Fore and Aft brings a few very valid points in relation to the junk rig.
In my case people would see me work on the boat and ask. So i spreaded the voice that i was looking forward to do a junk conversion.
It didnt took long, and someone came with two junk sails, that where stored for years in a shed. Call me lucky.
After i ve got the sails and the other works on board where done, it was difficult not to give the conversion a go.
A galvanized street lamp pole find it way to my boat shortly after. No, i didnt went one night with the angle grinder and let the street in the dark. It came from a demolition.
Being the sails Vincent Reddish style, the low aspect ratio called for a short mast. But not that short that i can pass under all the bridges in the area.
So after a trip to the junk yard (pun not intended) i had two nice square metal pipes that became a
keel stepped tabernacle with enough bury and good height, also super stable.
The whole thing (new mast and taernacle) is welded and finished now, and weights some 200kg. But then the boat is 5 tonnes alone, so not big deal.
In my case i ve got the material for free, or at scrap
price. I can weld. And i have plenty of time.
But it is still true, that finding new sails an even
rigging for a
bermuda sloop in your size is probably much easier than retrofiting a junk rig.
About the performance, again a very valid point, it will be sluggish if you go
cheap and simple. Flat cuted sails, heavy spars, etc.
In my case i dont mind speed at all. I calculate my tides, and if the sails give me speed enough to steer, i m happy.
My boat is no
racer, but more like my floating cave.
For me, simplicity of handling is priority number one.
Not having a heavy boom waiting for a distraction to knock me or my friends off the boat, having a clear view ahead, not having to change sails in bad
weather, no walking to the mast to take
reefs, etc.
Number two priority for me, is to be able to
repair and
rebuild everything myself with simple, raw, recovered materials.
I like a boat where i can
repair everything myself. I can sewn a new sail if i need, and i never have to go to a
chandlery. The local
hardware store or junk yard will do it.
And i like the stetics of a junk rig, too.
Those are my reasons for having a junk rig.
Others like Fore and Aft have their reasons for not having one anymore. And that is the beauty of these
forums. All kind of people and their experiences.
By the way. My experiece as a sailor is very reduced. Please dont take my words as anything else than the ramblings of a happy caveman sailor.
Last
winter i was thinking to also get rid of a perfectly healthy
diesel inbord... Mainly because i knew nothing about diesel motors. Luckily i didnt.
Instead, i learned my
motor, serviced with the help of other sailors (some very helpful from these forums) and modified the
interior layout of the boat to have a better access to it. Now that it runs good and i know how it works, it has earned its place in my boat.
The
bermuda rig is another story. I dont enjoy it so much. It doesnt please my eyes, and i dont enjoy sailing with it that much.
All the best