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ForthBridge

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Everything posted by ForthBridge

  1. I think the canvas covers with the inflatable pvc roller blown up inside will be what I go for. The canvas in the photo I posted has been outside for a couple of years and is still in good shape. It's tough as old boots and will protect the beach rollers from puncture/uv etc. The rollers will be inflated to fill the canvas tube but only to about 75% of their capacity, so no risk of blowout. I think I've solved the potential problem of the tubes potentially riding up. As well as being well secured fore and aft, they will need a couple of tabs stitched on so that they can be laced downwards over the outside of the tube, then back up to the gunwhale. I had a good couple of days sorting out the bow section. All the fiddly bits take more time than I thought! I'm still optimistic that we might be able to get out on the water this summer. The canvas work is definitely a winter project. You're right about the possibility of a wet ride. I have a bit of flexible pipe and an equal T connector that might form a frame from the painter hole in the breast hook and then between the two forward rowlock sockets. A tiny spray hood might be possible...
  2. Thank you for your ideas. I will see if I can source a sample of Shelter-rite on this side of the pond. I like the noodle idea too. Not a lot of weight and plenty of buoyancy. I might stick some in the aft buoyancy tanks - just in case there is a catastrophic delamination ?
  3. You're right about sewing an airtight seal. Tricky unless it's taped. The yellow inflatable in the photo is a pvc boat roller. I got a couple to assist in putting the N11 on a roof rack. I thought it would be easier to roll the boat on the roller before deflating on to the roof rack. I need a hand with how to attach the canvas tubes (with boat roller inner tubes) to the gunwhale. The only photo of the Add-a-buoy shows it laced together round the transom. Along with this I thought tying it through a couple of holes in the gunwhale would hold it in place and it would be firmly secured at the bow by the tow D ring and bow painter hole. Trouble is I've never seen one so I'm not sure. If the tube just rides up it could be secured by passing a tie under the boat (not hydrodynamic) or adding a couple of attachment points along a rubbing strake on the hull. Perhaps a flat piece of webbing tape could be sandwiched between the hulls during assembly? Any ideas gratefully received!
  4. A quick request for comments and suggestions please - I while back I was reading one of Lin and Larry Pardy's books where they were waxing lyrical about their Fatty Knees tender. Larry had added a floatation collar, an 'add-a-buoy' (which has a nice ring to it). I have searched high and low without success. A while back I stitched up a canvas washing dryer cover. The thought occurred to me that I could do something similar for the N11. A bit of extra buoyancy when using her as a swim/dive platform with the added advantage of a giant fender. Has anyone seen anything similar available commercially?
  5. You're right about the odd bit of epoxy here and there adding to the weight. It's difficult to keep on top of the incremental rise. A big learning curve. I think if I'm 15-20% overweight I'll be doing well. However, I'm not hugely concerned about the extra weight being too much of a problem. If a skinny half N11 comes in at 16kg and mine is over 20kg it's no real problem. My wife I are getting used to shifting the two sections in tight spaces and they're not too much for us. It's getting used to the size and shape. A block and tackle on a halyard will make quick work of a deck launch. I do like the look of the CS17 in aluminium and the fact that she could stop a .38! She must have been an ice breaker in Alaska. Avoiding being overbuilt is the challenge but that's still impressive metal working! Weight is always a concern - I thought that a Bruce Roberts design would be perfect for us until we met someone who had a PCF 40 (which wasn't a design we were considering but a similar length). We helped them berth in a breeze and the weight of it was immense. Way too much to handle. Put me off steel completely. Anyway, an interesting off topic interlude...back to thinking about cam cleat positioning ?
  6. So, slightly off topic of Nidaplast and epoxy... Whilst playing with the buoyancy tanks and centreboard case, I wondered if an aluminium build would be possible. We had two weeks boating in the Netherlands last year and my word they are skilled metal workers. Has anyone put together an aluminium B and B design? What do you think Graham? It could be the best of both worlds - lightweight and robust. Unfortunately, for me tig welding in the living room is out of the question! I would have to wait for a windfall and get one commissioned. Just curious to hear what others think ?
  7. Thanks for your comments! If I was to build another Spindrift (though I'm doubtful my wife would give up the living room again) I would go with plywood. You are right with everything you say. My comments here are sometimes a little tongue in cheek, but essentially I wanted to gain experience with West Systems epoxy, laying up cloth and bonding composites. I am very pleased with how my N11 is shaping up. She is by no means a work of craftsmanship that is so regularly seen on this site. But she should be a stiff, strong and reliable tender. I subscribe to Sailing Florence Around the World and love it when The Machine (their N9) is centre stage. My dreams will come true if I get to take my Spindrift on similar adventures! I will keep posting my progress, worts and all, and hope to get out on the water this summer - or at least out of the living room ?
  8. I agree with you, I would probably opt for the plywood option if I had to do it all again. Or at least not make absolutely everything out of Nidaplast. But when the great grandchildren inherit the N11 they'll be delighted that she is still maintenance free. You could try a plywood build sheathed with a layer of kevlar mat? Traditional yet indestructible... Arisaig for the match race? ?
  9. Thanks Thrillsbe. My build will be no where near as flyweight as William's on here. He is the Nidaplast lightweight specialist! I hadn't used epoxy or laid up laminate cloth before so this was a project to get some practical experience. I think that I will be slightly over a plywood build weight - I got on the scales with the bow section the other day and it weighed in at 18kgs/just under 40lbs. I'll be another few pounds for the foredeck and centreboard case. I added a hardwood bulwark inside and out to make her a bit easier to handle and that was more weight. We are building her as a cruising tender and thought that robustness and rigidity would be a better quality than being a fragile skinny thing. She will be launched/recovered with a halyard and handy Billy, so a kilo or two won't make that much difference. When I checked online an 11ft rib was weighing in at 45kg as opposed to my girl's two 20kg sections. Overall, I would say that using Nidaplast, carbon and epoxy has been expensive, messy and a lot of fun, just like....... (insert own metaphor here!). It would be interesting to see a plywood build to compare weight and rigidity. One day, in a Caribbean anchorage, there will be N11 racing! I have got carbon matting on the stern section now (lockdown is good for progress). But still a 100 little fiddly jobs left to complete but then sea trials will begin. I put in an extra set of rowlock sockets in the bow section so she can be rowed from the bow seat (I thought that would help with trim when I'm being rowed by my wife!). Now I think they might make sockets for a small spray hood or a canopy. I'll post more photos as things progress and try my hand at a YouTube video. Then it'll be onwards to a Globe 5.80 - I'll need a bigger living room. Stay safe!
  10. Hi, Just a quick progress update. The bow section is now sheathed in carbon and post curing in the sunshine. The stern section is next. All the buoyancy tanks have been fabricated from Nidaplast and carbon ready for fitting. Just the centreboard case and mast step left.
  11. Hi Starboard, Thanks for your message and for the photo showing your rig set up. She looks great. I like the side seats and that's something I'll now have a look at fitting. The full Laser rig would be a handful indeed! I take on board what you said about the comfort of hiking out. I added a 10mm inwhale to bring up the total rail thickness to 30mm. Still not massive but I could always add a bit more for comfort once we have sailed her. I don't think my nidaplast build will be much different in weight to the plywood equivalent, perhaps a few pounds lighter. I always have a tendency to build things bomb proof. I will try and get a spring balance to investigate how much she weighs! Hopefully if nothing else gets in the way we will get out on the water this summer. Cheers, Jim
  12. Quick update - My Spindrift N11 is still under construction. Since the last photos I have laid up carbon fibre cloth in both bow and stern interiors. I have added the knees, breast hook and the gunwhale/inwhale. I still need to lay up carbon fibre cloth on the outside of both the bow and stern and I need to prep it all first. As I am building in the living room I need to get the major sanding done outside which is a bit weather dependent. I am keeping busy by making cardboard templates for the stern buoyancy tanks, the dagger board case, foredeck and keel. I will get these fabricated over the next few months. Once I have given everything a quick sand and she is a bit more tidy I will post a few more photos. I think building in plywood would have probably been quicker and certainly cheaper, but I wanted a test bed for learning epoxy and cloth laying up skills. As a result I will have a very robust and hopefully very rigid alternative. As I'm building the sailing version I must admit to wimping out with building every component from scratch. My N11 has a Laser radial rig, dagger board and rudder/tiller. She will be a workhorse and I thought it would be easier to replace these items (hopefully not) using second hand Laser bits rather than have to build bespoke ones from plywood again. The rudder might be a bit short as the N11 transom height looks a little higher than a Laser but I'll wait and see if that's an issue. This build is taking a while as I work full time and have a few other commitments. Luckily I have a patient wife who is still understanding about the living room's change of use! I will keep everyone posted again in the near future. Successful boat building in 2020! Cheers, Jim
  13. And I should have added, a great deal of thanks to William, a regular poster on this forum - https://messing-about.com/forums/profile/2082-william/ - who provided helpful advice regarding the use of Nidaplast. His posts are very detailed and interesting. My own build is less scientific and certainly a lot less weight saving! I have gone for over engineered strength to hopefully provide a long lasting serviceable tender.
  14. Hello everyone, I last posted on here a few years ago. It's taken me sometime to convince my wife to give up the living room to an N11. My Spindrift N11 project is called South Queensferry Electron - in recognition of Donald Crowhurst's Teignmouth Electron - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Crowhurst Following the usual 'messing-about' convention, here is my progress right up to when I found the courage to saw her in half - earlier today! Nidaplast is very flexible and I epoxied and peel plied each piece of the hull before assembly. Bulkheads are carbon fibre and Nidaplast, three layups of biaxial cloth. A diamond cutting wheel on a Dremmel made short work of trimming excess from the bulkheads and transom. The hull still needs finishing, as do the bulwarks. Knees still to fit as well, that's the next job. So I realise that 6mm ply would have been the best route to go down. However, prior to this build I had not worked with West Systems or carbon fibre before. The SQE is a 'learning by doing' project in preparation for the retirement boat. I will update with more photos as work progresses. I live in Scotland, the weather is getting colder and less conducive to epoxy use and, of course, I have to give the living room up for Christmas. Progress might be slow! However, with the hull complete I can cut out the rest of the Nidaplast components and get the sailing rig ready. Happy boat building to you all! Jim
  15. This place is magic. So many interesting posts. A guy sails a moth out of Port Edgar, my local marina. It looks a lot of fun. But I'll need more home comforts. I've read every detail about Chick's CS17 - she looks amazing. And I'd like to go the same route as Steve, try out skills with the N11 and then maybe, if all the tools I own aren't epoxied together, a slightly larger daysailer. I live in South Queensferry, Scotland on the Firth of Forth - hence ForthBridge - a shallow draft CS17 would be perfect for exploring. I am now explaining the cost of my wife's expenditure to her in terms of plywood sheets. Slowly but surely... It's cold here in Scotland so it might have to be a living room build :-) Once the Christmas tree is down of course
  16. Thanks for all your replies. I think Hiri is right - simpler is better (unless complicated looks really cool). The double daggerboard is a feature of the Redfox - http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=4648 They have a curved cross section so that they create lift, essentially driving the boat to windward, rather than just providing lateral resistance. But I guess, as Bob rightly points out, the primary advantage of this set up is it takes the centreboard case off the centre line and frees up living space. Not an issue in an N11... Anyway, I'm really pleased to have had such quick and comprehensive replies, reassuring to know I'll be able to seek help here in the future. I'll stick to the N11 plan that Graham conceived rather than tweaking it with my own America's Cup ideas. Bermuda, 2017 here I come Jim
  17. Hey everyone, I've just joined this great community of BandB fans! After extensive research the Spindrift N11 suits my requirements perfectly and I'm now in possession of the plans and have asked for the plywood and epoxy for Christmas - although my wife knows if she arranges this with Santa she won't see me until Spring! Anyway, before I get underway I wondered what everyone's thoughts were on a double daggerboard set up - much like the black hulled yacht in this clip - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lbBtybMan-4 If the daggerboards are wing shaped they should provide significant lift to windward when close hauled. So I'll be able to sail on a close reach, flatter, dryer and still make the same COG as a harder pressed single daggerboard boat? The only cons I can see so far are the extra weight of the second centreboard case and daggerboard (and obviously the extra cost and build time). Wing shaped daggerboards are used regularly on cats. But do they really work? What do you think? Thanks in advance, Jim
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