Thread: Solo "Expedition" Sailboat

Howdy Brian,

In a way you don't really need to adjust the depth of the mizzen. It is so small and in the wake of the mainsail.

I can perhaps see some advantage in making it deeper via outhaul - but moving the draft around with downhaul doesn't seem to have much benefit.

However, what really does happen is that it does adjust a bit ... but more slowly.

If you like, it is probably a corollary of when we just used to tie the tension in the jib luff for a race on a dinghy (most of us were in the 70s. Except that the mizzen being at the back of the boat and smaller is less important.

As far as gluing the polyprop - it is very difficult to make it stick. You could try a sample and see. The sika primer is horribly expensive, but for a trial it might be with putting a smear of plastic model glue/cement down the face that you want to glue. The sika primer has very much that type of smell and feel. I wouldn't think it would work as well as the sika primer, but it might give some idea for a test.

MIK

Made a dagger box liner using a plastic box which had just the right depth and a small lip at the top to hook over the deck edge. Cutting at the corners of the plastic box gave me the 25mm dagger box ends as well.Thickness just right and dagger slides nicely and will prevent wear and damage to dagger box sides.

How do people mend plastic canoes? Same method would nicely hold this box together, although it fits nicely without needing gluing in place itself, which is good.

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/sticking.htm

Brian

G'day Brian,

Rotomolded, poly kayaks are welded. There is some information on the Ocean Kayak site:
http://www.oceankayak.com/product_support/repair.html

Also a very good explanation by Tom Hotley in this thread at TopKayaker.net:
http://www.topkayaker.net/forums/ubb...er=1863&page=1

Hope this helps.

cheers,
clay

Originally Posted by keyhavenpotter

Made a dagger box liner using a plastic box which had just the right depth and a small lip at the top to hook over the deck edge. Cutting at the corners of the plastic box gave me the 25mm dagger box ends as well.Thickness just right and dagger slides nicely and will prevent wear and damage to dagger box sides.

How do people mend plastic canoes? Same method would nicely hold this box together, although it fits nicely without needing gluing in place itself, which is good.

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/sticking.htm

Brian

Brian

Do you have any pictures of what you have done? I think I understand what you have described, but a picture=1000 words

Gap about 4mm, so either 3mm or 1.5mm each side seems to make a nice fit.



Reluctant to glue something in place. Knowing my luck it would be too tight!

Boat upside down due to varnishing epoxy glassed runners. This plastic box had a nice top edge to hold in place and was just the correct thickness.



Here in place on underside of hull, obviously will install on other way when boat turned over! The back edge has two layers of plastic to help avoid impact damage on back edge of dagger and forward drain hole left clear to work.



Having made this rough plastic job, it seems a neat idea to have a removable liner, repairable, so may make a nicer aircraft ply or formica version later.

Brian

even if the glue doesn't seem practicible it might be possible just to use some countersunk screws to hold it at the top and bottom?

Also this one doesn't work for polypropylene, but it seems good with other plastics.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...+-+West+System

http://209.20.76.247/ss/search-resul...lex&sa=go#1104

MIK

Sort of finished.....



When I put the rudder blade in the rudder box, realised it was even more important to have the mizzen sheet away from the transom. The bridle looked like it would easily snag a half raised blade approaching the beach downwind and gybing to land on the beach. So went for the sheet fixed at midboom, down to a 16mm block, shackled to another 16mm block running across a tight transom bridle. Forward to a deck eye close to the tiller pivot and forward to a clamcleat on the side of the tiller.





Thanks to MIk, Chris and for everybody's interest and support. I am off on holiday for two weeks, when I get back it will be Keyhaven Week, friendly racing every day so will give a good safe opportunity to see how she sails.

Brian

Well done Brian, I look forward to your sea-trial report

Looking good Brian! Can't wait to see pics of the trials.

I wonder if old X-ray photographs would make great dagger board liners as well? Plenty of those available for nix.

With all the wings in place it is starting to really look like a boat.

Also it is looking better and better! The bits make the angularity of the hull disappear and make the deck proportions look more normal.

Fantastic work Brian!

MIK

Originally Posted by Boatmik

With all the wings in place it is starting to really look like a boat.

Also it is looking better and better! The bits make the angularity of the hull disappear and make the deck proportions look more normal.

Fantastic work Brian!

MIK

Mik - I quite agree, on all points. You must be a proud papa about now, eh?

Originally Posted by keyhavenpotter

Sort of finished.....

Wow!!!
Great!
Beautiful boat!!! I like it very much!!!
Congratulations!

Well what can I say? It's been very windy here in the UK whilst I was away and still blowing all week until today.

Very nervous after investing so much into RAID41, not having sailed for two months trying to finish her and then being away. I knew I would know very quickly if all the effort had been worthwhile.

Mid day low tide, I launched far too early on the tide, wind was forecast to rise to 20 knots, very little water, wind and tide coming straight down the river full of moored boats. Managed to run aground many times with the dagger trying to sail upwind, the sides of the river are silting up very badly, capsized three times with the dagger jammed and rig blowing her over, and damaged the back edge of the dagger badly on one of the groundings.

However, even with the struggle upwind in very shallow water against the tide, she's a beauty. Once out into the clearer water, she sails well, seems to point high judging by the windex, is responsive, balanced. A chap on a £300k cat called out what a bloody good looking boat she was! She's good, she's interesting, and she's worthwhile.

Well done MIK.

Will try and produce sailing pics next week during Keyhaven Week.

What a momentous event! And you just slipped it in on the sly! It's good to hear how well she sails.

I can certainly see why you attached the mizzen sheet forward of the tip but I'm wondering how the sheet affects the set of the sail with the wind on the starboard side. Maybe the little wrinkle is insignificant?