halyard back down to the furling drum rather than down the mast.
