I have just bought a Golden Hind 31, the lovely Marschallin of Gibraltar, 1981, GRP. I've wanted a GH31 for many years and am the happiest lass ever
Marschallin is in need of some work and my partner and I are busily engaged in bringing her back to her former glory. Hopefully! She is cutter rigger with a 4' bowsprit and has a post on the bowsprit which we've just discovered is for a jib/staysail boom of a self-tacking jib system. How wonderful! We don't have the jib boom, however, now do we have any idea of how to rig the system.
I wonder whether anyone has plans, drawings or anything like a rigging diagram they could share to help us get this going?
Also, we would like to track down a jib boom or make one, so any info regarding this or any part of the tacking system would be incredibly helpful.
My last 2 GH's have been cutters with a boomed staysail and I wouldn't have anything else. I knew your boat some years ago when I ran the GH club but I can't remember it after so long. With the 4 ft bowsprit I assume it had the Terry Erskine rig with the 32' mast?? My two have both been the light airs rig with the 39'4" mast and a bowsprit of about 3', so there is quite a difference. I haven't got a plan for the Erskine cutter but you can see a bit of the rigs I did if you look on this site at the photos/GH page, where the various brochures are shown.
The cutter rig was always much better balanced than the sloop (my first GH was a sloop so I know both). With the boomed staysail the best feature,in my view, was "heavy weather" configuration. Genoa, which sets poorly reefed down and limits your pointing performance, rolled away. Staysail sheeted almost flat on the boom amidships, nicely inboard with less yawing moment, and no sheets to handle when tacking!!
The boom is much better with the gooseneck situated on or about the sampson post position. In that way, the boom length is shorter than the foot of the staysail. So, on a beat, the sail can be pulled down almost flat, like the mainsail. But, as you free up onto a run, the foot of the sail slackens and the sail can begin to baloon out and pull, without having to adjust anything, except free the sheet.
If you look at the photos of my current boat, Sea Fever, on the Photo Gallery/Pictures/Golden Hind page (almost at the bottom), you'll clearly see the staysail rigging arrangement.
Re the boom, on this boat I had a quote for a custom boom, but opted for a dinghy boom which was cheaper, neater and also had gooseneck, reef fittings etc as standard. Making up a simple wooden one would be quite easy if you are into such things.
If I can be of any further help, please let me know.
GHM wrote:If I can be of any further help, please let me know.
Regards, Mark
Hello Mark, and thank you so much! This is ever so helpful. We are studying the photos.
Yes we have the Erskine rig and 32' mast.
Are you able to tell me the required dimensions for the boom? Well, the length really is all we need I think. Re. making a wooden one we are indeed "into such things" but would rather opt for the simpler/quicker option in this case and get Marschallin in the water
And you knew the boat? How wonderful. She's had a rather sad recent history and we're keen to start her on some wonderful new adventures.
My boom is 2.40m from the centre of the gooseneck pivot (which is mounted on the aft face of the sampson post) to the extreme end. But you can confirm for your boat by measuring when it's more or less horizontal, to the front of the mast. You want a bit of clearance or you will have a problem, and it may depend on the staysail foot dimension if you have one already! Mine is rigged on blocks on the coachroof (through a deck beam), inboard of the cabin sides so it sheets very flat, not down the side decks as I did see on one of Terry's boats, because it won't sheet flat for windward work.
A couple of other things I found: I mounted the deck sheet blocks on a simple eye bolt initially. A mistake because they tended to rotate (and maybe leak) under load. I now use U bolts. If you want the sail to drop onto the deck and stow on the boom, without going forward to unhank some piston hanks, or releasing the clew, you will need a staysail jack line fitted to the luff lower section. If not, when the sail drops, it will descend so far and then jam up. More annoying still is that you can't leave it fully hanked, in a cover on the boom, clew attached to the boom end and ready to hoist.
Sorry just noticed your post, a month or two late!
I too have a boomed staysail, albeit on an Eventide.
The gooseneck is mounted a foot or so back from the tack, so the sail prgressivly baloons as the boom pays off. The foot tension can be easily ajusted with a clew rope and cleat on the boom. My boom is a 2.5 inch diameter dinghy boom complete with gooseneck, we mounted a s/s fitting on the top of the bowsprit to take it, about a foot back from the stem and tack fitting.
Sail is rigged with a tack downhaul to tension it easily, for fine tuning....
The lower part of the staysail must have the hanks on a line threaded through the eyelets, (mine has proper double eyelets for each hank) then when halyard released the sail drops to stow on the boom. must have this or it jams. Sailmakers will know!
Mine is sheeted to a slider on deck, across the front of the cabin. There is a single sheet rigged back to the gooseneck then along the deck to the cockpit. A simple 2:1 purchase is all that is needed for an Eventides 90sq ft sail, you may need more.
Great when wind pipes up, to replace genoa, but also great to use downwind, with stays'l boom held up wind, (elastic bungee to guard rails..) to divert the breeze into the genoa!
You should be able to see pics of it on the Gallery, see 'Fiddler's Green'.
Somewhere I have an MG drawing of this that I used, from the 27ft Kylix.
Hi i have sorted some details for the stay-sail boom as drawn by Mark of GHM if you are interested send me an email and i will get them too you regards Dave.
Cannot lay my hand on my drawings at the monent, decorating and chaos!
If you can mail to the Eventide mail address:- enquiries@eventides.org.uk I will pick that up for the Group! Then we can add it ro the drawings we are collecting for the GH.... to send to members.
We launched Marschallin last Saturday and have not gone the staysail boom route. We thought we'd keep it simple for the moment, especially while we're getting used to the boat. No doubt there will be updates posted here soon!
The Staysail conversion can always be done later, but the sail will have to have extra eyelets in the luff low down so you can actually fix the lower hanks to a strong rope leading through the eyelets instead of hanked to sail direct, easy to do. This way as you lower the sail the rope slackens and allows the sail to draw back from the wire, so it can be lowered to the staysail boom without jamming.
Must get a pic of mine, as it is far easier to see on a pic than explain.
And yes the dinghy boom route is the one I took, complete with the gooseneck fitting mounted on a short purpose made pole just back ftom the tack, seen some mounted on a swivel on deck, does the same thing.
When I get afloat I will try to get some pics and create a new page on the hints and tips page to show how it all works.