Re: Lateen rig on p15

Lars S. Mulford (mulford@bellatlantic.net)
Mon, 28 Dec 1998 20:12:59 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Gordon wrote:

> Lars Mulford was the first of our e-mail group to have a lateen rig Potter,
> and his was built new to order by International Marine, but it was not well
> conceived or constructed and started to come apart. The dealer in Annapolis
> carefully rebuilt it, making the sleeve very substantial, and Lars
> subsequently sailed it in near gale conditions and was totally satisified
> with it. All three lateen rigs have the mast hole located at the forward
> edge of the cabintop, which resulted in a balanced helm.

Very satisfied indeed, and it demonstrated a startling turn of speed. And yes,
I sailed it numerous times in sustained winds over 20, and several times with
winds markedly stronger than that. The rig flexed considerably but always it
stayed full, using the wind it needed and spilling out the excess. When hit
with severe gusts, it would dump the main completely and the spars would flex a
considerable amount, but it was never something that I thought approached
terminal breaking points on the spars or rig as a whole. Like Harry's setup, I
also had considerable reinforcement inside with a stringer running across the
cabin molded in the shape of the cabin line, made of heart of pine. I never
saw any spidercracking or the like, but if I had continued to sail it on the
edge like I did, I am sure I would have seen some. I will say that the
reinforcement inside was key to making sure that the stress imposed by the rig
was distributed to beefier parts of the boat where it could be handled.

> but I certainly would before I attempted 30 mile passages. My own longest
> passage was 20 miles across Monterey Bay, but that was long ago and with my
> original gunter rig. That took all day, so a 30 mile passage will probably
> require some night sailing. A number of conventional Potter 15s have sailed
> to Catalina Island, about 26 miles.

I sailed my lateen rigged P15 across wider parts of the Chesapeake Bay over
several days. Longest stretch in one day was probably around 30 miles perhaps,
maybe less. The choice of rig is subjective, but I'd probably opt for the
lateen rig for it's sheer simplicity and ease of use, freeing you up to do
other important things. Harry has an important point through about reefing;
I'd do it too if I were going to do the sailing you describe. However, there
is no mystery surrounding the reefing on a lateen rigged Potter. It is beyond
easy. Think radial reefing. All you need is a row or two of reefs sewn into
the main, rdiating from where the spar and boom meet. To reef, simply lower
the main halyard until you can tie the reef furthest out on the spar around the
boom (and you DO have to tie it around the boom; remember how the rig "sets"
when you first raise and shake it out). After doing that, tie in the others,
working toward the mast. The rig takes on the appearance of a crab-claw rig
and looking somewhat wierd but it is quite functional. Given that Larry Brown
was using a lateen rig with only roughly 41-50 sq. ft of sail and my boat had
80+ sq ft, I'd say it would be a good thing to have at least one row of reefing
points in the main if you anticipate extended sailing as you describe. I've
spent two weeks on my P15, but I was always within 10 miles or less of land.

> The lateen rig is definitely simpler, but as to which rig would be safer
> for long passages, I can't say. Either rig would work so long as it was
> strongly built and had reefing capability.

I agree. All things being equal and both having reefing capability, I think it
becomes a matter of sheer preference. Given the big water nature of this type
of sail, I'd probably opt for the lateen so I could concentrate on other
things.
I am not saying anything that Harry and Steve don't already know, but it is
really something to see just how well the lateen rig works on the P15. Setup
and retrieval times, for me, were measured in seconds rather than minutes. I
could pace or pass other P15s sailing in company. The one comment that I heard
from a Potter sailor who was really interested in the rig and yet still had
reservations (that I think had nothing to do with how it sailed) said to me
"Lars, I like it and it does work well on the boat, but it just doesn't seem
'authentic'." I took that to mean that the rig on the P15 gave the P15 a toy
quality about it, lessening it in some way because of the ease of use. Well,
to me, that is bunk. Sailing is sailing, period, and we should be tickled that
we are able to do it. If I had a P15 at my disposal, it would be a lateen rig,
no question.

--
"Sea" ya!

--Lars S. Mulford, President East Coast Potter Association (ECPA) Come visit us at http://members.tripod.com/~SpeedSailor "Forgive, and live. Life is worth the challenge of living." --LSSM