How does gaff rigging work?
Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the gaff. A gaff rig typically carries 25 percent more sail than an equivalent Bermudian rig for a given hull design.
What is the difference between a gaff rig and a Gunter rig?
The difference between the gaff rig and the gunter rig is that the gunter yard is raised vertically whereas the gaff is raised horizontally and then peaked up. The rig resembles the square rig in that a mast is crossed by a yard onto which a four-sided sail is bent. Unlike the square rig, it is fore-and-aft.
What is the advantage of a gaff rig?
What are the advantages of a gaff rig? Gaff rigs typically provide more sail area for the same mast length, which results in less stress on the mast and rigging. This allows for a shorter (and therefore stronger) mast and softer and simpler rigging.
What is a junk rigged sailboat?
The junk rig, also known as the Chinese lugsail or sampan rig, is a type of sail rig in which rigid members, called battens, span the full width of the sail and extend the sail forward of the mast.
What is the difference between a ketch and a schooner?
A ketch has two masts with the mizzen mast stepped before the rudder head. If the mast is stepped aft of the rudder head the boat becomes technically a yawl not a ketch. If it was the same size or larger the boat would be a schooner.
What is the topping lift on a sailboat?
The topping lift (more rarely known as an uphaul) is a line which applies upward force on a boom on a sailboat. Part of the running rigging, topping lifts are primarily used to hold a boom up when the sail is lowered. This line would run from near the free end of the boom(s) forward to the top of the mast.
What is a battened sail?
On sailboats, a sail batten is a flexible insert in a sail, parallel to the direction of wind flow, that helps shape its qualities as an airfoil. Battens are long, thin strips of material, historically wooden but today usually fiberglass, vinyl, or carbon fiber, used to support the roach of a sail.
What is a Bermuda rigged sailboat?
A Bermuda rig, also called a Marconi rig, is a fore-and-aft rig that uses a triangular mainsail. Due to the physics of the wind, the tall thin sails of the Bermudian rigs have more power sailing into the wind than other types. This is why it is such a popular rig with modern sailboats.
What kind of lacing does a gaff rig use?
Although a number of other methods have their fans, including spiral lacing and tieing each grommet to the boom with an individual loop. Lacing to the boom is not unique to the gaff rig, and most books such as Rigger’s Apprentice and Knowing the Ropes have numerous examples.
How is a sprit sail similar to a gaff sail?
As Earl explained, “A sprit sail is similar in shape to a gaff sail but is held aloft with a sprit which runs diagonally from a point about midway up the mast to the tallest point of the sail. In the drawing you can just see the end of the sprit projecting forward of the mast.
Where is the tack located on a gaff sail?
Attached at the luff side at the clew ( lowest corner of the luff) and at the leech side at the tack (the corresponding lowest corner of the leech.)
Which is easier to rig loose foot or attached mainsail?
Proponents of the former will tell you that loose-footed mainsails are easier to rig and de-rig because there are fewer attachment points and less hardware involved. Consequently, there’s almost always less friction as well, which is a boon to those trimming the outhaul.