running backstays, mainsail leech tension, yep, i'd thought of those too. would need a high-modulus sail cloth for the latter. and the mast would have to be designed to handle the higher compression loads.
what about a mast that is stiffer fore-to-aft than side-to-side? or are they already? impossible to tell from pictures but i assume they are circular in cross section. an ellipse might work well. rotating tear-drop would be better aerodynamically for the mainsail, but perhaps not provide quite as much forestay tension as a fixed ellipse.
relatedly rob, i recall you mentioning, perhaps in a very old post, that you'd worked out an easy way for home builders to make their own mast. no details were given as i recall. eric sponberg describes wrapping tow around a mandrel. i've read that others use a female mold. how do you do it?
ben
> ... running backstays would do a better
> job, although the need to tack them is a pain. Mainsail leech tension is
> the other thing to look at, but also needs to be released after a shunt if a
> roachy mainsail is used.