Solo "Expedition" Sailboat

[keyhavenpotter]

Brian here, sitting at my sister's computer 270 miles from home with a broken down car sitting outside! Gear linkage has somehow broken.

About rowing. If we bring it back to my reality at Keyhaven - the best time to set off down the Solent is at low tide. The water's flat and the strong flood tide can take me a long way down the Solent.

Raid41 is uniquely suited to setting off with hardly any water in the river because of her shallow draft and no skeg. At this stage there is very little water and boats aground all over the place. This is a USP for Raid41.

I think stand up facing forward rowing to clear the river for me would be my solution. I can see where I am going, avoid grounded boats and I will avoid the neck ache I get when trying to look over my shoulder wn rowing in confined waters.

Please would you both, Chris and MIK, work together on a drawing to be included in the design pack for the builder to have a choice for a stand up forward rowing set up. I would really appreciate it. When you arrive at a new destination all of the above benefits will also apply.

Include a sitting down drawing as well, but I feel it would really suit my real application at Keyhaven to use this standing solution. I think it suits the boat too, adds to her character and uniqueness.

Brian

[Boatmik]

Howdy Brian,

Shame about the car ... hope it happened as you got to the destination.

Not sure about the practicality of the standup. The boat certainly will have enough stability ... but I wonder at the geometry ... or perhaps there is something I am not getting!!!!

I have attached a mock up with 8ft oars.

Best wishes
Michael

[keyhavenpotter]

Hi MIK

thanks for the schematic. If only I was so slim!

Does look like we would need some pretty tall rowlocks. Any chance there are some frames where the oarlocks would be to use as brace supports?

Chris, can you help us out? What would the venetian schematic look like?

Taking car slowly in 2nd gear to garage later. Hoping it's just a nut dropped off the linkage.

Brian

[Clarkey]

Hi,

The schematic that MIK put up is pretty spot on - you would need high rowlocks but this should be quite simple to arrange. I have stolen some drawings from the web and attached them - I apologise to the artist concerned but they are so good to illustrate the point.

One drawing ilustrates the general style. There is no need to cross the oars if they are short enough but it does let you use decent length blades - these are probably about nine and a half feet.

The second drawing shows how the rowlock mounts to the boat, it is all pretty simple, they would just drop through slots in the side deck and can be held in place by small wooden wedges.


Hope this helps a bit,

Chris

[strathkanchris]

Hi Folks,
Brian, have you considered a Yuloh? You must have seen young Alastair propelling 'Little Jim' , about the same size but quite a bit more mass, seemingly effortlessly. You would see where you were going, only need one hand and I would think the plan curve at deck level might be just right. I am after as simple a build as possible and the thought of all this extra bracing so you can stand up is just adding weight!
Chris

[Clarkey]

Hello Strathkanchris,

I will be following your build blog with considerable interest - such a lot of lovely stuff has come out of your little green shed!

It would certainly be interesting to try a yuloh - there were a couple of things that were putting me off though. My first thought was that RAID41 is totally flat bottomed and has no skeg, with very little 'grip' - would much of the energy put in to the yuloh just wiggle the stern of the boat from side to side? The other worry was whether the mizzen would restrict the amount of swing you could get.

I don't want to jump up and down but I was rather planning to stand up! Do you think the floor is one that you have to tip-toe about on?

Chris

[keyhavenpotter]

Hi fellow RAID41 fans. I also wondered about a yuloh. Thought mizzen would get in the way, unless the mizzen was the yuloh!!!

Car with mechanic, great relief for now.

Brian

[Clarkey]

Hi Brian,

Like the lateral thinking! The mizzen is the yuloh eh? That could work! At the very least it could be a pretty decent punt pole.

When were you going to be ordering the sails? I may still be tempted to join you in a joint buy.

Hope the car works out ok. Always a worrying time waiting for the bill!

Chris

[keyhavenpotter]

Hi Chris, MIk, Chris

MIK, the illustrations Chris put up look good for RAID41. The simple flat slot in supports have the look for RAID41. They would be unusual, a talking point and fun. Could a second set with less lift work for a sitting down position.

Chris, have sent MIK a sail design from Sailcut4. Cannot send from here but will send you when and if I ever get back home (should be this weekend). The design has the shape illustrated, all the settings which created the sail and the XY co-ordinates to cut all the panels. My son has a machine which will even sew leather! ( MIK could you possibly post the pdf onto here and see if others can help improve the design with their experience?)

Brian

[Clarkey]

I too was wondering if you could make the rowlocks work for both standing and sitting but I think it might be a bit tricky/ungainly. I suppose you could just put holes through them near to deck level but it would make the whole thing very vulnerable if you clashed the oar against something. Maybe the aft edge could be used as a thole pin?

After doing some strange 'air rowing' gestures in my living room I reckon the oar needs to be supported about 30" above floor level for rowing in the standing position. I will probably make them taller and then cut them down until I reach the right height. They should store nicely under the side decks.

Chris

[strathkanchris]

Chris,
Well it was an off the top thought, but stirring the little greycells up a little it still seems feasable to me. If the Yuloh is mounted on one of the quarter knees (assuming there are some) position then with the small arc of movement the aforesaid Alastair generates the mizzen shouldn't get in the way. Grip is provided by the rudder, which may need to be locked in position (tillermate or something similar). Of course, in the extreme shallows that Brian envisages any kind of oar is going to be mud ploughing so perhaps a punting pole (quant?) would be more appropriate!
Chris (Northern one)

[b.o.a.t.]

Since the forwards rowing is proposed really only for short, tight areas, is it really necessary to stand?
Why not sit down & row using a second set of rowlocks forward?
or even raise the rudder & just row the bow backwards ?
Any forwards rowing using the standard rowlock position will hve the rower's weight too far aft anyway.
cheers
AJ

[b.o.a.t.]

Now that you are on the home stretch Michael, have you decided upon a plan price yet?

cheers
AJ

[keyhavenpotter]

Yuloh

Chris (N), your points about storage and moving in very shallow water are very well made. I remember now the article in Water Craft when the builder moulded his yuloh to the curve of the hull sides, so it stored very neatly along the hull side. So, a curved yuloh could be shaped by forming it over he hullside and then it would store along the hull just under the side decks? This would be really neat. We have not yet talked about where to store a pair of oars.

I guess if trying to move in very shallow water, also in a very narrow channel, a yuloh would only be working in a small area at the back of the boat, so it would be better than oars which might be working in mud at the side of the boat. Could easily use the yuloh as pole as well if aground. Storing it under the side deck makes it a winner for my Keyhaven application if the mizzen is not a problem. This solution is very much in the "expedition" mode of RAID41.

Chris (C) on another forum a very experienced raider described long rowing sessions along canals where sailing was banned. So if rowing a long way on a Raid type event, for solo rowing as we will be, which would be best, standing using the whole body and legs, or sitting in a non slding seat?

Brian

[Boatmik]

Now that you are on the home stretch Michael, have you decided upon a plan price yet?

cheers
AJ

Somewhere between $50 and under $100.

Trying to balance that it is a serious boat. But the plans are less detailed (but only a little as I am finding now) than the PDRacer.

That self draining floor adds a lot of drawing complication!!!

At the same time the building method is leveraged off the PDRacer plans (not to mention the foils, the mast and the spar making methods) so people who don't have them will have to get a set of those too.

And I don't want the total price to be over $100.

So now you know what is going through my head. (not a great deal really)

Michael