Hirilonde
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Posts posted by Hirilonde
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And I thought I was good at using feather boards. Finished product looks great Howard, and your set up has fingers in mind as well as results. Some things justify a little thought and set up time.
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I guess I got lucky, I found the dowel/closet pole in stock at the local lumberyard. I bought the 2 sections of tubing through McMaster Carr at work.
Here are the ends of the 3 pieces before priming. The left shows the mast step fitting. The other two show the glass tape bushings and taper for joining.
Had I not found the dowel I would have done as Mark did.
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For instance' date=' if you have significant differences between compass heading and GPS track heading combined w/ differences between SOG and water speed, you can deduce what kind of current you are sailing in and its speed and direction.[/quote']
You don't need speed through the water to determine this. Factor in that knot meters are often inaccurate, be it due to calibration or fowling of the impeller and I find any deductions based on them scary, especially in dicey situations. The only times correcting for currents gets really hairy is when boat speed is low compared to current (hence you have little control over your direction and/or speed) or when your destination, wind and current are from close to the same direction (hence you can't get there from here). Most of the time compass direction can be changed to achieve proper direction over the ground. Sometimes extra tacks are needed to compensate for current. If one can't address the current under such conditions then either a motor or a new destination is called for.
I guess my biggest problem with knot meters is that they are far more often then not inaccurate. I would rather not have info on my speed through the water at all then have faulty info that I am putting faith in. Good old fashion piloting practices (compass, dead reckoning, log book with documented positions, etc.) combined with a GPS is a powerful combination. The good sense to know that your intended destination is not a good idea under some conditions helps too.
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I put the round plastic screw in inspection port in my bow compartment. I have been threatening to do the same to the 2 stern compartments, but haven't succeeded yet. I don't see how they could leak, but something tells me that a means to air them out is a good idea. I'm not even thinking about storage so much. For safety sake not a lot should be placed in them any way.
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Now that I have a few more planes in my collection, I plan on profiling one of the blades by raiusing the ends so I can plane a shallow relief without hard corners to do the same without resorting to the dustmaker.
I have done just that to the blade of a small jack plane. I use it to do scarf joints, dress resawn boards and to make slight concave reliefs for pieces fitting to a deck camber and such. It works really well. Tools have evolved a lot over the years. Technology has made for some really ingenious improvements. But a really sharp hand plane of the design for the application will probably never be replaced by any technology. I don't know if it is Zen, or therapy, or what. But there is something very satisfying about planing wood by hand, and the quality of the results have yet to be exceeded by any power tool I know of. The lack of dust that Ray disdains so much is but another reason to use them.
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Or you could just scarf them
It's really not that hard and you need to learn how to do it anyway.Scott
I don't know that you "need" to learn how to do it anyway, but it is a lot easier than it might seem. I highly recommend everyone try a scarf, you will be surprised how easy it is, and it is really fair. Practice on some scraps first if you feel the need. You will find threads in the forum on the subject with a search.
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Some people think you need a speed log vs just using the GPS to facilitate accurate measurement of the effects of minor sail adjustments. For some reason they feel only speed through the water can evaluate these adjustments. I have come to the conclusion that not only is this assumption wrong, but that a speed log's info is of little if any real usefulness with today's GPS data.
If one is using the speed read out of any instrument to judge the effectiveness of sail trim it is as a comparison. The actual number isn't really important, but the change in it is. If you are comparing speed read outs over any significant time then too many other factors (slight wind changes, speed and direction, change in currents, etc) can apply to consider your readings extremely accurate anyway. You are going to see changes even if you adjust nothing. Neither a GPS nor a speed log show anything about changing conditions, only the results of everything combined.
For navigational purposes speed over the ground (what a GPS tells you) is the more significant data anyway. I think speed logs are obsolete. The data they supply may be amusing to know, but all important decisions can be made at least as well with the data from a GPS alone, especially if you have a good current chart of your area (Eldritch for example). And even if you don't, your speed and direction over the ground tells more about where you are going to end up any way.
I filled in the hole in my Renegade's hull for the speed impeller, one less hole to worry about. I filled in the hole in the cabin for the read out, more flat surface to lean against.
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White water kayaks in general have no keel. This is to facilitate quick, sharp turns and intentional side movements. Flat water kayaks in general do have keels. This is for all the reasons you would expect. As to the Birder: I have no first hand experience.
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Well, you have 2 nesting bulkheads, I interpreted the line to be where I would cut. So one goes on either side with the cardboard spacers leaving the line between them. I figure that the line for the forward bulkhead marks the finished side, the one you see.
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Beveling the edges of the plywood a little will help the joint some. By graduating the bevel from the butterfly tabs (the short connection joining the sides to bottoms, that you do before stitching) and increasing the angle as you go aft and stopping before mid ship you may get the sheets to fold with a bit tighter joint. But as Garry and Steve have already said, there is no need to fuss, it will work fine.
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Best of luck to all the B&B design entries.
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I found that by far the most difficult part of the "Garry Hardware" installation was the alignment of the matching fore and aft pieces. It is such a simple system to use if properly aligned, but the difference between sloppy loose and too tight to assemble isn't a lot. I second the test assembly before final bedding in. Looks good in the pictures.
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Had to try it too.
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Well, the Spindrift comes in 9, 10, 11 and 12, but the 12 doesn't have a nesting version. I'm not sure why, you'll have to ask Graham that one. I have a 9N and can just stow it on the fore deck of my Renegade, a 27 footer. I tow it for the most part, but I like knowing I can stow it on deck. I like small. I would probably have a 9N as a tender vs larger ones for boats up well into the 30 foot range. I would definitely have a 9N for a 30 footer. The 9N sails well with 2 people and rows with 3, maybe 4 (depending on weight of people). You never know when researching something like a tender whether you will pick the ideal design. But having used mine for a season, I know I picked at least one of the best designs for a hard tender for a small cruising boat.
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Very nice balance of brightwork and white. Enough wood to be rich and enough white to feel roomy and assist lighting. Well done!
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http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets/Chudnoff/TropAmerican/html_files/swiete1new.html
I don't think I would want to plank with it (little resistance attack by marine borers), but for trim it would seem ok. The description says it is used for carving and turning, so it must work well with tools.
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I built in Garry's nesting hardware from the get go. I am extremely pleased with it. I'm sure the simple bolt method Graham designed into his boats works fine, and is certainly simpler to build. But I can't imagine it is as easy or dry to use, at least compared to Garry's hardware. As to any form of assembly on deck or even on a broad expanse of land with a pair of saw horses handy: I can't imagine anything easier than in the water. Yes, I have tried on land, and I choose the water even when launching from a dock. Aligning the pieces to hold the halves together snugly, yet still slip together and apart is tricky, but I find it well worth the extra 8-10 hours of built time.
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Is the reasoning behind wire ties over wire here to avoid tear out in the thin plywood?
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I built and still own a Spindrift 9N (nesting version). It is exactly what I was looking for in a tender to my Renegade.
1. Like Charlie says, there is a demand for all 4 lengths, I'm glad Graham offered the 9, as even 1 foot less than the 10 you are considering mattered to me.
2. Yes they can plane. But depending on the weight of the crew aboard it may take a bit of breeze. At 180 lbs. it takes a pretty fair breeze with me aboard. It also sails very well in a light breeze. Move your crew weight forward until the transom just clears the water and it is quite amazing how fast a few knots of wind will move her.
3. Yes, you can just call Carla at the number shown on their site to order plans, sails, hardware, epoxy and probably complete kits very soon. The plans come with complete specs to have your own sail made and to purchase all hardware from any source you choose. You aren't going to do much better if any buying these somewhere else. I suggest you save a lot of hassle and just order everything from Carla.
4. I think B & B has their sails made in China. Carla tries to keep some in stock, but you may want to order the sail with your plans if you are going to start building right away and want to sail shortly after. I am very pleased with my sail.
We might seem a bit biased toward B & B designs here in the forum, but it is with good reason.
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Garry, what do you perceive is the advantage of using cable ties?
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I actively participate in 2 boat related forums and one Tolkien mythology related. I really like the people in all 3 but one of the primary reasons I continue in them is the relentless nature of the administrators. Thanks again Frank.
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I agree with all of the above for starters. Another reason why okoume plywood is more expensive is that all of it is imported. For whatever reason, high quality plywood for marine use isn't built in the USA. You can read into that what you will. Okoume comes not only in metric thicknesses, 3mm, 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm etc., but most of it now comes in metric width and length. The metric sheets are slightly larger in both directions than SAE sheets. I just built new storage shelves at work for plywood and had to accommodate.
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Epoxy heats itself up more and faster when:
1. the temperature is high (the components are warm)
2. it is in a container where the volume has all 3 dimensions significant (like a cup, vs. a pan where it spreads out)
3. a fast cure is used
Things you can do to slow the heating down:
1. chill the ingredients or work space (I have actually stored the 2 components on ice in a cooler)
2. use a wide shallow container for mixing (the height dimension is significantly reduced)
3. pour it onto you work right away and then spread it out (if this is practical)
4. use the slow cure (if there is a choice with your brand)
Any one or more of these can extend pot life or working time. Planning also helps use the stuff up before it kicks. Get everything ready to go before you mix. Like the old plasterer' joke: "Don't mix the plaster till you get to the top of the ladder.
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I definitely agree with Garry on this one, not that you have to. It seems to me that you are looking for a daysailer to use when getting to your Weekender isn't practical? There are so many nice light weight, easy to build proven designs out there that might fit your needs/wants.
Every one has their own way of making decisions. In a case like this I would sit down and make a list of all the characteristics I would like in a boat. By doing this, without even considering what is out there, you will come up with a practical list of important things to you that aren't so tainted by your preconceptions. Now take this list and research designs till you find the one that best meets your criterion. You might be surprised with your decision in the end, and very likely pleasantly so.
Centerboard for CS17
in B & B Yachts Forum
Posted
For glue ups where keeping the result truly flat is important, I often use clamps oriented just for flattening. I lay out release paper (glorified waxed paper), and clamp the pieces loosely like in Charlie's picture. I then wrap some heavy scraps of wood in waxed paper and clamp them down over the project and to the table, thus flattening the whole thing to the table. Then finish tightening all the clamps appropriately. We keep 25 lb lead bricks wrapped in cardboard for gluing weights as well, where clamping just doesn't fit.