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Hirilonde

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Posts posted by Hirilonde

  1. Looking great Howard!  I really like traditional colors combined with bright details.

    Locust is a great choice tor trim and details.  Abeking and Rasmussen used it a lot, and all of the Concordias have at least some.  Some have a lot.  We save chunks of it at work just for making cleats (the hardware) and such.

  2. When the wind dies you could drop him off anywhere.

    The site I linked above doesn't go into much detail, but the "sandbaggers" did just that.  There were no rules at that time pertaining to completing a race with the full crew that started it like there is now.  Many races were windward/leeward courses.  Sandbaggers would start the race with as many crew as they felt they needed for the windward leg (mostly rail meat) and then all those not needed for the down wind leg would jump overboard at the weather mark.

  3. I think you will find water ballast a racing mechanism.  Some Mini Protos use fully manual water ballasting.  It is a somewhat tedious procedure to scoop up the water, pump it all to weather then deal with pumping over when coming about.  It can also be a detriment should you be in a maneuvering situation and caught with a tank full or in case of an uncontrolled or unavoidable gibe.  Having weight stuck to leeward when you least want it can be annoying.  The Minis use it in heavy air when likely to be on the same tack for seriously prolonged times or in light air to help maintain momentum in sloppy seas (Minis are light and prone to stalling in slop).

    I can see why Graham would say it probably isn't worth it.  I suppose it could be fun if you really were interested in pushing the boat for speed.  And if going as fast as possible were a component to each sail's enjoyment.  I wouldn't want to give up the space in a daysailer for the limited use. 

  4. I have a fair bit of time rowing many designs.  A Spindrift 9 (mine) is used as a tender and daysailer.  It sails very well!  It rows like a lightweight broad bottom well designed dinghy, not like a deeper and heavier dory.  I would not build one if rowing were my hobby or means of exercise.  But you can keep it going straight and you can maintain a reasonable speed rowing.  If 12 feet is the right size for your adventure, and the trip is as you have described; I would surely consider a Spindrift 12.  Your Dad probably won't be thrilled with how it rows, but he may appreciate it when it comes time to pick it up.

  5. Its a catch-22 concerning when and how much to tighten the screws.  If you wait until the 101 cures you will break the tack of the caulking to the screws during tightening and even though you have a nice gasket water will be much more likely to penetrate into the wood at the screws.  I would lean towards tightening to a snug fit now and then leave it be.

  6. With Awlgrip, get a ding or scratch and at the very least you need the whole side of the boat recoated.  Once abraded with sandpaper, you can't get the gloss back.  The gloss is formed by resins rising to the surface as cured.

    Ray,

    Your assessment of why repairs are so difficult is accurate, but it can be repaired.  Our painters here at the boatyard do repair paint jobs, but the job is tedious and time consuming.

    They mask of the scratched area and sand and wet sand the scratches out.  If this means wearing through to the primer they then spray the area again.  Then wet sand again lightly over-lapping on to adjacent surface.  They then enlarge the masked area and spray with clear.  At this point the center of the repair matches but over spray around it is hazy.  This over spray is compounded out and the repair blends into the rest of that surface.

    What I don't like about Awlgrip are the isocyanates.  It is one of, if not the most deadly chemicals in a boatyard. Even though our painters use supplied air and suits, we have a special spray bay complete with filtered exhaust fan, spray sessions are announced to all, etc., the fumes are present and I'm sure small doses are inhaled by others.

    Ray,  how well does the System 3 stand up over the long haul?  I like shiny, but semi-gloss that lasts a long time, that is easy to repair and safe to use sure sounds appealing.

  7. Nothing will stick to UHMW plastics well or for a prolonged period.  That is why they work well as bushing material.  That they are so resilient is why they work well as a chafe strip.  I'm not sure any bedding will keep water from getting between the strip and your keel.  It may work to use a material that will stick to the paint of your keel and solidify enough to create a gasket which will protect your keel from having its paint removed by your chafe strip.  I would think you would still get some algae growth behind the chafe strip if the boat stayed in the water for a prolonged period.  I would try 3M 101 or Sikaflex 291.  Both will stick well to paint and form an elastic gasket that will offer some protection.

  8. The stuff is water-proof, and it is quite strong.  I have used it for building outdoor furniture and gluing exterior house and deck trim (which is also screwed or nailed) to help maintain a tight joint.  It worked quite well for both.  I have even seen it used to glue leather work boots and stand up for quite a while.  I still think I would choose epoxy over it for any boat application.  Glue manufacturers will have to come up with something quite revolutionary for me to choose anything over epoxy, and they will have to prove its worth first as well.

  9. so anything that displaces 1 cubic foot of water will produce 65lb of buoyancy.

    Don't mean to seem critical but...  Anything that replaces 1 cubic foot of water will produce 65 lbs.  minus its weight in bouyancy :P  The rest of the calculations are correct.

    1 gal = 231 cu/in.

    1gal water weighs 8.8 lbs (salt water is less, but negligible)

    1 cu/ft. = 1728 cu/in.

    1 cu/ft = 7.48 gal

    Styrofoam brand foam is really only affected by ultraviolet or being physically damaged.  If it is kept in the dark it will last almost indefinitely.  You may want to do some research on the brand you used to see what protection it needs.  If you do choose to seal it up keep in mind that if you don't totally water-proof the foam compartment you may be creating a space that will grow mold.  I suggest either a completely water-proof compartment or an open one that can breath.

  10. When an outboard is on a transom bracket it is kind of like being on a see-saw. In choppy seas the outboard can be lifted quite high. So even if it doesn't seem needed during light/no air weather a long shaft stays in the water better in waves. You won't regret your decision.

  11. I mis-numbered your plan Wes.

    She shook me up to with her labels too! My Spindrift 9 sail came in to day in a bag marked "CS 17 mizzen" :oops: Boy was I relieved when I took the bag across the street to a park lawn to unroll it and saw the S9 logo and my hull number on it 8)

  12. The prices paid for boats is a confusing issue. I have known beautiful well crafted boats to never illicit bids any where near what they were worth. I have known garbage scows to sell for far more than they were ever worth. The only known facts about boat values are:

    1. no matter what you pay to buy a boat you will spend more on it soon after

    2. no matter how much you spend on your boat you will never get it back selling it

    3. you can always buy a boat but you can't always sell the one you have when you want to

  13. On my Renegade I have a 10 amp - 2 battery smart charger hooked up to an outlet that is switched/breaker protected as part of my shore power system (the rest of my system is another outlet on a separate breaker switch). It does exactly as Frank mentions. 2 singles or 1 double? I don't think it matters.

  14. what I am doing is sealing the seam between the fir stringers and the merenti side pannels on My vacationer.

    This gives me the impression that it is mostly cosmetic? If so then you aren't fastening in any capacity, so 5200 isn't needed at all. If I don't need a chemical fastening then I don't want a goop that will be that difficult to remove when the time comes to redo or repair. I would use a mildly adhesive bedding like 3M 101, BoatLife Lifecaulk or my favorite Sikaflex 291. Or maybe even that tube of 3M 400, but I have no experience with the product.

  15. They are entirely different products. The word marine is about all they have in common.

    5200 is a tenacious polyurethane adhesive. I only use it for applications where I can virtually guarantee that I will never try to take "it" apart.

    4000 is a cosmetic sealant. It has mild adhesive properties. The description the 3M gives for it makes it seem like an interior material or maybe for caulking after the fact when your bedding has failed. It is not a polyurethane but 3M doesn't seem to really say what it is.

    4200 is a polyurethane adhesive with a bonding strength of about half that of 5200.

    There are many "boat caulks". Some of them are quite good, and when the specific product most suitable for any given application is used the results meet the specs required. What one really needs to do is define the requirements of the situation first, then choose the appropriate product. Is the goop expected to be the primary fastener? Is it just to waterproof a mechanically fastened joint? Is it something else?

  16. I guess Jeff is hooked on building boats. Soon he will have his own fleet! Looks good Jeff and your family seems to think so too.

    Life must be good for you. Nice new boat' date=' complete with a great looking crew.[/quote']

    Boat building and sailing as one's hobbies and a family that shares in them? That's an understatement Mike :wink:

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