What do the different lug sail types look like and what are the basic differences? How to choose? And yes, we have drawings and photos.
I have just received a quote request for a dipping lug. This is unusual enough that I wanted to make sure that the customer and I are on the same page.
So I looked for a drawing or image on the net that I could post about the different lug types – problem solved.
BUT … there isn’t any such image. As I have to draw something up for the client I’ve made this page with images of each type and some of the advantages and disadvantages.
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The advantages of all the lug Rig types
1/ Very fast rigging of the boat.
With a freestanding mast you drop the mast in, hoist the sail and tighten the downhaul. Thread the mainsheet. If it takes more than about 7 minutes then the rigger is spending too much time chatting to bystanders.
2/ Easy Reefing
All lugs except for the Gunter Lug reef very quickly. See our article on fast lug reefing here.
3/ Very Cheap setup of a Lug Rig with a minimum of fittings
This is perhaps the biggest surprise for sailors of conventional boats. There are very few fittings required. This is our full rigging setup of out Oz Goose boats for racing. Rudder Fittings, stainless steel ring for top of mast, Plastic horn cleat for side of mast. Three mainsheet pulley blocks – and that is it. And remember we are racing with this setup – so good sail shapes and rig response are achievable
But we do STRONGLY Recommend the use of low stretch lines (ropes) from Spectra/Dyneema. This is the best choice because your rig setup won’t change all the time from stretching lines.
Minimal and Cheapest setup of Lug Rig without sacrificing performance
4/ Spars are relatively short and often are stowable within the boat length
The lug rigs are very compact. Here is a design project we did to get a maximum sized balance lug that would store inside a narrow canoe. Sail is 6.1 square metres (64sq ft), which is quite a big sail for a solo canoe. Koos famously uses a narrow hiking plank to sit out in comfort.
My sketches of the Most Common types of Lugsail
Note the positions of the major sail set controls. In red.
The Halyard is a given as these are all sails that are hoisted on a yard. The term “gaff” is reserved for Gaff rigs (There is specific history as to why there is this difference in naming).
So, let’s go through the different lug types.
This is not meant to be a rigorous treatment of each type. It is oriented towards a person who want to order a sail and is trying to work out which one to go for or which one they mean if they are not sure.
Does the Lug Rig have a Good side and a bad side?
Answer – Nope.
OK – the gorilla in the room. There’s a lot of poppycock written about how the “crease” from the mast in a lugsail “dramatically” reduces performance on one tack. It’s poorly founded nonsense. We race balance lug rigs in the Oz Goose fleet regularly and have big fleets up to 35 boats racing.
Even more amusing … the “theory” about the difference is the wrong way around if anything. With the crease the boats are easier to sail fast. Not faster … but easier.
We have found that there is zero difference in sail performance for the balance lug between the sail to windward and to leeward of the mast. Skilled sailors can sail side by side with neither gaining or losing.
However, there is a difference in feel.
- On the supposed “bad tack” with the sail creasing against the mast, the boat accelerates easily and the boat has a wide groove as you can steer high or steer low and the boat will just go. Yeah – this is the “bad” tack as so many articles point out – but in reality it is the best for sailing with easy speed.
- On the supposed “good tack”, the sail seems sensitive to stall and it is really important to get the boat moving well with the sail slightly eased before pointing high. If speed is lost then ease sail again and get the speed up. Then there is no loss in comparison to the other tack.
Sailed this way top performers in our regular racing can sail side by side for hundreds of yards/metres without one boat losing out over the other.
Description and characteristic of the Balance Lug
The main characteristic of the balance lug is that the boom extends in front of the mast. This has a number of effects. The normal position for the downhaul is right by the mast. Which means as the downhaul is tensioned the load is shared between luff and leach (front and back edges of the sail). The leach tension helps control twist making the balance lug an excellent performer in a wide range of wind directions.
Control of twist is the main reason for sailing performance increases over the last century and a half. Because of this the balance lug was the primary racing rig for recreational dinghy and canoes through the 1800s to the early 1900s.
The sail can reef easily allowing a large sail area in light conditions. When the wind is stronger the sail can be easily reduced.
The Balance Lug has a very gentle gybe. Sail both sides of the mast means balanced power as the sail fills on the new gybe. The inherent flexibility of the spars reduces the shock when the boom gets to the other side.
Description and Characteristics of the Standing lug
The Standing lug may or may not have the boom. The San Francisco Pelican above does have a standing lug mainsail with a boom. This is a sail we made last season. And now are stock through Duckworks USA.
As the downhaul pulls down on the luff directly, there is no downward force stopping the back of the boom from lifting. Sail twist is less restricted resulting in a less efficient shape off the wind compared to the balance lug. Downwind rolling is more possible as the top of the sail may twist ahead of the mast and heel the boat suddenly to windward.
The plus side of a boomless rig is the quick setup. Also the sail can be brailed (pulled up out of the way) for a quick transition for sail and oar boats.
While the balance lug might be efficient in comparison, generally it doesn’t get along with headsails. The standing lug has reasonable space in front of the mast to carry a jib.
If your standing lug rolls around a bit downwind – try a boom temporarily and see the difference it makes.
Description and Characteristics of the Misainier Lug
I’ve been introduced to the Misainier rig mostly by the designs of French Designer Francois Vivier. The photo above is of one of his designs.
The Misainier is very similar to the standing lug. However, the front of the boom attaches to the mast and the tack of the sail is moved to the deck just in front of the mast.
There is some variation in Misainier Lugs about just how far in front of the mast the downhaul is placed. Clearly I have some study to do about the history!
The sail is boomless and the tack doesn’t need to be moved to tack or gybe or do other manoeuvres. Just tack when you want.
Again a good rig for sail and oar, as the sail can be triced up to clear the rowing station.
Description and Characteristics of the Dipping Lug
The front sail shown here is the dipping lug. It is best known as a workboat rig.
It has the most powerful sail for its area and cost. Its sheeting loads are quite high – in line with a genoa jib.
The downside is that is it labour intensive to tack or gybe – Video.
Because there is so much sail and yard in front of the mast it is generally out of the way of the cockpit when dropped.
It suits workboats well as they often have to go long distances in a straight line without much tacking or gybing. The dipping lug is also an excellent auxiliary sail for boats with a motor or that are rowed who want a powerful sail to be used when there is a long way to go and a good breeze.
Description and Characteristics of the Gunter Lug
The gunter lug looks very modern and is well known on that most popular of small boats worldwide – the Mirror Dinghy. It also has a high performance pedigree, being the dominant performance rig though much of Europe from the early 1900s.
The boat photo above is a classic Jollenkreuzer.
The aerodynamics are very similar to a bermudan sail, but there is a bit more weight involved up high. Also the reefing is a bit more complicated than either the other jug rigs or the bermudan mainsail. Setup and tuning is very similar to the bermudan – control twist with vang or mainsheet and so on.
The gunter rig is very compatible with headsails conforming to the proportions of a fractional rig.
It is the most expensive of the lug rigs because of the additional complication. It has the slowest rigging time as usually (not always) the mast is stayed. Which usually doubles or triples the time to rig.
Summary and ordering Lug and other sails – Affordable and delivery worldwide
While this article was only meant to be an introduction to the main types of Lug Rig we hope it is useful.
We also make gaff sails, Laminate sails, bermudan sails and Lateens. Even the occasional crab-claw.
Because we have a background in boat design as well as sailmaking we can help you develop both a sail and a spar and rigging design for your boat.
You can contact us or request a quote from this link.
