Sailing again

[barryhill]

Does this mean I can't use this boat for a roof anymore?

Like the Heim. A bit of Iowa sprint car tech.

Bob

[lewisboats]

Sorry...I don't think it will fit, although if it did it would be much more stable. I take it you ment Helm rather than heim...gotta get it into the water before I know if it works properly...hopefully monday at a local mud hole.

Steve

[lewisboats]

Just got back from a couple of hours of sailing and the subject says it all!   ;D ;D

The rudder worked like it was purposly designed by someone who really knows what they are doing...wonder how I came up with it   ???  I had bone in teeth, Ama flyin' in the air, surfin USA type motion today...my mast looked like it was made out of half cooked spagetti...awful bendy... but it didn't even creak let alone break. I think the wind might have stretched some shape into my current sail...it was even making a few degrees good to windward.

As to the 85%...well 14% of the less than success was the sail...I had to paddle a few hundred yards against the wind where I didn't have enough room for the wide tacks...unexpected upper body workout   :-[

And the other 1% was the rudder coming loose...the spacer/bushing is about 1/8" too tall, not letting the nylon locking nut fully engage the nylon and so backing off with all the pivoting back and forth. Otherwise the rudder/rig were ballanced just fine...a little weather helm to turn the nose gently into the wind when the tiller was let go. I had the bolt in the innermost hole...the steering was a bit quick...a total of about an inch of movement fore and aft to swing the nose thru 20 degrees or so. Next time I'll try it on the outermost hole and see what it feels like. No pictures...I lost one camera to the water that collects in the bottom...not again. Besides...I was too busy giggling like a little kid...I wouldn't have remembered to take any anyways. I can't wait to get a decent sail on this thing and see what I can do with it.

Steve

[barryhill]

Whew! Got away with it. Finally got some time home with decent weather to work outside. Sanded a full day and gave the whole thing it's last coat of epoxy today. Worked well. At 90 degrees it fired quick enough to easily rotate on the horses and keep runs to a minimum. UNTIL a couple hours ago when my wife drove up and asked if I'd seen the western sky. I was just starting on the bottom and last bit to do. Finished up and peaked the tarp as best I could. Watched the only thunderstorm in three states march down the other side of the Mississippi. Got very dark but not a drop here. Here's a shot earlier in the day when I was not so nervous.

Bob

[Dave R1]

Bob, it looks pretty good.

I watched that thunderstorm from the other side. Thought we were gonna get it but it went off to the east. Gust front came though and temps dropped a good 10

[lewisboats]

Lookin good...you gonna paint or varnish? I forgot what you told me.

Steve

[barryhill]

Thanks guys. Plan was to paint outside and varnish in. The bottom inside with only one coat of epoxy stained pretty badly over the messabout weekend so that will get paint too.

That storm comin' was a double whammy. The closer it got, the colder it got and the slower the cure! Didn't mention the dog howling at fireworks which gets the wife riled up. All looks good this morning. This is motivation to get the shed done.

Bob

[JeffM]

How long til launch?  I want to get the sailing report when you get the Teal in the water.  I considered building one until I realized it would really only hold one person.  You lose a lot of buoyancy over a regular transom with that pointy back end--I want to know what you get in trade.

[barryhill]

The boat's been in the Mississippi already. Sailed across for the Lake Pepin Messabout and home in a fairly wild few hours described earlier in this thread. The pointy little behind survived a lot of nasty following waves just fine.

Teal was chosen for a small fast build to get done in the house over Wisconsin winter. I'm glad I did and other Teal builders have only good things to say. If nothing else, it got me out of 20 years of daydreaming procrastination and on the water!

May well re-assemble it for a lake sail this weekend. Running north to pull a trailer home from a cabin work site. Might as well have some fun. Gonna be a week before I can sand and paint. Should get that done for the Iowa Messabout.

Will report here when I get back from "up north there, eh?"

Bob