Boom-less sail for a Dyer Dhow 7’11” Gaff rig.

[DontLookSoDhown]

Hey all!!

To start off I’m not an experienced sailor, and am very new to sailing. I bought a restoration job (1981 7’11” Dyer Dhow) off a guy on Craigslist for $350. So far I have renewed the thwarts and put new hardware on the boat and have finished wet-sanding the hull to shiney and new. I’m getting ready to work on restoring the mast and as I was told by the previous owner, there is no boom. So I’m wondering if anyone is sailing this same dinghy without a boom and how do I go about lacing the mainsail to the mast and rigging the a traveler to the (clew? The furthest aft part of the sail on the bottom). I still feel as though I’m missing a few more things and I’m constructing a mast out of tarp and installing new brass eyelets.

Thank you for your input and happy sailing.

[DontLookSoDhown]

Quick correction, I’m not constructing a mast out of tarp, I’m constructing a sail out of tarp with brass eyelets.

[Tayana42]

I may be wrong, frequently am, but could that long piece of formerly varnished wood with the groove on one side be the boom? I’m not familiar with the Dyer Dhow Midget which this may be but the examples I’ve found online show it with a boom.

[DontLookSoDhown]

That piece of wood is the upper spar because this is a gaff rig. The boom has a horseshoe shaped piece at the end usually wrapped with leather of some sort to be able to slide up and down the mast.

[Tayana42]

What I’ve seen online for this boat is a sliding Gunter rig. Still should have a boom though.

[dfelsent]

I’ve got a Dyer midget. Same boat. Definitely has a boom.
I just looked for pics of mine under sail and came up short.
They are still supported by

http://dyerboats.com/


http://www.dinghyshop.com/product/D7R.html

Fun to sail. Can carry more weight than seems reasonable.

If there are details you need pics of let me know.

[DontLookSoDhown]

Dfelsent thank you for the info. This little dinghy needs all the things. I know that the Dyer midget has a boom it’s just the one I purchased did not come with one. I thought about making one myself but I’m only mediocre at best with woodworking. If you have any photos of the traveler that would be appreciated because I was gonna see how this sails without a boom just to determine if I will or will not need one.

[psk125]

On a Dyer Dhow the traveler is a wire that is rigged between the two outer corners of the transom. Their other dinghies likely have similar setups. The end of the mainsheet has a snap hook that clips to the wire, and it slides back & forth. You will definitely need a boom. Going downwind without a boom could lead to surprise jibes and sudden swimming. (Look up "death roll".) Making a boom should not be a challenge, even for a mediocre woodworker. You will need a clear piece of wood about 2"x3", maybe 6 or 7 feet long (It needs to be about 6" longer than the foot of the sail.) Any knots (weak spots) might lead to it breaking. Pine would work, though spruce or cedar are preferred for lightness and strength. To add "jaws" to the boom you could take a 1x6 board about 18" long and cut a "U" shape in one end, about 3" deep and about 1" bigger in diameter than the mast. Screw the board down to the 2" top side of the boom with the jaws sticking out at one end. You can taper the 1x6 board down to the 2" wide boom if you want it to look nicer. You will need to screw a strong hook into the top of the boom just behind the jaws. This hook holds the tack of the sail down. A downhaul line (you can tie it to the boom at the jaws) pulls this down and holds the boom against the mast. There should be a cleat on the aft side of the mast for this. The clew of the sail has a line attached that goes through a hole drilled down through the end of the boom and then to a small cleat on the underside of the boom. You will need to attach blocks for the mainsheet at bout half-way along the boom and at the far (aft) end. Since the sail is loose-footed you can lash them in place. The mainsheet (with a clip at the traveler end) gets clipped to the traveler, runs through the aft-most block, then through the mid-boom block, and down to the trimmer's hand. There is no vang - you can hold the boom down with your hand if you need to. Simple and effective.

[DontLookSoDhown]

Originally Posted by psk125

On a Dyer Dhow the traveler is a wire that is rigged between the two outer corners of the transom. Their other dinghies likely have similar setups. The end of the mainsheet has a snap hook that clips to the wire, and it slides back & forth. You will definitely need a boom. Going downwind without a boom could lead to surprise jibes and sudden swimming. (Look up "death roll".) Making a boom should not be a challenge, even for a mediocre woodworker. You will need a clear piece of wood about 2"x3", maybe 6 or 7 feet long (It needs to be about 6" longer than the foot of the sail.) Any knots (weak spots) might lead to it breaking. Pine would work, though spruce or cedar are preferred for lightness and strength. To add "jaws" to the boom you could take a 1x6 board about 18" long and cut a "U" shape in one end, about 3" deep and about 1" bigger in diameter than the mast. Screw the board down to the 2" top side of the boom with the jaws sticking out at one end. You can taper the 1x6 board down to the 2" wide boom if you want it to look nicer. You will need to screw a strong hook into the top of the boom just behind the jaws. This hook holds the tack of the sail down. A downhaul line (you can tie it to the boom at the jaws) pulls this down and holds the boom against the mast. There should be a cleat on the aft side of the mast for this. The clew of the sail has a line attached that goes through a hole drilled down through the end of the boom and then to a small cleat on the underside of the boom. You will need to attach blocks for the mainsheet at bout half-way along the boom and at the far (aft) end. Since the sail is loose-footed you can lash them in place. The mainsheet (with a clip at the traveler end) gets clipped to the traveler, runs through the aft-most block, then through the mid-boom block, and down to the trimmer's hand. There is no vang - you can hold the boom down with your hand if you need to. Simple and effective.

Thank you for the information psk125!! Much appreciated and I will most likely just build one. Looking for wood right now.

[DontLookSoDhown]

Update: “Munchkin” is ready to co-mingle amongst other sailors on the water if you’re in the Phoenix area. Looking to get some tips for this little dinghy.

[Pegu Club]

I did community sailing classes in Mystic CT on that same model Dow, and they all had booms. Fun little boat...

Fair winds,

[deltaten]

I made the boom for my WB 8 from a Shakespeare vhf ant extension. Approx 1' radially wound frp. A rubber coated, heavy duty fork hook for garden tool hanger @2" I'd worked perfect, once epoxied in end. I could have used a yellow FG mop handle; but it was a tad short. A full inch hickory or ash mop handle would also work, if long enough.

[psk125]

Looking very nice! You may want to cut an elongated hole in the top of the daggerboard so you can grab it and lift it more easily.
Dyer Midget
Daggerboards usually have "ears" or a cap fastened across the top to keep water from splashing up into the boat when you're sailing and so you know when it's down all the way.
These are from a Sunfish, but it's the same idea: Small Boat Restoration: Sunfish Daggerboard Variations and New Style Rudder