Thread: Is that a 12' GIS I see hull down on your horizon

Originally Posted by tpb03

Hi Rick,
Has there been anymore progress on the prototype?

Tim

Hi Tim;
I started working on it again yesterday after almost a month of not even taking the cover off it. Spent yesterday sanding and coating, sanding and coating, sanding, sanding, sanding then coating. MIK wants it finished bright, much to my displeasure. Today I installed the chainplate bulkheads and the framing for the wing decks. MIK wants to add hiking wings, much to my displeasure. Tonight I am practicing my brunnel splices for the rigging. MIK wanted brunnel splices instead of swaged wire, much to my displeasure. At least I finished the foils and the rudder cassette and roughed out the mast and the boom. My hope is to sail it within the week. Unless MIK changes his mind again on some detail that will slow me down. I have all the rigging parts, but have to source out some stainless bits for the rotating mast and the chainplates, as well as some attachment for the forestay on the stem.

Rick

Howdy Rick,

I've made you lose your boatbuilding mojo. If you want to swap over to rigging wire after trying a couple of the splices then 3/32 1 x 19 wire.

I kindof like doing the splices, and it is a good idea for many people building at home ... but if it is a pain after a couple ... then ditch it for the conventional method.

Bright finish ... I think that ones an important statement when this is a bit of an active point in the market - lots of expensive plastic boats of this type.

MIK

Down with bright finishes. Ugh. To rip off my own signature that lasted all of 15 minutes (before I deleted it), "Varnish is the reason that paint was invented". <Shudders violently!>

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Bright finish ... I think that ones an important statement when this is a bit of an active point in the market - lots of expensive plastic boats of this type.

I think this is a good point. Naturally, the plans should make clear that finish choice is the builder's prerogative. But the prototype should highlight the fact that it's a plywood boat. That speaks volumes about its accessibility to the home builder. True, the target is not entry-level builder like PDRs are. But demonstrating that high performance and wood construction are not mutually exclusive is probably an important mission for the early models.

That said, I'm not a fan of full bright hulls with no paint at all. The exterior shape and lines of the hull are probably best displayed by the neutral canvass of monochrome color.

Ok, back to the spectator section for me...

Hang in there Rick!

If I am building here, it will be varnish on the inside / tops and paint on the outside of the hull.

A couple of questions on the hiking wings: I see them added on the latest drawings posted by MIK. How big will these be? Were these added retroactively? Will they really enhance performance or is it more for looks?

Joost

The ply finish says a few things ...

That the type of performance is available.

That light weight is available.

That complexity need not be there

Also a big one ... it is a challenge to composite boats - about why so many of them are so heavy relative to the potential of the materials when a homebuilder can achieve similar or lighter weights with simple tools.

MIK

Originally Posted by pdr311

MIK wants to add hiking wings, much to my displeasure.

Wings?! What sort of wings? Do you mean a slightly wider deck or something much more radical?

I knew I had seen them somewhere: page 25, post 365 by MIK.

Perspective drawings posted as BL's (Balls Laser's) showing smallish side wings (i.e. more a slightly wider deck).

I think the wings have grown a smidgin.

Balls Laser perspectives (Custom).jpg

1170899_10151827342942743_1194007732_n.jpg

Yep ... I really wanted to have hiking out at constant width - which is easy to police in class rules.

But Rick's comment was ... go big or go home when he posted the photos .

UPside is that it is looking faster than a Laser now .... downside is .... not much ... maybe lulls

MIK

Hmm...I see some room for some lightening holes in those bits of ply framework support supporting the hiking wings. You could get a few grams' reduction there for a start. But what do I know about building light structures....

Cheers,
the alex.

The only slight worry I have is the ergonomics. That inner cockpit rail will need to have a decent radius.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Radiussed cockpit edges might save a bit more weight too - and easy enough if using 3 mm plywood. Or bendy-ply ;). I have found that once it's coated with epoxy, the bendy-ply is pretty tough stuff. Tough enough to bark my shins, at any rate.

Or 2 mm (birch) aircraft ply.

Radius coming soon - Rick and I have been working out the practicals and aesthetics.

MIK