Interested in the gaff rig, but unsure whether it's for you? Trying to pick the right sail rig type can be a challenge. In order to help you out, I made this list of the advantages of the gaff rig.

Sep 17, 2023 · More Info on Sail Rig Types First of all, what is a sail rig? A sail rig is the way in which the sails are attached to the mast (s). In other words, it's the setup or configuration of the sailboat. The rig consists of the sail and mast hardware. The sail rig and sail type are both part of the sail plan. We usually use the sail rig type to refer …

Apr 8, 2004 · When trimmed with the gaff perpendicular to the wind, the boom is not fully eased. Historically, the gaff rig is at its best when used on boats which are limited in their ability to go upwind by a lot of factors (inefficient hull forms and low inherent stability relative to its drag.) They are fun to mess with but make poor rigs for voyaging.

Feb 11, 2011 · The general problem with obtaining decent performance with gaff sails is the inability to control twist and also the turbulence of having the additional spar (gaff). In any event, reaching the gaff rig does generate a lot of drive relative to heeling.

Feb 21, 2012 · Thinking about getting a trailerable sailboat in the 20 foot range and wondered about whether a gaff rigged cat might be better than a typical sloop rig? Advantages/Disadvantages ??

Mar 30, 2008 · Could someone give me a short discourse on the pros and cons of a boat that is gaff rigged as opposed to a traditional sloop rigged. I am considering buying a gaff rigged Flicka. This would be my first sailboat. I have no interest in racing, this would merely be for limited weekending, coastal...

Mar 30, 2021 · Gaff rigs tend to be way harder to shorthand than a Bernuda rig once they get over a certain size. (The biggest gaff rig I ever sailed was a 15 meter schooner, which three of us could handle reasonably well.)

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 · Looking at taking a smaller boat (a Grey Seal) along the coast, and wondering which rig option you would choose (gunter, gaff, or bermudan) and why? EDIT: Important to mention, I will likely be sailing solo.

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.