spindrift sailboats

Boat Profile

Spindrift 12

A performance yacht tender

From Issue   Small Boats Annual 2014

The Spindrift series of dinghies from B&B Yacht Designs promises a range of capable yacht tenders that offer plenty of sailing excitement. Here we see a 12’ model built by Meredithe Stuart-Smith of Castine, Maine.

H ere we have one member of a family of boats—four in all—doing business under the name of Spindrift and designed by Graham Byrnes of Vandemere, North Carolina. The very first Spindrift was a 10-footer, and was meant purely as a tender to a larger yacht. As Byrnes tells the story on his website, “Not long after the first few were built, we were invited to take part in a race for yacht tenders with a maximum length of 10′. There were dinghies of every description: Trinkas, Connies, Dyers all were represented, as well as some less-well-known brands—and a few custom boats.”

Spindrift trounced the fleet—so much so that there was a mass exodus of dinghies from the local yacht club, and a flurry of Spindrift construction. The word spread to other parts of the country, and more models followed. Today, the lengths are 9′, 10′, 11′, and 12′, and you can choose nesting versions for all but the 12-footer. “Nesting” refers to the boat’s ability to be separated into two pieces—a bow and stern section—with the bow portion turned around and nestled into the stern sections. The result is a tidy package that can be carried on the deck of a small yacht. The rig options include a cat for the 9′, 10′, and 11′ models, and sloop or cat for the 11′ and 12′ ones. To date, Byrnes has sold 1,025 sets of plans.

“A Spindrift,” writes Byrnes, “is a very good investment if you have a junior sailor in your family. Unlike many dinghies used as trainers (such as the Optimist), you do not ‘outgrow’ a Spindrift. While the boat is very suitable for children and inexperienced adults, in the hands of a good competitive sailor it offers the challenge of top-end racing.” Byrnes also intended for the boat to carry a small outboard, which he says it does very well.

The forgiving nature of the boat and its top-end potential are what drew Meredithe Stuart-Smith to Spindrift. A resident of Castine, Maine, Stuart-Smith had taken a sailing course at WoodenBoat School several years ago, and now she wanted a boat in which to hone her new sailing skills. What boat, she wondered, would be adequate for the local conditions, and under 12′ so she could store it on land at the local yacht club? She called Graham Byrnes’s shop and spoke with his wife, Carla, who mentioned the Spindrift—which, as it happened, was to be the subject of an upcoming class at WoodenBoat School.

Stuart-Smith was intrigued, but a little concerned about her limited capacity with woodworking tools, and she shared this concern with Carla.

“Honey,” Stuart-Smith recalls Carla responding, “there are women who could not get out of their Maiden form bras who could build one of these.”

“So,” says Stuart-Smith. “I came, I built, and I sailed.”

The 12′ Spindrift’s spars and blades all stow tidily in the boat for easy trailering.

T he construction is stitch-and-glue—a process that has as much in common with sewing as it does with traditional boatbuilding. In sewing, the curved edges of flat sheets of fabric are stitched together to yield a sometimes-complex three-dimensional shape. In stitch-and-glue boatbuilding, flat sheets of plywood are cut to precisely curving shapes, and the edges of them “sewn” together to yield a hull. The sewing is commonly done with copper wire or cable ties, and the seams are then “taped” together with fiberglass set in epoxy. There are nuances in this gluing-together job, such as the filleting of seams to eliminate hard inside corners and allow the ’glass to properly bridge the joint, but the process is rather simple and the rewards quick. Hulls are often stitched together in a day—though require much more work to make them solid and strong.

Stuart-Smith finished her hull in the WoodenBoat School class. After that, the demands of business and family life took over, and she sent the boat to Salt Pond Rowing, a shop operated by WoodenBoat School shop assistant Joe Thompson, who finished it—complete with a distinctive and flawless gunsmoke-blue paint scheme. “I’m sad I didn’t finish the boat,” says Stuart-Smith. “But I knew I couldn’t get it done.”

The 12′ Spindrift’s two-piece, unstayed aluminum mast is quick and easy to step, and the wooden boom attaches at the gooseneck with a simple slip-on fitting. Rigging takes a matter of minutes.

S tuart-Smith named the boat ANGEL, and four years after its launching, I joined her for a couple of sails from the backshore beach in Castine. This gravelly strand faces west into upper Penobscot Bay, and we arrived at high tide one August evening in a fresh westerly. Setup was easy. The aluminum mast separates into two sections, which stow neatly and entirely in the boat. The top mast section has a wooden plug inserted in its top. These two sections are easily joined together, and the lightweight spar dropped through the partners and into the step. There is no standing rigging.

The rig is a Bermudan cat, and the sail’s luff is sleeved, like a Laser’s. But unlike that ubiquitous Bruce Kirby–designed board boat—at least the ones I knew growing up—this luff sleeve has a zipper running its length, allowing the sail to be hoisted up the stepped mast, rather than threaded onto the mast on the ground, and the whole thing raised together. That made a big difference in ease of rigging in the breeze that was blowing that evening, for raising that sail Iwo Jima style would have required some manhandling. The zippered luff also allows for quick reefing and shaking-out from the helm position—which is not possible with a standard sleeve luff.

The clew is left to fly while the boat is launched and the boom attached to the gooseneck. Then the rudder is secured, the boat is pointed into the wind, and the outhaul made off. The engine, so to speak, is now idling.

I thought that getting off the beach in the onshore breeze would be a bit awkward—a reflection on me, and not the boat. In the past, I have found daggerboards can be ungainly in this situation. When beam-reaching into a beach, it’s good to have a little bit of blade exposed underwater for as long as possible. And I like to have the board propped in the trunk, ready to press into deep water, when departing in an offshore breeze. But in some of the boats of my youth, the height of that loaded board could impede the progress of the boom across the boat’s centerline, creating an interesting situation—one not unlike the time my ’75 Ford Grenada’s accelerator pedal got stuck under the floor mat as I was cruising down the Nahant causeway in Massachusetts in my high-school years…but I digress. My point is that Byrnes’s careful fitting of the board to clear the boom gave me confidence in the setup. This is a carefully engineered rig— mindful of both the beginner and advanced sailor.

Spindrift has a rare combination of traits: Exciting sailing, good rowing, and ample volume to serve as a yacht tender. The designer claims that she handles an outboard motor well, too, though this wasn’t tested for this review.

I got away from the beach, deployed the centerboard, sheeted in, and whoosh: Stuart-Smith had told me that the local kids likened the feeling of her boat to a Laser’s—which I hadn’t sailed for decades. This brought it all back. The boat accelerated quickly, and I settled into the tack and tidied up the mainsheet. Then I tried a few turns. The boat was quick to tack, and sure-footed in jibes.

Stuart-Smith had told me earlier that every one of her sailing outings is like Groundhog Day, referring to the Bill Murray movie in which the protagonist awakes every day to the same circumstances, his life never advancing. She typically sails the boat with a more experienced hand along, and on one solo outing did have the distinct and enlightening pleasure of capsizing. She reports that it was easy to right, and came up only partially filled with water. Much of the interior volume is taken up by the flotation tank seats, so there was minimal bailing. Stuart-Smith has pushed through insecurities about a solo outing, saying that she’s “always doing things that terrify me.” She was bound and determined to take a few passes along the beach that night. And she did. As is often the case in learning, she’d internalized more of the previous year’s lessons than she’d thought. She’d developed instinct. This was proven out in one particular incident when, after the boat was caught in the wind while departing the beach, the sails filled as ANGEL sat still. That’s often the sitting-duck position for a capsize, as all of the sudden wind energy is pressing the boat over, and little or none of it is bleeding off in forward motion. Stuart-Smith leapt to the high side, settled the boat down, and darted off. The rest of the evening was textbook sailing, and putting the boat up took only ten minutes. We lowered the sail, hauled the boat up the beach on its aluminum trailer, popped out the mast, and secured the blades and spars in the bilge. With the hull strapped down, Stuart-Smith and ANGEL headed for the barn.

B&B Yacht Designs, 196 Elm St., Vandemere NC; www.bandbyachtdesigns.com.

The Spindrift dinghy from B&B Yacht Designs is available in four lengths: 9’, 10’, 11’, and 12’. Here we see the 12-footer, the boat tested for this article, with the optional sloop rig.

Particulars: LOA 12’0″ Beam 4’6″ Sail area (sloop rig) 85 sq ft (cat rig) 70 sq ft Weight 95-120 lbs

Share this article

Join The Conversation

We welcome your comments about this article. If you’d like to include a photo or a video with your comment, please email the file or link.

Comments (2)

Let’s shorten the mast by 2′,extend the boom by the same amount. With the original sail plan you still must duck under the boom.Why not make the boom longer? The sail plan lower?

A tall, thin sail, a high-aspect ratio, is more efficient. I had a plastic window sewn in.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay On Course

More From This Issue

François Vivier designed the handsome pocket cruiser Pen-Hir for his own use. He cruises the boat for up to two weeks at a time, often singlehanded, along the Brittany coast.

To develop his trailerable daysailer, Herbert Krumm-Gartner started by carving a half model, inspired by the boatbuilding methods and design aesthetics of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff.

With an open-cockpit layout, relatively high boom, and lots of seating, the Mirror is ideal for taking kids out.

The Point Comfort 18

Doug Hylan’s Point Comfort 18 offers the seaworthiness and lineage of a Chesapeake deadrise skiff with the light weight and ease of construction a plywood hull provides.

The Ipswich Bay Skiff

The Pert Lowell Co. in Amesbury, Massachusetts, designed the Ipswich Bay Skiff for a customer who wanted a lightweight but rugged skiff that he could launch from the beach on…

The Ultimate Freight Canoe

Abundant cargo-carrying capacity was uppermost in Francis “Mick” Fahey’s mind when he designed a wood-and-canvas freight canoe for his own use in the 1960s. The canoe’s versatility has made its…

Rescue Minor

Shallow draft, center console, room for a family, and an electric motor make this Rescue Minor, built by students at the Great Lakes Boat Building School, an ideal boat for…

The Peterborough Nomad

This 15' cedar-strip Peterborough Nomad by Woodwind Yachts was built on a mold created from an original Nomad launched by the Peterborough Canoe Company in 1958.

Thompson Thomboy

The author’s THOMMY, a 1955 Thompson Thomboy, is in original condition, with nothing anachronistic or out of place.

Sinne 610 Expedition Boat

For long-distance rowing trips on Finland’s many lakes, Jouko Koskinen had in mind a lightweight boat that would row very well but could also be fitted with bicycle wheels for…

The Simmons Sea Skiff

The Simmons Sea Skiff was first developed as a beach-launched, oar-powered fishing boat for coastal North Carolina, and it eventually evolved into an outboard-powered range of sizes, from 18’ to…

Lit’l Petrel

The diminutive pram, less than 9’ long, has remarkable carrying capacity. A centerline seat allows the person rowing to choose from two stations, depending on the boat’s fore-and-aft trim.

DragonFlyer 3.2

ZIP is the prototype model of the DragonFlyer 3.2, a design intended as a versatile and dynamic sail trainer. She can be sailed with main alone, main and jib, or…

The New Hampshire Snekke

Low-powered, double-ended launches called snekker are ubiquitous along the coast of Norway, but rather exotic in New Hampshire, where Andrew Wallace’s Traditional Boatworks builds these boats.

The Sid Skiff

The classic transom-sterned skiff that became known as the Sid Skiff, here with cobuilder Zach Simonson-Bond at the oars, first came to Ray Speck’s attention while he was living on…

The McIntosh Canvas Boat

Canvas sheathing over a wooden framework makes Ned McIntosh’s 9’ dinghy extraordinarily light, at only 35 lbs, yet it remains a versatile tender that is easy and quick to build.

Harry Bryan’s 12’ Thistle is powered by a large rudder shaped like a fish’s tail and driven by foot pedals. With steady pedaling you can keep pace with about any…

The Spindrift series of dinghies from B&B Yacht Designs promises a range of capable yacht tenders that offer plenty of sailing excitement. Here we see a 12’ model built by…

Making a Boat a Home, Part 2

In Southeast Alaska, rocky beaches, insects, and a large resident bear population often make tent-camping on the beach an unappealing option,” James Danner writes from Juneau. “Having a boat tent…

Making a Boat a Home, Part 1

In small-boat cruising—particularly under sail—having an absolute destination and schedule can be hazardous. At times, getting into a sheltered cove can be a necessity, but you can’t always count on…

The Paine 14

Designer Chuck Paine enjoys a sail in his newly launched Paine 14. The boat is based on the venerable Herreshoff 12½, but is 45 percent smaller. The unstayed carbon-fiber rig…

The Faering Cruiser

John C. Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft designed the Faering Cruiser for a client who had three firm requirements for his coastal voyager: The boat had to sail, its auxiliary…

A Cape Cod Oyster Skiff

Andrew Kitchen of Irondequoit, New York, had always wanted to build a sharpie, and he settled on Reuel Parker’s adaption of a historic boat recorded by Howard I. Chapelle, originating…

Beach Pea is based on the well-known peapod type that evolved on Maine’s Penobscot Bay in the 1870s, but built of lightweight plywood. It retains the earlier type’s oar steering…

More Boat Profile

Starry Nights

The 20' Starry Nights launch from Onion River Boatworks is a picnic launch in the finest tradition. Powered by a 3-hp electric motor, she is a gentle, quiet presence on…

The punt, with its flat bottom and square ends, is among the simplest form of boats. Tad Lyford’s 13’6” Marsh Punt is meant for rowing in protected waters, and poling…

The whole experience of building the Excursion was interesting, enjoyable, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The custom kit package enabled me, a complete novice, to…

Over three decades, the Redbird canoe has proven to be an exceptionally fine model for wilderness tripping. While its bow and stern profiles are inspired by Ojibwa rice-harvesting canoes, the…

Subscribe Today!

Become a subscriber today and you’ll recieve a new issue every month plus unlimited access to our full archive of backlogged issues.

Already a subscriber?   Sign In

Subscribe For Full Access

Flipbooks are available to paid subscribers only. Subscribe now or log in for access.

• Forum Listing
• Marketplace
• Advanced Search
• About The Boat
• Boat Review Forum
• SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Ron Amy Spindrift 43

• Add to quote

A quick google got me this; you may have seen it already. The google search also indicated this boat has been discussed before on Sailnet so perhaps you can search the forums for more. ​ Some History on the Spindrift 43 and Formosa 44 The Spindrift 43' has two sister ships. All three are designed by Ron Amy. Also, all three (Spindrift 43, Formosa44, and Hampton 43) have a canoe ended transom. The Spindrift 43' was exclusively contracted to the Formosa Boat Builders in 1982 by the Spindrift Dealer in Newport Beach. These were build under the strict Quality Control of the Spindrift Dealer and the buyer had the option of customizing the interior cabin. When the Spindrift Dealership went out of business, once again the Formosa Yard began building the Formosa 44' under the contract with Mr. Amy. The Formosa yard continued to built the Formosa 44' with the same quality and good craftsmanship as the Spindrift 43'. We had the opportunity to see both the Spindrifts and the Formosa 44' built in the Formosa Yard. In our opinion, both of these boats had the same excellence in both hull, deck, and craftsmanship. The second sister ship to the Spindrift 43' is the Hampton 43' built in China. ​ The Formosa Yard, with Mr. Amy's permission, sold the hull design to the Hampton Dealership. In our opinion the hull is probably built with the same quality as the Formosa and the Spindrift. This we believe because Mr. Amy would most likely not agree to anything else because he is known for the excellent quality of all his hull designs. However, the above deck and interior craftsmanship, in our opinion, was of poor quality. To be fair, we only saw and checked out the first few boats produced. It is very possible that they improved the quality. We would suggest that you check this out for yourself. We have sailed and examined several Spindrifts and Formosa boats in our fifteen years of cruising and everyone of them sailed very well and had excellent quality and craftsmanship. One more boat I will mention with a hull designed by Ron Amy is the Young Son. This boat is very similar and a quality boat, but has slightly a different hull, smaller beam, and shorter draft and shallower bilge. The interior craftsmanship is not as good as the Spindrift but is adequate.  

Thanks Faster, I've actually exchanged emails with the people who's website that extract came from, very nice and really helpful on the history of the boat and the yard. I've also searched on sailnet and read the previous posts in fact one of them even relates to the boat we have just bought! What we really need is some of the more technical details of the boat, of course failing that trial and error (hopefully less of the error) will hopefully get us through the restoration. At least we will know what we have when we finish.  

The post on the Ron Amy designed Spindrift information is one of my web pages that I created to commemerate our 15 years cruising her to 37 countries and islands. She got us through all kinds of storms including a few hurricanes. If you have any questions on the Spindrift 43' (ours was a pilot house), I would be very happy to answer them the best that I can. She was a wonderful boat and a true ocean going vessel! My husband and I sailed her and she was a great handling boat. Sincerely, Bountiful's First Mate, Patti  

Bountiful said: The post on the Ron Amy designed Spindrift information is one of my web pages that I created to commemerate our 15 years cruising her to 37 countries and islands. She got us through all kinds of storms including a few hurricanes. If you have any questions on the Spindrift 43' (ours was a pilot house), I would be very happy to answer them the best that I can. She was a wonderful boat and a true ocean going vessel! My husband and I sailed her and she was a great handling boat. Sincerely, Bountiful's First Mate, Patti [/QUOT hello. I have a 43 PH, I think it was originally called Orion, now it's called Tess Bess, and I'm on my way to Svalbard With her. I wonder did you ever dry your out on its side, if so do you have pictures or tips. I'm not planning to, but would like to be for armed if it ever happens. cheers davie. YouTube channel sailing Tess Bess Click to expand...

The post by Fastner about the history of the Spindrift 43 pilot house sailboat and the Formosa was from my personal website relating to the fifteen years that we sailed Bountiful to 15 countries and islands. I created this page myself. You can find my page by Googling the words Spindrift 43 sailboat if you want more information on the Spindrift43 sailboat.  

Bountiful, My wife and I have been searching for a boat (in earnest) since October, and as yet, no luck. We hatched this plan back in 2010, and been saving every penny we could. We are itching to finally set sail. We are now heavily considering the Spindrift 43 and we saw that you said she handles beautifully on one of the forums. This is the big unknown to us before we are able to get on one and sail her ourselves. Even then, we worry that a sea trial of just one day is not enough to really know how a boat sails in all conditions. We are hoping that you might be able to answer some questions about how she handles so that we can figure out if she is right for us. Looking at her underbelly, and specs, she seems like she would be quite stout; are we correct to assume that she is not the least bit tender? Is she comfortable at sea in varying conditions? We like the way the headsails are both tacked so far forward; correct to assume that she can head to weather OK? We understand, of course, that with the keel, she's not going to win any upwind races, but how would she do against a lee shore with heavy weather? Also, does she track well on all tacks or does she tend to want to round up? What wind speeds did you need to get her making headway? How much for cruising speed? We hope our questions make you think back to your long ago boat, remember good times, and smile. Thank you, Nate & Nina  

I know this thread is old but could one of you answer a few questions about the Spindrift 43's sailing ability? Can she fight off a lee shore in heavy conditions? What minimum wind speed to make way? What wind speed to hit cruising speed? Would you say she is very stout with a high comfort margin or does she feel a little tender? Much appreciated!!! -Nate  

Hmmm, Spendthrift. That's a fitting name for a sailboat.  

The Spindrift sails very well, even upwind, with the staysail sheeted tight and the genoa furled up. Short tacking upwind in about 12 knots apparent you can do 5 or 6 knots. Off the wind, in 10 - 15 knots true wind the Spindrift will hit 7 knots easily with the genoa out. Rarely need to reef the main unless it is really blowing hard. Pretty easy to keep balanced, so no tendency to round up. As far as stability, the hull design offers a nice balance of fairly good initial stabilty, without feeling really stiff. Boat heels over just the right amount when sailing on the wind. If you have the rail in the water you are carrying too much sail!  

On a sort of related topic: does anybody have the sail dimensions for the standard Spindrift 43 Genoa? Mine was originally about a 135 but has been re-cut, and now it is time to order a new one. Any info on headsail replacement would be appreciated!  

• ?            
• 176.4K members

Top Contributors this Month

Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.

• Sailboat Guide

Spindrift 13

Spindrift 13 is a 13 ′ 3 ″ / 4.1 m monohull sailboat designed by Hubert Vandestadt and built by Vandestadt and McGruer Ltd. starting in 1965.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Spin SA: 130 sq. ft.

Embed this page on your own website by copying and pasting this code.

• About Sailboat Guide

©2024 Sea Time Tech, LLC

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

• Forums New posts Unanswered threads Register Top Posts Email
• What's new New posts New Posts (legacy) Latest activity New media
• Media New media New comments
• Boat Info Downloads Weekly Quiz Topic FAQ 10000boatnames.com
• Classifieds Sell Your Boat Used Gear for Sale
• Parts General Marine Parts Hunter Beneteau Catalina MacGregor Oday
• Help Terms of Use Monday Mail Subscribe Monday Mail Unsubscribe

new at this - 17' Spindrift Day Sailor 1 question

• Thread starter bnnauti
• Start date Sep 18, 2013
• Oday Owner Forums
• Day Sailers

Would appreciate any help with this - have an old manual that is not quite clear to me and Sailing for Dummies doesn't cover the type boat particulars. First, my son and I stepped the mast with front and side stays, but I couldn't tell if a back stay is required. Second, hoisted the main and figured out the boom vang rigging, but could not tell if travelers are to be rigged? Thirdly, the jib sheet only had a clip at the top and bottom for the front stay and seemed to have pockets for stays but had none inserted. Shouldn't there be clips all along the luff edge of the jib. And should there be stays inserted. The jib sheet is a Mikibbin and seems fairly new.  

Sunbird22358

First, I think you mean JIB, not jib sheet, JIB is the sail, jib sheet is the line(s) used to control the jib. Yes, there should be snaps (AKA hanks) along the luff (leading edge) of the jib, it sounds like your jib was set up for use on a jib-furler (rolls jib up like a window shade to furl.) You can add hanks, they are available from places like Sail-Rite.com or many marine stores, or a local sailmaker could add them for you. The DS jib does not usally have battens (what you call "stays") so this might not actually be a DS jib, it may fit...and can be used if so. I am surprised that a jib set up for roller-furling would have batten pockets though...... battens would prevent roller-furling.....strange! The Spindrift DS I does not have a traveler as standard equipment, one may have been added, but it was not original. I'll include a few pics of a Spindrift DS I for help. The boat with the red jib must have a replacement jib, since that one looks too small. I also posted a pic of my boat's jib to show the hanks (clips).  

Attachments

Thank you for the reply. I have begun to believe this is correct; the jib was just sold with the boat. It seems to fit and I've had snaps put in now and will purchase some hanks. And thanks for the great images. If I could request some more help. I'm not sure how to attach the back edge of the main to the boom end. There is a small pulley wheel inside the end of the boom and a long slot on the side of the boom just before the mid boom block. Is the line routed inside the boom to be brought out of the long slot and threaded through the mid-block before going down to the floor block and cleat set-up?  

There should be a cleat on the side of the boom to tie off the line (outhaul) that pulls the foot of the sail out along the boom, The mainsheet will be separate from that. I'm not sure if the Spindrift DS I Manual that I have (in PDF form) is the same that you already have, but I'll attach it anyway. It seems that Spindrift used 2 different ways to rig the mainsheet (different years?) so, I will attach a couple of pictures on that. The pic of the mid-boom mainsheet is actually an O'DAY DS II ,but the general idea should be similar.  

• ds1man-spindrift.pdf 1 MB Views: 433

Thank you for making the boom (main sheet rigging so clear). I was confused thinking the outhaul had to be tensioned and held for quick release. I do not have the end boom block for a traveler arrangement. Would that be a more desireable rig? Also, should I attach a line to the top of the mast to hold the boom when the main sail is droped. A top haul I think it's called? And should I purchase the small boom vang hardware for this boat?  

A few answers: The line from the mast to hold up the boom is called a "topping lift." They can be nice. It's nice to douse the main, and NOT have the boom fall into the bottom of the boat. On the other hand, depending on the geometry of the rig and the amount of roach in the main (curvature in the sail behind an imaginary line from top of sail to aft corner "clew" of sail) the topping lift can catch on battens, and rub and wear the sail. On my small daysailer, the PO had installed a Boomkicker, which holds up the boom. Then I unshackle the main halyards and lead it to a D ring on the aft end of the boom for a more secure hold on the boom, because with downward pressure (as when grabbing the boom to maintain balance) the Boomkicker alone will pop off the boom. It is best to make your topping lift adjustable. This way, you can slack the line while sailing, and also use it to lift the boom on light wind days to set the amount of twist at the top of the main, for more advanced trimming options. Although you do not need a traveller or a vang, these are nice to have. In my opinion, the vang is the most important. The vang is primarily important on broad reaches and runs, to prevent the boom blowing up with wind, putting too much curve in the main. The vang can also be used in conjunction with the main sheet, to approximate the level of control a traveller can exert in shaping the twist of the main (so called "vang sheeting.") Back to your outhaul, the outhaul does need to be adjustable, but not in a "quick release" kind of way. You will decrease outhaul tension to increase the draft in the lower 40% of the sail, for more power in lighter winds, but pull on more outhaul to flatten for less power and more speed in higher winds. Some people use a standard horn cleat for the outhaul. Others have been able to rig a small cam cleat. I happen to have a plastic clam cleat on mine, and some 3/16" Dyneema cored line for my outhaul, which has managed to strip the plastic clam cleat. Mine will be replaced by an aluminum. There's nothing like sailing in stronger winds, hiking to keep the boat level, only to have the sail continually blow out to unacceptable amounts of draft... Hope this helps, Brian  

I would suggest Royce's Sailing Illustrated for learning boat rigging. There are many ways to rig a boat, and there are many reasons to rig different ways. Cruisers rig differently than daysailors, and racers rig differently still. Once you look at options and decide your path, you can buy standard blocks, cleats, and fairleads and lines to create any rig you like. Right now, you, like almost everyone else who gets a boat at first, are trying to understand / recreate the Previous Owner's (PO) rig. It may not have been the standard rig, ie. battened, furling jib (!???). My experience with having owned many small sailboats is to set it up so that it is safe and easily sailable at first. Sail it for a season, and make changes to the rigging as you go. After a season, you will probably have it set up the way you like. My advice, spend the time to make it easy and convenient to set up and sail, and you will sail it more. Year after year, I find that when my boat is near the water and fully or almost fully rigged, I will sail several times per week. When that happens, I am happy and proud to have the boat, and the boat is happy and proud to have me! Several very important places to concentrate: mast step, stays/shrouds, centerboard/daggerboard, and rudder. Get these wrong, and your day can go very bad, very fast! So check out Royce's for all the standard control systems, and see how they are rigged. Thanks, Andrew  

agprice22 said: I would suggest Royce's Sailing Illustrated for learning boat rigging. There are many ways to rig a boat, and there are many reasons to rig different ways. Cruisers rig differently than daysailors, and racers rig differently still. Once you look at options and decide your path, you can buy standard blocks, cleats, and fairleads and lines to create any rig you like. Right now, you, like almost everyone else who gets a boat at first, are trying to understand / recreate the Previous Owner's (PO) rig. It may not have been the standard rig, ie. battened, furling jib (!???). My experience with having owned many small sailboats is to set it up so that it is safe and easily sailable at first. Sail it for a season, and make changes to the rigging as you go. After a season, you will probably have it set up the way you like. My advice, spend the time to make it easy and convenient to set up and sail, and you will sail it more. Year after year, I find that when my boat is near the water and fully or almost fully rigged, I will sail several times per week. When that happens, I am happy and proud to have the boat, and the boat is happy and proud to have me! Several very important places to concentrate: mast step, stays/shrouds, centerboard/daggerboard, and rudder. Get these wrong, and your day can go very bad, very fast! So check out Royce's for all the standard control systems, and see how they are rigged. Thanks, Andrew Click to expand

• This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more…

• --> Login   or   Sign Up
• Login   or   Sign Up -->

• B&B Annual Messabout
• Capsize Camp
• All Kayaks and Canoes
• Diva 15'8" Kayak
• Grand Diva 17'6" Kayak
• Moccasin 12' Canoe
• Flyfisher 13' Canoe
• Moccasin 14' Canoe
• Moccasin Double 15'6" Canoe
• Birder Decked Canoe 13' and 15'8
• Expedition Sailing Canoe
• All Dinghies and Tenders
• Catspaw Pram
• Spindrift Dinghy
• All Sailboats
• Core Sound 15
• Core Sound 17
• Core Sound 17 Mark 3
• Core Sound 20
• Core Sound 20 Mark 3
• Bay River Skiff 17
• Belhaven 19
• Mini Trimaran
• Class Globe 5.80 Kit
• Princess Sharpie 22'
• Princess Sharpie 26'
• All Powerboats
• All Jessy Skiffs 12-17'
• Jessy 12'
• Jessy 15'
• Jessy 17'
• All Outer Banks Cruisers
• Outer Banks 20
• Outer Banks 24
• Outer Banks 26
• All Ocracoke Center Consoles
• Ocracoke 20
• Ocracoke 20-B
• Ocracoke 24
• Ocracoke 256
• Cape Lookout 28
• Wing Foil Kits
• All Other Kits and Plans
• "Tractor" Canoe Seat
• Mast Head Floats
• Windvane Self Steering
• All Building Supplies and Tools
• Marine Plywood
• All B&B Epoxy
• Temperature Control for Epoxy
• Epoxy Additives
• All Hardware and Rigging
• All Rigging
• Eyestraps and Fairleads
• Shackles, Hooks and Pins
• All Rudder Hardware
• Pintles and Gudgeons
• Tillers and Accessories
• Hardware kits
• All Masts, Track and More
• 6061-T6 Aluminum Tubing
• Sailtrack and Accessories
• Starboard Mast Plugs
• Wind indicators
• All Electrical
• Battery Monitors
• Solar Power System
• Boarding Ladders
• Beach Rollers
• All Apparel
• B&B Approved Products and Tools

Shop by Brand

B&b yacht designs.

• Amarine Made
• Armstrong Nautical
• View all Brands

Shop by Category

• Rudder Hardware
• Dinghies and Tenders

Spindrift 10

Spindrift 10 Plans

Spindrift Full Size Templates

S10-Standard Digital Plans

S10-Nesting Digital Plans

Spindrift 10 CNC Plywood Kit

4.5 gal Epoxy and Fiberglass Kit

S-10 Mast Kit

Spindrift 10 Reefing Mainsail

Spindrift Rigging

Spindrift 10 Lines

Small Rudder Hardware Kit

Mini Anderson Bailer

Spindrift mast base plate