Unidentified Sailing Dinghy with Needlespar Mast

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TimT

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Hoping someone can help. I have purchased a sailing dinghy - mainly for it's trailer (on which it doesn't sit properly so planning to use for my Mirror). It has become an intriguing challenge and raised a number of questions – now I want to get in on the water with so far the only thing precluding me is I think a missing bung but I want to be sure. Google was used extensively last night but yielded no real help.

http://goo.gl/vGhhw

In the pictures you’ll see it has been made by “Salty Yacht Productions Ltd” (which no longer advertise boat production) and has a Needlespar mast and boom. Still can’t establish a name / type of boat.

Spent yesterday sorting through my purchase and the bags of sails, sheets, shackles, anchors (four!) and the like. Eliminating those items I recognised as being from a Mirror or could otherwise discount I rigged it up as shown in the picture.

This has all led me to a number of questions:

1) The mast is unstayed – is this correct? I have presumed the jib is correctly rigged by hoisting a halyard from near top of the mast to the bow (struggle to see me getting and keeping good tension on this with one block).

2) Main is attached to the boom only by small ties at the tack and the clew. There is no cleats or small blocks / track as your might find at the clew on a Mirror etc to adjust tension. Am I missing something here?

3) The boom has no mechanism to lock to the mast (held on by the sail?)

4) How would one reef the sail – furl around the mast or slab reef? Seems to be ways of doing both!

Thansk to anyone that can help at all! Tim
 
Not sure what boat you have there but as regards the boom-end fitting to the mast this is often a nylon rowlock inserted in the end of the boom and tension of the mainsheet and kicking strap affords the thrust to keep it in place, with a downhaul from this to a small cleat, much as a Topper does. Perhaps you found a rowlock extra to the ones shownin the photo.

ianat182
 
IMG00107-20110722-1850.jpg
 
ianat182 said:
Not sure what boat you have there but as regards the boom-end fitting to the mast this is often a nylon rowlock inserted in the end of the boom and tension of the mainsheet and kicking strap affords the thrust to keep it in place, with a downhaul from this to a small cleat, much as a Topper does. Perhaps you found a rowlock extra to the ones shownin the photo.

ianat182
Click to expand...

Thanks - there is a plastic/nylon 'male' fitting permanently attached to the mast for the boom fitting - what I hear though is I should run a line from the boom tack fitting down to the mast cleat. This I presume is the equivalent of the kicker - been a good 17+ years from my last topper sail.
 
Yes I shouild have added that the reefing is as you thought -by furling the sail around the mast, hence the rowlock allows this turning of the mast. Needlespar designed several types of mast for unstayed rigs (the Finn for one example) and the stiffness and bend characteristics were controlled by tapered lengths of tubing inserted like a telecope and a luff groove rivetted to the trailing edge of the mast for stiffening; sounds crude but in the 1970's was regarded as one of the top makers of Finn masts.
Of course there probably isn't a luff groove on this mast, hence the sleeved sail, but no doubt stiff enough to do without rigging, using the mast bend to reduce heeling.

ianat182
 
Excellent progress on the mast front - hope to have her up and out tomorrow. To clarify though I have added a couple more close ups of the boom to mast fitting - not a rowlock type as described. permenantly fixed to the boom. for reefing would expect to furl around the mast topper style (i.e. pass around) rather than turn the mast itself (especially if the jib is still up). Still hoping for anyone who can offer help on the dinghy type though. She is 11ft length if that helps.
 
Try googling Salty Yachts Cwmbran.

It looks as though they now make roofing products, but the web site mentions previous marine construction experience, so seems very likely this is the right company.

Contact web page http://www.saltyyachts.com/contact_us.php

Worth an e-mail to see if anyone remembers their dinghy making days, maybe even have some literature tucked away in a drawer somewhere.
 
Touchwood said:
Try googling Salty Yachts Cwmbran.

It looks as though they now make roofing products, but the web site mentions previous marine construction experience, so seems very likely this is the right company.

Contact web page http://www.saltyyachts.com/contact_us.php

Worth an e-mail to see if anyone remembers their dinghy making days, maybe even have some literature tucked away in a drawer somewhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I did try originally and have just followed up but no response as yet despite my pleading!!
 
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