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Rigs: Where to fit your rig. |
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John Bull’s books explain how to
work this out from first principles - and these principles
should be understood. In practice some compromises may have to
be made to fit the people round the rig.
Here are some compromises which work. There is no ideal rig to suit everyone. The biggest problem arises from trying to make the boat equally usable by one or two people. If you are going to sail solo most of the time then fitting out the boat is easy, use layout no. 2 and omit the front and back seats. If preferred, fit a seat instead of the kneeling thwart as in the picture. |
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This is how we used to do it. The leeboard is
in the middle of the boat where theory says it should be. The
mast is behind the front seat. The poor crew either sits ‘before
the mast’ exposed to the elements or behind the mast, at risk
of being garrotted by the kicking strap. It is difficult to get
crew weight in the right place and the boat tends to trim down
by the stern with a consequent reduction in speed. The main
reason for rigging a boat like this is that it enables you to
use the manufacturer’s seat positions.
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This is a ketch layout. The manufacturer’s original seat positions may be retained though legroom will be limited in the front seat. Ideally this would be arranged to hinge down as a backrest. A kneeling thwart is shown for solo use. An optional single mast position is shown: it conflicts with the front seat. If the boat is mainly or entirely for solo use then front and back seats should be removed. The forward position of the leeboard may be wrong in theory but in practice it seems that being able to position the crew weight correctly is much more important.
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This is the best way of getting two people in a single masted boat. The seats are in what the old American Red Cross Manual calls the “rough water position”- nearer the middle than usual. This gives legroom to the crew and lightening the bow makes the boat much drier. The leeboard is mounted on a specially modified front seat. The back seat may be too far back for solo use for which an additional kneeling thwart might be fitted. This seat arrangement would work equally well with two masts. It is also good for paddling. |
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