Conversion to Junk RIg

pij27 · 20 Nov 2023

Following on from the articles on the web-site relating to a junk rig arrangement, has anyone gone through the conversion process? I have a kingfisher K22 and would love to convert it over to a junk rig but can't seem to find the relevant information or find people who have done it. Is it a simple process or would it be better to sell/swap my K22 for a K22JR ? Or maybe PBO would like to use me / it as a guinea pig and do an article on how to go about it?

Poignard · 20 Nov 2023

pij27 said:
Following on from the articles on the web-site relating to a junk rig arrangement, has anyone gone through the conversion process? I have a kingfisher K22 and would love to convert it over to a junk rig but can't seem to find the relevant information or find people who have done it. Is it a simple process or would it be better to sell/swap my K22 for a K22JR ? Or maybe PBO would like to use me / it as a guinea pig and do an article on how to go about it?

I seem to recall there being a Junk Rig Association

Here you go:

The Junk Rig Association - HOME

John_Silver · 20 Nov 2023

......and, better still, 'Boat of the Month' for November is a K22. Scrolling down the home page a bit.....

LittleSister · 20 Nov 2023

pij27 said:
Is it a simple process or would it be better to sell/swap my K22 for a K22JR ?

I don't know about the Kingfisher in particular, but it's usually a significant process, requiring a replacement mast, keel stepped and positioned further forward than the Bermudan version (which will likely affect internal layout), and ensuring sufficient strength in the coachroof structure to support the mast against lateral and fore & aft stresses. You'll also need a new sail, plus new running rigging including a very long mainsheet and numerous blocks.

Getting a Kingfisher that already has a junk rig, if you can find one for sale, would be a lot easier and cheaper, I would have thought. (But then giving up sailing would be easier and cheaper, and I'm not recommending that!)

William_H · 20 Nov 2023

I love the very ordinary fractional rig on my little 21fter. I like the small jib which is easy to back wind for stearage when stopped or heaving too but provided a good sl;ot effect jib to main for excelelnt windward performance. I like the single stage reefing I use which is easy and efficient. I simply can not imagine a junk rig working to windward as well as a normal rig. So keep what you have just enjoy. ol'will

srm · 20 Nov 2023

pij27 said:
Following on from the articles on the web-site relating to a junk rig arrangement, has anyone gone through the conversion process? I have a kingfisher K22 and would love to convert it over to a junk rig but can't seem to find the relevant information or find people who have done it. Is it a simple process or would it be better to sell/swap my K22 for a K22JR ? Or maybe PBO would like to use me / it as a guinea pig and do an article on how to go about it?

Beg, buy, or borrow a copy of:
"Practical junk Rig" by H.G. Hasler and J.K. McLeod
It will tell you all you need to know about design and geometry of the sail and probably a lot more. However, thinking and practice has moved on since it was written with the development of built in sail shape improving performance beyond that of the earlier flat sails.

tillergirl · 20 Nov 2023

Do you mean like this:

P1010434 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

And: Roger Taylor: Impossible voyage conquered - Yachting Monthly
and

<head> <title>Introduction to the junk-rigged Corribee Mingming

westernman · 20 Nov 2023

There are good reasons why the bermudan rig rules the world.....

Poignard · 20 Nov 2023

westernman said:
There are good reasons why the bermudan rig rules the world.....

Yes, good windward ability.

But how odd it is that so many choose not to make use of it, and instead turn the engine on !

Kelpie · 21 Nov 2023

I think Roger Taylor (not that one) did an article a few years ago about converting his Achilles 24 to junk rig. He used an aluminium street light pole as the mast. I don't know he acquired it.

LittleSister · 21 Nov 2023

westernman said:
There are good reasons why the bermudan rig rules the world.....

There's a good reason why actually engines rule the world, and Bermudan rigs are in the minority.

It doesn't make Bermudan rigs a bad idea, though, for what they're good for. Likewise, junk rig is an even smaller minority, but a great idea for what it's good for.

I've sailed very many miles with a junk rig, and for cruising it's got a lot going for it. My own boats have had Bermudan rig, but I can see its disadvantages as well as its advantages, and wouldn't rule out junk rig if I was buying another.

Bermudan can (usually) sail closer to windward, but if, for example, your boat's hull/keel isn't close-winded you won't be using that advantage. For cruising purpose a junk rig is better off the wind, which is what most people spend more of their time doing, especially when most boats have ample engines and owners who don't mind using them to go windward. For shortening sail and shaking out a reef a junk wins hands down. It's also all very low stress and low-tech, easily maintained and repaired anywhere in the world with basic tools and skills, and has no need for expensive/rare/unobtainable proprietary parts.

dunedin · 21 Nov 2023

tillergirl said:
Do you mean like this:

P1010434 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

And: Roger Taylor: Impossible voyage conquered - Yachting Monthly
and

<head> <title>Introduction to the junk-rigged Corribee Mingming

Worth remembering that Roger Taylor, if I remember correctly, wasn't actually bothered about getting anywhere. He tended to head off north from harbour, meander a lot further north, then return to near the original departure harbour before being towed back in. He generally didn't land anywhere on his voyages.

So good rig for his meanderings without needing to worry about speed or direction, but hardly a typical set of requirements.

tillergirl · 21 Nov 2023

That image is of the late Colin Jarman. If you pm me an email I can send you some more images which you could zoom in and look at the details of the 'rig'. And I have some video - not edited but it might be interesting.

Er, umm that bermudan thing? I have a series of images of Colin dropping sail (from the cockpit) - from full to tidied away in 5 seconds. Gosh.

Stemar · 21 Nov 2023

dunedin said:
Worth remembering that Roger Taylor, if I remember correctly, wasn't actually bothered about getting anywhere. He tended to head off north from harbour, meander a lot further north, then return to near the original departure harbour before being towed back in. He generally didn't land anywhere on his voyages.

So good rig for his meanderings without needing to worry about speed or direction, but hardly a typical set of requirements.

Maybe, but the Chinese were using the rig for serious voyages long before Columbus came along. No, not as good to windward as a Bermudan rig, but ideal for shorthanded gentlemen sailors

chriss999 · 21 Nov 2023

Stemar said:
Maybe, but the Chinese were using the rig for serious voyages long before Columbus came along. No, not as good to windward as a Bermudan rig, but ideal for shorthanded gentlemen sailors

And especially good if you prefer reefing wearing your carpet slippers.

Kelpie · 21 Nov 2023

dunedin said:
Worth remembering that Roger Taylor, if I remember correctly, wasn't actually bothered about getting anywhere. He tended to head off north from harbour, meander a lot further north, then return to near the original departure harbour before being towed back in. He generally didn't land anywhere on his voyages.

So good rig for his meanderings without needing to worry about speed or direction, but hardly a typical set of requirements.

That's true, but it's also been used for much longer and more conventional voyages.
I met someone who built a replica of Annie Hill's 'Badger' (junk schooner) and completed an Atlantic circuit in it. Sounded like a perfect rig for tradewind sailing.

srm · 21 Nov 2023

There are lots of Junk Rig vessels that set out for a destination and complete the passage. Look at the many voyages of the original "Jester" and its clone with different owners. For larger boats Bill King's eventful circumnavigation in the schooner, "Galway Blazer", then its continued sailing with Peter Crowther.
Not to mention Jock Mcleod's "Ron Glas", who reputedly completed an OSTAR in his carpet slippers. Having been on board "Ron Glas" it seems quite possible as the boat could be managed from sheltered positions without the need for deck work.

Buck Turgidson · 21 Nov 2023

It’s 2023, I really don’t understand why anyone is interested in junk rigs these days except as an historical curiosity. You may as well put a square rig on your yacht if you want to pretend to be an ancient mariner. If you want an interesting version, then you should be looking at wing sails, especially collapsible wing sails. Otherwise, there’s nothing that a conventional Bermudan rig can’t do better than a junk which is why nobody makes or races, junk rigs anymore.

LittleSister · 21 Nov 2023

Buck Turgidson said:
It’s 2023, I really don’t understand . . .

Obviously.

Either your mind is closed to evidence, or there's a vast conspiracy of people claiming to enjoy the benefits of junk rig or just fancying something a bit different. I wonder which it could be?

Kelpie · 21 Nov 2023

Buck Turgidson said:
It’s 2023, I really don’t understand why anyone is interested in junk rigs these days except as an historical curiosity. You may as well put a square rig on your yacht if you want to pretend to be an ancient mariner. If you want an interesting version, then you should be looking at wing sails, especially collapsible wing sails. Otherwise, there’s nothing that a conventional Bermudan rig can’t do better than a junk which is why nobody makes or races, junk rigs anymore.

The yachting press and industry caters for people who have a lot of money, use marinas, and have fully crewed boats chock full of alpha males all out to prove... something.
Meanwhile, thousands of long term liveaboards are getting on just fine in a parallel world where simplicity and ease of use win out.

Conversion to Junk RIg

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