Went for a motor around Scotland Island yesterday, no wind except for a bit of a stir between the Island and
the mainland. I spied a strange looking craft I've not seen before. Looked to be about 36 foot, no headsail and
the mast was on the forepeak about 5 foot from the point of the bow. The mainsail
was huge on a boom that stretched from the forepeak to the rear cockpit. It was making way in a very slight
breeze but it seemed to me that a bit of a gust would knock it flat. What boat was this ??.
Righto Slam, I'm trying to remember if I saw stays and shrouds. The mainsail was a kevlar like
material and had a very large roach. It reminded me of the size of couter boat mainsails in relation
to the size of the boat, hence the concern that a decent gust would knock it flat.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, it had an oliptical bar that went around the mast and sail just like
the windsurfers have. It sloped downwards from front to back but was so far above deck level
that there was no way you could reach it.....curiouser and curiouser.
"San Toy", the unstayed cat rig Radford 12m performance cruiser seen sailing on Sydney has been joined by "Copernicus". Launched in January 2008 and sporting a conventional rig, "Copernicus" sails from the same club at Manly.
The Radford 12m design has a range of options to appeal to different areas of the yachting market but is essentially a performance cruising yacht which can also be raced.Options include three different rigs and keels. There is a large fractional rig for racing; a smaller fractional rig for the short-handed cruising couple or; if you want something totally different, the very interesting cat rig. Keel options include a lifting keel; a 2.45m deep draft or a 2.1m draft cruising keel.The Radford 12m breaks new ground for contemporary production yachts in Australia by offering an un-stayed cat rig for those who want to enjoy sailing with a minimum of fuss.
That's the one Nods. Thank you for that. I was impressed that it was making headway into a
very light breeze where everybody else was standing still.
It's called a wishbone rig, they have been around for at least half a century. The wishbone keeps the sail in shape regardless of the wind strength and wind angle without a vang so you have much reduced pressure on the sheets, and with a unstayed mast you get a simple rig to handle.
OK thanks Phoenix. How come it hasn't caught on more. Is it too unconventional or is
it not suitable for cruising ??.
Very suitable,............ but carbon fibre masts cost a bit more than aluminium ones. 
Select to expand quotecisco said..
Very suitable,............ but carbon fibre masts cost a bit more than aluminium ones.
But aluminum plus rigging is getting up there, and there were plenty of unstayed masts before carbon fiber - I know of a blrdsmouth one supporting a junk rig. And the freedom 40s were unstayed.
Maybe it was a nonsuch they make a few different lengths
That "Black Magic" Freedom 40 cat ketch was for sale in Airlie Beach a long while back. I was interested because the F40 has always been my dream boat, but well out my price range. It was missing the centreboard, which was a bummer.
www.freedomyachts.org/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=10578
