BYYB Forums

I've seen a couple of photos of Weekenders with stay-chains for the bowsprit attached to the stem.  Has anyone tried this?  Any photos?  Also, I'd like to lash the bowsprit to the stem, as in classic wooden sailing ships.  The lashing is for looks alone.  Does cuttin a slot in the stem to lash the bowsprit weaken the bowsprit's attachment in any way.  Can I do this and stll have a sturdy bowsprit?

Dave

The dolphin striker / stay chain for the bowsprit is, I believe a Vacationer plan addition. It works well on Ginny Rae. I used coated chain, and 1/2 inch threaded rod for mine.

I don't think the stem will suffer too much for strength in your proposed mod. That'll give her a salty look, Not sure how well the bowsprit will be held by the rope.

Greg

Hey Greg!  I checked out your photos of Ginny Rae.  Nice boat!  I noticed that the chain stay is attached to the stem at the waterline.  Is this also the eyebolt you use to winch the boat onto the trailer?  You don't have a hole cut in the stem as per the plans.  It seems to me that the winching point has to be lower that the chainstay attachment point.  I agree, the lashing is a salty look!  I don't expect any structural advantage from it.  I'll use hemp rope and epoxy it or replace it when it rots!

Dave

Here's the look I'm after (paint job as I envision "Molly", but I may go with navy blue):

Dave

Dave, I wouldn't epoxy that rope in place but rather replace it when needed. Hemp is salty, but stretches some.  There is a fine "fake" hemp out there, forget the name but I use it for the sheet and halyard.  Soft on the hands and looks real and is very low stretch.  The lashing idea will work fine.

Thanks for the tip, Ryerson.  If you can think of the name of the "fake" hemp line, let me know!

Dave

I'll never think of it   I would just call a boatie place and ask for the stuff.

Use polyester three strand which can be had in a tanish and black colors that look like natural or tarred hemp, but feels and handles like poly. It's also going to stretch less (very desirable) and be considerably more durable. Hemp isn't worth a damn, trust me you don't want this stuff in your hands.

The dolphin striker should bisect the stem and sprit angles or it looks goofy and applies an unfair load on the sprit/clipper knee.

Paul:  Are you suggesting the chain stays and dolphin striker be structural?  In that case it needs to be fixed through both the bowsprit and the fore part of the stem.  The jib stay and the chain both attaching at that point.  What hardwear would you use?  The aft attach point for the chain stay is the waterline?  Where can I install a winch point for trailering?

Dave

The bobstay (the thing you're calling a chain stay) is generally made of wire, not chain. I would strongly recommend you not use chain, as weight in the ends of the boat should be avoided at all costs. It just increases the pitching moment and the probability the boat will "hobby horse" in chop.

On a Weekender (and a Vacationer for that matter) it's merely a decorative option and not structural. The dolphin striker (the vertical spar) isn't necessary either and if the angle will permit, it's better not to have one.



This is one of my designs, which shows a typical bobstay. Note it's wire, not chain and it has a turnbuckle at the cranse iron, directly opposite of the headstay eye. It takes a little math to get the angles right so the loads are uniform, but it's not especially hard. The angle shown is about as shallow as you want, before using a dolphin striker to increase stay leverage (just like a spreader). About 10 degrees is the limit, before you need a dolphin striker.

Installing the striker, requires the bobstay and the sprit angles get bisected. This insures the rigging loads get transmitted to the stem knee not bend the dolphin striker. The striker needs to be in pure compression or it will break under load.

The short length of the sprit on both Weekender and Vacationer, precludes the need for a bobstay or striker from a structural stand point. You can see on my design, the sprit is proportionately longer and would bend severely with rigging loads, so it needs one. It also has "whisker" stays too, so the rig doesn't twist the sprit from side to side.

About the lashings to hold the sprit down. Even if decorative, I can see moisture being caught in the rope, trapping it against the stem, sprit, etc. making for a great environment for rot to get a good foot hold.