To Ketch or not to Ketch

[LadyInBed]

Also, below 45 foot or so ketches are often quite silly designs, with a mast in front of the helmsperson's nose!

Not so with the 33ft Colvic Countess ?

 

[LadyInBed]

how does Gybing work for ketches (especially shorthanded)

With the wind off the aft quarter, if I'm going to gybe I sheet the mizzen in tight first ( full battens) and it takes care of itself.

 

[ashtead]

My ketch was a jongert so a pleasure to sail on.

 

[Goldie]

Would I buy another boat just because it’s a ketch? No.

Would I buy another ketch if the boat was right for me otherwise? Resoundingly, yes!

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Our 44ft ketch has the mizzen mast on the aft deck. It's a Van de Stadt design. They are used to making boat sail very well.
The main mast rig is 12mm diameter. The mizzen mast rig is 6mm diameter and the mast is short. There is no way the cost of rerigging a ketch is twice that of a sloop. 6mm wire and fittings are a fraction of the cost of 12mm. Our mainsail is 400sqft. The mizzen is 150sqft. Again. No way the cost of replacement sails is the same

Your main mast rigging is massive, surely. Our main is about the same, but higher aspect no doubt, the boat stands up to it’s rig, and has 6mm wire. Obviously she’s not ever crossing an ocean, but 12mm, why?

 

[geem]

Your main mast rigging is massive, surely. Our main is about the same, but higher aspect no doubt, the boat stands up to it’s rig, and has 6mm wire. Obviously she’s not ever crossing an ocean, but 12mm, why?

That's how the boat was built. All Trintella 44s and 45 had 12mm. Its not unusual. The Trintella 44/45 have the same size mast as a Ben 473. They also have 12mm rigging in the most part. With all due respect, your boat isn't really designed for ocean sailing. To keep your boat light and therefore quick everything needs to be light

 

[Chiara’s slave]

[

That's how the boat was built. All Trintella 44s and 45 had 12mm. Its not unusual. The Trintella 44/45 have the same size mast as a Ben 473. They also have 12mm rigging in the most part. With all due respect, your boat isn't really designed for ocean sailing. To keep your boat light and therefore quick everything needs to be light

Agreed, completely. 12 just sounds an awfully big wire on a boat of your size. Obviously it needs more safety factor than we do. Ours has a safety factor, 6mm wire is probably 5 or 6 timed stronger than the maximum snatch load. Your wire is 4 times stronger than that. With less snatch load, though higher continuous load to be allowed for, plus the offshore additional margin. Still, I suppose a bit of weight aloft is one of the things that makes the boat more comfortable.

 

[geem]

[

Agreed, completely. 12 just sounds an awfully big wire on a boat of your size. Obviously it needs more safety factor than we do. Ours has a safety factor, 6mm wire is probably 5 or 6 timed stronger than the maximum snatch load. Your wire is 4 times stronger than that. With less snatch load, though higher continuous load to be allowed for, plus the offshore additional margin. Still, I suppose a bit of weight aloft is one of the things that makes the boat more comfortable.

We have 2.2m draft with a 6 tonne lead keel. We also have a 17.5m high mast carrying a lot of canvas. The mast is a substantial stick with a 5.5mm wall thickness. It's all built to go to hell and back?