Guest Brett in Bangkok Posted November 13, 2002 Report Share Posted November 13, 2002 I'm interested in how to get the most from the gaff-rigged setup. A lot of people here have sailed these gaffers for some time and I'm sure there's a lot of knowledge on how to get these things going as fast and efficiently as possible. I would love it if some of you experts would supply a basic lesson in gaff-rig sailing here - I'm sure lots of newcomers would appreciate it. For instance, I read about manipulating the gaff boom to get advantageous twist, altering main and jib set for heavy/light winds etc. I know the basics of sailing, as I suspect many newbies to the gaff-rig do, but can anyone offer some words of wisdom in extracting extra performance with this particular rig? There has been lots of posts on specific points but none on overall sailing. I've read plenty of stuff on sailing gaffers but I'm sure these small full-length keel boats have some unique aspects. Thanks a lot. Brett brettsyoung@yahoo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest T. Nelson Surbrook Posted November 13, 2002 Report Share Posted November 13, 2002 Allow me to offer some tips based on my experiance in sailing the gaffers. With the Stevenson's design, when heading to wind in light air induce some heal so the chine digs in and performance will be improved. When running downwind, try to get the weight aft, this will pull the bow up and you will get more speed. Ballance with the load is a big factor in good performance. The main will be set further out than with a Marconi and of course the relationship between the main and the jib is very important. To learn how to set your sails for maximum performance, I suggest using a GPS to display your speed and then experiment with the sails to see how changing the trim alters the speed. It seems each boat is a little differant in the way she handels so the only good advice is general in nature. There is no substatute for spending time on the water. It's said the luckist fishermen are those who spend the most time fishing, just as this is true the best sailors are those who spend the most time sailing. I hope this was of some help. tnelson@surbrook.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Frechette jr Posted November 13, 2002 Report Share Posted November 13, 2002 A major benefit to sitting on the leeward rail when in light airs is that it keeps the sail on the leeward side as opposed to wanting to flop over. It allows gravity to work to keep the sail filled out in a foil esp. between puffs. refent1@prodigy.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Russ Sylvester Posted November 14, 2002 Report Share Posted November 14, 2002 OK, I'll take a stab at this. I've found that the gaff doesn't want to sail to windward as closely as a marconi rig. There seems to be a point where I can pinch it up only so far and then the speed will fall off dramatically. I've also noticed that the main really hates being starved for air by the jib. So if you want to look like one of those America's Cup boats pounding to windward forget it. With the little bit of formal racing that I did I found a coulpe of things. First was that I had to fall off the wind a bit to keep my speed up. Disheartening to see all the others pushing up closer. However, and this is key, you need to have patience because if the course has a broad reach leg then you will clean their clock. A good basic rule of thumb for really almost any rig is that the higher up on the wind you sail, the tighter you make virtually everything. Think about it, mainsheet, peak halyard, jib sheet, outhaul, downhaul, leechline, etc. I know our boats don't have all of these but they certainly could. The opposite is true for sailing off the wind so that by the time you reach a dead run almost everything is virtually flopping around. Best advice I can give is to go sail the boat. You'll feel the boat respond to your changes. Some good, some bad. Make a mental note of what works and what doesn't. Sailing isn't an exact science in my opinion. Try everything and key in on the good things. One other thing, since these boats have a full length keel they are a tick slower to tack over. Don't try to hurry up the tack by putting the helm over further. The extra rudder will simply end up being a nice brake and kill a bunch of speed. Wow, can I spew or what!? rksylves@rockwellcollins.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Johannah Posted November 14, 2002 Report Share Posted November 14, 2002 nanjojo@earthlink.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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