The gaff rig absolutely has disadvantages as well, and I thought it'd be fair to briefly mention the most important ones below. Windward performance can be subpar. The gaff rig is notorious for louse windward performance, and it's true: the Bermuda rig will outperform the gaff rig - especially on a hard beat to windward.

Sep 17, 2023 · Gaff rig - has a four-sided mainsail, the head of the mainsail is guided by a gaff; Lateen rig - has a three-sided (triangular) mainsail on a long yard; The Bermuda is the most used, the gaff is a bit old-fashioned, and the lateen rig is outdated (about a thousand years). Lateen rigs were used by the Moors. The Bermuda rig is actually based on ...

Apr 8, 2004 · I agree that gaff can by dynamic but I think the proper sail trim issue is true for all boats all the time. I regularly sail past boats with Bermuda rig and bad sail trim. Also the time your gaff rig was designed is very important. Eastport pinkies are an 1850s design, long boom, long gaff and the effect Jeff mentions is there.

Feb 11, 2011 · The gaff rig had substantially larger sail area than the bermuda rig it replaced, yet Halloween could not keep up with on a boat for boat basis with the boats she had previously bested easily. In frustration she was sold several times before being laid up and before being restored and receiving the yawl rig under which she eventually became ...

Feb 21, 2012 · We enjoy a Marshal Cat Boat, the Sandpiper. I like the gaff rig on this little boat. One sail to reef and it is huge! Down wind with the board up it flies. Scandalizing the gaff de-powers it quickly. It can't get much closer than 45degrees but so what. It is fun and we just plan around our up wind performance. I like the way it looks,too.

Mar 30, 2008 · But you usually have more sail options on a Gaff rig than a Marconi. The Gaff rig has an old world charm that (from my perspective) evades the modern Marconi setup, but it is a bit more work to raise and trim a Gaff rig than it is to raise and trim the Marconi. I have had both, like both. For aesthetics and versatility the Gaff rig wins.

Mar 30, 2021 · 5 A short-handed gaff rig would probably be broken down into a two or three-masted schooner rig 6 The mainsail (aft most sail on a schooner) would require running backstays, 7 At the end of the period of commercial sailing, schooners that size often had a 'donkey engine' (engine driven winch) that was used to raise, reef and trim sails.

Nov 27, 2010 · A gaff rig on a 'plastic' boat like the Columbia 34 would be an anachronism, and simply wouldn't look 'right'. The rigging would be more complicated, and converting to a double headsail rig at the same time would be crazy expensive and could well end up with something that might well fail if the proper precautions are not taken..

Oct 17, 2018 · I suspect Oughtreds Junk rig is a bit more refined than Jesters rig of nearly 60 years ago. My understanding with Jesters Junk rig was, the junk rig could be sailed from the boats hatch, to eliminate the need for the single handed sailor to to go out on deck or even in the cockpit. Sail the boat and reef the boat.

Aug 4, 2009 · Gaff rigged boats used a number of techniques to 'set up' (tension) the running backstays. Very often there was a two or four part tackle that was used to grossly release the backstay. This had a lot of line and was eased out with each tack.