Quickie Yawl 4.4 pound carbon wind surfer mast

[Owly055]

     I've long been attracted to the yawl rig for a number of reasons.   Drive really is not one of them.  The larger sail of the ketch is the ticket if drive is the priority.   That is not to say that a mizzen stay sail cannot provide good drive.    The yawl mizzen, located as it is, far aft, often mostly aft of the transom, is in effect an air rudder, and can be used as such. One could probably even get home after a rudder failure using the mizzen along with the other sails to set a course.   Probably the most significant use is as a riding sail to keep the boat from sailing around the anchor, and thus saving wear and tear on the ground tackle, as well as increasing comfort, and improving ventilation, etc, by aligning the boat to the wind.  Some folks report being able to "back up", or "back out" using the mizzen only.    The ability to balance the rig to self steer on all but downwind courses is significant, and I suspect it would be excellent for sheet to tiller steering, or to act as a wind vane large enough to control the rudder directly.  It also can be used  in heaving to.

    Here's a fellow who did a quick conversion to experiment with a yawl rig on a Pacific Seacraft Dana 24 using a transom mounted carbon fiber wind surfer mast that weighs in at only 2 kg.    Simple, light, and easily removable.    The mast at 16' and a mere 4.4 lbs.... and two piece, is perfect for the job.  His mounting was to the rear chain plate, and the pushpit structure.  The beauty of this is that the same mast could be used with your sailing dinghy, or wind surfer, or various "non mast" duties where a very light 16' pole could be useful.

http://www.ventspleen.com/yawl-rig-for-a-pacific-seacraft-dana-24/


I have some other unconventional ideas on this that I won't mention here for fear of being laughed out of the house  ;-)

                                                  H.W.