bowsprit wood

[Windkiller]

howdi all
I was thinking of putting a wee bowsprit on my Danica 16..for fun and maybe rigging another headsail . I'd use a small roller furler on it with a jib I have that has a wire luff to make her a wee cutter (despite the mast placement)She has a fair amount of weather helm right now and I've heard from others that this can work on these types of boats(nordicas)
I'd put the jib up on a wire to clear the pulpit(the existing jib is rigged this way too)
I was thinking of something extending beyond the bows about 2'-2.5' and about 2" in diameter with a total length of about 44"
I plan to stay it as it should be (down and to both sides) and likely sit it right in the anchor roller unit (remove the roller, it's 2" wide..poifect!)

I was wondering the best wood to use (in price and strength) I've heard douglas fir would be good, I have a piece of mahogany that would do but it's pretty heavy to hang off the bow and I've heard it's not the best outdoor wood. teak seems to be pretty pricey.

I'd be doing this as a fun project for kicks and design it so it's either reversible or easily convertible

hmmm any idears?

[rugosa]

What about aluminum or stainless steel? No wood to maintain & you could design your anchor roller into it.

[Siamese]

Can't go wrong with teak.

But...I'd question making her into a cutter. I'd suggest researching the effect of adding that second headstay on your backstay tension. In the end, you may find that your boat doesn't point as well and is fussier to trim.

Why not add the bowsprit and ditch the roller furling. IMHO a roller furler on a 16footer is like teets on a bull. Why not spend your money on a larger headsail and a second, smaller one for the heavy days?

[emoney]

First of all, that may be the cutest little thing I've seen!

Now, back to the wood. Mahogany has been used for eons on boats, so don't be afraid to "use what you got". The key to mahogany, imho, is the grain cut. I used a 1/4sawn piece to fashion a tiller, because I believe that to be strong enough to withstand the pressures of the helm. Of course, finishing the wood properly will aid in it's longevity. That and not being lazy about maintaining it. I used several heavy layers of Spar Urethane and it seems to be holding up fine.

[dabnis]

For what is is worth, take it from one who was always changing things "to make it better",
many times making it worse or with no gain. I think for the most part someone put in a lot of time and effort when coming up with the original design. Suggest that if you make changes they are easily reversed back to the original design. Perhaps the cost involved could go towards a new outboard?

Dabnis

[Boasun]

After you put a bowspit on your Danica, think about shifting your mainsail to a gaff headed sail...
Aside of that you do have a sweet looking boat.

[CharlieCobra]

Sitka Spruce.....

[jimgo]

I'm with the others - that's a REALLY cute boat! I bet she's a lot of fun. I don't know that I'd be looking to change her.

[kwm]

Originally Posted by dabnis

Suggest that if you make changes they are easily reversed back to the original design.
Dabnis

This... you learn a lot when you make a change and find out it does or doesn't work.

[CharlieCobra]

^^ For sure ^^ Adding a sprit might introduce a bad case of Lee helm, which is really bad on a sailboat.