Florin {VACATIONER}

Aha!!! That makes sense! Thanks

So why is it called a "LAPPER" then?

Anyone have any drawings/pics/links for different methods of lashing the main to the boom and gaff? Will the sched40 pipe still be needed on the foot and head of the sail with different kinds of lashings? How could I instead sew in re-inforcement patches on the clew and tack on the main to go loose footed? Never done this before or seen it done so I sure need some help. Thanks

I really can't see why you couldn't give it a try... a helluvalot cheaper and easier than making another mast and going through the whole excercise of installing and re-rigging. I'm sure no one will notice that small a bend. Good luck Florin

Hey Mike, Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad to hear as well that you are happy in the warmer climates (not necessarily drier hehehe). Did you bring the "WOLF" along with you? Thanks for the advice!!! I don't have anything planned for woik tomorrow so me thinks we'll go to HD and get us another big piece of tarp. Then we'll make another main and lapper. Where do I take the measurements for the lapper? Is it to the first shroud or is it to the aft one? Then we'll go to the local marine hardware shop and we'll buy us some nice fairleads and camcleats for the dual jibsheets (where do I screw those in?). Then we'll lower the gooseneck by 12" cause we have the room, and make a bigger mainsail. We'll have to lash this one now 'cause it will be tarp as well and we don't really want this one to tear ou again, although we sure enjoyed the loose footed speed we got the other day in fairly light winds. Cheers mate and watch out for those tailgaters (get a paintball gun). Florin

Jan, For what its worth... I don't really think a 1 or 2 inch warp would affect anything... They usually temporarily warp under load while sailing anyway. If you want, you can find out which way it warps under load and then rotate the mast to compensate for that... it may straighten itself out. But if you build another mast I would highly recommend a hollow one. I have a lot of load on mine while being stored and never warped a bit. I'm sure you'll be happy with it. Cheers

I didn't have to make any mods to my trailer since I've built it myself. I didn't see any good reason why the keel should support the boat, so I just made a keelbox like you guys call it out of 2x6 or 2x8 (can't remember now) and covered them with marine carpet, and all it does is guide the keel when loading and holds it centered side to side while trailering. There is no flare at the end because like someone else mentioned before that part will be way under water when needed anyhow. All you have to do is center the boat with the keel lined up in the keelbox and once she's started in she'll slip right in. We've only had to try twice the other day when the water was really murky and couldn't see the keel and the box. I also didn't see the point for any guiding boards at the sides because they would only touch the sides of the hull in one spot, so we skipped this step as well. Since I built my own, I didn't have adjustable bunk brackets, so I measured the contour of the bottom of the hull and cut and welded the bunk supports. It worked fine. Now I have to lower the bunks by 6" so I'll have to cut them off, shorten them and re-weld. Not a big job, probably 1/2 a day's worth, but at least I know they're welded on there and they're not going anywhere. Also about the keel brace in front of the winch... I deliberately didn't put one on at the beginning because I wasn't sure where it should go and how long it should be before I balanced the boat on the trailer. Then we realized that there is no need for one. The boat is sitting on the contoured bunks and is held centered by the keelbox. Then we have the winch line holding it... then we have a couple of 2" ratcheting nylon straps holding the whole thing together on the trailer. I really think anything else holding it down would be overkill. There is about 1" gap on either side of the keel and the keel box... this makes loading and unloading very easy since there is absolutely no friction there. One more thing... Bearing buddies!!! I can't count on my fingers anymore now how many times I've seen the poor souls parked on the sides of the highway in the middle of nowhere with a trailer wheel fallen off because they never serviced the bearings on a regular basis (or never). I've picked mine up for $40.00CDN and took 5 minutes to install. Then you pump them up with grease every now and then, and they're guaranteed to never give you troubles. I highly reccomend them. Hope this helps Cheers Florin

Barry, thanks for all of your good advice. I've already changed all of the hanks to miniature carbiners. THey work well. They are not plastic, instead they are made out of some sort of plated steel. As far as the sails, I'll have to make a new main out of tarp this season now and just lash it again... or maybe I'll make a slider on the boom and mast, we'll see what I can come up with. Thanks for the links for the sailamkers. Cheers Florin

Yep, sometimes you just wonder... especially when at the time you've had absolutely no use for it and sold it for real dirt cheap too hahaha. Cheers Florin

OK, I've seen this one, actually I used to own one years ago... Why did I sell it??? Thanks Capt. Jake Florin

Thanks Barry for the reply. The electric seems too complicated to me since I would need two sets of batteries and would have to keep them charged at all times (sometimes power is not available). The gasoline engine option seems better for us at this point in time. What is an adjustable lift mount? Don't think I've seen one before. Thanks Florin

We've been procrastinating long enough now about getting an outboard for Barbarella. I think it is time we got one. Just curious what HP everyone has on the Vacs and how happy they are with them. We are sailing on lakes only (relatively small where we can see the other end) so we don't have to worry about currents or tides of any sort. We only need the motor for docking/undocking and possibly for when the wind is too strong/weak. I recall the norm was to use a motor with a long leg... how long is a long leg? Meaning if I buy a used one and have no means of comparison to a short leg, how could one tell? Is there a standard dimension, and where does one measure from? What about motor mounts? Any particular designs which works better than others? I am building a 15' driftboat as well and would really come in handy if I were able to use the motor on both boats (since we'll only be taking one out at a time). The driftboat allows for 10HP max (not sure whether the driftboat needs long/short leg). Would be nice if I could find a happy medium for both boats. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Florin

And since we are talking about sails, I think we'll make a new tarp sail for the remainder of this season, but we'll definitely order a new set of real sails for the next season. You guys and gals know of a reputable sail maker where ai can order mine from? I will also need them to assist me in coming up with the proper dimensions for this rig and different options in rigging and sizes. Thanks Florin

Just thought of another one (or two). The plastic pipe hanks which are suggested in the drawings for the luff of the jib and main didn't work worth a damn for me. Firstly they were extremely hard to install, and then impossible to remove... I've had to cut them off with the sidecutters to get them off the forestay, or off the mainsail luff. I've come up with an easy solution and a very affordable one by using different type of ready made hardware and it works great. Takes seconds to remove the sails. Did anyone try to use sail tracks on the mast and boom? Seems to me like the sail would get a lot better shape if it were in tracks. Florin

Thanks guys for the warm welcome back and for the handy tips. We were gone on vacation for the past week. Just got back last night. Vacation was good... was great to get away from the crazy busy life in the big city. Couple of days before we left I decided to modify the sail to loose footed. Got the lashing off the boom and the schedule 40 tubing. After a few minutes I managed to rig up a makeshift outhaul which wasn't too fancy but worked great for now. After a dry run in front of my house we decided it was good enough and we were ready to go. When we arrived at the lake (Buffalo Lake) about 2.5 hr drive N/E of Calgary we were told by one of the campground staff that the boat launch wasn't that great and we may not be able to get the boat off the trailer (funny how they didn't mention that when I called a week prior to make reservations). Next day we backed up the trailer down the "ramp" but the water was too shallow. This lake is quite shallow and you can walk for 300 yards before you actually have to swim. We needed another 6" of water to fully submerge the bunks and be able to push her off the trailer. And since we couldn't back up anymore out of fear of getting the vehicle stuck in the soft lake bottom, we were lucky when some innocent by-standers offered their help to muscle the boat off the bunks. We were lucky I guess because it worked. Five of us pushed and pulled her until she finally landed in the shallow water. We managed to raise the sails quite easily and we are very happy we did install a boom lift. The wind was quite gentle in the small cove we were in, so it took us a couple of minutes to get out in the open. We sailed for a half an hour before the wind started to pick up nicely and even saw 6.5m/h on the gps fish-finder. The main sail got full of wind and it looked better than ever. Unfortunately she started to rear at the clew where the outhaul was attached. We did some minor repairs got underway quite promptly, but since the wind wasn't letting off we decided to make our way back to the marina while the sail was still workable (kind of). Loading on the trailer was a lot easier with the help of the winch and we made sure to soak the carpet on the bunks to ease the process. We ended up not putting her in the water for the rest of our stay because of the sail condition and the lack of ease while launching. The condition of the pier did not allow for mooring it either so we decided we won't be sailing anymore this time around. Few things learned from this experience: 1. The tarp sails aren't quite what we thought they were... We've briefly used them last season (about a month) and kept them covered all winter, yet now they are getting quite deteriorated, the duct tape is getting rotten and it comes off the tarp leaving the dried up glue and a bunch of fabric strands hanging off the sail making it look very unsightly. The tarp lacks strength, and I think this is why it let go at the clew when the wind picked up. 2. The bunks are a bit too tall... I have noticed last year that I could lower the boat about 6" by shortening the bunks uprights. I guess I'll have to do that now. This would entail dumping the boat at the local lake and leaving the girls to watch her for at least half the day while my son and I bring the trailer home boatless and perform the necessary modifications. This would accomplish a few things... give us the ability to launch the boat in shallower waters, at the same time we wouldn't have to back up so far in the water at the regular boat launches. Center of gravity would be lower thus making the rig more stable on the road. Easier climbing in and out of the boat while on the trailer. 3. Even with the loose footed main, there are still some wrinkles at the top of the sail which are created by the lashing on the gaff. Is there a solution to this, maybe making it loose on the gaff as well? 4. The jib seems to us like it is way too small. Would making a larger jib get her to sail faster? 5. The clubfoot is a pain in the a$$. The jib sheet doesn't seem to let out with ease at all. I often have to send someone forward to coax the jib to let out because of too much friction in the blocks. All of those blocks over there seem to be quite the overkill. Could this setup not be simplified by just using one single block as opposed to having the two clunky double blocks? It seems to me like there is quite a bit of drag induced on the jib sheet by having that contraption there. That's it for now, I'll add more as it comes to me, hopefully someone with more experience can chime in and help with some ideas. Thanks Florin

Well, we've had a really busy winter here. Managed to start building a driftboat this spring too. The plan was to have her done in a month so that we can start using it for fishing early this summer but she's only about 25% done and 150% to go. My 15 yr old son moved in with us about 2 mo ago (he lived with my ex for the past 10 yrs but he saw the light). He is now gladly helping with building the drift-dory. We did enroll him in a 2 week sailing camp and he is now officially a sailor with a CYA license. He was happy to come with us on our first outing on SV-BARBARELLA couple of weeks ago. He says she handles much nicer than the dinghies they were using at the sailing school. We took the afternoon off yesterday and went fishing... caught a nice sized pike and decided there was at least one fish in that lake. In about a week we are leaving on vacation for a week and we're all excited about it. I'm not entirely happy with the way the main is hanging.... Has too many wrinkles in her and no matter what we do we can't get them out. Looks like it creates a pocket in the front half, and the aft doesn't even come in to power the boat I am seriously considering going loose footed. Anyone there can give me some good hints on this please? I've got to do something about this before we leave. Thanks a lot. Got to run to work now to get caught up if I want to leave by next Thursday hehehe. Cheers Florin

Hi All, Been gone for about 6 mo now but finally got back. How's everyone? Any spectacular news? Glad to see you are all still here. Cheers

Those are really nice Adla! I wanted to make some of those too. When we launched in a hurry I didn't have time, so I said I'll make some over the winter. We found we didn't need any at all. We kept tying off in the scupper holes... we have 2 at the front and 3 at the back on each side. At one point in time I even went and bought some plastic ones at the store, but turned around and returned them 'cause we thought they'd be useless and we'd just trip over them on deck. For the anchor we use the bowsprit bitts... it works great. On the other hand some people "really" like their cleats... not that there's anything wrong with that :-) Cheers

Building a PC Craig? :-)

When I bought my Lexan (ballistic-polycarbonate)at the Industrial Plastics, they told me that Lexan is quite different than plexy. Plexy breaks very easy. Lexan on the other hand you can cut with pretty much anything and is very tough. I wanted it for my cabin windows, so I made a template out of ply and cut all 4 windows with a flush trim bit and a router. They came out perrfect. First I rough cut them with a jigsaw with a metal blade. I wanted them to be flush with the outer window rings. I used the same template for the rings btw. When I bought the 4'X4' piece they cut it for me out of a 4X8 sheet on a table saw... the blade wasn't reversed and it made a perfect cut. Don't remove the protective paper until ready to assemble to avoid scratches. No oil or any kind of lubricant/coolant was used in any instance. Good luck! Florin

Craig, I haven't done any vacuum bagging yet, although I thought about doing it sometimes, so I'm really not sure how big a vacuum pump you need for that, but I'll bet you the ones I have for HVAC/R would work just fine. The A/C compressors can't come close to the vacuum level a vacuum pump can pull (the pump will go down to about 28-29inHg depending on altitude and the compressor after a good break-in procedure will maybe go to 5-10inHg). And the major problem is that the compressors are designed to pump oil thru the whole system... in other words if they don't circulate the oil they'll just sit there and get hot until they burn. Not sure how long this would take but I don't think I would leave one run overnight unsupervised. Vacuum pumps are only about $300 CDN here and the one I have has been heavily used for the past 10 years at least. The trick is to change the oil in it on a regular basis if you want it to last. I know it's a bunch of cash to throw away at once but if one uses it a lot its probably worth it. Oh yeah, I leave mine run overnight on a contaminated system... and I've done that a lot without damaging the pump. Maybe you guys can give me some imput on vacuum bagging.... What kind of material is used for this and how does it get sealed at the edges? Is my pump rant worth anything? Cheers Florin

Sooo I'm thinkin... next time we do calendar contests... instead of making this real hard for Frank, why don't we get Frank to post all of the entries on a web page and we can have a public vote sort of like we do on the polls we do every now and then. We can even even call it "People's Choice Awards Calendar" :-) Just a thought.

We saved the piece which was cut out of the companionway opening. Then we cut it in two (at an angle to keep the weather out) and finished it. Didn't need any templates. For the curve on the sliding hatch We used a slim batten which was held on top on the cabin at the aft end to extend the curve across the opening. Then we took the measurements and lofted the hatch frame on a piece of fir. Pretty easy. Cheers

Now this is interesting! Talk about getting your priorities straight... Interesting reading. Enjoy!!! http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/ http://www.ranish.com/beerbox/

Jan, We've had the same problem with our planned trailer mods... every time we wanted to just go to the lake, unload and then drag the bare trailer home for the mods the weather was just right for sailing and ended up postponing the mods for another day. I think what we'll have to do is wait for a rainy day, dump the boat and hope we won't feel like sailing in the crappy weather :-).... Our trailer is still waiting for the mods yet. Cheers