the Weta trimaran has a two part mast. the join is about 1/3 of the way from the BOTTOM, not top. i assume that is to minimize weight aloft. are there pros/cons to having the join near/above/below the jib halyard exit?
Strength is needed at the spreaders and hounds, so both are good spots for joins. Stiffness is needed between the spreaders and hounds, so is also a good spot.
On an unstayed rig, the nearer the top, the lighter the join, but the higher the added weight. I would go for near the top.
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yes for a spade type rudder, bit trickier for a daggertype, if it is raked forward.
another nail in the coffin of the balestron, huh? first crappy jib luff tension, and now needing both rudders down for helm balance.
For racing hard upwind against a full crew on a boat with all the strings, yes. For cruising or short handed racing it is still hard to beat, see Mike's post. It does not need both rudders down, except on Gardner's design. There are other ways of lifting the rudder which keeps the raised part low.
is it all just guesswork or is there engineering software that can help? i only know of jSDN yacht designer. from a 3D CAD drawing it can calculate COE, CLR, COG, COB, etc. it's not clear to me though if it can compute drag and weather helm and leeway. maybe in the paid version.
No software as far as I know, and there are so many variables that there is probably no simple answer anyway. There is also the major difference in balance with the ww hull flying or not. Admittedly, this does not seem to be a problem on El, but it looks as if it should be.
The una rig will have a higher aspect ratio and taller mast than an easyrig with the same sail area. However, it will also have higher sheet loads, and jibes will take some skill. You also get the option of sailing with a single foil, at least on the smaller proas. If you want to race, don't mind the higher sheet loads, and prefer to have the mast waaay up there (more sail where it counts when there's no wind), it's perfect.
My thinking exactly. Hope to get round the shortcomings by telescoping the rig and raking the mast forward so the centre of rotation is just ahead of the coe, same as the ballestron. Gybes aren't (or shouldn't be) a problem on a harry.
rob
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