Faster Reefing System for Cruising Dinghies
Goat Island Skiff group has developed a faster reefing system for cruising dinghies. No special fittings are needed so quick cheap and simple
Boat Tuning
Sail, boat setup and rig tuning. Primarily for traditional type rigs. Lug, sprit, Lateen
Two New videos for Rigging a Lugsail, full Method
Two Videos rig a Lugsail. 1/ Last step construction – set up hull, spars and sails. 2/ Setting up the boat to go sailing is simple and quick.
Fittings List for Lug Rigs based on Goat Island Skiff
Fittings list for the Goat Island Skiff and other Lug rigged sailboats. Two suppliers who can ship full package.
Videos Handling Waves in Strong wind upwind Oz Goose and depowering lug rigs.
Videos of best speed upwind in the Oz Goose to handle large waves – a video of depowering a lug by reducing the downhaul tension slightly.
Talking to your Local Sailmaker – GIS sails and other lugsails
Some of the decisions that have to be made before ordering Goat Island Skiff or other lugsails.
Controlling Sail Twist on Balance and other lug rigs.
Controlling sail twist on any boat is critical for performance. Here we describe two methods for getting more performance all round and safer handling downwind.
Detailed Lug Rig setup and rigging method for Viola 14 Sailing Canoe.
Joost Engelen has provided another hugely useful file for setting up the lug rig on the Viola 14 canoe.
Two Weeks and College Students Build 10 Oz Geese.
Just back from Butuan, Mindanao, Philippines where the PHBYC group I belong to has helped college students build 10 Oz Goose sailboats to initiate collegiate sailing at the fraction of the cost of commercially available boats.
Talking to your Local Sailmaker – Goat Island skiff sails
What your sailmaker needs to know about making Goat Island Skiff sails. Our stock sails and a lightweight boom design.
Rig Cost Comparison. Freestanding Yawl vs Stayed Sloop
Cost of lug sails on unstayed masts is so much cheaper than stayed sloop rigs – and the lug sails take only a few minutes to rig and unrig.
Why & How to Optimise a Cruising Dinghy Lug Rig? Texas 200 mile Report
Owner: I am not much interested in racing, but there is no motor mount on this boat, and there never will be. I hate rowing, so the boat has to be able to take me where I want to go under sail. The foils were the first step-this sail completes the journey. :)
Video of Balance Lug Rig Performance vs Lasers and Fireballs
A video comparing Lug Rig Performance with conventional rigs in a real race. A Goat Island Skiff takes part in a regular club race against Fireballs and Lasers. Where will it end up? Does it actually have a “bad tack” where it can’t compete? The answer might challenge your assumptions about sailing rig performance
20 ways to boost Lug rig and lug sail performance! Rigging and Tuning.
All our lug rig information on one page. We have seen the change from the balance lug being almost forgotten to becoming the predominant rig for small self built wooden boat. This was the situation a hundred years ago. We can still use the cheapness and effectiveness of this rig to create boats with very quick and pleasant sailing characteristic.
On Sailing a Vietnamese Junk and a comparison with our Lug experience.
Ran into some great photos and information on sailing a real Vietnamese Junk. I’ve seen plenty of half hearted replicas in HK, but this one is the real deal from Ken Preston. A traditionally built boat that is being restored with no intention to put a motor in it. Ken has one of the best blogs about South East Asia and Boats.
Rigging guide for Goat Island Skiff – Efficient lug sails
How do you rig your Goat Island Skiff or other balance lug rigged boat? This page will be useful for everyone, but specifically assist Goat owners in selection of rope, rope lengths and show all the rigging details. We have also found a number of cheaper ways of doing things from our experience in the Philippines. Halyard, downhaul, outhaul, lashings, rope fittings, rudders, centreboard.
Making NACA and highly accurate centreboard and rudder foils at home
A good centreboard or leeboard is as important as a good sail. We use a simple templates for quick and accurate shaping. Making without the templates … several were feeling that they couldn’t make them to a greater accuracy than 1/16th of an inch.
Ensuring Hull strength and stiffness vs low weight. Oilcanning, twisting and torsion boxes
Making a boat light may make the hull distort more thus losing some of the advantage. But is is possible to build light without distortion. The answer is YES.
Q&A How to Race a Dinghy Successfully the Low Stress Way.
Racing shows that what you know is what you know. It doesn’t matter if the boat is less than perfect. So where is it best to put in the effort to improve results. Boat setup, knowing how to adjust for different wind conditions, practicing skills until they become automatic, sailing as much as possible … and teaching others.
Achieve best Cost/Performance with Traditional Sailing Rigs – Balance, standing lugs and sprit rig sails
A guide for choosing cheaper alternative rigs. Balance Lug, Standing Lug, Sprit, Lateen and more. These rigs typically save a lot of money over conventional sailplans and set up right offer much the same performance. They respond to the same principles. Are boomless sails OK?
Massive Nosedive Video, but all is fine sailing an Oz Goose – New Speed Record?
Racing Cancelled. Videos of some high wind and high speed thrills with the simple and cheap to build Oz Goose sail boats. They might look like a box but they they are quick.