# Adding a Bowsprit



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I found an article in a mag that showed mounting a bowsprit for asym spins on an anchor roller, by removing the roller and bolting on a bracket to accept the bowsprit then fastening the aft end to the deck. Unfortunately I lost the article. Could I get some Help finding it again?
Thanks! Bob


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## chuckg5 (Jun 22, 2006)

*Bowsprit*

Hi Bob
I'm trying to do the same thing. Yesterday I kicked out the broken sprit of our 42 Vagabond ketch. I'm starting to call around to find a wood shop with that kind of a log so it can be cut to size, the thing has to be 8 feet long & weight of 80 pounds, more or less. I'll keep looking for your answer when someone can post it.
chuckg


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## TejasSailer (Mar 21, 2004)

*Sail Mag*

I think you might be referring to the March 2006 Sail magazine. In March I responded to post form a sailor in Europe on another forum. Since apparently the magazine was not availabe to him, I sent him a digital photograph of the article. Were a few folks contact me with their email address off-line I'd be willing to do the same.

In later correspondence, he informed me that he had purchased a removal sprit from Sparcraft (www.sparcraft.fr) for a Beneteau First 40.7. At the time I looked at the Web site, no surprise that it's in French, and could not find the sprit.

Actually, I'm somewhat interested as well and would prefer a retractable, removable sprit.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*i had one made by fkg rigging in st maarten*

it is s/s with an aluminum pole and a harken standup block at the end.
i don't know how to post a pix so if you would like pix of it please e-mail me
eric [email protected]


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## SteveCox (Jul 12, 2006)

Chuck,
You might want to look at getting a sprit made up of laminated wood. It would be easier to get done and would allow the builder to optimize the grain and to choose better wood since the quality of large pieces is so poor these days. An epoxy laminated piece would be stronger than a solid piece.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

One thing I'd be aware of. Most bow rollers are designed to resist downward forces on them, but not necessarily designed to resist upward forces as well. A removable bow sprit, with a large asymetric attached, is going to generate some fairly significant upward forces on the bow roller if the bow roller is used to fasten it to the deck. If your bow roller is not strong enough to withstand these forces, it may tear from the deck, in the worst case scenario, leaving you with: 1) a large hole in the fore deck, 2) no good way to secure your ground tackle, 3) possibly damage the forestay chainplate. 

If your bow roller and forestay chainplate and part of the same piece, it may be sufficiently well secure to resist the upward forces generated by the asym.


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## TejasSailer (Mar 21, 2004)

*Bouts-Dehors*

That sub-topic might get some attention.

In an earlier post I mentioned that I thought that Sparcraft offers a removable bow sprit. Try URL http://www.sparcraft.fr/fr/main.asp?url=http://www.sparcraft.fr/fr/produits/tangonsbout-dehors/default.asp&f=2,81,,113,a

From there you can follow a link to the characteristics and also to a brochure.


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## chuckg5 (Jun 22, 2006)

*Bow Sprit*

SteveCox
I went down to the specality lumber yard and they suggested the same, to epoxy a couple of 3" X 8' boards together. I need to talk with a boat carpenter to see what kind of cuts and grain he would want to use, then widdle it down to size. I use to 'widdle' a branch down in the woods of Maine as a kid with my boyscout knife - just not the same skill level.


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## Hawkeye25 (Jun 2, 2005)

Chuck, I just replaced the 9 foot bowsprit on a Westsail for exactly the same reason as you are facing - rot. When the owner and I began shopping for the right sized chunk of teak, we ran into an insurmountable wall of sticker-shock. We thought some people were gouging, but soon realized that EVERYONE wanted the same price, and that teak has gone through the roof. The 4x4 we needed (teak walkways bolted to each side) would be $300.

We even considered an aftermarket stainless steel unit, but it was $1000 and slathered with a thick coat of ugly.

Just 'because' we went into a local lumberyard and asked for Ipe. $100 got us a beautiful Ipe 4x4 12' long. It was straight and clear and heavy as stone. It IS a little darker than teak when varnished, but it is beautiful and 'rock' solid. Everyone compliments my friend on the unit, and only a few notice the difference in the color.

Opposite end of the dock, on a boat very much like your Vagabond, the owner used select mahogany to laminate a fabulous bowsprit that me and my friend saw being carted down the dock just yesterday. He had REALLY outdone himself on that beauty and I mentioned it was too pretty to be left outside. Now he's going to have to upgrade the finish all over the boat.


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## SteveCox (Jul 12, 2006)

Where you are is going to determine to some extent what wood you use but I have to ask "WHY THE H*** WOULD YOU USE TEAK FOR A BOWSPRIT??????" The two great attributes of Teak are that it won't rot (easily) and that it provides a natural non skid surface. You can duplicate the first attribute easily enough with other woods and you don't need the second on a sprit. For my money here in the Pacific Northwest I am using Doug Fir to replace my bowsprit. Strong, relatively light, and reasonable in price. Ipe would be fine but too heavy IMHO, Jatoba might be a good choice, Yellow Cedar would be another good one. Anything other than Teak at $16 a board foot.


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## Hawkeye25 (Jun 2, 2005)

Well, the best reasons to use teak on a bowsprit is because, a.) that's what we were replacing, b.) the entire structure of the bowsprit, i.e. the twin walkways, the windlass blocking, and the deck supports, are all teak, and c.) BECAUSE IT HAD WORKED FINE FOR 30 YEARS, NEVER HAD A STRENGTH PROBLEM, BUT HAD *ROTTED,* the one thing you said it wouldn't do.

Stay away from jatoba, also referred to as 'Brazilian Rose Wood' by those of us who've used it extensively on interior remodeling. It is extremely fond of splitting and chipping and no-one I know has yet been willing to risk it in the elements. It's hard enough to get varnish to stick to Ipe. Very hard, dense woods resist penetration by epoxies and finishes, resulting in early failure when exposed to ultraviolet. If you intend to paint with some of the newer two-part systems, however, you can expect good results from those primers and finishes. Varnish may yellow and peel within three months, or less.


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## SteveCox (Jul 12, 2006)

I never said it wouldn't rot, I said it wouldn't rot easily . If you're replacing teak with teak fine but realize that when the boat was built teak was widely available and was relatively inexpensive. That is not the case today. Teak is very strong but still too expensive for my taste for the application.


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## merc2dogs (Jun 5, 2004)

All fine and good, BUT where do you get teak for $16. a board foot? Everyone local (grand rapids mi.) want right around $30 for teak. one of the reasons I decided it was better to spend a few days sanding my coamings than to make new as per original plans

Ken.


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## SteveCox (Jul 12, 2006)

Edensaw in the Seattle area has teak for a little under $16 for 4/4 and a little over for 8/4.


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## windship (May 4, 2002)

How come nobody recomended Sitka spruce?? One person suggested Fir. There are better woods than teak for this application. Teak has poor compressive strength.
A bobstay will stop the tendancy to pull the appendage from the deck if there is going to be a headstay attached to it.

Dennis


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

A bobstay is an excellent idea, to counter the upward force on a sprit. However, many boats do not have a good anchoring point for a bobstay.


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