Thread: Puddle Duck world championships

Originally Posted by Daddles

I liked the rudder arrangement on the PD. I was going to do a normal lift up rudder but the PD system looked quicker. Have to have a chat with MIK. Is he back in Adelaide now?

Richard

Yep, he's back.

The rudder system is one I purloined from the Paper Tiger Catamaran about 30 (god! now almost 40) years ago - maybe they invented it - it is now the system that is most common in most classes.

Simple, robust, quick to use the Dagger Rudder is much superior to a swinging rudder.

Principle is that the rudder blade is held in a three sided box with an open back. Blade is prevented from sliding out by wrapping shock cord (bungy cord) around the box and the blade.

When you hit anything the blade can kick back and up and very little chance of damage. When you are over the obstacle it will pop back into the original position or close to it.

When it's most of the way up you can still steer without getting the high steering loads and poor steering performance of a swinging rudder blade.

Also in quick boats it is REALLLY hard to stop a swinging blade from swinging back a bit at high speed - which leads to all sorts of steering problems (including load) and means the steerer usually has to bend over the transom and try to push the damn thing down with a hand or a foot while zooming along at a million miles an hour facing in the wrong direction to avoid trouble.

Dagger Rudders avoid all of this and take about half the time to build.

I can PDF some info to you

MIK

I put my hand up for another PD for Goolwa. Can only be marginally more seaworthy than my Macgreggor in a blow. I'll put my Elf on hold (again) and raid the local recycler for suitable materials. Did I read somewhere a budget limit of $200.00? Christopha is to blame of course, SWMBO just raised her eyes and said "As long as you finish the ................ first" At the moment ........ is a bathroom but you know how these things go.

Good on you Sku!

I reckon the PD would make a great life raft for the Macgreggor!


See you at Goolwa!

P

Info on free boat plans below

Things are going ahead for the PD Racer championships at the Goolwa Wooden Boat Show in March ( I believe March 10 - 12).

It looks like the racing will be on the Sunday and Monday with a succession of short races lasting maybe 20 minutes or half an hour each. Still working out a system for the results but the idea is that there will a a large number of races with a smaller number to count - so there is the chance of borrowing someone's boat and having a race for fun.

Maybe there will be other events too like the fastest lap over the weekend

Duck Flat are right now building 4 of these 8ft boats - some of which will be loan boats over the weekend.

Midge will be coming down with his two OZMk1s - maybe he will have a new Mk2 as well.

Robin Bandenock is building a Mk2.

There is another bloke who is running a rehab course looking to build another 4.

I have received requests from around 4 people for free plans - some of them are going to be at Goolwa too.

We (Midge and I) will be starting a new thread for people building the boats to conspire through - ask questions - to put up better methods than the designer thought of - all that sort of stuff
__________________________________

As I said elsewhere I am offering the plans for the OZ Mk2 PDRacer for free for short time.

Full, complete drawings and the basic instructions - which will be bulked up later with material from our PDR building thread on this forum.
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=28107

If you wan't a copy - AT THIS VERY SPECIAL INTRODUCKTORY PRICING (haha).

After that they will go on the website as a $20 (or thereabouts) download.

You have to email me on [email protected]

I will be putting some pics up of the Duck Flat boats going together this week - I'm going up to see them tomorrow.

Best Regards
Michael Storer - Who is feeling much better today than yesterday!!!

For those who are waiting for plans - I have just decided to redraw the mast support arrangements - I have a neater, simpler, lighter, easier setup worked out and want to doucument it before I send it out.

Will do everyone together - it is a fairly big upload/download (2 to 3Mb?) for dial up users - but nothing for those on broadband.

Michael

Micheal, I hope you got my email as I have been waiting for this day.

I would like to my gratitude to you for these plans as I'm sure everyone will. This is a great way to get into sailing and I for one am looking forward to having a go! You never know one day you may find me and the missus in a 20 footer sailing around the Whitsunday's. Well I like the idea just have to convince SWMBO.

I have Butcher, I have (I think - it is a bit hard sometimes to sort the real names out from the nom de plumes!

Anyway when I send I'll put a notification up here so that people will know that they should have received the plans in their email.

Then if anyone hasn't ... they can monster me about it.

MIK

I will be at the Adelaide Working with Wood show on Friday and Saturday. Duck Flat have given me a bit of display space.

So welcome if you want to just generally gasbag about boats, ask questions about any aspect of boatbuilding (maybe I can answer some of them) talk about PDRacers or my own designs - or any other designs.

Best Regards
Michael Storer

For PDR info and entertainment the OZ pdr website is up.

www.pdracer.info

I found the PD racer site MIK , hope you can expand on sailing the thing , for us newbies trying to sail for the first time , in the dam !.
Rob J.

Rob,

Give me a hoy as soon as you are ready to launch, and I'll update the sailing bit! It's sort of ready to go, but like the rest of the stuff waiting to be uploaded, needs me to do stuff!

Currently to my great embarrassment, I'm struggling to update the building pages, but it will happen!

Cheers,

P

Thanks mate !.
I'm desperately trying to prepare for the fire season here , and de-stock because of the drought , (anyone want horses or a bullock team ?) , but I want to get the PDR finished , and get back to SA for the championships .
Not that I'll do any good , but I'm sure I'll learn heaps !.
Rob J.

Originally Posted by bitingmidge

Rob,

Give me a hoy as soon as you are ready to launch, and I'll update the sailing bit! It's sort of ready to go, but like the rest of the stuff waiting to be uploaded, needs me to do stuff!

Currently to my great embarrassment, I'm struggling to update the building pages, but it will happen!

Cheers,

P

Jeez, The Midge having lots of stuff on his To-Do list (and all only half completed)....Never

Originally Posted by dopeydriver

Not that I'll do any good , but I'm sure I'll learn heaps !.
Rob J.

"Doing good" doesn't particularly mean you'll win anyway!

Why not come and visit us at the Sunny Coast on the way to SA, I'll give you a few hot tips and it's the only way you'll knock me off for the record for the longest distance travelled to go for a sail in Goolwa!

cheers,

P