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Aphers

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Everything posted by Aphers

  1. Looks great! It's such a huge transformation. I painted my boat with it in two halves, hanging from overhead beams. This let me access almost every part of the boat in one go, instead of having to do it in stages. My paint supplier said I didn't need primer. I only actually did two coats initially, but I generally add a full coat once a year now that the boat is in daily use, plus patch repairs where necessary.
  2. I've never had a problem with it tbh. My first boat was a Wayfarer (16ft dinghy) and it used a bolt rope. It was pretty easy to put a reef in. I suppose sliders would have kept the bunt of the sail a bit neater but I had eyelets with lashings for that. I'm sure that on larger boats it would be beneficial to use sliders.
  3. So today I tried out the new rig. Windsurf mast with dinghy sail. Long story short, it's not going to work out. The mast just isn't stiff enough. As soon as you put any halyard tension on, the mast bends like an over ripe banana. It's a shame, because I'd put a bit of work in to this setup, and I was hoping for some good performance with a light enough mast that it would be stable enough to be left afloat rigged. But I guess I'll just stick with my trusty windsurf rig...
  4. If I add eyes to the luff, whether for sliders or lacing, what spacing would be suitable? Using just bits and bobs I already have in stock, I'd be looking at 49cm between eyes. Is that a bit too far apart?
  5. What's the advantage of slides over a bolt rope?
  6. One of my rigs has a track and a halyard (btw I'm not sure I see any benefit to slugs over just using the bolt rope?). The other is sleeved. Both work pretty well. A lighter version of the tracked rig would be great. But the sleeved one is fine. Only once have I found myself unable to 'plant the flag' when I was trying to rig in a stiff breeze. With that rig, I often just roll up the sail loosely and tie it to the mast. It has a full length top batten so it does still have a bit of windage, but it works very well if I'm just making a quick stop to pick up laundry etc. I generally put the sail tie on a slip knot so setting off is a case of jumping aboard and pulling the tie; one pull on the sheet and the sail unfurls and we're away. If I'm being pinned on to the dock by the breeze I can usually give a hefty enough push at I get aboard to get clear and start sailing. It's all very drama free. If I convert my tracked sail to laced or sleeved, is there anything preventing me from having it open at the top, and using a halyard?
  7. Over the couple of years I've had my Spindrift, I've managed to collect a whole assortment of different sails and spars, which have been effective in varying degrees. Current rig of choice is from a windsurf, with a wishbone boom. Perfectly happy with its performance, and the four piece mast stows away to nothing. But the wishbone is not the easiest thing to set up if you're already out at sea. The sail is also getting very tired- it's had an awful lot of use, almost daily for the past year or so. What I'd really like to do is switch to a more conventional rig. I've got a great sail from an OK class dinghy, which has a bolt rope. The mast I have for it is very heavy aluminium tube with a track. I want to use a windsurf mast instead, bit of course that has no track. I think my options are: - rivet and/or epoxy the track on to the grp mast (not sure this is structurally a great plan) - get a sailmaker to sew on a luff sleeve (I'm guessing this is the best, but costliest, option) - install eyelets along the luff, and lace the sail to the mast (very DIY friendly, low cost) I'll need to figure out how to make a gooseneck but maybe a simple plastic claw (rowlock?) would work. I'm hoping to avoid a trip to the sailmaker partly for cost and partly because, as a full time cruiser, I don't like having to be tied to being in a certain place for any length of time.
  8. That has to be one of the fastest builds I've seen. Well done. If you think rowing is fun, wait until you get your rig sorted
  9. I used a two pack paint called Lustre, from a company called SML in the UK. It was brilliant. They recommended that I could use it directly on to the epoxy without an undercoat, and a 2.5l can easily did the whole boat with a bit left over. Two pack is fantastic compared to single. Far more durable. Since leaving the UK I've had to switch to Perfection, as that's what is available. I generally touch up every 3-6 months depending on how badly the dinghy has been treated, and about once a year I've ended up doing a full recoat. The boat is in daily use and bumps happen. Perfection is a good product but the hardener is highly hygroscopic. Once you've opened it, you've got a few weeks to use it before it goes to jelly. It's particularly bad out here in the Caribbean with the heat and humidity. International do not sell the hardener separately. I now have three tins of the 'A' part and have just opened my third and final 'B'. I've heard that the Awlgrip 'Awlcat #3' hardener is the same chemical, and is available separately, but it's wickedly expensive. And presumably it has the same problems with going off after opening. Interestingly, the tiny bit of Lustre hardener that I still have remains liquid in the can, so whatever they are using is more suitable for long term storage. Despite the drawbacks of two pack, I would not use single pack on a tender.
  10. You're resisting the temptation to leave anything bright, then? I couldn't quite bring myself to cover every last bit of wood, so I left the dagger board case capping varnished. And it's a bit of a pain trying to keep on top of it . Sometimes I think it would have been nice to have left the transom varnished. Maybe on the next boat...
  11. Depends on how much of the time the boat spends disassembled. Ours goes on deck for long passages only.
  12. My method was to use thin but stiff plastic (I used laminated sheets of paper) inserted in to the gap between the two halves, and sticking out by an inch or so. Where the two halves meet there is a slight radius and it looks better if this is filled, so the plastic gives you an edge to work to. I used microfibres and was a little generous, over filling slightly. After it had cured, I removed the plastic and then carefully sanded the filled area to ensure that it was a perfect match both sides. I was really pleased with how this turned out, with a really good crisp edge and almost invisible join line.
  13. Is there a risk that changes in temperature/pressure will cause damage to a totally sealed tank? I often hear a strong hiss when I open mine up. For that reason I've put a partially crushed plastic bottle, with lid on, inside each tank. The idea is that it will absorb any changes in pressure. Maybe it's totally unnecessary but it's not doing any harm.
  14. I added bilge strakes, or runners if you prefer. Three good reasons: - they stiffen up the floor - they protect the hull from damage - they gave me a solid place to add through bolted eyes for lifting the dinghy in davits Mine are on the aft half only so don't interfere with nesting. I'm not the only person to have done this, Sailing Florence of YouTube fame did the same. https://messing-about.com/forums/topic/12813-spindrift-11n-build-in-scotland/page/2/#comment-111096
  15. Your can of perfection was still good? I didn't bother painting inside the lockers, not much UV in there
  16. I think a Europe rig could work well. I initially used a slightly cut down OK rig, it sailed extremely well but the mast was very thick walled and heavy which made the dinghy very unstable and that took away a lot of the fun and practicality. I'm now using an old 5.5m² windsurfer rig with a four piece mast. Initially boom-less, but a couple of weeks ago I found a wishbone boom washed up on the beach, and now it sails really well. I think the rig as designed would be the best option, obviously, but I was running out of time and money.
  17. That's good progress. Do you plan to sail your Spindrift? I have been using my 11N as my tender full time for over two years and sailing around anchorages is my favourite hobby now. So glad I didn't buy a RIB like everyone else! Aphers (Sea Change on YBW)
  18. I think exact location is dependant on the user. I sat in the boat and tried to figure out the best position. Maybe an inch here or there doesn't really matter that much.
  19. I drilled the holes first, then made up the epoxy. It was pretty tedious.
  20. I cheaped out and used split PVC pipe, but I think the principle is the same. I pre-drilled each hole and put a dab of epoxy on the end of every screw. I think that every time you expose wood, you should give it unthickened epoxy. The runnier the better.
  21. Hi Dylan We've been using our S11N as our tender for nearly two and a half years now, full time. Absolutely love it. I'm very glad that I built the sailing version, and now that I've sorted out my rig and got a bit more confident, I almost always sail rather than rowing or motoring. Definitely a conversion starter at the dinghy dock. In answer to your questions: 1- I've added three hard points for lifting. I'll post some photos tomorrow. 2- the fastest I've gone is around 6.5kt, with a 3.5hp outboard and just me onboard. Under sail, I'm not sure. Once I hit about 5kt it's time to put my phone away somewhere safe. But in either case, no it's not really a planing boat. The design has quite a bit of rocker which makes it excellent to row but harder to get on the plane. I would be nervous about fitting a bigger and heavier outboard. I've given it a lot of thought and decided to stick with the little 12kg two stroke. 3- four people under motor is an absolute doddle. We've often carried six, and our record is nine. The other day we had four adults and two kids under sail, all carrying snorkel gear and packed lunches. FYI I recently had a little row around in a 10ft Spindrift and I was surprised how much smaller it felt. Still a good and stable boat, but not a load carrier like the 11.
  22. Actually no! I'll come clean and admit that three of them were children. And we definitely had a bit less freeboard than usual. But it worked fine
  23. I had the choice of 10 or 11ft, and decided to go bigger. Almost the same amount of work, materials, and costs, for a more stable and roomy boat. I've not been aboard an S10, but tbh in hindsight I would probably build the 10 if anything ever happened to my 11. It is a pretty big boat. We've carried nine people, we've carried huge loads of shopping, folding bikes, etc etc, and never felt like we were running out of room. Handling the dinghy on deck would surely be that little bit easier with the smaller version. It's not all about weight, it's also the bulk. If I assemble my S11N on deck, vertical, I'm standing on tip toes working blind trying to get the bolts in to the bulkhead. Which is why I usually try to assemble it on the water, but conditions don't always allow that...
  24. It's a relief to get it actually nesting! My boat was upside down when I sawed it in half, I don't remember it being too difficult. In fact, it was alarming easy, definitely a nerve wracking moment. From memory I think you are supposed to glass over the outside corner at the bulkhead, but I don't think you need to cover the whole bulkhead. It doesn't really matter if there is a slight gap between the bulkheads when assembled, it's all hidden by the seat anyway. Of course you don't want a gap showing at the job itself, and to glass that corner you'll need to have a bit of a radius. To get a really neat join, I used epoxy thickened with micro fibres to finish off the edge at the bulkhead, with stiff plastic sheet as a former. Gave a really clean edge and sand almost no visible gap. I like micro fibres, I think they're stronger than silica and easy to mix.
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