Peterson Coaster III one-piece bowsprit

[stormkreau]

I recently purchased a Perterson Coaster III and was wondering about a few things that fall outside the designer's original specs. The one I'm thinking on now is the bowsprit that is one piece of wood, rather than two smaller connected pieces... the original sprit was broke off and replaced by a larger solid single piece. The new sprit doesn't sit on the stem the way I think it should, and there are vertical cracks in the stem as a result (I think). So, is the bowsprit supposed to rest on the stem such that the ass end fits in the post and the middle rests on the stem?

I also over-torqued the whiskers at one point to hold the sprit up off the stem, thinking they were supposed to take the load off the stem area, but have since realized that it was too much tension for the whiskers. I then changed tacks to making sure it rests on the stem in the right way, i.e., not pushing down on the fancy woodwork that's connected to the stem, which results in a pulling on the stem wood away from the boat's natural shape (causing cracks I think).

[Ian McColgin]

I'm having a bit of confusion regarding your nose gear. It alsmot sounds as if the original idea was a bipod sprit to give a nice base for a platform bowsprit and avoid any other than a simple landing for the head stay.

Usually a single pole bowsprit passes through a gammon iron or something such that provides some lateral support as well as sealing the top of stem. The gammon iron does for the bowsprit what the partners do for a keel stepped mast, providing structural support. The butt of the sprit lands on something firm, like a sampson post or a block notched into bitts.

You're right that you don't want the whiskers in radical conflict with the bobstay. It sounds as if the single pole adaptation was carried out without full consideration.

You might consult a bit on how you will really use the bowsprit. Many traditional sailors like the bowsprit without lifelines and go out on a foot rope to wrestle the jib into submission. However, a pole sprit with a good tight pulpit at the end and parallel lifelines for the length of the sprit is also a very safe working platform.

Sidelight: If you don't use a roller-furling jib, be sure to rig a downhaul so the jib can be got down and kept down without going out there.

G'luck