The Reynolds 21 restoration project rolls on.
I'm thinking I need to add a bow sprit to my boat. I've searched and read all the posts I could find here on the subject. Most of the discussion centers on the effects various modifications would have on light, fast beach cats. But I'm dealing with a 900 pound boat, so perhaps the aspiring (and maybe actual for all I know) designers among you could give me your thoughts on these questions. I'm on a lake where there aren't many cats. I see a few around but never noticed one with a sprit, so I don't have anything to swipe ideas from.

1) The boat has 3 cross beams. I plant to mount the sprit from the front beam, pass under the forestay bridle and out into the beyond. The front beam is 69" in front of the mast. The bridle is 93" in front of the mast, about a foot back from the front of the hull. How long should the sprit be? My guess would be 6', leaving about 4 feet to gybe inside the forestay. Does this length sound right?

2) Should I invest the effort to make the sprit articulate left to right? I've read this doesn't benefit the light speed demons, but that's not what I have. There is currently a reacher that attaches to a line bridle 6" in front of the forestay bridle. This can be moved left to right, but the 6" doesn't allow flying the reacher and jib at the same time. I'd like to fly both since we mostly have light winds here.

3) Am I correct in assuming that as long as the ascending angle of the sprit doesn't look hideously wrong it will work OK, or is there some critical science behind this?

4) Where on the sprit should I attach the lower front bridle wires, behind, at, or in front of the tack?

5) I plan to use aluminum tubing for the sprit, since weight isn't much of a consideration (Boat 900 lbs, crew pushing 400, sprit could probably be cast iron at this point). I'm planning on using 2" diameter tubing with a 1/4" wall thickness. Could I use a thinner wall?

6) Last one - Am I going to tear my mast off, and do you want to see the pictures afterwards?

Thanks in advance for time spent in reading and possibly answering these questions.

Matt