BBSB Sail Rig - Under Sail!!!

I have a Roger Crawford built 16' double ended dory w/spritsail rig. Picked up a finished hull from him in 1985 & did wood work & rigging myself.Same Mashfield MA based Roger Crawford who builds the melon seeds.

Built the mast from clear 4x4 red cedar. Used a table saw to turn it into an octagon. Then tapered with a hand powerplane. Then took edges off with hand plane. The sprit is a closet pole "blank".

It was a one evening job.
 
Dave
I like #3.It's more along the lines of the melonseed rudder.I would also copy the head with the swivel block for the sheet.The seed has a removable tiller that goes into a square socket of the rudder head.
 
Joe, I agreed too, #3 was my first choice though it is because I spend a bit of time on the melonseed yahoo group.... it is cut out. Waiting to work out the top bracket before I determine how wide I need to make the cheeks, and then the corresponding tiller. I had contacted Roger Crawford, and he has the fittings cast for him... he did not offer one up for sale.... so I will make my own, probably cheaper anyway, as I will paint it rather than have it so polished!
 
You're right about making the rudder head metal yourself.Could bend sheet brass (3/16).Ruddder and cheeks about 21/4-21/2 overall.Did you ask Roger if he had a blem tiller around the shop?Been a few years since I've had my Melonseed around here so cant take measurments or and more pics.

Re your sail rig;in addition to the Sprit,it looks likeyou have a Gaff.I believe you can do without that,as the sprit will set the sail nicely,and tension can be made with the snotter.Less weight aloft as well.What is the Sq ft of your sail?

View attachment 1de7.jpg
 
Joe, my rig has 3 spars, the 3rd is a boom.

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A Gaff would be at the head of the sail, right? Roger's Melonseed uses a Spritboom, which is another sprit from the clew to the mast and tensioned with a snotter just like the sprit. The Barto melonseed plans from the WoodenBoat Store, show a sail rig just like mine with a boom below the foot.
 
Andrew, I fully agree....I plan to get some decent pictures to submit to Re-launchings in Woodenboat Magazine. Next project to hit the boat shop is a 1970 Maine built cedar cane that needs just a little sprucing up. New gunnels, and decks and a new thwart. Some sanding, and epoxy work on the glass, and then paint. The challenge for this will be to make the new wood match the old wood.....

Oh, and I need to find a blackwpowder fowling piece for some good Jersey salt march photos this duck season.
 
Contemplated doing something with a sail on my bbsb. Now that I see all the work invovled, I am not even thinking of it anymore! But thanks for showing a neat project.
 
Does not need to be so much work.... I picked up a free rig for a sunfish on CL awhile back... not for any reason other that because.... I got the mast, boom, sail, rudder and dagger.... if anyone can use them. Fricke uses the sunfish spars and sail on his BBSB builds. Just not authentic enough for my taste.

Shaping the mast was a lot of work. Would have been much easier to go with dimension lumber or a closet rod!
 
Thanks Joe,

I am still learning how to sail her, and figuring out how to snug the snotter and the downhaul so everything works right... next issue to noddle out is how to keep the rudder engaged, when the sail is close hauled. I found the mainsheet wants to pull it up and out, not surprising with the block on the rudder head.... I don't have enough clearance between the hull and the pintle for a hitch pin, so maybe some sort of a leash or a keeper over the tiller? I could change the rig to use a traveler instead of the block on the rudder head, but was trying to minimize the hardware on the deck... thought in hindsight, a couple padeyes in the corners really won't be in the way...
 
Dave, great picture, You need to find some old Carhart hunt clothes with one of those license holders pinned on the back. Then find someone with some black and white film. Rich
 
... next issue to noddle out is how to keep the rudder engaged, when the sail is close hauled. I found the mainsheet wants to pull it up and out, not surprising with the block on the rudder head....
Click to expand...

Dave

Very cool rig. I remember from my days of sailing Butterflies they had a cable run from corner to corner across the stern that went above the rudder. You can kind of see it in this picture it trolled off the net:

Rudder%20and%20Tiller%20Assembly.jpg

 
Chuck, I had tried to avoid the traveler to reduce the hardware on the boat when not sailing.... though I suppose a couple pad eyes in the corners won't be in the way anyway... and likely the way I will go. What's a couple more holes in the hull!
 
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