Staysails

[KJ]

Inquiry:* does your vessel have a staysail, and if so,*how often do you use it?

 

[JohnP]

We don't have one, the mast on my boat is basically for holding the radar and stuff. No boom either so we* just prop our dink on the swimplatform. Interesting to hear if others use them.**

 

[Marin]

I know of several GB owners who have and use them. They all say they are great for keeping a boat headed into the wind and waves at anchor or on a mooring buoy and reducing yaw and the subsequent rolling movement. But they do nothing the rest of the time. Their effect in damping roll in a beam sea is minimal to none according to them and they no longer use them for that purpose.

 

[jleonard]

I don't own one* either. Mainly because of all the talk in trawlers/trawlering where owners said they didn't do much.
Plus my mast or boat is not rigged for a sail. Too much trouble and expense for a questionable benefit.

 

[koliver]

When looking for our present boat, we looked at one with a steadying sail. \the owner was so proud of its recent addition to his gear, but we took it as an indication that the boat rolled like a pig, and looked elsewhere.

 

[Arctic Traveller]

I agree with Marin.* There about useless underway.* When we were motor sailing, we often raised the main to reduce roll, and it helped, but that was a huge sail compared to the ones on trawlers.** A staysail at anchor, if big enough, can really help keep the boat pointed into the wind.* I've seen one design that had two seperate sails, attached at the head, and spread apart at the stern.* The design should provide additional resistance to sailing around the anchor due to the increased angle of attack on each side.* If we had a mast on our Defever, I'd raise one, but unfortunately we can't ...................Arctic Traveller

 

[FF]

Back during a furlough I was in the outfitting business.

The Adler Barbour guys were having the Bill Garden Vagabond built and imported .

I went on a ride with an owner to demonstrate the AP he had me install, a Wood Freeman , a man of money and taste.

In a 12-14K breeze we first hoisted the fore staysail, the boat could reach at 5+K with ease, and we did figure 8'ts under staysail and AP.

IT took the full main , outer foresail and mizzen too get to 7.5K .

The point is it takes very little to get SL.7 or .8 and an amazingly small sail will do it.

 

[markpierce]

I am anticipating getting a half knot or so of assistance from the low-aspect staysail jib and main sails under favorable wind conditions.

Still,*she isn't a motorsailer.

 

[Codger2]

I have to admit, that's one hell of a boat for the money!

 

[FF]

Looks fine.

IF the sails are not big enough to assist the roll stability , the mast will probably need to come aft for the flopper stoppers.Now is the time for the mast base to be built in.

 

[Marin]

In order for a steady sail to be of any use in reducing yaw on a mooring, the sail needs to be way aft. Think of it as adding feathers to the back of an arrow. I saw a lot of these simple rigs on lobsterboats in Maine. The mast and sail are easily removed and stowed.

 

[skipperdude]

FF wrote:


I went on a ride with an owner to demonstrate the AP he had me install, a Wood Freeman , a man of money and taste.

.

So FF.**What do you really think of the Wood Freeman.

SD

*

 

[FF]

"So FF. What do you really think of the Wood Freeman."


LOVE IT , If I were planning on a round the world or Antarticia via Cape Horn summer trip it would be the AP of choice.

It is virtually ALL mechanical , so trouble shooting is simply a good look.

For most coastal folks the new stuff that steers from buoy to buoy would be easier to live with , and a couple off spares could be cycling between the service folks and the next marina.

 

[brucewayne]

Yes I have staysails for my Vessel. When there was light and medium wind, at that time staysails helps on increasing the performance of the sailing speed.

 

[markpierce]

Haven't used my sails very much as it seems I'm usually going directly windward or downwind (with little apparent wind). Nevertheless, with about ten knots of wind abeam the sails reduce rocking and add about a half knot. The jib (forward sail) adds a lot. Doubt a "handkerchief" sail creates must drive.

 

[dvd]

Must be some swirly winds there on the bay -- looks like your jib is on a starboard tack and your main is on a port tack.

dvd

 

[markpierce]

No, both sails are on the starboard tack, but the foresail is slightly blanketed by the mainsail in the photo.

 

[Phil Fill]

We have one but have not used it. I would only use to when anchoring to reduce thw swing the the pull on the anchor is straighter.

 

[captrigney]

Does anybody just ditch the mast altogether?

 

[Marin]

Does anybody just ditch the mast altogether?

You can if you don't need it. We use ours to launch both our dinghies and it's a critical component of our MOB procedure. So it's more than just decoration for us. It can also be a good location for radar, GPS, and satellite antennas and a radar reflector.

But if one doesn't use a mast and boom for anything then functionally there's no reason to keep it. Aesthetically there might be but that's a subjective call.

 

[FF]

Aesthetically there might be but that's a subjective call. __________________

Sorta like tiny imitation tug boats with stacks , of no use except as deck dock box?

 

[Larry M]

Does anybody just ditch the mast altogether?

Our mast is an integral part of our paravane system. An addtion, the radar, weather instuments, TV antenna, radar deflector, GPS, anchor light and the deck lights are all mounted on the mast.

We did see a 1981 Krogen 42 that had a radar arch in place of the mast to mount their electronics. It looked pretty good.

 

[markpierce]

Aesthetically there might be but that's a subjective call. __________________

Sorta like tiny imitation tug boats with stacks , of no use except as deck dock box?

Yes. My imitation stack provides for headroom over the stairs between pilothouse and saloon as well as holding the propane bottle.

Besides carrying sails, its mast supports the radar, VHF antenna, running light, anchor light, spreader lights, flag halyards, and lightning rod.

 

[FF]

as well as holding the propane bottle

So if the propane bottle overheated and all the gas was released in a min , it would vent down the stairs into the vessel?

Unique !

 

[markpierce]

as well as holding the propane bottle

So if the propane bottle overheated and all the gas was released in a min , it would vent down the stairs into the vessel?

Unique !

Not quite!

The bottle sits on the lower part of the "stack" which is part of the saloon's strong, solid steel roof. The bottle is covered with the weaker, plastic, upper part of the "stack" with small gaps at the edges.

 

[Delfin]

Hate to be a nit picker, but some nautical nomenclature review might be in order here. Unless I am mistaken, a staysail is a sail inboard of the jib or headsail. If you have a staysail, you by definition have a jib, otherwise the "staysail" is a jib. The steadying sail shown above is a mainsail, not a staysail, which always flies forward from the main mast. I'm sure everyone already knows this, but in the interest of not having to endure listening to sailors alleging that trawler owners can't tell port from starboard I point this out.

 

[markpierce]

Dictionary Definition

staysail n : a fore-and-aft sail set on a stay (as between two masts)

English

Noun A fore-and-aftrigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowspritor to another mast.

Extensive Definition

A staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whoseluffcan be affixed to a stayrunning forward (and most often but not always downwards) from amast to the deck, thebowsprit or to another mast.
Most staysails are bob triangular, however some are four-cornered, notably some fishermans staysails.
Any triangular staysail set forward of the foremost mast is called a jib. Confusingly, the innermost jib on a cutter,schooner and many other rigs having two or more jibs is referred to simply as the staysail, and another of the jibs on such a rig is referred to simply as the jib.
Types of staysail include - the Tallboy Staysail (a narrow staysail carried between the spinnaker and the mainsail on racing yachts), the Genoa Staysail (a larger staysail carried inside the spinnaker when broad reaching), and the Bigboy Staysail (another name for the Shooter or Blooper, carried on the leeward side of the spinnaker). Unlike the Cutter staysail, none of these staysails have the luff affixed to a stay.
On large rigs, staysails other than jibs are named according to the mast and mast section on which they are hoisted. Thus, the staysail hoisted on a stay that runs forward and downwards from the top of the mizzen topgallant mast is the mizzen topgallant staysail. If two staysails are hoisted to different points on this mast, they would be the mizzen upper topgallant staysail and the mizzen lower topgallant staysail.

...

With a "handkerchief" sail, it's hard to say "mainsail." "Staysail" sounds less ostentatious, I suppose...

 

[Delfin]

Dictionary Definition

staysail n : a fore-and-aft sail set on a stay (as between two masts)

English

Noun A fore-and-aftrigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowspritor to another mast.

Extensive Definition

A staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whoseluffcan be affixed to a stayrunning forward (and most often but not always downwards) from amast to the deck, thebowsprit or to another mast.
Most staysails are bob triangular, however some are four-cornered, notably some fishermans staysails.
Any triangular staysail set forward of the foremost mast is called a jib. Confusingly, the innermost jib on a cutter,schooner and many other rigs having two or more jibs is referred to simply as the staysail, and another of the jibs on such a rig is referred to simply as the jib.
Types of staysail include - the Tallboy Staysail (a narrow staysail carried between the spinnaker and the mainsail on racing yachts), the Genoa Staysail (a larger staysail carried inside the spinnaker when broad reaching), and the Bigboy Staysail (another name for the Shooter or Blooper, carried on the leeward side of the spinnaker). Unlike the Cutter staysail, none of these staysails have the luff affixed to a stay.
On large rigs, staysails other than jibs are named according to the mast and mast section on which they are hoisted. Thus, the staysail hoisted on a stay that runs forward and downwards from the top of the mizzen topgallant mast is the mizzen topgallant staysail. If two staysails are hoisted to different points on this mast, they would be the mizzen upper topgallant staysail and the mizzen lower topgallant staysail.

...

With a "handkerchief" sail, it's hard to say "mainsail." "Staysail" sounds less ostentatious, I suppose...

Yes, a staysail is a fore and aft sail set off the main mast inside the jib. And while it might be less ostentatious to refer to a hankerchief headsail as a staysail, you trade ostentation for inaccuracy.

 

[Marin]

The two terms I have heard and read and that I use for the sail in question are "steady sail" and "riding sail."

 

[markpierce]

With all this talk, think I'll put up my sails tomorrow even if there's no reason.