Converting to Junk Rig?

[Ron Tan]

I was wondering if anyone had converted their sailboat to a junk rig, curious on experiences from people who actually have done it.

Also, somewhat related, about a year ago I saw a website where they were marketing this experimental kind of batwing rig, the mast and everything folded up like a DaVinci birdwing contraption. They said it could be mounted on any boat, they were even working on a giant model to be mounted on merchant ships so they use less fuel...when not needed, it folds away and disappears.

Website has disappeared, can't find where this company has gone to...ring any bells? They seemed to have gotten to beta testing it on small to midsize boats, and POOF gone. Interesting concept!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Anton,
I think you'll get lots of hits about converting to junk rig if you search the internet. The rigs that you see in most marinas are the ones that endure and are easiest, safest and least expensive to use and maintain. Lots of experimental rigs have fallen by the wayside because they were not proven to be better than a marconi rigged sloop or ketch. Junk rigs have served junks for thousands of years but there is a reason why most folks don't use them much. Lateen rigs have been on the Nile for 6000 years and there is a reason why most folks don't use them much either.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Ron Tan]

Thank you, professor. Unexpressed thoughts can really burn a hole in a person's skull, can't they?

Originally Posted by Anton R

I was wondering if anyone had converted their sailboat to a junk rig, curious on experiences from people who actually have done it.

Just freakin curious.

[GordMay]

Junk Sail Tutorial ~ by Craig O'Donnell
Vincent Reddish on making a (more or less) traditional Chinese sail. Sail geometries by Hasler, Van Loan, Colvin and illustrations of Asian sails by Audemard and such.
http://www.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/junks.html
and:
http://www.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/junk/tutorial.html

Junk Knowledge ~ Junk and Advanced Cruising Rig Association
http://www.junkrigs.com/knowledge.htm

What About the Junk Rig...? ~ by Michael Kasten
What About The Junk Rig?

[Efraim]

Tom Colvin and his family sailed and lived on his junk rigged schooner for 18yrs. Basically his view is that a junk rigged boat will sail as well has anything else, if it was designed to carry junk rig. However, converting to a junk rig without carefull consideration, doesn't always work.
Check your local library to see if they might have some of his old books.

[Pblais]

Modern sail cloth has made all these old sail rigs pointless. Materials in general have changed sailing more than any single factor. The junk rig does let you use almost any woven material as a sail since the design provides all the sail shape even if it isn't all that optimum. The idea may be curious but not worth actually doing.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Anton,
You're welcome.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Ron Tan]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anton R
I was wondering if anyone had converted their sailboat to a junk rig, curious on experiences from people who actually have done it.


3rd time's the charm

[Efraim]

If one is interested in single hand sailing, and isn't interested in spending big $$bucks$$ on sails (modern cloth) and rigging, and isn't interested on spending big $$bucks$$ on failure prone "systems", the junk rig has lots to offer.

[Squeaks]

Your best source of actual experience might be the junk rig discussion group (junkrig : A forum to discuss the design, building).

[Efraim]

Originally Posted by Pblais

Modern sail cloth has made all these old sail rigs pointless.

I would say the exact opposite is true.
Because of the new sail cloth, designers are now looking back at the "old" rigs to see what advantages they may offer.The best example of this would be recent designs of Nigel Irens.

Although better know for his super fast ocean racing cat designs, when it came time to design a cruising boat for his own needs he choose a lugger rig, a rig that is usually dismissed by people who have never seen one, let alone sailed a lug rigged boat.

So maybe it's time to ignore all the marketing fluff from the "boating community" and think outside the box for a change.

[Lodesman]

If you can find the book "All in the same boat" by Paul Howard and Fiona McCall, it describes a Toronto family's circumnavigation in their boat Lorcha - a Dutch steel design, that they converted to junk-rig during the build. One of the chapters in the book goes into some detail about the reasoning and their experience with the rig. Hope that helps - your request is esoteric enough to be unlikely to generate comments from a first-hand viewpoint.

[MikeP]

Originally Posted by Ron Tan

I was wondering if anyone had converted their sailboat to a junk rig, curious on experiences from people who actually have done it.

Also, somewhat related, about a year ago I saw a website where they were marketing this experimental kind of batwing rig, the mast and everything folded up like a DaVinci birdwing contraption. They said it could be mounted on any boat, they were even working on a giant model to be mounted on merchant ships so they use less fuel...when not needed, it folds away and disappears.

Website has disappeared, can't find where this company has gone to...ring any bells? They seemed to have gotten to beta testing it on small to midsize boats, and POOF gone. Interesting concept!

Hi Ron,
Just joined forum. Re your enquiry about converting to junk, I have converted a Ferro 39 footer and now we are on our way around the world, or at least that is the plan.

Have a look at our web page at Home . where we have posted a few details of how we did it. The why is self explanatory and so far we have had no regrets.

Good luck, MikeP

[encore]

Ron,
I am rebuilding a ferrocement boat that was sailed for 9 years (liveaboards) with junk rig. The wood and fiberglass cabin and interior fell into disrepair and it will be two more years before she floats again.

You will find a lot of excellent material on this site as well as some posters with acute tunnel vision. Two words seem to close many peoples minds -- junk rig and ferrocement.

Junk rigs have more to do with ease of sailing than cost of cloth, etc. Releasing two lines on a two master reefs or drops the sails and these are usually led to the cockpit. Sails are not removed from the masts so scrambling around on deck in bad weather is not an issue. Dropped into boom gallows, they can be covered and lashed down in severe weather. The sails are self tending, managing them requires simply turning the rudder. The sails adjust to the new course. This is why they are very workable for river sailing.

There are several downsides. The masts are unstayed so you lose the stays as handholds and they are not as efficient pointing into the wind.

The book "Practical Junk Rig" by Blondie Hasler and JK McLeod is an excellent reference and goes into the theory as well as the practical side of building in or converting to junk rig. It has just been reprinted and while it's pricey at $75, it is well worth it.

Ellis

[stuartcnz]

In Norway there has been work done on improving windward performance of junk rigs using cambered panels, without compromising the simplicity of the rig. Check out the Yahoo rinkrig group for details.