Thread: Building the PDRacer in Slovenia

Mike is right of course, but also one of the joys of small boats is exploring small lakes and rivers.

And the changes in wind make it a multi dimensional experience.

MIK

Hi Mike

Unfortunatelly I don't have much to choose from regarding lakes.

This one is the closest that is more open, others are either further away and they also have some hills arround or local fishermen don't allow boating

Changing wind is quite normal here inland. Whereas at the coast (about 2hrs drive from us) the wind is more predictable.

Cheers, Peter

Well, speaking of constant direction of wind in my previous post my family was relaxing on the Croatian coast - island, last month. And of course we took the PDR with us

The winds were steady there. But there were also waves to handle.

First time in salt water, feeling the waves and other traffic on the sea and it was great.

Theodor (Mark) also came down for a while and here below are some pics from the sea trial.

Despite the smalness of the boat I had massive problems getting the boat into the water. The beach is either very rocky, or they want to charge about 13 Euros on a boat ramp just to get the boat in

So I found a camp place where they have a free ramp if you ask the nicely.

p.s. onother use of the PDR on a trailer that proved to be usefull is as na extra storage room for all the holiday stuff you can't put in your car. No pics of that - better not.

Well it has taken an extremely long time since this thread was started (and I feel guilty I'm posted on a thread that needs permission to open again - its 1145 days old!). Koala finished his PDRacer years ago. And I expect to finish my one, even though I started at the same time as Koala, within the next few months. But I have moved twice, been back in Oz, raising young children, yadda yadda yadda...

I haven't posted much on these forums during my build as I have only needed to ask Koala all my questions and has has been a good guide. Yet now I have a question (below) about the sails which Koala cannot answer as he has the traditional triangular shaped rig (official name?) and I am making a lug rig.

Before my question, here are a few random pics to show where I'm up to with my OzRacer. Firstly, a shot of the hull during the trial fitting of the mast and mast partner.



I added reinforcements between the mast step and partner so I could attach a tow hook to the front. This is the bouyancy tank after epoxy coating.



Since these pictures were taken in June 2012, I have completed the hull fabrication, filled all the holes and sanded it. Since the disruptive time of summer holidays is now over I hope to find time to epoxy and varnish/paint it all soon.

I have put epoxy and fibreglass on the spars (does this term include the mast?). Again I need to find time to varnish them. I have not shaped the centreboard and rudder yet, but they are cut to size and ready for planing. I have trial fitted the rudderbox and that all works fine.

I have cut out and prepared all the sail parts. They are ready for sowing. Here is my question: do I need to sow around all edges of the corner patches (i.e. even the ones hidden under the largest patch)? Obviously all layers of the patches are sown together along the edge of the sail. Yet the smaller patches are hidden behind the largest patches. Do I still sow along the hidden edges?

For example, this is looking at the back of the patch for corner C. The two screwdrivers mark the edges of the two smaller patches. Should these edges be sown with the sail?



Obviously sowing these patches before attaching them to the sail with double-sided tape is somewhat pointless. It seems to me that you want the patches and stitching to provide the sail with strength in the corners, not just holding the patches together.

If the answer is 'Yeppers', then I will have to figure out how to mark the edges so we can see where to sow.

So that is my question and update. Once the sail is made I will be ready to try and figure out all the rigging. I think I'll find a nautical dictionary and start reading the other current threads again about this topic.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Theodor,

Nice to hear and see an update! Sounds like life has been hectic for you!

The edges of the patches do need to be sewn too.

Light will go through from behind making it easy to see the patches.

With our cloth we were able to see well enough to sew. But if too difficult you could hold up to a window and draw guide lines.

Great to hear from you!

MIK

Thanks Mik. Does anything need to happen along the reefing points other than reinforcing the eyelets? Like do you sow along them?

Intermediate reef points in body of the sail... Just a square or diamond shape of cloth with weave in same direction as that on the body of the sail. But reef points at edges of sails are reinforced with the same number of layers as the sail corners.

I've been suggesting only two eyelets in the body of the sail. Racing guys use shock cord one piece either through the holes and spiralled around the boom. Or spiralled around the bottom of the sail ignoring the boom.

MIK

An update:

Over the weekend my mother was able to sew up my lug sail. There were concerns and issues with setting the tension using the polyester thread but after some trial and error she was able to sew the tarp with a pretty neat stitch. Her holiday here has proven to be extremely productive - my wife is very appreciative of the new curtains for our eldest son.

This week I am setting aside a morning for purchasing rigging (ropes, eyelets, blocks, etc). Hopefully I will also get a chance to coat the bottom of the boat in epoxy. This boat must get in the water in October!

A request for Mik:

Since I had made my rigging list back in June, I realised it was a bit confusing to me. I wasn't sure I was doubling up on some items. So I went back to the plans (which I now think has really minimal comments for the lug rig setup), and then I read the GIS lug rig guide on Mik's website and then compared it to Pharmer's Q&A for OzRacer Rigging. Both are pretty helpful, esp Pharmer's diagrams and your corrections. I don't have the time to search through the Wood Duck instructional, but I'm sure I'd find gold there too.

So Mik, can I encourage you to work out some good plans with pictures and diagrams for doing the initial rigging for an OzRacer with lug rig? It seems there are enough differences between the sprit rig on an OzRacer and lug setup on GIS to warrant it. [A sidenote: I notice you spend a lot of time commenting on the justification for equipment and rigging method. Forget it. I would say that anyone who has built one of your boats and reads these forums trusts you sufficiently enough to follow your advice. That should shorten down your suggested rigging method and save you time.] Of course I will still post pictures here to confirm my setup.

I feel once this hurdle is overcome, then real ameteurs like myself with then be able to tweek our setups and contribute to the more technical posts on these forums.

Cheers,
Mark

And another question regarding eyelets for the OzRacer sail. I have been adding the eyelets around my lug sail and noticed there are possibly 2 eyelets along the boom between C and Tk on the OzRacer drawings. I understand the sprit sail and GIS sail have eyelets all along the boom. The "Hem Allowance and patches" diagram on page 16 of the OzRacer lug rig plans shows good details of the eyelets along the yard. What is happening along the boom? I recall AlexN mentioned adding eyelets along the boom, but haven't had time to search for the details.

Consequently, can i please get some details where to add eyelets along the boom?

I assume I follow the lacing plan with VB cord as per GIS plans. Correct?

Cheers,
Mark

Hi Mark,

about six eyelets along the boom would be adequate. It really is the same scheme as along the yard.

MIK

Originally Posted by Theodor

Thanks Mik. Does anything need to happen along the reefing points other than reinforcing the eyelets? Like do you sow along them?

Howdy

No sewing along the line of the reef. The eyelets just have to be there.

Two ones as strong as the corners of the sail at the edges of the sail. The intermediate ones in the body of the sail don't need to be so strong.

MIK

Originally Posted by Theodor

An update:

Over the weekend my mother was able to sew up my lug sail. There were concerns and issues with setting the tension using the polyester thread but after some trial and error she was able to sew the tarp with a pretty neat stitch. Her holiday here has proven to be extremely productive - my wife is very appreciative of the new curtains for our eldest son.

This week I am setting aside a morning for purchasing rigging (ropes, eyelets, blocks, etc). Hopefully I will also get a chance to coat the bottom of the boat in epoxy. This boat must get in the water in October!

A request for Mik:

Since I had made my rigging list back in June, I realised it was a bit confusing to me. I wasn't sure I was doubling up on some items. So I went back to the plans (which I now think has really minimal comments for the lug rig setup), and then I read the GIS lug rig guide on Mik's website and then compared it to Pharmer's Q&A for OzRacer Rigging. Both are pretty helpful, esp Pharmer's diagrams and your corrections. I don't have the time to search through the Wood Duck instructional, but I'm sure I'd find gold there too.

So Mik, can I encourage you to work out some good plans with pictures and diagrams for doing the initial rigging for an OzRacer with lug rig? It seems there are enough differences between the sprit rig on an OzRacer and lug setup on GIS to warrant it. [A sidenote: I notice you spend a lot of time commenting on the justification for equipment and rigging method. Forget it. I would say that anyone who has built one of your boats and reads these forums trusts you sufficiently enough to follow your advice. That should shorten down your suggested rigging method and save you time.] Of course I will still post pictures here to confirm my setup.

I feel once this hurdle is overcome, then real ameteurs like myself with then be able to tweek our setups and contribute to the more technical posts on these forums.

Cheers,
Mark

Nice to hear the sailmaking went smoothly.

The only difference between the goat and the OzRacer is the mainsheet setup. The Ozracer has everything at the back of the boom and is 2:1, the Goat has the additional fall in the middle of the boom to make it 3:1

MIK

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Hi Mark,

about six eyelets along the boom would be adequate. It really is the same scheme as along the yard.

MIK

Excellent. I was expecting that, so I am glad to get confirmation.

So the sail is finished and lashed temporarily to the boom and yard. Once the rain clears I'll rig up the boat to do a final fit of fixtures before varnishing the spars and epoxying the boat.

My next question is regarding the rachet block used in conjunction with the traveller. Do manufacturers produce a standard item which combines the rachet block, a smaller roller type block for traveller and another fixture at the other end (either a becket or loop for attaching a rope)? It seems you just can't put the traveller above the becket on a ratchet block, because this would twist the ropes (since most beckets are fixed and run parallel to the axis of the block). I have seen blocks for travellers, with one single block perpendicular to another single block, yet this isn't going to work in the recommended OzRacer setup.

I had a glance at my local chandlery and the pickings we very slim. Unfortunately the huge Bunnings style shop here, which strangely had a huge selection of quality sailing gear, is not stocking anything at the moment. So I just don't know what the options are. I googled the local Harken store and I hope it is actually a store and not just a warehouse/rep office. I'll go there later this arvo.

So in summary my questions are: I want the ratchet block to swivel as it moves along the traveller, right? And it is not necessary to have a fancy roller for the traveller? Are there products out there for this purpose?

Cheers,
Mark

Sorry ... that's another point of difference between the GIS rig and the OzRacer lug.

I doubt that the ratchet block is needed for the OZ. The block doesn't need to swivel ... it is better if it doesn't - because the mainsheet can twist.

It's the same mainsheet setup as the Sprit boom rig.
OzRacer Rigging Guide - formerly Oz PDRacer - a set on Flickr

Follow those photos except that the block needs to slide on the traveller and must lead the mainsheet in the fore and aft direction. There are a few ways to do this.
1/ Find a block that will do the job directly - just goes directly on the traveller and points in the right direction.
2/ If you can't find a block like this then get one that faces the wrong way and then add a shackle.
3/ use a swivel block but use insulation tape to prevent it from swivelling. The self amalgamating tape is just brilliant for that - it is a soft rubber that melts into a solid blob over a few days.

MIK




MIK