COMMENTS

  1. 12 Surprising Advantages of a Gaff Rig (and Some Cons)

    Especially with the modern take on the gaff rig, a short-gaff configuration, you greatly simplify the rigging needed to operate the main, as well as reduce the total weight of the mast and rigging. ... From personal experience, sailing Gaff rigged traditional yachts (without engines) on the Norfolk Broads in UK - i think a real plus point of ...

  2. OGA

    Gaff rig: past, present and future. In this article, first published in Water Craft Magazine, November/December 2015, designer Andrew Wolstenholme suggests there's more to modern gaffers than 'nostalgia-lite'. The gaff rig is viewed by most modern sailors as a throwback to a bygone era, aesthetically pleasing in a traditional way but less ...

  3. Guide to Understanding Sail Rig Types (with Pictures)

    The fore-and-aft rig, however, has a lot of variations. The three main sail rigs are: Bermuda rig - most used - has a three-sided (triangular) mainsail. Gaff rig - has a four-sided mainsail, the head of the mainsail is guided by a gaff. Lateen rig - has a three-sided (triangular) mainsail on a long yard.

  4. "Hold on the Peak, up on the Throat!" Let's explore the Gaff Rig

    Gaff rigged vessels commonly employ two halyards instead of one. The throat halyard raises the forward end of the gaff, while the peak halyard raises the aft end. This dual halyard system offers greater control over the sail's shape and tension. The gaff can be raised or lowered as needed, enabling adjustments for various wind conditions.

  5. Sail boat rigs: the pros and cons of each popular design

    A classic sail boat rig. Moving on to modern luggers, there are some recent interpretations of this classic rig. ... Olympics, at least 75% of medallist skippers were former Optimist champions: the spritsail remains a cornerstone of sailing. Working boat designs. The gaff rig - extensively used on workboats of all sorts - was a logical ...

  6. Getting to grips with gaff

    The gaff rig's centre of effort is typically lower, so a lifting keel can be lighter and less complicated. ... re used to tweaking a Bermudan rig to good effect there's no reason why you shouldn't quickly get the hang of a modern gaff. For all the similarities, however, one essential to bear in mind when sailing a gaffer - especially ...

  7. Gaff Rig Diagram: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding the Basics

    Introduction: Sailing enthusiasts around the world have always been captivated by the elegance and timeless beauty of traditional sailing vessels.One such vessel that embodies this allure is the gaff rig, a distinctive sail plan known for its versatility and intricate design.In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the details of the gaff rig diagram, unraveling its intricacies with ...

  8. The Joys of the Gaff Rig

    Apart from the beautiful but extreme gaff rigged racing yachts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most gaffers do not look like radio antenna towers requiring a cat's cradle of wire rope rigging to do their job. ... Best of all, the quadrilateral gaff sail carries more sail area up high than the modern bermuda rig. It is a known fact ...

  9. Gaff Rig Sailboat: A Classic and Timeless Sailing Experience

    A gaff rig sailboat is a type of sailing vessel that features a specific rigging system consisting of a four-sided fore-and-aft sail called a gaff sail. This traditional design offers numerous advantages including simplicity, ease of handling, and excellent downwind performance. Gaff rigged boats are commonly seen in traditional and ...

  10. What's in a Rig? The Gaff Rig

    A gaff rig employs a spar on the top of the sail and typically other sails can be set in conjunction with that mainsail with the gaff. Often, on the smaller, non tall ship, gaff rigs, there will be a small triangular sail that fits between the main and the mast like a puzzle piece - this is the topsail. The gaff rig was the standard manner of ...

  11. Trailerable Sailboats Comparison

    Many trailerable sailboats are gaff rigged. Though the traditional gaff rig is more complex than a modern Bermuda rigs, it uses a shorter and stronger mast. This has obvious benefits for trailerable boats, as the mast and spars store more easily. Trailer Types. There are multiple types of trailers used to tow and store sailboats.

  12. Custom-built Gaff-rigged Cutter Sailboat for Sale

    We have a special guest this week - custom wooden boat builder, Paul Rollins, who joins us to talk about the boat he built back in 2009 - a Bud McIntosh-des...

  13. Defining The Ideal Sailing Rig

    For modern day cruising the gaff rig is often maligned. In my view, for blue water voyaging the gaff rig has much to offer. ... My short-gaff sail plans are meant to address the shortcomings of the traditional types of gaff rig sail plan when used on smaller craft (say under around 60 feet). By using a short gaff with no tops'l, there is more ...

  14. 25 of the best small sailing boat designs

    It seemed a daft idea to build a gaff-rigged boat in 1974, just when everyone else had embraced the 'modern' Bermudan rig. Yet the first Cornish Crabber 24, designed by Roger Dongray, tapped into a feeling that would grow and grow and eventually become a movement.

  15. why are there no modern gaff-rigged boats : r/sailing

    The Marconi rig was simpler, easier to rig, had better upwind performance, and gave more control over sail shape. Also, in modern times, gaff rigs pose an annoying issue - backstays. Low aspect ratio sail plans also have this issue, but there are more ways to solve it - use a mast crane and a boomkin, for example.

  16. Sharpie 600

    A modern sailing sharpie with traditional looks. Two rigs available: gaff och two masted lug. Surpricingly roomy with an offset centerbord, it is light and easily handled from a trailer. ... The gaff rig is not as efficient close hauled as a modern rig but makes up for it reaching and running. The lugger. The lug is an even older type of rig ...

  17. Gaff Rig Sloop: A Classic Sailboat Design Explained

    A gaff rig sloop is a type of sailing vessel characterized by its triangular mainsail with a fore-and-aft rig. The mast is usually positioned further back on the boat compared to other sloops, allowing for a larger headsail. This traditional rig offers increased sail area and versatility while retaining simplicity in design.

  18. Modern Gaff Rigs

    Super Anarchist. 11,483. 21. Cocoa Beach, FL. Aug 7, 2004. #2. I've been experimenting for a few years with modern version of a gaff rig. In the model version,in this case used on an rc foiler, the "gaff" is a solid piece of extruded carbon. Among other advantages it allows for a superior planform to a fully roached,triangular or pointy rig.

  19. Gaff Rig

    The last reason, and most compelling, was that I could build a modern gaff rig for less than 1/3 of the cost of a Bermudian. The latter would have required a long and expensive extrusion; my mast was an aluminum light pole (6" OD, 3/16" wall thickness, forty feet long), that cost $700 delivered. ... Here the sail has been hoisted with the ...

  20. Gaff Riggs on Modern Day Sloops

    Posts: 1,385. Images: 1. Properly designed, the modern gaff rig has a lower heeling moment than a modern high-aspect main. In other words, it has *less* weight aloft (the rig has a lower vcg, and a lower ce.) But that doesn't mean it will work well on a "modern" hull shape, and is unlikely to work with an existing rig.