peterborough sailing rig??????

[jchu]

I had a great time paddling last summer. Not totally sold on it, but am considering building a sailing rig this year. The mast ring is on the front decks. Does anyone know the correct dimensions of the rig? And what hardware do I need? Where to buy the sail? Does someone make a complete rig? What stress will this put on the inner stem? Is it worth doing? Any information would help. Canoe craft has a great picture of an old one. I have a nice thick piece of Dour Fur.

Thanks

 

[pklonowski]

Everything you need to know about canoe rigs is in this beautiful book, available here at the WCHA on-line store:

http://woodencanoe.org/catalog/prod...d=436&osCsid=8655e5f3c484dc379d32bb7f89e1fcf3

 

[Pernicious Atavist]

JCHU (how does one pronounce that?) what PK suggested is good but it does not answer your most important question: "Is it worth it?"

Yes, yes, my friend, yes, it is worth it.

 

[pklonowski]

And shame on me for not remembering to put in a plug for http://canoesailingmagazine.com

Bad Paul, BAD!!!!

 

[Pernicious Atavist]

I was trying to save you the embarrassment, Paul.....

 

[jchu]

Can get very windy here. I'm kinda worried about the inner stem, it had a previous crack located where the cup mounted. I might have to wait until I have a better boat. Nice book. Does it go into detail about basic rigs?


Pronunciation is Jeff Church.

 

[Pernicious Atavist]

Inner stem....cup...send pics. If you can reach it, you can fix it. I know the area, and you may just want a small sail, 40' is plenty. You're not familiar with Todd's book at all? Wow, do you have a nice surprise! Yeah, it has all sorts of rigs, etc.

Also--as Paul suggested--go to CSM, http://canoesailingmagazine.com/ and search in the Article and Subject Index for sails and see what comes up. Also rudders, leeboards, etc. if you haven't done so yet.

 

[jchu]

Well this is what it looked like before I repaired it. I cleaned it, filled it with epoxy and ran 4, 3/16, stainless, nuts and bolts through the sides to pull it tight. The repair worked good. I just was a real novice when it came to working on boats. I thought I could save more then I did. It's your basic old peterborough mast through the deck to the stem. I think I've read where that area isn't ideal for a sale. I could go with a smaller sail or build an oak mount that spans the repaired area. What's the stress in the area where it mounts to the stem?

 

[Pernicious Atavist]

Ouch! That needs a glue repair, and replacement when the time comes. Others will wade in to help before too long. The real issue is torque, which that stem can't handle any more of than where it sits. A glue repair--epoxy--will fix it, but the chances are the wood is spoiled and will give way under sail. Time to put it in for repair! Sorry.

 

[jchu]

I thought a sail would be just more then it could handle, and an after thought glue would have been better. But it held good all last year. It had some rot on the very tip, scarp jointed that, but the rest was solid. So will just enjoy it until it gives out. I have been thinking of building some inner stems. I'll take a pic of the current condition.

I get it, the torque is side to side, explaining the crack . This boat probably will never sail again. It paddles good though.

Here is the way it is today, the dark streak in the middle was the cracked area. It wont handle a sail but for a few years of paddling it is just fine.

 

[Pernicious Atavist]

Yeah, be kind to it. Sailing, especially in strong winds and waves, can really stress the hull.

 

[davelanthier]

This is the Chestnut canoe rig as seen on many of their brochures. Peterborough would have probably been the same. If this is what you are looking for I have one in the my shop. It looks like it is spoken for but I can get any measurements you require before it leaves.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

Stepping the mast that far forward is usually not a formula for good performance, helm balance or handling. Most boats that use a mast that far forward use it as part of a twin-sailed rig, with a mizzen sail added aft. You would probably be better off stepping the mast through a mast seat or mast thwart and a new step, added in the bow seat area. The boat will handle better and it removes any strength problem from the cracked stem from the equation.

 

[Bill P]

Hi Jeff,

Just a thought, if your boat is symmetrical, and it looks like it, and the aft stem is sound, maybe you could do a little furniture rearrangement?

Cheers Bill P.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Dont give up on sailing the old girl, to address the issues Todd mentioned why not add a rigging deck? after the work you've done to the boat it looks like you could put one together in about an hour... Then you could get some nice performance and not stress the hull. I'll bet with that shape it would really fly.

 

[jchu]

Well I think I could replace the forward thwart with one with a mast ring, and the seat. The original thwart and seat are made of chestnut and wouldn't want to ruin them. Moving them to the thwart and seat is a great idea. Clearly it is something needing more research. Todd I'll have to get your book and do some reading.

Dave I would appreciate some dimensions of the Chestnut rig. If the person decides not to get it let me know.

I've seen peterboroughs with mast rings in the forward thwarts, and canoes having them in the seats, the mast ring in the deck does seem awkward, it must have been for some light duty recreation. I guess I'm getting anxious about being on the water and it's been a year since I've done any work on her. So many times I could have taken advantage of the wind last year got me thinking.
Thanks for the input guys.

 

[Pernicious Atavist]

Good ideas here, of course! Turning her 'round would alleviate a lot of the torque on your bow stem, but be sure to inspect the condition of your stern before getting into it too much. Rot's rot and will find its way to where you don't want it. Not trying to bear bad tidings, just don't want you to hear a cracking sound when you least expect it.

I replaced my fore thwart with a mast partner when I first rigged my boat and it worked very well. I then moved the rig aft and installed a seat with a partner and it's just what the doc ordered. I'd suggest locating the leeboards along your center thwart and then placing the mast accordingly.

Now--lest we forget--you'll need to install a mast step beneath that partner, and ensure it's VERY secure and mounted on GOOD wood since it gets a lot of applied torque from the mast. Todd's book, Canoe Rig, (http://tinyurl.com/dhox87) is very helpful on that account as well.

I'd appreciate your sharing some photos of your boat with my readers.

Luck to you,
Ed