Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

--
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Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

lowe210 wrote in news:156201
:

I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.


I don't know nuthin bout this, but it seems to me a crab claw rig might be
the ticket.. e.g.http://www.triloboats.com/Cruising_T16.pdf
or http://www.simplicityboats.com/crabclaw.html

relatively low stress, no stays, low heeling moment, doubles as a canopy.
Like I said, I know nothing about this, and have next to no experience, but
if I had a pontoon boat, I'd sure be tempted to get a blue tarp and some
PVC and see if I could rig one.. or maybe two, depending on available
crew.

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:22:43 -0600, lowe210 wrote:

I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

Sure, you can put sails on anything and it will work... Perhaps
something else would work better but it will work.

First things first: You need a mast. There will be fairly high loads
applied on the mast and the rigging that holds it up, so:

You need to decide (1) what you are going to sit the mast on, and (2)
where you are going to attach the two shrouds (that run to the sides
of the boats) and the stays (that run to the front and rear of the
boat).

Next you need to decide how big a sail and what kind you are going to
mount. Probably, some sort of conventional main and jib sail will be
the simplest to get working.

Finally, you need to decide where to attach the "sheets", the
lines(ropes) that hold the corner of the sail, will go.

After you get that done and see how she goes then you may want to rig
some sort of "center board" or perhaps "lee boards" (the same thing as
a center board but hung over the side of the boat).

It probably won't be fast and it probably won't be pretty and it
probably won't out sail an America's Cup racer, but it will be fun.

Let us know how it all works out.

Cheers,

Bruce
(bpaige125atgmaildotcom)

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

On Nov 16, 6:22*am, lowe210 wrote:
I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

--
Posted at author's request, using moderatedhttp://www.BoatForumz.cominterface
Thread archive:http://www.BoatForumz.com/Pontoon-Bo...oat-ftopict217...

I also don't feel technically on top of this unique problem, but you
may be interested to look at a book by Todd Bradshaw called Canoe
Rigs ...

In it he describes a structure which just gets clamped between the
gunnels, and has a mounting for the mast in the centre, and mountings
for the leeboards on each side. The canoe can therefore be easily
rigged and removed with almost no fixed rigging. It seems to me that
this might be a good first step as a trial to see if it worked well
enough to continue experimenting. I realise a Canadian canoe will
probably be a lot smaller than the boat you are looking at converting,
but I thought the general principle might work. I am at work just now
so I can't give you the page number from the book.

Best wishes.

Norm

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:22:43 -0600, lowe210 wrote:

I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

A pontoon boat is in some ways ideal for sail propulsion. The hull
form is low drag forward, and high drag sidewards.
That's the good news. The wide base provides a good initial heeling
resistance without adding a deep keel.
But the bad news is handling the mast. If it is placed centrally
between the pontoons, some serious structure is needed to resist
the down load. Attaching the stays and shrouds is not such a big
deal, I'd think

Brian W

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

Brian Whatcott wrote in
:

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:22:43 -0600, lowe210 wrote:

I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

A pontoon boat is in some ways ideal for sail propulsion. The hull
form is low drag forward, and high drag sidewards.
That's the good news. The wide base provides a good initial heeling
resistance without adding a deep keel.
But the bad news is handling the mast. If it is placed centrally
between the pontoons, some serious structure is needed to resist
the down load. Attaching the stays and shrouds is not such a big
deal, I'd think

Brian W


actually, the more I think about it, the more I'd be tempted to try a
lateen rig on a bipod mast (one leg on each pontoon gets rid of the
support problem). One thing you don't mention is if you intend to
retain any superstructure (sunshade, specifically) while under sail.

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:59:50 -0600, Brian Whatcott
wrote:

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:22:43 -0600, lowe210 wrote:

I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

A pontoon boat is in some ways ideal for sail propulsion. The hull
form is low drag forward, and high drag sidewards.
That's the good news. The wide base provides a good initial heeling
resistance without adding a deep keel.
But the bad news is handling the mast. If it is placed centrally
between the pontoons, some serious structure is needed to resist
the down load. Attaching the stays and shrouds is not such a big
deal, I'd think

Brian W

Tuning the rigging might result in some interesting deflection.

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:59:50 -0600, Brian Whatcott
wrote:

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:22:43 -0600, lowe210 wrote:

I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

A pontoon boat is in some ways ideal for sail propulsion. The hull
form is low drag forward, and high drag sidewards.
That's the good news. The wide base provides a good initial heeling
resistance without adding a deep keel.
But the bad news is handling the mast. If it is placed centrally
between the pontoons, some serious structure is needed to resist
the down load. Attaching the stays and shrouds is not such a big
deal, I'd think

Brian W

The normal support incorporates a jack strut and tension strouds
(dolphin striker) below the mast step. The bipod mast idea could use
a tension member between the legs to prevent spreading. It's doubtful
the original hull members were designed adequately to resist
spreading. The pontoons I've been on are fairly flexible between the
hulls. You could feel the deck twist when taking even small waves at
an angle.

Pete

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

In message 1 - Jim Willemin
writes:
:
:
: On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:22:43 -0600, lowe210 wrote:
:
:I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
:experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
:a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it?

snip

:
:actually, the more I think about it, the more I'd be tempted to try a
:lateen rig on a bipod mast (one leg on each pontoon gets rid of the
:support problem). One thing you don't mention is if you intend to
:retain any superstructure (sunshade, specifically) while under sail.

When I was a lad, the family had an Aqua Cat catamaran daysailor. It had a
single mast attached to a crossbar between the two hulls at the bow, and
supported by a bipod amidships. The sail was loose-footed.

There's a picture of this rig at

http://www.americansail.com/images/s...uacat14_1.html

and at other places on that website.

It seems to me that a rig like this could be fitted to a pontoon boat pretty
easily. Might even be effective.

-Derek

Pontoon Boat Conversion to Sailboat
 

On Nov 15, 11:22*am, lowe210 wrote:
I know this is an out-of-the box type question, but has anyone had any
experience with or have any ideas or comments on the thought of taking
a standard aluminum pontoon boat and rigging sails on it? I know it
would be slow, but sort of looking for that old Spanish Gallion effect
(slow, steady, using no fuel). Any thoughts on how to rig it, connect
masts, and how it might sail? Thoughts on a keel(s) or other method of
allowing it to tack properly against the wind? Is this even a
possibility given the physics? Boat would be used on a large lake in
Texas.

--
Posted at author's request, using moderatedhttp://www.BoatForumz.cominterface
Thread archive:http://www.BoatForumz.com/Pontoon-Bo...oat-ftopict217...

junk rig, unstayed mast, you might have to add some blocking for the
mast step. you have pontoons so you got some freeboard to play with I
think you could build the brace under the deck between the toons to
hold the mast. and its simple to run and rig.