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New boat & more lightning


Tom Lathrop

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B&B is off the air again.  Another lightning storm last night that took out the Vandemere tower -- again.  Twice in one week is beyond statistics.  Another forecast for tonight.  Standing by.

Graham's new design small sport fisherman boat was launched a couple days ago.  It is 20 feet LOA and was built near Vandemere.  As you can see, it sits right on its lines and looks great.  Engine is a Honda 90 which has not been run to WOT yet.

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Nice boat!

Looking at the photos, this boat incorporates a spray rail at the chine. Have been wondering if something like this would work on boats like the Core Sounds to "dry them up". Got the idea after reading from some about the spray they throw in a chop.

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Nice boat!

Looking at the photos, this boat incorporates a spray rail at the chine. Have been wondering if something like this would work on boats like the Core Sounds to "dry them up". Got the idea after reading from some about the spray they throw in a chop.

I doubt a chine spray rail would be a positive addition to a Core Sound sailboat.  A spray rail would definitely contribute drag though whereas, in a powerboat, spray rails generally decrease drag.  Powerboats operate mostly in a level side to side attitude which allows a spray rail to do its work.  The CS boats are not particularly wet anyway.  Compared to low deadrise or flat bottom skiffs, they are dry.  Spray means that you are going somewhere fast enough to make spray, so enjoy it.

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I put spray rails on a CS17 and they worked quite well. They ended up looking like 3/4 inch quarter round and were too small. Even so, There was a marked improvement up to a point and then I got wet, but not nearly as wet as I got before in similar conditions.

My next boat will definitely have spray rails. They will be about an inch to an inch and a quarter and slant downward.

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Narragansett Bay can be pretty choppy and my 20 is very wet going to weather even in 10-15mph--or at least it was until I added a cabin.  My boys are smart--they didn't like keeping Dad dry, once they caught on.  Since I'm often out for a couple days at a time, being wet gets old.  I fooled around a little with spray rails made of split pvc, but never finished testing them.  I think Ray is right on the source of the spray, so for rails to work they would have to deflect water down to keep it lower than the gunwales. 

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Sukie,

We're on a touchy subject here because many people feel spray rails on a sailboat are just wrong.

My theory (totally uncomplicated by facts) is that the boat displaces water out 90 degrees from the part of the boat that does the displacing. This is not to be confused with the water being displaced by a displacement hull, but rather the water we can see as spray whether the boat is on a plane or not.

If you run beside a power boat you will see the spray goes forward, sidewards, and everywhere in between. The water appears to want to go up, but there's a boat in the way so it runs outward along the bottom at roughly 90 degrees to the keel to the chine and then off into the air where it can be blown back into my face.

Many power boats have horizontal "steps" for the boat to ride on. I don't think they realize the water the steps are riding on is moving outward. Boston Whaler has very exaggerated, almost vertical, steps that capture the water and harness the lift generated. They also work as great shock absorbers. As the bow plunges down into a wave there is that much more lift from the rail.

I think inch wide spray rails made of 3/8 inch ply and slanting down at about 45 degrees would make a tremendous difference. I would run them back about 6 or 7 feet.

It's true the leeward rail would probably cause some drag, but it would also create lift right where lift would be a good thing.

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I agree with Gordy on almost everything. In fact I built my boat based on his reports. But on this one I think I agree with Ray.  The big chop hitting up high on the hull seems to give the most spray or more like buckets of water flying up and coming down in the front area of the cockpit.  I got to watch this for several hours as we beat across two bays in the Texas 200.  I sat up front most the way as the dinghy racer, Pete, drove it hard. 

But who needs foulies?  I never once felt cold.  We docked just behind the EC22 and I immediately told Graham "That's a wet design" ( even though the hot air had already dried my clothes).  He replied that at least its a fast design as we were the third boat in behind only the EC-22 and a Hobie 18.  Some boats including some production boats never made it across and decided to stay in the protection of the ICW.

I only brag because I was not at helm; if I were we would have had a more cautious and slower trip across.

One thing I need is the Anderson balers and better hatches in the seats because I had to bale for long time after we arrived even though we baled during the trip.  I think Graham mentioned something about a record amount of water in a CS. 

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Here's an idea for a test: put a rail on one side only.  Go for a ride sailing to weather in a good breeze.  Sail as hard as you can on one tack until the seats are wet but not dripping.  Heave-to.  Mop up all the water with a towel, then bag it in a ziploc bag marked with the tack you were on.  Repeat, for the same length of time, same trim and point of sail, but on the other tack.  Do the whole thing over several more times.  Go home and weigh each towel, dry it and re-weigh to find out how much water you soaked up.  Do the comparison to see how much difference the rail made when it was on the windward side, and how consistent that difference was.

This is the test I attempted about a year ago.  It is somewhat fiddly and imperfect, not least because people intercept spray that would otherwise go right over the boat.  Also, not all the spray comes over the windward bow.  I was unimpressed by the difference when I was conducting the test--and then discovered when I got to shore that my sprayrail had come loose at some point!

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;D

Hey Tim- You think YOU were wet- Laura literally wore holes in the bottom of the plastic jug she was bailing with coming across San Antonio Bay. By the time we got through South Pass, she was holding her hand under the side to keep the water from leaking out.

I think we were the fourth boat in that day by the way.

I tell her it'll be remembered as the day she bailed her way across the bay!! ;D

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Tim, I enjoyed your description of beating across 2 bays in the Texas 200 which sounds much more fun than it would be on the Maine coast. Then your mention of the Anderson baler piqued my interest. Is this a self baler? I'm wondering if I need to make any modifications to my hull at this (early) point in my build to incorporate something like that. I'm going to search the marine supply sites, but would welcome any comments about balers. (Although, Charlie and Laura seem to have figured it out!)

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Sorry, Tom.  Photos of my cabin are at http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=5687.0

A few caveats: I an so NOT a good woodworker.  My highest priority isn't good looks or craftsmanship, its adventuring afloat.  So yes, I know its ugly, but it gets the job done pretty well, if I do say so.  Needless to say, when someone comes by to admire my boat, I quickly explain that Graham designed the CS20 with an open cockpit, and the cabin was entirely my idea.  The lifting feature shown in the last two photos is one I find I almost never use.  Although it gives me full sitting headroom, its fussy and time-consuming to set up--the sort of thing I'd only do if I were expecting to spend a rainy day aboard at anchor, and then a cockpit tent would be better.

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Yep, we are in a series of daily storms with much lightning.  So much that I am very reluctant to get caught out on the water when the storms show up on the weather radar.

Here is the latest edition to Graham's stable of powerboats.  This is a little lobsterboat designed for the original builder and owner of the first Princess 22.  20 feet LOA and Chick named her Princess, of course.  20 mph with a 25hp outboard and looks great.  Looks like she will be a neat overnighter and weekender.

Photos are captioned 18' but just ignore that.

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