Self tacking staysail question

[NUTMEG]

I read the latest ECS article about a Bawley kept on the Blackwater. She has a self tacking jib, running on a metal horse across the foredeck.

Now, this set me thinking.

I have a Mk1 Cornish Crabber, flush decked, no headroom, wife hates it.

Can anyone explain how self tacking works? Would it be reasonable to convert to self tacking on my Crabber? What would be involved, apart from making the metal horse to take the tack.

All thoughts most welcome. Not getting the drill out just yet, just musing.

Cheers all

Steve

 

[FullCircle]

I read the latest ECS article about a Bawley kept on the Blackwater. She has a self tacking jib, running on a metal horse across the foredeck.

Now, this set me thinking.

I have a Mk1 Cornish Crabber, flush decked, no headroom, wife hates it.

Can anyone explain how self tacking works? Would it be reasonable to convert to self tacking on my Crabber? What would be involved, apart from making the metal horse to take the tack.

All thoughts most welcome. Not getting the drill out just yet, just musing.

Cheers all

Steve

If the wife hates it, you will still be tacking by yourself even with your new fangled device.


But seriously, You will be restricted to around 90% jib to allow it to tack. If the mast hasd been designed far enough aft, that could be OK, but when I considered it for my boat, the self tacking Jib meant too high a performance loss, particularly off the wind.

 

[NUTMEG]

Thanks full circle. Nutmeg is a gaffer, we don't do performance

 

[wingdiver]

Our staysail has a boom rather than a track for self tacking.