Bermudian to Gaff

[DavidW]

I purchased a Tahitiana about three years ago. The Weston Farmer modification of the old Tahiti ketch. I have been working on it doing it up ever since, in between sailing of course! The original owner decided to remove the mizzen and have a fiberglass ‘coachhouse’ installed, complete with clears all around. I must admit that I enjoy the creature comforts – and the effective extra cabin – but the boat is badly out of balance. I replaced the mast with a taller one to compensate for the lost mizzen and raked it well aft to help bring the center of effort back. The boom is some three feet longer than the original. It is a big improvement but still not ‘right’.

Not wishing to reposition the main, I am now considering converting to gaff rig.. It should help in the balance department and, having ‘doctored’ some photographs on the computer, the Tahitiana looks as though she would lend herself to a gaff quite nicely.

My plan is to leave Australia early next year on a trip to S.E.Asia, the Med, Europe, W.I., and back to Oz via Panama and the Pacific. I accept that the gaff rig will never point as well as Bermudian, but I am just old enough to figure I shouldn’t be beating my way around anyway. Much of my trip will be planned for trade winds anyhow and, lets face it, the gaff riggers took people around the globe for many years.

My question is :- Have any members had any experience with converting from Bermudian to gaff and, if so, did they discover any major pitfalls. Secondly, has anyone come across a gaff-rigged Tahitiana in their travels. That would be really interesting to hear about.

Thanks.

David

[Brian Duff]

do it. the boat will rock ( by that i mean be cool, not roll more violently.)

you will probably need a new mast, maybe bowsprit, and of course rigging and sails...

good fun