I Need Help with Dinghy Sail Rig

[sjohn_gibson]

I had a very enjoyable winter project - building a dinghy for the grand kids. Its a PBO Pup, best described as a cross between a Mirror and an Optimist. I am on course for a Spring launch.

A friend has given me an old Laser sail for me to learn/practice sail making with and I was happy to doctor it to meet the recommended 3.1M luff, 3.4M leech and 1.7M foot.

However, this friend suggested that I should consider a lug sail arrangement. This sparked my interest. My knowledge of such a rig is zero. Albeit I know it has a top and bottom boom and the front of the sail (luff) is shorter than the back (leech).

Can any body give me a steer - should I even consider it and if so what proportions/dimensions should I be using?

Just to help, the overall mast length is 2.3M of which 1.8M is useable height. The overall length of the dinghy is 2.3M with the mast located 0.5M from the front.


Yours
John

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[snowleopard]

standing lug rig...

is what you need. to draw it out, start with a normal boom and short mast, position the yard so it forms an angle of around 20 degrees to the mast. the halliard attaches about one third of the way up from the lower end of the yard so the top 2/3 projects above the masthead. the yard obviously lies to one side of the mast and sets slightly better when the yard is on the lee side but not enough to worry about.

a bit of leather around the yard where it crosses the mast will reduce chafe.

the great benefit of the rig is that all the spars are short and easily handled.

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[sjohn_gibson]

Re: standing lug rig...

Snow Leopard
Thanks for your response. I have sent you a PM seeking more information.
Yours
John

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[jleaworthy]

Re: standing lug rig...

For a small dinghy a balanced lug has a lot to offer. For a given height of mast it gives a bit more sail area and a better balance. With the boom extending forward of the mast by about 10 -15% it usually means that the load on the sheet is so low as to use just a single bit of string. You also do away with any mast fitting fo the boom - just another bit of string to hold the boom down to the thwart. You can find a nice picture of a balanced lug in use on http://www.swallowboats.com/stormbal.htm

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[alan43]

Re: standing lug rig...

The halyard becomes the forestay, so that's one less piece of rope.
You might try doing without the boom altogether, just use a loose-footed sail. One less spar to worry about.
As a refinement, you could use a 'dipping line' attached to the end of the yard projecting forward of the mast to dip the yard to the new lee side when you tack.


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[qsiv]

Re: standing lug rig...

It's worth making sure that all the spars fit in the boat - it has to be one of the key advantages.

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