> I have seen Nancy's China in Woodenboat and the finish, as built
> by Devlin, was beautiful. Am building a stitch and glue kayak
> to another designer's plan but want to build a Devlin Peeper, a
> smal dinghy next.
>
> Good luck on your project. You should check with the designer
> about the change in rig.
>
> ###]
I talked to Sam Devlin at the Port Townsend wooden boat fest. He said the
change to a gaff (from spritsail) should be no problem. I'm not sure I
actually mentioned the topsail... or the staysail... or the flying jib
topsail...
I didn't see the original post, but I'm guessing you're concerned about the
effectiveness of the spritsail. I've got a Devlin Eider (16' full keel) with a
spritsail. The sail works fine, but the sprit is a pain to set, especially in
wind and chop. The end of the sprit drags in the water as you're trying
to get the top end hooked on the loop at the peak if the sail. If the boat
has any forward motion, the water will rip the sprit out of your hand. My
wife is too short to set the sprit at all. I thought about converting to a gaff
rig, and still may. I could use the same sail, just build a new mast a few
feet higher. Another sailplan that would work well is the junk rig, like
Blondie Hassler's "Jester".
Reply to: Peter Buck
Etec Systems, Inc.
pb...@etecnw.com
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