Bow sprits

[Richard D]

Looking at a boat with about a 2 foot bowsprit, the owner said it helps the forsale get a lot more power and so sail faster, than it was previpously with the normal position, has anyone any experience of doing such a mod and did it work.

Richard

 

[Tranona]

Bowsprits are usually used to spread out sail areas, particularly on boats with long waterlines and short ends (such as fishing smacks and pilot boats). Such boats usually have low aspect ratio sailplans and a bowsprit helps to get the area needed to power the boat. It is also usually used with a cutter rig so that you have the sail area broken up into smaller bits for easier handling and to balance the rig in different weather conditions.

Some boats add a bowsprit to reduce weather helm if the designer got it a bit wrong and the rig has too much area aft as it moves the CE forward. Very common on shallower draft full hulls with inadequate rudders. So, not usually fitted just to provide additonal sail area on a boat that is designed with a stem head rig. Many modern boats have short removeable sprits to take the tack of an assymetric spinnaker clear of the stem head and forestay.

 

[Seajet]

As Tranona says, modern bowsprits are used to get asymmetric spinnakers clear of the forestay.

On full size yachts they are either made retractable or prove unpopular, as they incur increased marina / berthing charges, and in the wrong hands have been known to 'kebab' other boats or even cars on quaysides ! ...

 

[westernman]

As Tranona says, modern bowsprits are used to get asymmetric spinnakers clear of the forestay.

On full size yachts they are either made retractable or prove unpopular, as they incur increased marina / berthing charges, and in the wrong hands have been known to 'kebab' other boats or even cars on quaysides ! ...

I have 16ft of bowsprit. I have never kebab'ed another boat or car.
I have only ever had to pay extra berthing charges for one night when we parked our 15.6m in a berth for a 30m yacht without asking. They made us pay for all of our 20m length overall.

Everywhere else, including my home port, ports I have visited in France and Spain and the Balearic Islands we have only ever paid for 15.6m.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

In the main, bowsprits are installed on boats that can not balance the sails easily unless they reef early. The bowsprit allows the effort of the foresail to move forward hence much less weather helm; more control on the rudder and perhaps reefing later.

 

[Richard D]

Bowsprits

Could the addition of bowsprit be detrimental of should it always give an advantage.

Richard

 

[Tranona]

That really does depend on the boat. If it was designed to have one then removing it will probably lead to poorer performance and more weather helm. If it was added to make up for previous design deficiency then any "improvement" may be problematic.

Suppose the answer is that very few boats are designed now using bowsprits as the conditions that made them valuable in the past are no longer relevant to modern designs. That is you can get a big enough rig (usually by going higher) within the LOD to drive the boat, and design it so that the boat is well balanced. Do that and the need for a sprit (except to take a tack clear of the stem head) disappears.