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Lapwing #5 build


John Turpin

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  Hey John,

  You don't have to run the main mast drain all the way back to the cockpit.  You can run it straight out of the hull at the bow.  I think mine drains to the port side.  The drain is only a few inches long.  It runs along the top of the triangular mast step - I got the idea either from the plans or from the photo cd.

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  Understood - I have only two holes in my hull.  One is the drain for the main mast and it has never given me the slightest amount of trouble.  The other is the hole for the autobailer and last Wednesday I screwed up and left the bailer open when rolling the boat off the trailer (now I have a leaky autobailer until I remove it and bend it back to its intended shape).  Since then, the drain has been my favorite of the two  :lol:  Having said that, I think the two holes I have in my hull are very good things.

  Having the drain overboard allows it to be short and mounted right on top of the mast step where there's plenty of reinforcement and it's not really in the way of damage.  Also, if I ever feel the need to clear a clog, the drain is only a few inches long and it is straight so I can just use a pipe cleaner or something.

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John said

l will be running a plastic tube through the bottom of the mast tube, alongside the coin, through the plywood triangular step, down and along the stem, then through the fore bulkhead and into the cockpit.  Sounds straightforward, but I don't have a clue how I'll do it.

PAR said

John, I used a length of PVC pipe bent to shape (heat gun).

I used PVC on the seat drains and have bent it to quite sharp curves on other projects.post-0-129497639507_thumb.jpg

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Hi!

When I made my drain for the main mast I used a technique I think I read here on the forum... Anyway I used a piece of rubber hose (i think it was for gasoline, a sturdy piece of reinforced hose) it was approx 1/2" diameter. First I glassed the bottom of the plywood base and put my mast-tube on top with a hole in it for the hose to enter, drilled a hole in the hull and placed the hose through hull and mast-tube. Then I put alot of thickened epoxy around the hose and a couple of layers of glassfibre. Of course I epoxied the mast-tube in place aswell. Waited for a couple of days so the epoxy was cured and then pulled the out hose and voila! a tube/channel was there! When pulling the rubber hose you decrease the diameter making it easier to get loose, it was quite a task to pull it out but it worked very well. Be sure to have a hose that will stand up for the pull! Perhaps one could put some wax of some sort or some release agent on it to make it release easier.

Btw nice build you have going on, thanks for the pics!

Best regards

Rune

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I must be missing something RE mast base drain tube. It is a tube to drain water away - got that. At zero water pressure - check. Yet I'm reading descriptions of folks slobbering filled epoxy and even epoxy/fiberglass over the tubes. ??? Is there some theory that water molecules get their undies in a bunch when be drained away and try to fight their their way out the tube?  It's a simple drain tube - connect it, strap her down with a couple cable ties = done.

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I think people worry about getting the bow compartment half full of water if the drain leaks. It is good to get it right the first time as repairs are difficult to effect later: i.e. hanging upside down through the hatch with flashlight stuck in the mouth. The original design has worked for me for 15 some years without problems. PeterP

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  Actually I thought it was easier to use the technique Rune describes than to install a hose.  Installing a hose would have required me to make a hose connection at the hull and another one at the mast tube.

  Molding the drain in place also makes it less likely that the hose will be accidently disconnected by an anchor or something else moving in the forepeak.

  One thing I did differently than Rune was I used a plastic drinking straw (a fat one) as the mold for the drain - It sounds like both materials suit the purpose well.

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Mornin' John,

All your hardwork and attention to detail is really starting to show nicely.

Thanx for documenting everything so well. My target date to start my build is next spring & I

really enjoy looking at your blog and the progress your making. Can I ask what  " Blue Peter means?

Regards,

Gregg

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Hi Gregg,

Blue Peter is the nickname of the signal flag "P".

Blue%20Peter.jpg

Traditionally, when sailing ships were preparing to get underway, they would fly Blue Peter. This was the signal for the shore-side crew to get back on the ship.  "If you want to go to sea with us, come aboard quickly. We are heading out."  I always thought that it would be a good name for a sailboat. And, I plan to fly the Blue Peter from atop my mizzen mast.

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