Mast

Yesterday I received a copy of the Gaff rig sail plan that Lyle Hess originally drew for the Bristol Channel Cutter. Good stuff ! I will scan it in before the week is out.

The pole mast stands 40' 4" above the water. The plan shows a a 120 sq foot yankee jib with the clew on 3' pennant line, a 126 sq. ft stays'l with the head on a 2 part purchase, a 243 sq foot main with one reef point and an 84 sq foot tops'l. The total sail area for this plan is 573 sq ft. With a full jib in lieu of the yankee the total area goes up to 675 sq ft. The plan strikes me as conservative. I would have thought the 8 ft bowsprit would have been 10 ft. And, surprisingly, the main is only marginally larger than the Bermudean cut mains'l. I want to be very careful about making any significant changes but on the other hand, I will probably often sail without the tops'l so more main and less top'l would be a good thing. I could add 6" to the boom length, 18" to the luff and a second reef point. The main then becomes 275 feet and the tops's 65 feet. I likey.

The spars will be spruce. The mast and gaff will be hollow and the boom solid. According to the Pardeys, stuff the mast full of aluminum foil and the boat becomes a much bigger radar target. 

A rule of thumb.... 7/8" of mast diameter for every foot of boat beam, entonces 8" diameter mast.