Normanby

Thanks Barry, i'll do a search. Now that i look at it, the Pocket Cruiser looks a little more suited to the junk: the mast, for one thing, is stepped much further forward (is what is known as a Catboat?). And for $112, the plans are a bargain. Cheers 8) , Matt

G'day folks, Matt from Melbourne, Australia here. I'm new to this forum, and very interested in the Weekender design. But, for years i've been completely obsessed with the Chinese Junk (or battened lug sail) rig. More specifically, the western adaptations of it, as pioneered by Jock McLeod and Blondie Hasler for the first solo trans-Atlantic races of the early sixties. The thing is, an unstayed mast and battened sail are about 20% heavier than a standard Bermudan rig, and the advice from the Junk Rig Sailing Association (of which i'm one of only three Australian members) is to add some extra ballast to compensate, and to make sure the boat will right itself if/when capsized. So, i'd like to hear from anyone who's had to add ballast to the keel of a Weekender. Does the freeboard become ridiculously low, because of the extra weight? Or anyone who might have some ideas that will fill me with the confidence i need, to go off and build a Weekender and graft a junk rig onto it. Thanks, Matt