Sailing Yabávideo
Building the Wooden Jaws for our +80ft Boat: These HAVE to hold — Sailing Yabá
March 1, 2026 · 35 min · 65K views
Carpenter measures timber beside hull of Sombra under blue sky
What this video covers
Ben and Amphine are upgrading their 80-foot wooden schooner, *Yabá*, to a traditional gaff rig, a process requiring the fabrication of new wooden booms and gaff jaws.Watch The team constructs the main boom using a laminated core of cedrinho planks with a central ash plank for added strength, bonding the layers with epoxy and fiberglass for structural integrity.8:15 To create the gaff jaws, Ben uses a template to shape blocks of ipe wood, which will eventually be leather-lined to interface with the mast.10:56 He determines the jaw thickness by measuring the mast diameter at 25.5 cm and the gaff diameter at 9 cm, ultimately sizing the jaws to 6 cm to ensure sufficient material remains for a secure, non-binding connection.11:43 The project is conducted at a shipyard to facilitate the use of power tools and climate-controlled conditions for epoxy curing.5:20 The completed spars and jaws will provide the precise measurements required for the final sail design.16:42
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