Making a new gaff.

[worane2]

I am about to shape a new gaff for my 17 foot couta fishing boat.
The question is , how thick and what shape should it be?
The new mainsail is going to be 11 foot nine inches from throat to peak, so I guess 13 feet max on the gaff will give me a bit of room to play around with .
I have bought two pieces of douglas fir which is 3 inches square.
One is now a three inch dia. boom but three inches thick for the gaff looks like a log, way too thick.
Anyone have any comments please? Should it be thicker in the centre or for that matter at the gaff end.
It is so long ago that I played with gaff rig that I have forgotton all these details.

 

[William_H]

Gaff

My only suggestion you will probably discard out of hand is to use a carbon fibre wind surfer mast. Use the bottom larger part of the tapered mast. This will reduce weight aloft quite dramatically. good luck olewill

 

[aslabend]

I made a gunter yard for a drascombe following this guide.
You might be able to use it as a rough guide for what you want.

 

[VicS]

May not be of much use but I looked at the gaff on my gunter rigged 10ft sailing dinghy

Its 9ft long

Its 1¾" square for about half of its length then the thickness , not the width, tapers down to between 1" and 1¼" at the peak.

maybe you can scale up from that. 2½" square tapering down to 2½" x 1½ ???

 

[bluemoongaffer]

The gaff on my 19ft boat is 57mm x 63mm. Around 3.2m long. Main sail is 14m2. It's square shaped with rounded corners (much easier to make than all round). Main stress seems to be on the gaff jaw - this joint needs to be strong

I'm changing to a carbon fibre one to reduce weight though (62mm dia).

Hope it goes well

 

[worane2]

nick viner

I have just finished the new mast boom gaff and bowsprit. If I never see another spar , it will one too many!
I went with a jaw saddle instead of the wooden jaws in s/steel and then took it to a saddler for leathering. WOW what a goodjob he did, I am so happy with it.
Now just time putting it all together.
Thanks to all who commented on this thread. Nick Viner.