PadrePoint Posted March 10, 2022 Report Share Posted March 10, 2022 I Received 3 Free Sails Today My neighborhood marina has begun installing controls into my ski-boat build (Glen-L Stiletto) that I began a little over a year ago. (It’s been in their shop since last August with the plan to do the work in January or so… it’s also free winter storage .) I’m really looking foreword to experiencing this boat on the water this year. It’s something I wanted to build since high school days. Ok, to the matter at hand… the marina guy found a bag of 3 sails in their “junk” storage area. Not having any purpose for the sails they gave them to me. I’m wondering if they can be used as a staysail in either of my boats. I opened them up to see what they are. There is a mainsail and two jibs. I have no idea of what kind of boat they were designed for… but the tag on each sail is: The mainsail has a bolt rope in the luff (the left side of the photo) and the foot is about a right angle to the luff (it doesn’t quite look that way in the photo): The luff/leech/foot measurements are: 187” x 209” x 95” for about 61 sq. feet (My CS15 mainsail is: 180” x 182” x 81” for 59 sq. feet) The two jibs are the same size with hanks for a jib wire on the luff (the left side of the photo.) The leech is almost a right angle to the foot. The luff/leech/foot measurements are: 132” x 118” x 51” for about 17 sq. feet (My CS15 mizzen is: 152” x 155” x 72” for 45 sq. feet) My CS15 plans show how a staysail would be placed but I haven’t found any dimensions for one. Does anyone know something about what a staysail for either a CS15 or CS17 might be? (BTW, I recently bought Avocet, a CS17 that I haven’t used yet… soon .) So, some ideas I have: Perhaps the larger sail could be used as a staysail, knowing that it’s purpose is limited for light wind. It would just be a novelty to play around with. Maybe ignore the larger sail and use the smaller sail as a staysail, one for each boat. I could perhaps cut the larger sail toward what a staysail should be and hem the edges (I’d need those “specs”). Perhaps I could use the smaller jib as a jib, fashioning a way to extend it to something beyond the bow… that would merely be used to give grandkids a small sail that they could be entirely responsible for… just for fun. So, any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy B Posted March 10, 2022 Report Share Posted March 10, 2022 I did a bit of searching. Looks like it is the sail from a Snark Wildflower. See the pictures, including the orange "W", here: https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/bowsprit-on-a-snark-mayflower.51710/ Note the title says Mayflower, but a poster below says it is a Wildfower, which explains the "W" on sail instead of the "M". This link here shows three sails, the main, jib, and spinnaker. https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/wildflower Those look brand new. The boat was built between 1972 and 1979. If you could find an owner of such a boat looking for new-condition sails you might be able to sell these and buy a staysail from B&B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePoint Posted March 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2022 Andy, Good bit of sleuthing there. The only Snark boat I found was a single sail type. I have no need of trying to get some bucks for them… kinda not in the spirit of the gift. I thought it would be fun to experiment some with them since they came my way. I suppose another option for the small jibs is to see if my sons would be interested in using one on their canoes. They are each finishing canoe builds this year, one a cedar strip and the other plywood. I’ve been thinking about inquiring about B&B’s stay sails but haven’t done so yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Tim Posted March 10, 2022 Report Share Posted March 10, 2022 Padre said, "Maybe ignore the larger sail". If this is the case, I would be interested in the sail. I have built a Spindrift 11' and 62 sq ft sail could work well for me. I still have hopes of a furling system and it would be fun to experiment with. Please let me know, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePoint Posted March 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2022 Captain Tim, I’d like to experiment (play with ) the sails some this summer. I will keep this in mind, but it’s still winter up here… just finished some downhill skiing. ⛷ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted March 11, 2022 Report Share Posted March 11, 2022 FWIW........ I have a Staysail rigged for Skeena. I've only used it three times. But two of those times it made a really hot light wind day tolerable on a beam reach. I bought mine from B & B and the material is spinnaker light. I feel this is pretty critical in flying it in these light wind conditions. The points of sail it is useful if very limited, but I'm happy I have it. Here is the only pic I have, but you can see the wind had died and I had just started the Suzuki and I got a lot of other odd sail things going . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePoint Posted March 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2022 Thanks for the photo, Steve. That is helpful as I try to visualize how this all works. I look forward to playing around with a bunch of things this year with Norma T (CS15) and Avocet (CS17mk3). Spring in the upper Midwest is coming in. One local ski hill is closing in a week or so but the place where I have a season pass looks for another full month of skiing. ⛷ A Wisconsin comedian offers reflections on Spring up here: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 Ted, Steve makes some very good points. This type of sail is a sort of cross between a spinnaker and a jib. The material is super light, like a spinnaker, but it is cut “sort of” like a jib. I don’t see why you couldn’t play around with the concept using one of the jibs. But a real staysail would be much better, once you get past the experimental stage. For me on my small lakes, a staysail would be a nuisance. They are only for extended runs on certain points of sail. I need to change course frequently, and this sail does not accommodate frequent changes. Please note that I always reserve the right to be wrong; this is just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePoint Posted March 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 What you state, Don, reflects my thinking. Thanks. I’ll finish my ski/boat build before considering purchasing a staysail(s) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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