Wharram Wingsail

[Rick Hueschen]

 After numerous trips on Sandy, my Tiki 21, I am just not sold on the Wharram wingsail. Trying to reef singlehanded on a rough sea is quite an event. A wet mast sleeve is difficult to lower in 18 knots while dodging a swinging wooden gaff. I think that any gain in efficiency by the mast sleeve, is lost by the extra windage aloft of the gaff and associated rigging. I'm thinking of removing the sleeve and gaff and creating a fat headed full battened main that is laced to the mast. Thoughts anyone?

[Ann and Neville Clement]

I once was planning to put a full battened fat headed sail on our Tiki 46 because of the problems we were having with the wingsail sleeve, but our sail maker advised against it saying the forces it puts on a mast would be damaging because we have no spreaders. He made our sleeveless sails three years ago and they work fine with gaffs, lacings, and our booms which were built similar to the gaffs but larger. Ann and Nev

[Bob Bois]

Hi Ann and Nev,
While we're on the subject of gaffs, are your gaffs as per plans? Are your booms built exactly the same way with the shaft extended? Thanks, Bob

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Hi Bob,
Our gaffs are built exactly as to plan with the addition of two metal strips we put on where there was a little chafe starting from the rub of the halyards. The booms are just the open U shape to go around the mast and the long pole shape to take the foot of the sail. The only attachment of the bottom of the sail to the boom is at the tack and the clew so it is possible for us to make adjustment to the sail shape. Being low on energy at our age, we have found the "sweet spot" where the sail has good enough shape for all around sailing and we leave it there. The U is made of laminated plywood fiberglassed and the pole part is a fiberglassed hollow box of wood with solid areas where stresses are expected such as where the reef blocks are and where the sheet blocks are. The pole part could have been alloy and that would have been lighter weight. Nev can draw it out for you when we come up to see your building shed. Come down and take measurements whenever you want. Meanwhile we look forward to seeing your lower hulls. Bob, you are first one out of the gate in this hot spot of New England Tiki building. Four Tikis within an hour drive of each other. Fantastic!

Bob Bois said:

Hi Ann and Nev,
While we're on the subject of gaffs, are your gaffs as per plans? Are your booms built exactly the same way with the shaft extended? Thanks, Bob

[kim whitmyre]

In a thread at the Wharram board, Rory McDougal posted 10 or so shots of his amazing repertoire of sail trim using the wingsail and foresails: it's in the "sails for tiki 26" thread. Highly recommended for those who are interested in what the wingsail can do!

[Dave Vinnicombe]

Hi Marty

I suspect that chopping boards are made of nylon. Ptfe is pretty slippery stuff to touch, it has an oily feel to it. They make thread tape from it. You will probably find it at any plastics/nylon/tufnol supplier. Apart from lining the gaff jaws, make sure that the jaws are not too tight a fit on the mast.

Cheers,
Dave

[kim whitmyre]

McMaster Carr has everything. . .I have some with adhesive on one side that I got at a woodworking supply: for affixing to table saw fences. It needs to be changed every few years at least, as the uv kills it.

[Dave Vinnicombe]

Hi Chuck

I covered the inside of the jaws and importantly the vertical block to which the throat halyard is attached with 4mm thick ptfe which was screwed on with countersunk screws. They are 6 years old now and still good.

Dave

Chuck Valley said:

Dave,

What size PTFE did you use and how did you attach it to your gaffs? You can get this stuff in all sizes on Ebay; Just type in "PTFE sheet"

[Jeff Kittle]

Hello. I am sure there are many factors involved in this issue. Our sails are homemade and a little different, and so far they slide pretty well. Our masts are aluminum and I was wondering if the painted masts might be more sticky? If we take a poll I suspect I will find out that I'm wrong, but.....Nok and Luis and those with systems that work well, what are your masts made of?

[kim whitmyre]

My mastfoot is wood up to about 5', so my gaff slides on the 5" aluminum tube that makes up the rest of the mast. When I had it down last, I took a fine brass brush in my 4" grinder to it and took the oxide off. Then I gave it a few coats of paste wax.

BTW, on reefing, I just set up my new main and jib with pennant reefing:

With pennant reefing, the main sheet is left shackled to the main clew, and the pennant hauls the reefing clew down to the main clew. The drawing is from an old magazine article interviewing Mr. Wharram on the wingsail. I believe Gaia uses this form of pennant reefing.

[Jeff Kittle]

I assume, of course, Gaia has wood masts. Is Dave Vinnecombe out there or does someone know if Dave Vinnecombe has wood masts or aluminum masts?