Motor boat sail.......

[Superflid]

I've often noticed motor boats (usually fishing boats) with a small sail near the stern. Too small to be of much use for propulsion.

My pics rarely work, so here goes.........

What's it for?

 

[Salty John]

It's to help keep the boat pointing up into the wind.

 

[Talbot]

I suspect on this vessel, he spends a lot of time stopped picking up pots or lowering them, and has got fed up with rolling heavily. The sail will bring the bow more into wind and add stability when stopped. Similar concept to the old drifter fishing vessels.

 

[philip_stevens]

You are close, but nothing to do with comfort or rolling.

I was fishing from a similar boat for a few years on shellfish netting. The mizzen it to stop the boat from going beam-on to the wind when hauling nets or pots, as the hauler is very near the middle of the boat. Sometimes, it is necessary to put the mizzen way over to one side or the other to also offset the effect of adverse tide and wind.

When shooting nets or pots, the mizzen, although remaining set, has no effect when motoring up or down tide.

 

[sofka]

I am thinking about putting a mizzen on my small motor boat to stop it skating around so much at anchor. can anyone suggest a way of working out an appropriate square footage for such a sail? The mizzen would also be useful to raise heights of aerials etc. Another thought... i also have a yawl, Her mizzen is off centre and the mobo would carry a mizzen best off centre as well. any one have advice about this please? ie good idea or daft! :

 

[Guest]

Adding a Mizzen ....

Sounds like the best would be a small mast and sail from a dinghy .... eg a Mirror or similar ....

Even that may be a bit big ... as you really don't need much at all ... and of course it depends on the size and design of Mobo ....

But I would go through Boats for Sale / Boats and Outboards small ads for a small compact dinghy set-up ....

It is NOT daft at all .... look at the piccy at top !!!

Don't forget to watch for increase of wind though ... the load a sail can put on a boat when wind increases is tremendous .....

 

[Superflid]

Re: Adding a Mizzen ....

Thanks to the posters who have explained the "Mizzen" for me, at this rate I'll know what I'm talking about one day......

 

[philip_stevens]

Alot of fishing boats have this "gaff" mizzen sail, mainly to offset the added windage of the forward wheelhouse. On older fishing vessels many years ago, as the wheelhouse was like a "phone box" aft, the mizzen sail was usually in the shape of a normal bermudian triangle.

Depending on the forward windage of your boat, will mainly decide on the shape and size. You probably won't need a very big mizzen sail, as theren is a lot of wind leverage that way aft.

As Nigel says, keep an eye on the wind when anchored, as the mizzen sail could put you athwart the tide and exert more pull on the anchor - and also put you closer to other boats lying to the tide.

Dick Everitt of PBO has written articles and also had drawings on his sketchbook page concerning mizzen, or anchoring, sails on mobos and sailing boats.

 

[Vagabond]

How about getting a big ensign and adding a boom to your flag pole.

Just add an ensignsheet and you are away!

 

[philip_stevens]

Lateral thinking. Go one better and make the ensign out of plywood /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[mainshiptom]

Some of the Grand Banks have a token sail?

 

[sofka]

somehow I don't think plywood sails work very well!
Oppie sail might be OK. probably though may end up with a sail board mast and bit of tarp as an experiment. I can then fly the ensign from the mizzen in true yawl style.

 

[pappaecho]

When I was kid, inshore drifters, had a mizzen staysail, which just about pointed the boat in the right direction and allowed steerage.
I suspect that this sail does no more than stop the boat bobbing around in short choppy seas. I have seen similar on the River Medina in the last few weeks

 

[sofka]

Aha, found a windsurfer mast in my junk pile, just right .Now has anyone got the top half of an old windsurfer sail they dont want ? The first 6 foot of the mast will be inside the mobo, stepped on the sole. A table leg thingy is ideal.