I've always thought a single mast in compression stays and shrouds under tension a rather inelegant design - someone has said "Sopwith camels used stays, F18s don't".
The unstayed Nonsuch's and Freedoms looked OK, but having a single enormous spar also seems inelegant.
A tripod arrangement with an inverted V-shaped "mast" and a rigid back"stay" or forestay seems to me like the most elegant solution. You could still potentially incorporate a boom rotating on a short midline articulated spar where the mast would normally be.
I thought I had invented that in my brain, but like most such thoughts I eventualy found a similar design in the new Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior III, see:
Greenpeace orders new Rainbow Warrior
Although it doesnt use a rigid forestay.
Anyone know of a smaller sloop rigged vessel that has used a similar design?
The unstayed Nonsuch's and Freedoms looked OK, but having a single enormous spar also seems inelegant.
A tripod arrangement with an inverted V-shaped "mast" and a rigid back"stay" or forestay seems to me like the most elegant solution. You could still potentially incorporate a boom rotating on a short midline articulated spar where the mast would normally be.
I thought I had invented that in my brain, but like most such thoughts I eventualy found a similar design in the new Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior III, see:
Greenpeace orders new Rainbow Warrior
Although it doesnt use a rigid forestay.
Anyone know of a smaller sloop rigged vessel that has used a similar design?