I've sailed the lugger, though not the jib-header, in really high winds. It's my careful, measured, educated guess that the jib-headed rig is preferable in stronger winds. It's lighter (thus giving you more righting moment), and gives you more sail combinations and easier reefing. I'm all for gaff sails, but converting the jib-headed rig to gaff probably would eliminate any advantages it has in weight.

Yes, I think the lug mainsail is heavier. We added more ballast to Dave's boat before it was launched in anticipation of the lug's extra weight aloft.

Interestingly, the geometrical centers-of-effort in both rigs are at an identical height above the waterline, within less than an inch.

As for the added cost of the jib-headed yawl's rig, the idea is that the mainmast and boom are donated from some old racing dinghy.

I'd be inclined to agree with John, despite the fact that I'm a lug nut myself.  I should think a 150 sq. ft. sail, with its luff not attached to a mast, would get to be a handful when it breezes up.  Heck, even the 62 sq. ft. balanced lug on my Passagemaker Dinghy can get to be a handful sometimes.  For a solo sailer, which seems to be Autumn Leaves mission profile, things might get real interestin' in a hurry.  With the jib to balance the mizzen, getting the main furled quickly to continue along "jib and jigger" would likely be much less stressful if it suddenly came on to blow.

Lacking a racing rig to recycle or money for sail track and roller furling, maybe a gunter main of roughly the same size and shape and a hanked-on jib rigged with a "Gerr downhaul" for quick dousing when needed would be an option?  Perhaps John will give us a third option that way?

.....Michael

P.S.  I love this design.  Makes one dream of running away from home to get off by oneself for some peace and quiet.  They'd need helicopters to find you so they could drag you back to the office.

   Thank you for your replies, gents. Much appreciated.

I built the gaff rig modification.  So far i have no complaints about it at all.  I have sailed nothing but gaffers since I began sailing and prefer them even though I do understand their shortcomings.  As far as what John wrote, he is right on the money about the jib headed  rig.  It is far more flexible than a big lug rig.  Except that the fifty inches of mast that I didn't have to stand up mititgates the weight of the gaff a bit.  On my weekender I have a hollow gaff which i probably would duplicate for my canoe yawl maybe next year. 

I have finally stopped messing around and have ordered a set of professionally built sails.  The sails that I am using right now are plastic ones that i made myself.  The best thing I can say about them is I have them.  I expect to see a substantial improvement when the new ones show up.  Having said that, Autumn leaves sails like nothing I have sailed before.   Essentially, I am using the sails from my weekender which are a bit too small, but I don't care because I'm not racing.   I still get quite good performance to wind and with enough wind she scoots right along.  Due to some circumstances, I haven't been able to get her wet yet this year, but that will happen as soon as I can get her rigged and outfitted. 

Al 

 Al,

Thank you for your comments. I saw your build blog on another forum, but I was sad that I could not access the pictures, except for the finished boat. It looks beautiful!

What did you mean when you said it sails like nothing you have sailed before? I trust it is a positive comment? Do you feel cramped in the cockpit?

I would love to see pics of your Autumn Leaves with the new sails! 

Cheers,

Joel

 Al,

Thank you for your comments. I saw your build blog on another forum, but I was sad that I could not access the pictures, except for the finished boat. It looks beautiful!

What did you mean when you said it sails like nothing you have sailed before? I trust it is a positive comment? Do you feel cramped in the cockpit?

I would love to see pics of your Autumn Leaves with the new sails! 

Cheers,

Joel

Joel,

I meant it in the most complementary way.  I have taken over a number of various boats just to get a feel for how they sail.  When i finally got my Indigo out in a little bit of wind I found myself a little stunned.  As a poorly rigged gaffer she went to wind like she had an appointment with the wind.  She doesn't slide at all, or so as I could feel or see.  Even in wind that is hard to feel she will come about smartly.  I think I mentioned in my builders blog, she moves through the water with an ease that knocked me back. 

My weekender is a sharp chined flat bottom boat.  I started out sailing in her and to this day as I learn more, I have come to love her more and more.  Indigo has a sharper angle to her chine and a broader bottom which makes her sail pretty darn flat.  I would like to be able to get her to heel a bit more to take advantage of her hull shape, but i'm certainly not going to complain. If i was to find fault with Indigo, it would be the windage.  I can foresee having trouble loading and unloading her at an exposed landing in a wind.  I have a friend who built an 18 ft nutshell pram that is unballasted who has that problem. That is the only drawback that I can see with that particular boat also. 

John said that Autumn Leaves was meant to be a serious little cruiser.  That she is.  She just might be the best boat for the grand loop. 

Al 

Oh, i forgot to mention the cockpit.  I like the little cockpit.  I think designers make boats with way too much room in the cockpits.  I like to be down inside the boat instead of sitting on top of the deck.  I never ride the coamings anymore, rather i manage the sails when it pipes up.  When I was building I was tickled with the feel of the cockpit.  I got all snuggled down inside it rather than hanging around above it. 

Al