The sail!
Now we try to cut back on things that are not really needed to do trial sails. And we try to find stuff that really needs to be finished before we can sail. So the sail itself has quite high priorities. So after giving the mast some more Owatrol we brought out the sail to sew the last (top) panel to it.
Maybe we are overdoing it a little, but instead of tripple stitching we actually sew the top panel woth five. What to call that? Quint-stitch? It was because the batten reinforcement that covered the tripple stitching added two more rows. Maybe this sail and I can celebrate our retierment together in about 30 years.
I should explain everything about making a junk sail, because it is really quite simple and fun. Maybe that is the explanation why sail makers get so angry when they hear about junk sails. Maybe I’ll fill in some more info later. But for now I can say that we use Top Gun as recommended by Tom Colvin. It is cheap, quite soft like cotton and doesn’t need to be covered from the sun. Sewing a 800 sq ft sail from ordinary sail cloth would be much more difficult. Top Gun is polyester, just like ordinary dacron, but it isn’t hard like heat treated dacron. It is also covered in acrylic or something similar for UV-resistance.
You don’t need to be able to spread the whole sail to sew a junk sail.
Essential reading.
I love our machine. Sailrite Ultrafeed, walking foot heavy duty.
The top panel ready for sewing. Clamped up to fit under the arm of the machine.
The only difficult thing with sewing the sail is to move the heavy cloth while sewing. The only boring thing is creasing the cloth.
We will rope the sail with 10 mm three strand rope. Sew the grommets at the top and use spur grommets everywhere else.
Now the next step is reinforcement patches. I am thinking about a good looking shape. Maybe round, but it might be hard to fold the round edge while sewing.
Posted: June 24th, 2007 under Junk rig, Sailmaking, Photos.
Comments: 15
Comments
Comment from Nick Kitchiner
Time: July 24, 2007, 5:22 pm
Hi Folks, we too are building a junk! Rusty has now been afloat for 2 years, although not remotely complete. We are currently wandering around the Netherlands, getting some travelling in while we complete her.
The reason for commenting on this post, is that I wondered where you got your Top Gun material and what it cost. We are at the early part of the sailmaking. Trying to source the materials. I saw your post about bamboo battens and we are checking out the German site.
Good luck, see you somewhere.
Nick and Pip
Comment from matti
Time: July 28, 2007, 8:39 am
Hi!
We ordered the Top Gun from Rochfordsupply in the US.
http://www.rochfordsupply.com/product_listing.asp_Q_CatID_E_419_A_SubCatID_E_487_A_ProdID_E_3500
Of course the shipping etc came to quite a lot. But it is a very cheap material compared to sail cloth. And it is quite easy to work with, even though it is heavy. No basting tape will hold it so you have to use other means to hold it together for sewing. Sewing the sail was not so difficult.
/matti
Comment from Norm Harney
Time: April 4, 2008, 8:01 pm
Arne,
Thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge. May I ask what the dimensions of your sale are and can you estimate the all-up weight when rigged?
Thanks,
Norm
Comment from Matti
Time: April 8, 2008, 7:02 pm
Well, I am not Arne. But since this is my blog, I thought I might answer anyway.
The sail is 800 sq m large and the cloth wight in at 11 oz/sq yd. Then comes some double layers, a 12 mm line around the sail and a kilo or so of grommets.
/matti
Comment from Norm
Time: April 8, 2008, 7:17 pm
Sorry, Matti. I linked here from Yahoo Groups and thought it was Arne’s blog.
Do you mean 800 sq feet? I am most curious as to the length of the foot and luff of the sail. Perhaps I should direct the question to Arne via the Junk Rig Yahoo Group.
Thanks,
Norm
Comment from Matti
Time: April 8, 2008, 7:35 pm
Hi Norm. Yes, of course, sorry. 800 sq ft. Arne doesn’t have a blog. His sail is a bit smaller, but on a much smaller boat as well!
/matti
Comment from Norm
Time: April 8, 2008, 8:51 pm
Matti,
Obviously I was confused from the beginning. I thought Linnea was Arne’s boat and this was his blog. As I now believe I understand… you built and own Linnea.
It is Linnea I am interested in. I am in the market for a 15,000 to 18,000 lb boat with a junk rig or one that is suitable to convert. I was under the impression that 800 sq. ft. of sail generally required a split rig. To find you doing quite well with 800 sq. ft. in one sail widens the possibilities of boats suitable to convert.
Thanks,
Norm
Comment from matti
Time: April 8, 2008, 9:11 pm
Hi Norm,
Yes, Linnea is our boat. Arnes boat is about 6,600 lb, while Linnea is about 22,000 lb. At 15,000 you would want 660 sq ft. At 18,000, 725 sq ft, quite a bit less than our 800, since sail area scale by the power of two and all other things, like cloth, battens, yard, etc, scale by the power of three, since they have volume and area doesn’t.
Well, yes. 800 sq ft is considered quite a lot by Hasler/McLeod. And I do agree that the sail is heavy to hoist. My daughter, Ida, was 5 last summer. And she could crank at the winch, but then it would take her a long time to hoist the sail… We are now using a really heavy solid yard but are thinking about exchanging that for something else, maybe hollow wood, or aluminum. (Something like my boat neighbors mast and my angle grinder…)
Anyway, there are some things in favor of one mast on boats like this (heavy cruising boats):
- With two masts it is much more difficult to fit the sail area without using a boomkin or double sheeting. (It is hard to understand this until you try to draw it yourself.)
- Two masts give high aspect ratio sails = less efficient.
- The two masts have to be almost as thick as the single one, since one mast needs to be able to heel the boat down.
- The aft mast will block the forward mast when running (major problem!)
- Two sails is two sails. Hoisting two smaller sails takes more time than hoisting one larger sail.
- By moving the sail with the parrels, it is easy to adjust how heavy the boat is on the rudder, no need for two sails to do that.
I’ll be happy to answer any other questions on this.
/matti
Comment from Norm
Time: April 8, 2008, 9:37 pm
Are you able to heave-to with one sail?
Comment from matti
Time: April 8, 2008, 9:49 pm
Well, I suppose you mean heave-to in heavy weather? I haven’t tried it out in the right conditions yet. But Tom MacNaughton, the designer of the boat, suggests using the wind vane to balance the boat in a gale, if I remember correctly. In light winds, you just let the sheet go, and the boat will stop.
/m
Comment from Terry
Time: April 28, 2008, 8:07 am
Greetings. Been reading your comments on TOPGUN sail material. My junk sails are getting tired and aged. I made them of poly/cotton so now I’m looking for a better material that will last onger. Can you tell me where and how much and most important can it got in 6oz weight. Been looking on line but found nothing so far. Appreciate your help and advise. Cheers Terry. Yacht ‘Si Hai’ Malaysia
Comment from Matti
Time: April 28, 2008, 9:12 am
Hi Terry. I don’t have first hand experience with this, but check out a cloth called Odyssey III. http://www.rochfordsupply.com/product_listing.asp_Q_CatID_E_419_A_SubCatID_E_487_A_ProdID_E_3338
It is polyester cloth (=abrasion resistance) with acrylic coating (=uv resistance) like Top Gun. But 6.5 oz instead of 11.
It is much much cheaper than ordinary sail cloth. Only downside is that it is hard to tape together during sewing, since it is so slippery. We used duck tape, clamps, needles and free hand strike up marks.
/m
Comment from Teddy (Matti’s father)
Time: May 7, 2008, 9:11 am
Don’t forget the sailmakers secret weapon: The stapler!
Comment from Matti
Time: May 7, 2008, 9:28 am
Oh no! It’s not a secret anymore!
/m
Comment from Lawrence
Time: May 13, 2008, 12:24 am
Thanks for the blog, and the source for top gun. I just got off the phone with Mr. Colvin. He has been using top gun for years and that is what I am going to use for my gazelle.
Happy sewing
Lawrence
Write a comment