Retractable Bowsprit
 

I'm looking for ideas on construction of the mounting for a
retractable sprit. A deck mount is preferable for me, so if anybody
has done this please let me know the details. By the way 44 ft steel
cutter.

Retractable Bowsprit
 

You raise a good question Bruce.. I'm paying an extra $25 a month because of
my bowsprit and I seriously considered something retractable.

I even walked the docks in the LA / Long Beach area looking for ideas.. It
seems the higher the slip rent, the more ingenious the boat owners become.

I saw several folding and about an equal number of retractable. The folding
would require more work, to rig and unrig because of the bobstay and
whiskerstays.. While a retractable just lets these go slack..

If you don't want to have to worry about retensioning the bobstay and
whiskers, then you need a fitting and device on the foredeck to thrust the
bowsprit out against the preset tension. Final tensioning of the headstay
would still be required since that has to be more precises.

I have seen some ideas in books but can't remember which ones. Mostly it
involved the bowsprit coming between Sampson Post pairs. Then secured and
pushed forward with strap that goes behind the inboard/aft end of the
bowsprit. This arrangement would require some wrench work to provide the
final outward thrust.

I wish you well with your effort..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Retractable Bowsprit
 

Steve wrote:

You raise a good question Bruce.. I'm paying an extra $25 a month because of
my bowsprit and I seriously considered something retractable.

I even walked the docks in the LA / Long Beach area looking for ideas.. It
seems the higher the slip rent, the more ingenious the boat owners become.

I saw several folding and about an equal number of retractable. The folding
would require more work, to rig and unrig because of the bobstay and
whiskerstays.. While a retractable just lets these go slack..

If you don't want to have to worry about retensioning the bobstay and
whiskers, then you need a fitting and device on the foredeck to thrust the
bowsprit out against the preset tension. Final tensioning of the headstay
would still be required since that has to be more precises.

I have seen some ideas in books but can't remember which ones. Mostly it
involved the bowsprit coming between Sampson Post pairs. Then secured and
pushed forward with strap that goes behind the inboard/aft end of the
bowsprit. This arrangement would require some wrench work to provide the
final outward thrust.

I wish you well with your effort..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

This may sound like an idiotic question, but why not use a hydraulic ram? This
could (if engineered properly) do your retensioning at the same time.

Surplus Center in Nebraska has LOTS of cheap hydraulic cylinders.



--

Don't like the looks of nudists? Complain to the manufacturer.

Retractable Bowsprit
 

What about having a guide ring/tube mounted on the deck through which the
bowsprit is extended and locked in place against the stay tension with the
aid of a removable cam lever. To retract simply release and remove the cam
lever from it's fitting in the back of the guide/tube and slide the sprit
in. The guide ring/tube carries the sprit load to the hull and the cam
simply secures it against the tension.

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for ideas on construction of the mounting for a
retractable sprit. A deck mount is preferable for me, so if anybody
has done this please let me know the details. By the way 44 ft steel
cutter.

Retractable Bowsprit
 

"Dazed and Confuzed" wrote in message
...

This may sound like an idiotic question, but why not use a hydraulic ram?
This


Intially I would say KISS!!

Could be done but for a long lasting installation it would have to be
stainless or bronze, etc.

But then??
To keep the 'junk' off the foredeck a guy might use a bottle jack for the
final thrust outward, then drop in a couple pins.. Then stow the jack down
low and out of the way..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Retractable Bowsprit
 

Steve wrote:

"Dazed and Confuzed" wrote in message
...

This may sound like an idiotic question, but why not use a hydraulic ram?
This

Intially I would say KISS!!

Could be done but for a long lasting installation it would have to be
stainless or bronze, etc.

But then??
To keep the 'junk' off the foredeck a guy might use a bottle jack for the
final thrust outward, then drop in a couple pins.. Then stow the jack down
low and out of the way..

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

we are on the same page.....


--

Don't like the looks of nudists? Complain to the manufacturer.

Retractable Bowsprit
 

Bruce writes:

I'm looking for ideas on construction of the mounting for a
retractable sprit. A deck mount is preferable for me, so if anybody
has done this please let me know the details. By the way 44 ft steel
cutter.

To keep it simple, how about using the same system as on old fishing
smacks:
http://www.alberta-ck318.freeserve.co.uk/index.htm

A detail drawing of a bowsprit arrangement is on the end of this page:
http://www.alberta-ck318.freeserve.co.uk/details.htm

Whiskers can be added as well with a short tackle on both sides.

Of course you can replace the tackles with a hydraulic jack and locking
pins as suggested, but this would have been the original idea. And it
looks so salty, so salty.

Pekka


--
http://www.puuvene.net/

Retractable Bowsprit
 

..Then secured and
pushed forward with strap that goes behind the inboard/aft end of the
bowsprit. This arrangement would require some wrench work to provide the
final outward thrust.

for a traditional-looking device drive a hardwood wedge by standing on it
or giving it a kick from the side. the wedge would be fastened to the boat
by a length of light chain to keep it from getting lost. once the tension
is in the stays the wedge will be pinned tight.


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Retractable Bowsprit
 

Maybe I'm missing something simple--not the first time. The retractable
sprit on the J-boat types I've seen have no attached pulpit or safety
netting.
a) Do they handle the foresail in a blow hanging 6' out by their
toenails and safety harness?
b) or do they retract the sprit to work on the sails?
I'm not sure I'd want to be on deck much less handle a sail in a 30-knot
blow with 6' of slack in the forestay. And both scenarios ought to
reinvigorate the old bowsprit nickname--"widow maker".
regards, Boatdreams.
--------------------
Bruce wrote:
I'm looking for ideas on construction of the mounting for a
retractable sprit. A deck mount is preferable for me, so if anybody
has done this please let me know the details. By the way 44 ft steel
cutter.

Retractable Bowsprit
 

Life lines, netting !! Never had any of these things until my present and
boat previous to that. So of the 9 or so boats I have had in 44 years of
boating (mostly coastal) only the last two had life lines.. The oldest was a
45 year old SeaBird yawl that, not only never had life lines, but also had
5' X 4" dia. bowsprit..

On almost all of these boats there was only one head sail, so no need to
change headsails. I used some form of downhaul that gathered the sail in and
kept it under control until you could put a gasket or two on it.. I just
never went on the foredeck or foreward of the mast.. If I did I used a
safety line and crawled on hands and knees once foreward of the mast.

Just as a note of trivia: Flemming Day, original owner/editor of Rudder
Magazine and two friends sailed a 26' Sea Bird Yawl across then Atlantic in
about 1920 (maybe earlier) to promote the design..
When ask how they keep their clothing dry while working sails on deck, he
responded "What Clothes??" appearantly they stripped to their skivies when
on deck so the clothing would stay dry and warm for down below.
Later, Harry Pigeon built and sailed a 34' version of the Sea Bird, called
the SeaGoer and sailed twice around the world in it and never had life
lines..
Joshua Slocum had a high bullwarks as did the majority of larger off shore
boats of that period..


--
My opinion and experience. FWIW

Steve
s/v Good Intentions