SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Gaf rigged inflatable questions..

2K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  Speedy60 
#1 ·
My dad and I have sailed many different boats before he "went over the reef" , all of them sloops. After he passed, I found a Sevylor inflatable with a sail kit in his "storage". The last time it was registered was 1989. This "boat" is gaff rigged, and I have no experience with them.... (Of course, no instructions on rigging, or otherwise).... So, I muddled through getting it set up, but have some questions before I take it out and snap my mast. It has an adjustable mast step that locks under the air tubes on each side, and an adjustable board that locks onto the oarlocks on each side that has a hole the mast goes through down into the mast step. Shrouds run from mast top to knobs that lock the lee boards in place on this top board. A (very) small jib seconds as a forestay. My main question is, with the shrouds being abeam the mast, and no visible backstay, what will keep me from snapping this "huge" 1 1/4 inch mast when I run downwind? I realize it carries a small mainsail area, maybe 35 sq. ft., but I don't want to ruin this little gem my first time out... Also, the main, the boom, and the gaff all have loops that slide onto the mast, I don't see any way to "lock" the gaff, or the boom in place on the mast. Are they supposed to float and only be controlled by the peak halyard? I am lost. Any help would be appreciated....
 
#2 ·
I know nothing about your particular boat, but it's most common to have no stays for a sailing dinghy mast at all. Having the forestay/jib is unusual.

Gaff rigs are neat, but complicated. They give you more options for sail shape. You should have both a halyard that allow you to adjust the luff tension and a topping lift (I think it technically has a different name, peak halyard maybe) on the end of the gaff to adjust the leach.
 
#3 ·
Thanks Jeanneau 54DS for your reply, in looking at all of the pics and posts I can on the net in the last couple of weeks concerning the backstay, I thought I didn't see any. Just want to have a safe maiden voyage with her. On the subject of adjusting the luff and leech, that was my second question. As I raise and lower the peak halyard, it will adjust the leech tension with tension on the mainsheet, but this thing is loose footed, and I see no provision for a downhaul to adjust the luff. Maybe I'm thinking too much, as it is only a dinghy, just hate to get out and not be able to get back in without using the oars, (and embarrassed too, as I WILL have an audience).....
 
#7 ·
Thank you all for your responses. As I said, I am flying by the seat of my pants on rigging this thing. I'll be working on getting it rigged up today (Friday) to get it in the water Saturday, So I'll be able to post a pic or 2 tomorrow... What I do know from having it kinda put together last weekend is that there are 2 holes at the top of the mast that are chamfered for lanyards / shrouds to pass through. There are no blocks, ( I'll be adding some you can bet!!), so I bent the shrouds to one hole (smaller), and am running the lanyards for the jib and the gaff through the larger hole. This is definitely not lug rigged as there are loops along the luff that secure it to the mast, it might supposed to be Gunter rigged as there is a hole about 1/3 of the way out on the gaff, and another at the end ( which I assumed was to attach the leech end of the sail to the gaff), but might also be far a bridle, which I have no rigging for in this kit. So, I assumed it was gaff rigged and attached my peak halyard to the hole 1/3 out on the gaff. Now I can raise and lower my gaff, but as I do, since my boom and gaff both have loops that slide on the mast, I see nothing that will allow me to shape my sail. As I lower the peak lanyard the gaff also wants to slide down the mast (which will help me shape my sail), but releases tension on the rest of it so, my boom also wants to slide down.... Gosh I love playing with this stuff.... Thanks again, more to come tomorrow..... Oh, by the way Miatapaul, the testing on the hull you suggested? Well, let's just say that the hull has been replaced, we'll get into that another time... Dad had "wonderful" ideas on how to patch an inflatable....
 
#10 ·
A short line to the boom from the deck limits its upward movement when hauling up the throat. The throat halyard must be very close to the luff end. If not dropping the peak breaks the sail's luff. The peak halyard controls the sail shape.When you relrase both halyards ,all drops into the hull.Nothing wrong with bee holes for the mast head.More practical than tiny little blocks Sometimes the halyards can be brought aft for that major downwind run.
 
#11 ·
Sailed a Gunter-rigged dinghy, quite a bit. No stays of any kind. Despite my best attempts to destroy it, it survived. It had one important mechanism to protect the rig. The mainsheet was handheld. It was not possible to hold onto that sheet, AND snap the mast. The handheld sheet also gave a wonderful degree of "feel". You could instantly tell exactly how powered-up the rig was.
 
#14 ·
Ok..... So.... After having this standing rigging up and down quite a few times this afternoon.... I think Capt Len hit upon something I can use.... I now believe this is supposed to be Gunter rigged... There are loops on the shrouds that go around the mast, (it is 2 piece), these loops fall below the joint, and I also believe the tack is supported by them also, as in every different set up the boom was not at close to right angles to the mast. Once I support the tack, and put a bridle on the gaff, with the attaching point close to the throat, as I tension/release the 1 halyard I have, it will shape both the luff and the leach... This thing is going in the water with that setup in the a.m. As my daddy always said, "You'll never know if something works, until you try it"... Still hope I don't have row it ashore.... Oh, by the way... my given name IS Michael.... As in "Michael row your boat ashore, Hallelujah"!!!!
 
#15 ·
Things learned from the maiden voyage yesterday... The hull is WAY to flexible... Kinda like floating around on an air mattress on water. Will be putting in a solid floor. The nylon shrouds are WAY to stretchy, will be replacing with wire, almost lost the mast on a beam reach even with a handheld mainsheet. Lastly, my beautiful wife of 32 years is an extremely patient woman... We had a blast getting her in the water, learning how to try and sail a gaffer, and mostly, just enjoying our time on the water with no engine noise, just the wind in your sails. That's what it's all about in the end.. Oh, and it is a gaffer, the gunter rig didn't work, and somehow the loops on the luff stayed in place after all. I'm sure as we learn more with her, we'll be able to get better performance out of her as my gps showed me we got a top speed of about 3 knots yesterday with windspeeds of 5 to 8... Not too bad with all the issues we were dealing with.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top