Thrillsbe

All you needed to do was buy a Sprit Stretcher from B&B.

I like soft shackles, and use them in several places on my boat. I had even considered making about 35 or so to use them for sail attachment to the mast. But it would be tricky to keep a controlled gap between the luff and the mast. Parrel beads work great, but I don’t like the look of them. I've got the white 3/4” velcro now, and want to try that. It should make for a clean look, and give me the adjustment I’m looking for. I’m under the gun to complete some other projects right now, so this is on the back burner for the moment. As I said before, tinkering with different setups is part

I’m really not sure that it would even work on a Lapwing or a CS17. The foot of the sails (are they “feet?”) are lower to the boat than on a Nonesuch. And then there’s all that dangling twine. But it’s fun to consider all the options, and to try different things like velcro “hoops”.

I love your dual purpose engine cover.

@Hirilonde— I guess you actually could tie them to the sprit. Mine are laced on, so I don’t know about that stuff. I know Peter has sleeves. I was just thinking about the advantages of the wishboom. I always liked how the sail on a Nonesuch would drop into a sort of net slung below the wishboom.

What I like about the wishbones is that they eliminate my biggest complaint about sail tracks. If you have lacing around the bottom, it catches your sails. If you’re cruising, you don’t need to unbend them. My #2 complaint is still there— the time to unbend, fold, and bag the sails at the end if the day. Just thinking out loud.

The rain keeps the pollen down, so I varnished. The owner picks her up Memorial Day Weekend. IMG_3699.MOV

You are very welcome!

I just bought the 3/4” (19mm) wide velcro. I’ll update you on that later.

@Peter Batchelor—I went down, and uncovered her. Here are my protective sleeves. I used velcro on the mizzen. They are on a little too snug, and need to be loosened. But they are a clean-looking solution. These have seen 20 mph gusts. Still not what I’d call an acid test, but that’s about the limit of the conditions that I choose to sail in. I used 3mm lashing cord on the main. It responds better to downhaul adjustment. But the knots are big and ugly.

@Peter Batchelor—. She’s all covered up right now. As soon as I am able, I’ll send you some photos. The velcro idea came out of Woodenboat magazine, Issue 279, page 38. I used something much narrower, but it was available. I’d like to upgrade to this stuff (see link), but I’ve got enough other irons in the fire at this moment. https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-8136W/Velcro-Brand/Velcro-Brand-Self-Grip-Straps-3-4-x-75-White

Enjoy sailing your Spindrift. “Old sailors never die, the just get a little dinghy.”

Pete— I see that you are stowing your oars on the sole, or bottom of the boat. Why didn’t you hang them on the seat tank sides?

@Peter Batchelor— First of all, let me compliment you on your Lapwing. She is beautiful. I love the no-deck variation. Mainly, I wanted to share my thoughts on attaching sails without sail tracks. I have been sailing boats with sail tracks for about 40 or 50 years, depending on how you count it. I was tired of beginning and ending my day with a hull full of doused sails in my lap. When I built my Bay River Skiff, I went with sleeved sails. Since then, I’ve switched to the “lace-on” type. I’ve been experimenting with different types of lacing. I started with the traditional

I’m not making new spars at the moment. I was mainly sharing this info off of the Duckworks page. Because of some of the stuff I see on that page, I was initially skeptical, but they said that Dave Gentry and Dudley Dix recommend it. One guy used it for his yard and boom, and was pleased with its performance. It is good to have options, when Sitka Spruce is so hard to come by. Next time, I’ll dig a little harder for Doug Fir. But it’s good to know that Poplar might work. We have loads of that around here.