Mon Ark Sail Boat - 11 footer with 18 foot mast.

[bufbooth]

Hello All, was looking to see if anyone had any information on Mon Ark Sail Boats.
I just purchase a fiberglass one, 11 feet long. It has an 18 foot mast with a slip on sail.
I was told it was manufactured in 1981.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Welcome to SBO buftooth,

To become a member of the best sailing forum on the Net.

It is very likely another MonArk owner is here that can help.

I couldn't find any data on an eleven foot MonArk but there is the MonArk 14. No disproportionately tall mast though.

If you could post a picture or two, we would love to see it.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[bufbooth]

I will post more detailed pictures later, it actually measures a few inches short of 11 feet, and boat shell is heavy fiberglass.
The bow is enclosed (where the Mast sets into), and has a very small storage compartment and has a bottom drain plug.
I am a little puzzled how the Boom attaches to the Mast. The Boom has a U-Shaped end that one pushes onto the Mast,
but there is nothing to hold / lock it in place on the Mast. Sorry for the lack of correct terms to follow...on the Boom there is hardware/loop
about two feet from the U-Shaped end of the Mast, and a few inches behind the Mast on the boat itself there is another hardware/loop, so
I think that is where the Kicker goes (which I am missing), however, I am not sure how to secure the Mast to the boat, there is no hardware/loop on the Mast, anywhere. The Sail slips over the Mast. The picture is from the guy I purchase it from, that is how he had it rigged.

 

[rgranger]

Because it has a slip on main sail, there is no place to attach stays to the mast. So it was probably designed to have a free standing main. The loose footed main is rather progressive for a 1981. But a good choice.

 

[bufbooth]

Because it has a slip on main sail, there is no place to attach stays to the mast. So it was probably designed to have a free standing main. The loose footed main is rather progressive for a 1981. But a good choice.
[/QUOTE So how does one keep the main up on the mast, do I rope it in place off of the sail? My other thought would be to use a piece of PVC pipe to slip over the base of the mast for that U-shaped end of the main to sit/ride on.

 

[rgranger]

I'm not following your question. I assume the top of the mast sleeve is closed and rides on the top of the mast but if not, you will need to find a way to keep the head of the sail at the top of the mast. The tack (bottom near the mast) of the sail has a small piece of line seen in the photo. That probably goes to a block at the mast base and is used to pull the luff of the sail down to snug it up.

 

[DArcy]

It probably rigs similar to a Laser.
The goose-neck fitting is a yoke instead of a pin and socket. Tension on the outhaul (outer end of the boom) will keep the yoke from jumping off the mast. If there is no collar on the mast to keep the yoke sliding up and down then the cunningham (that rope hanging off the tack, bottom front corner of the sail) will need to fasten to the boom and then be pulled down to a fitting either on the mast or on the deck.
The top of the sail sleeve that slides over the mast should either be closed in or should have a piece of webbing sewn across it to keep the sail from sliding down the mast.
The outhaul seems rather loose in the picture, the clew (aft corner of the sail) should be much closer to the boom and may require a rope or strap to hold it down to the boom.
Do you have battens? They are fairly rigid flat pieces (wood or fiberglass) that slide into the pockets in the leach (aft edge of the sail).
Other than that, it looks good!

 

[bufbooth]

The top of the mast sleeve is closed. There is no collar on the mast to keep the yoke in place. There is a fitting on the deck, about 3 inches from the mast base. Regarding the rope hanging off the tack, do I just wrap it around the boom a few times (or some sort of loose knot) and then secure it to the deck fitting? I initially tried that (wrapping rope around the boom a few times), but it looked like it would hinder the sail from moving left and right, maybe I tied it off too tight.

 

[DArcy]

If you are able to post some pictures of the boom and mast it might help.
I have a vague recollection of sailing a boat with a similar goose-neck setup many years ago. I think the design originally intended the yoke to snap firmly in place on the mast but it would usually end up sliding. If the rope is long enough you could try tying a clove hitch around the boom. Even if it pulls slightly to the side it shouldn't have much impact on performance.

Oh, and the u-shaped loop on the boom is probably for a boom-vang that would normally attach to the mast like this:

It may fasten to the deck but that would interfere with the boom swinging so would need to be adjusted whenever you adjust the main sheet.

 

[rgranger]

Can you get a closeup picture of the goosneck area (the area where the boom and mast meet)? and also of the deck where the mast is inserted. Also a close up of the outhaul (outside end of the boom). That would help us figure out how your boat was rigged.

 

[bufbooth]

I added the below three pictures, there is nothing on the mast to secure the yoke to.
On the boom, there is a fastener about 16 inches from the Yoke, but not sure how to use it. Maybe I am missing a rope to use that fastener
to help secure the boom to the Yoke? Also, is my mast/sail too big for this sail boat? The boat is a few inches under 11 feet, and the sail measures 18 feet, and the mast is 22 feet. Is it possible I have a sail/mass from a larger boat?

 

[bufbooth]

If you are able to post some pictures of the boom and mast it might help.
I have a vague recollection of sailing a boat with a similar goose-neck setup many years ago. I think the design originally intended the yoke to snap firmly in place on the mast but it would usually end up sliding. If the rope is long enough you could try tying a clove hitch around the boom. Even if it pulls slightly to the side it shouldn't have much impact on performance.

Oh, and the u-shaped loop on the boom is probably for a boom-vang that would normally attach to the mast like this:

It may fasten to the deck but that would interfere with the boom swinging so would need to be adjusted whenever you adjust the main sheet.

The above is what I was expecting after reviewing other setups, but I am missing the bottom (mast) fastener (see pics below).

 

[DArcy]

The two fittings on the deck by the mast appear to be for a boom vang and the cunningham (sail downhaul).
The fitting with the V-notch looks like a jam cleat. You should be able to pass the rope through from forward to aft then lift up and it will hold it in place.
The loop is probably to attach the bottom end of a boom vang.
You could try sailing with the yoke just clipped on the mast to see if it stays in place. If not, you may want to tie it in place.
You could fasten the cunningham to the boom and then use the boom vang to hold the boom down. This is sort of how Optimist Dinghies do it.

 

[rgranger]

I think @DArcy is right. A boom vang attached to the pad eye seen on the boom and again seen on the deck will pull the yoke forward.

 

[Hunter216]

I would suggest two pieces of line at a minimum.

Starting from where the line is attached to the sail at the mast now (tack) tie a short length that holds the boom fitting close to the bottom of the sail (foot). This will keep the boom fitting from jumping off the mast.

Starting from the same place (tack) tie a length long enough to reach the “connector” on the hull with the V shape in it. The purpose of this line is twofold. First and likely most important it keeps the mast inserted in the hull if you flip the boat over so that the mast is pointed straight down. The second purpose is that you can control the shape of the sail by increasing or decreasing the downward pull. (Cunningham).

A vang is also a useful sail shaping adjustment and to some degree replicates the value of keeping the mast in the hull if you “turtle” the boat. The vang can be a simple piece of line tied to the boom and angled down to the hull. Tie a loop in the line and thread the end through so that you can tighten and loosen to experiment how it works.

The outhaul in the photo is too loose as the attachment hole at that part of the sail (clew) should be within a few inches of the boom. The line tied there can be tightened and loosened to shape the sail.

Sail and mast aren’t too big. Start on a light wind day, wear your life jacket and go have fun!

 

[rgranger]

... go have fun!