Chinese Gaff Rig Experience
I have corresponded off of this forum with Derek regarding his
experience with the Chinese Gaff Rigged Micro (picture in Bolger3
under Micro Gaffer). There has been little information publicly
available on the real world performance of the rig outside of the Jim
Melcher/Alert experience. So, for the benefit of those considering
the rig, and with Derek's permission, here are his replies to my
questions:
Q&A:
"Have you found a happy compromise for batten stiffness? How many
trials did it take? "
The diagram which came [IIRC] with the Navigator upgrade sheet and
from which I derived the batten dimensions appeared to be from a
different design; the mast scaled out as about 5 1/2 inches in
diameter, as opposed to the 4 inch Navigator mast. I used the batten
cross section shown; my battens are laminated ash, each from three
strips one eighth of an inch thick. I ran glass along the faces, so
the total thickness is nearer half an inch. Batten width is about an
inch and a half. My thinking process was that I did not know what
material or construction had been originally intended, and it would
prove easier to remove material than to add it.. All that said, the
battens appear to be fairly close to the correct compromise of
resilience and flexibility. At the end of last season I pulled one of
the three battens [the middle one] because I felt it was flattening
the sail too much in light air. The flex pattern was adjusted by using
the block plane to reduce the batten's depth rather than its
thickness. The whole process was an hour or so's work; sufficiently
easy that were I a fussier [better] sailor I wouldn't hesitate to do
more tweaking. So far it has not seemed necessary.
"Does the rig reef easily on all points, as advertised?"
The short answer would be 'Yes'. That said, I need to point out that
the Navigator rig brings the reef lines inside the house. Since we
have a 'traditional' cuddy cabin Micro I chose not to bring the
reefing lines to the cockpit. We use the same reefing system and
geometry [slab reefing with cheek blocks on the aft end of the boom]
but our lines are cleated off on the boom immediately aft of the boom
jaws. The key point in the claim, I imagine, is that the sail can be
dropped without fuss, without the need to spill wind, since the reef
lines downhaul both ends of a batten and the sailcloth follows. This
has proven to be the case. It is perhaps worth mentioning that the
resultant bundle of sailcloth is less than elegant; I usually pass a
tie round the bundle fore and aft of the lazy-lifts if we expect to be
sailing reefed for a while.
"It seems that the downward pull of the top sheetlet on the gaff might
spoil the shape of the top sail panel. Do you see any ill effect
there? Does control of the gaff tame the downwind oscillations as
claimed?"
There is not really enough downward component in the upper sheetlet
pull for it to overcome the much more massive peak halyard. I've been
pleased; sail shape up there is frankly better than I had expected. As
to control of downwind roll, about as much as I can say is that we
have not been troubled by it. Perhaps Micro's hull form or some other
factor is at work? Having the gaff effectively vanged does seem to
keep things generally docile.
"How close-winded is the rig? Maybe you know the tacking angle? It
seems like it could do very well with the potential to trim the whole
sail, top to bottom."
Sadly, I have no record of tacking angles, but we are not embarassed
by the other boats sailing on the same water. No doubt the racers are
pointing higher than we are but I generally try not to pinch her too
hard. We match tacks with the recreational sailors, it seems. It is
also difficult to separate the effect of the rig from the whole package.
"Do you have any tricks to keep all the sheet tails from becoming one
hopeless tangle?"
It really isn't that bad. Both of our sheetlets are single part,
quarter inch line. Boom on centreline, there's about eighteen feet of
each to keep track of. With a few feet let out the resultant two small
coils of cordage are not generally in the way, laid over the boomkin
socket at the after end of the cockpit. I keep toying with the notion
of hooks or cleats to get them off the cockpit deck, but the need is
not pressing. A sufficiently tidy flake to be able to free them if we
turn down wind is worth while, but the general rule is that they do
not need to be handled in sailing the boat. Sixty feet of three-part
mainsheet is what we usually have tied around ankles, boathooks &c.
experience with the Chinese Gaff Rigged Micro (picture in Bolger3
under Micro Gaffer). There has been little information publicly
available on the real world performance of the rig outside of the Jim
Melcher/Alert experience. So, for the benefit of those considering
the rig, and with Derek's permission, here are his replies to my
questions:
Q&A:
"Have you found a happy compromise for batten stiffness? How many
trials did it take? "
The diagram which came [IIRC] with the Navigator upgrade sheet and
from which I derived the batten dimensions appeared to be from a
different design; the mast scaled out as about 5 1/2 inches in
diameter, as opposed to the 4 inch Navigator mast. I used the batten
cross section shown; my battens are laminated ash, each from three
strips one eighth of an inch thick. I ran glass along the faces, so
the total thickness is nearer half an inch. Batten width is about an
inch and a half. My thinking process was that I did not know what
material or construction had been originally intended, and it would
prove easier to remove material than to add it.. All that said, the
battens appear to be fairly close to the correct compromise of
resilience and flexibility. At the end of last season I pulled one of
the three battens [the middle one] because I felt it was flattening
the sail too much in light air. The flex pattern was adjusted by using
the block plane to reduce the batten's depth rather than its
thickness. The whole process was an hour or so's work; sufficiently
easy that were I a fussier [better] sailor I wouldn't hesitate to do
more tweaking. So far it has not seemed necessary.
"Does the rig reef easily on all points, as advertised?"
The short answer would be 'Yes'. That said, I need to point out that
the Navigator rig brings the reef lines inside the house. Since we
have a 'traditional' cuddy cabin Micro I chose not to bring the
reefing lines to the cockpit. We use the same reefing system and
geometry [slab reefing with cheek blocks on the aft end of the boom]
but our lines are cleated off on the boom immediately aft of the boom
jaws. The key point in the claim, I imagine, is that the sail can be
dropped without fuss, without the need to spill wind, since the reef
lines downhaul both ends of a batten and the sailcloth follows. This
has proven to be the case. It is perhaps worth mentioning that the
resultant bundle of sailcloth is less than elegant; I usually pass a
tie round the bundle fore and aft of the lazy-lifts if we expect to be
sailing reefed for a while.
"It seems that the downward pull of the top sheetlet on the gaff might
spoil the shape of the top sail panel. Do you see any ill effect
there? Does control of the gaff tame the downwind oscillations as
claimed?"
There is not really enough downward component in the upper sheetlet
pull for it to overcome the much more massive peak halyard. I've been
pleased; sail shape up there is frankly better than I had expected. As
to control of downwind roll, about as much as I can say is that we
have not been troubled by it. Perhaps Micro's hull form or some other
factor is at work? Having the gaff effectively vanged does seem to
keep things generally docile.
"How close-winded is the rig? Maybe you know the tacking angle? It
seems like it could do very well with the potential to trim the whole
sail, top to bottom."
Sadly, I have no record of tacking angles, but we are not embarassed
by the other boats sailing on the same water. No doubt the racers are
pointing higher than we are but I generally try not to pinch her too
hard. We match tacks with the recreational sailors, it seems. It is
also difficult to separate the effect of the rig from the whole package.
"Do you have any tricks to keep all the sheet tails from becoming one
hopeless tangle?"
It really isn't that bad. Both of our sheetlets are single part,
quarter inch line. Boom on centreline, there's about eighteen feet of
each to keep track of. With a few feet let out the resultant two small
coils of cordage are not generally in the way, laid over the boomkin
socket at the after end of the cockpit. I keep toying with the notion
of hooks or cleats to get them off the cockpit deck, but the need is
not pressing. A sufficiently tidy flake to be able to free them if we
turn down wind is worth while, but the general rule is that they do
not need to be handled in sailing the boat. Sixty feet of three-part
mainsheet is what we usually have tied around ankles, boathooks &c.