Re: Polytarp sail design
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, "Peter Vanderwaart" <pvanderw@o...> wrote:
draft out of a sail.
I'm not exactly sure what Greg was trying to convey. Let's all run out
and buy $1000 worth of sails? Let's face it, it's hard to beat a well
cut sail made of modern materials, but not everyone is in it for that.
I say go for it. If it's a lugsail, make sure you can keep the luff
tight as a drum. Use prestretch dacron boltrope, and prestretch or even
Spectra for halyard and downhaul. Use a 3:1 purchase on the downhaul.
(Michalak says 2:1, I don't think that's enough).
Here are some thoughts:
1. Sails even 100 years ago on small sailing boats were nothing special
and they would have been happy to have poltarp.
2. Boltroping helps.
3. Read Michalak's web efforts, and read if you can "The Sailmaker's
Apprentice"
4. If you're making small-boat batwing sails or junk sails, polytarp
works fine. These are essentially cut flat. See Robert Laine's SAILCUT
programs for one which will give you cambered panel shapes for junk or
junklike battened sails.
5. You will learn a lot making a polytarp sail. You won't win any
races. You will be on the water for not much money. It will give you a
point of comparison if you obtain a professionally made sail.
6. Quite large cutters and schooners in Indonesia, even today, use
polytarps, double-layered, cut dead flat, as sail materials.
7. Many photos exist of Chinese sampans and such with various things
like rice-bags semn together to make small sails.
8. There's a fair amount of tarp sail info on my Cheap Pages. I am not
as methodical, however, as Dave Gray who offers the kit materials on
the web and in Messing About in Boats.
9. A professionally made sail is going to be better.
10. The lugsail which is sold with the Chesapeake Light Craft "Eastport
Pram Sailing Option" is made by UK-Allan in Annapolis, it's about 40 sq
ft, and it's *really* *really* well-cut - it is something to consider
for small boats or sailing canoes which take a standing lug or balanced
lug. I've sailed that pram a lot; I'm trying to get info on what the
sail alone will cost from UK-Allan. (The "sailing option" from CLC is
sail, rudder, tiller, daggerboard, mast, and spar materials, cleats,
etc. and more stuff than someone making a Bolger boat will need).
>Too much draft is probably a better error, because you can always cut
> I am trying to get my thinking together to help Leander build
> polytarp sails.
> Finally, my thinking is that it is better to err on the side of a
> sail that is too flat than one that is too full.
draft out of a sail.
> How stretchy is the polytarp sailcloth? Any comments would be welcome.Fairly stretchy.
I'm not exactly sure what Greg was trying to convey. Let's all run out
and buy $1000 worth of sails? Let's face it, it's hard to beat a well
cut sail made of modern materials, but not everyone is in it for that.
I say go for it. If it's a lugsail, make sure you can keep the luff
tight as a drum. Use prestretch dacron boltrope, and prestretch or even
Spectra for halyard and downhaul. Use a 3:1 purchase on the downhaul.
(Michalak says 2:1, I don't think that's enough).
Here are some thoughts:
1. Sails even 100 years ago on small sailing boats were nothing special
and they would have been happy to have poltarp.
2. Boltroping helps.
3. Read Michalak's web efforts, and read if you can "The Sailmaker's
Apprentice"
4. If you're making small-boat batwing sails or junk sails, polytarp
works fine. These are essentially cut flat. See Robert Laine's SAILCUT
programs for one which will give you cambered panel shapes for junk or
junklike battened sails.
5. You will learn a lot making a polytarp sail. You won't win any
races. You will be on the water for not much money. It will give you a
point of comparison if you obtain a professionally made sail.
6. Quite large cutters and schooners in Indonesia, even today, use
polytarps, double-layered, cut dead flat, as sail materials.
7. Many photos exist of Chinese sampans and such with various things
like rice-bags semn together to make small sails.
8. There's a fair amount of tarp sail info on my Cheap Pages. I am not
as methodical, however, as Dave Gray who offers the kit materials on
the web and in Messing About in Boats.
9. A professionally made sail is going to be better.
10. The lugsail which is sold with the Chesapeake Light Craft "Eastport
Pram Sailing Option" is made by UK-Allan in Annapolis, it's about 40 sq
ft, and it's *really* *really* well-cut - it is something to consider
for small boats or sailing canoes which take a standing lug or balanced
lug. I've sailed that pram a lot; I'm trying to get info on what the
sail alone will cost from UK-Allan. (The "sailing option" from CLC is
sail, rudder, tiller, daggerboard, mast, and spar materials, cleats,
etc. and more stuff than someone making a Bolger boat will need).
I am trying to get my thinking together to help Leander build
polytarp sails.
As I think about how these things are supposed to work, it seems to
me that an important point is that they must not be stretched too
tight on the spars, especially the head and foot. Does that agree or
disagree with anyone's experience?
My calculations suggest that the depth of the curve built into the
luff should be about 2.5% of the average distance from luff to leech.
The depth of the curve on head and foot should be about half that
each: 1.25%. The deepest part of the curve should be 30-40% from luff
to leech.
Finally, my thinking is that it is better to err on the side of a
sail that is too flat than one that is too full.
How stretchy is the polytarp sailcloth? Any comments would be welcome.
Peter
polytarp sails.
As I think about how these things are supposed to work, it seems to
me that an important point is that they must not be stretched too
tight on the spars, especially the head and foot. Does that agree or
disagree with anyone's experience?
My calculations suggest that the depth of the curve built into the
luff should be about 2.5% of the average distance from luff to leech.
The depth of the curve on head and foot should be about half that
each: 1.25%. The deepest part of the curve should be 30-40% from luff
to leech.
Finally, my thinking is that it is better to err on the side of a
sail that is too flat than one that is too full.
How stretchy is the polytarp sailcloth? Any comments would be welcome.
Peter