Thread: BETH - new build with pics by Norm Lehman

Hi Robert. I can understand your confusion. I departed from the plans in a few ways - but don't think for a second that any changes were a criticism of Beth or of Mik!

The changes were mostly because I wanted to use materials I had on hand rather than buy new. Another reason is that I do not like working in epoxy, and that means you need bigger gluing surfaces. Those are the reasons my bulkheads and knees are thicker than the plans.

Knees and Bulkheads: As you noted, I added an additional bulkhead in place of the aft cockpit beam shown on the plans. Mik was OK with it, although he said in the future if someone wanted to do the same, they could probably eliminate BH #4 and make a box for the mizzen. Moving the bulkhead eliminated the need for the 3rd knee.

I added the bulkhead to do 3 things: make the cockpit smaller and therefore hold less water when swamped; to increase the size of the aft air tank; and reduce the area of unsupported floor.

You will also see that I combined the cockpit stiffener and the gusset into one piece and put it in the middle of the cockpit.

The extra hull stiffeners (riblets) were just a whim. Probably overkill.

I have not weighed the boat yet, but I think it will come in about 10-12 pounds (say 5 kilos) more than the ideal. But that's okay with me because I think the performance will still be spectacular. Besides: I'm not racing, and I recently lost 30 pounds of my own weight!

Regards

Norm

Norm,

Thanks for clarification

I have forwarded this thread to another forum there are more info about Boatmik's Beth too:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michalak-polska/

Another weekend - and more progress. The decks are on at last!

View from fwd.


Test fit of coamings


view from aft. Mizzen is just stuck in for the fun of it.


Test fit of hatches. Needs more paint


Coaming are 1/2 in by 2 in WRC. It bent in cold with no issues.

Norm,
Thanks for new photos!
It's great progress indeed.

The cocpit is smaller and aft deck longer - it's better for open waters I think so.
Which aquatories intend you sail on your Beth?

Good luck for your project

Aloha!!!

I have forwarded those new photos there:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michalak-polska/

Hi Robert.
I will be sailing on Lake Ontario - very open, sometimes very rough, rapid changes in weather. That's why I wanted the smaller cockpit.

- Norm

Originally Posted by outofthenorm

I will be sailing on Lake Ontario - very open, sometimes very rough, rapid changes in weather. That's why I wanted the smaller cockpit.

Waw,

Lake Ontario is similar to our Baltic Sea...

Aloha!!!

And similar to our lake Alexandrina and the lower Murray.

How far forward have you brought the back of the cockpit, Norm?

Michael

Mik, the new bulkhead is roughly in the position specified for the third knee. I'll measure it next time I'm there.

- Norm

Howdy Norm,

I didn't realise it was quite that far forward.

I am trying to remember how far back in the boat I have had to move in quite extreme conditions ... big waves, big wind and going really fast downwind. (one of my wooden boat friends used to call it going out to "scare the windsurfers")

I am pretty sure that 99% of the time it will be no problem at all, but I think I have sat back behind that last knee occasionally!

So I don't think it will be significant problem for normal use.

Best wishes
Michael

Mik, I've been thinking about the same thing. My plan had been to put the tiller on the new bulkhead, but that now seems like a bad idea. It would be too much in the way, and difficult to use if I have to shift my weight aft. So, I'm going to work out a mounting that puts the pivot aft, closer to the mizzen, as you originally drew. Probably a tube going through the deck to a mount on the bottom. By doing that, the tiller will swing mostly over the aft deck and hardly intrude into the cockpit at all. What say you?

Kids, this is what happens when you mess with the plans

- Norm

I was going to suggest something similar!

So great minds think alike!!!

Actually you could use something similar to the original system but the tiller can have an alloy tube glued in which goes through a mount with a washer and pin on the bottom end of the alloy tube to stop the tiller coming out with movement or capsize.

Top bearing for the tube can be the deck and bottom bearing could be ply spaced under the deck with a couple of 45 x 19 offcuts.

Michael

We're getting pretty close to launch time. On Friday I taped the deck/hull joint. This weekend I faired that in, then installed the rubrails, finished shaping the coamings, installed the airtank hatches, slathered everything in fairing compound, sanded (and sanded) and finally put on 2 coats of primer.

All sanded and faired, ready to prime


Coamings almost ready to finish.


Primer on - and her true shape is finally revealed





Next comes bonding in the mast tubes, installing the slave tiller and hanging the rudder.

- Norm

Wow, Norm, a painted one looks amazingly Art Deco with that coaming!

Would never have expected it!



MIK

Yeah, Mik, she's looking pretty swoopy and getting a lot of attention. One thing people seem to realize is that they've never seen anything else quite like it. It either scares them, or they fall in love. When I get her painted this week, she'll be drop-dead gorgeous.

- Norm