Thread: Looking for someone to be rude to ...

you gunna post this in the ladies section too?

btw, get knotted

G'day Squid Lips, wot ya do to yer tender behind?

What?

Is the treadly broken or summit?

P

Good to see you again Daddles..

Al

Originally Posted by Brickie

Good to see you again Daddles..

Al

What broke big D?

Have you lot taken Ding out and shot him? I thought the old Wombat Botherer would be first on the list.

Now, the boat.

I finally got to sail Redback with WIND
Yes, and I didn't actually need the pizza with all them gaseous producing products the night before

I've had her under sail a few times, but 'under sail' has been the operative term because there hasn't been any wind to drive her - the sails have been up and I've been moping around under them ... thinking puffy thoughts

Anyways, I've been off playing mad gits on pushbikes for a bit (told you about my recumbent yet?) and haven't really advanced my sailing skills much beyond practicing my swearing on car drivers. Last week, the mighty Hawk and I got brave and decided to take our wee boaties down to West Lakes and go for a bob - he's got an 8' Nutshell. I took Redback.

Well, it was WINDY. Nicely windy, not 'OMG Mik's NUTS' type windy, just enough to drive the boats along and to teach me a bit about sailing.

What I found out was that I'm far too flamin' big for this boat. Seriously. I physically do not fit inside her. I can sit on the floor and stretch across the boat but when tacking, I can't turn around ... easily. Basically, I don't fit between the back of that stupid bloody seat and the end of the tiller (which I designed so it's my fault).

These are old attachments, dug out of the archives - no photos were taken on the great weekend because our phones make phonecalls ... only.



This shows me about three years ago on her first 'sail'. Dead calm I'm trying to sit dead centre to keep her flat. I'm kneeling, leant over that ruddy seat and with the tiller digging into my back. I've learnt a bit since then but it shows the problem.

Basically, if I try to sit anywhere near the centre of the boat, the tiller digs into my back while I'm digging into the end of the seat.

This shows the seat


You'll notice that there's a frame that goes across the hull and the seat hangs over that frame - this costs me about 2" of room.

I hadn't really noticed this problem before now because I'd only been out in flat calms (daft time to have the sail up I know but I wanted to try it) and usually wound up sitting on that seat.

Well, yesterday it was windy and I needed to sit on the floor.
I can't sit NEXT to that seat, although the boat would then be balanced fore and aft, because of the frame that runs across that boat - it's about 4" high on the floor of the boat and it hurts like hell when you drop your shins onto the thing

So, I have to sit behind that seat. When you tack, you have to get from one side of the boat to the other, with the tiller fore and aft (sort of). Trouble is, I don't fit between the tiller and that seat - no amount of pre-planning and kneeling fixed that.

Eventually, I slipped and fell onto the end of the seat ... and broke off most of that overhang , thus giving me an extra 2" of room, which I didn't try out because the broken edge was jagged and it was my ribs it would have been cutting into.

Soooooo, I broke the thing, but it's a good break.

What I'll do is cut that seat top back so that it's flush with the frame - oh okay, I'll cut off what's left, sand it smooth and reseal it. I'll also cut about 6" off the tiller.

This should mean that I'll be able to move from one side of the boat to the other and will make it a bit more useable.

However, in keeping with this bloody boat's other 'features' when in use (as opposed to the stupid building method and plans full of mistakes and flaws) - it's useless as a row boat without an adult on the back seat - in keeping with that, I still sit too far back in the boat and I can't move forward because of that frame (and the seat).

Basically, I'm too big for the boat.

I kept looking at Mike's Nutshell with envy as he, longer than me, stretched out and moved around in comfort because his wee boatie has a large, uncluttered and sensibly designed 'cockpit'.

Richard

Anyone want to buy a Tender Behind? Seriously. It's got a lot going for it but it's failed on every useage test I've put it to - it might work for others (like midgets).

Pity you were not closer.
My kids would just love that.

I reckon .....if ya stand up ....ahh on second thoughts .....just plain look up a tad ...and blow towards the middle of the sail ...you should get 10 knots by lunchtime


welcome back ya crusty bugga

Originally Posted by Daddles

What I found out was that I'm far too flamin' big for this boat. Seriously. I physically do not fit inside her. I can sit on the floor and stretch across the boat but when tacking, I can't turn around ... easily. Basically, I don't fit between the back of that stupid bloody seat and the end of the tiller (which I designed so it's my fault).

Well, yesterday it was windy and I needed to sit on the floor.
I can't sit NEXT to that seat, although the boat would then be balanced fore and aft, because of the frame that runs across that boat - it's about 4" high on the floor of the boat and it hurts like hell when you drop your shins onto the thing

If it was me, & I freely admit to being a butcher & a fiddler - function over form & all that, I'd have taken the angle-grinder to the frame & removed it. With extreme prejudice & malice aforethought. The boat has plenty of "shape" & a wide gunwale to hold its shape & would most likely be ok. JW freely admits over-building his boats anyway. I've done this with my Teal (actually, I never installed the thing - it looked like a source of Trouble.) I get an insignificant bit of oil-canning from the wide flat 6mm ply bottom - to be expected. Some sort of pad behind the dagger-board case to stop it moving when it bumps into stuff, and reinforcing thickness around the remaining wickedly thin edges of the seat. Then, once you have sawn off the excess tiller, the boat will still be too small for you, but at least it will be de-clawed and its teeth blunted, & safe for the kiddies...

Of course, if you want an even smaller boat, I have a ridiculously small catamaran on eBay at the moment... ;-)

Originally Posted by b.o.a.t.

If it was me, & I freely admit to being a butcher & a fiddler , I'd have taken the angle-grinder to the frame & removed it - the boat has plenty of "shape" & a wide gunwale to hold its shape. Some sort of pad behind the dagger-board case to stop it moving when it bumps into stuff, and a saw to the excess of your tiller. The boat will still be too small for you, but at least it will be de-clawed and its teeth blunted...

I'm happy to carve this thing to bits. There IS a good boat inside this design struggling to get out and if Welsford wants to take offence to that, he's welcome to - he stuffed up badly with this one (and before his supporters get huffy, yes, I did discuss things with him during the build and his attitude led me to abandon the attempts).

Mate, you're close to home and you sound enthusiastic enough to help me sort this boat out. I'm hampered by not knowing enough to do stuff while knowing that there are no problems that can't be sorted out. I'm a tinkerer and modifier from way back, but know very little about boats.

Richard

Originally Posted by Daddles

I'm happy to carve this thing to bits. There IS a good boat inside this design struggling to get out and if Welsford wants to take offence to that, he's welcome to - he stuffed up badly with this one (and before his supporters get huffy, yes, I did discuss things with him during the build and his attitude led me to abandon the attempts).

Mate, you're close to home and you sound enthusiastic enough to help me sort this boat out. I'm hampered by not knowing enough to do stuff while knowing that there are no problems that can't be sorted out. I'm a tinkerer and modifier from way back, but know very little about boats.

Richard

Daddles, I was only being half-serious. Well, three-quarters anyway. You would still be facing the one major problem which no amount of fiddling will fix - the boat is too small for you. Hacking is only really an option if you are intending to keep it, or have designated it your "laboratory" hull as I have done with Teal.

In the real world, the more responsible course would probably be to leave it as per the design & get best possible price for it - any changes may detract from re-sale price. As it stands you can show the plans to prospects & wax lyrical about how strong & shapely it is. With a straight face of course...

Then build/buy something that you fit in. As per your plan 'A'.

I'd like to see it in the flesh sometime. I admire JW's boats' lines, although am well aware of frequent shortcomings in his plan details..
cheers
AJ

Your so could at screwing yourself up you dont need any insults from me to help

Daddles, you are going to need at least an 18 footer, otherwise you will never be able to lean over the side.