Thread: New member - found a Beth movie

Welcome Jan,

You are right. There is a lot of good information available here. Make sure you keep us posted on your progress.

That is a good video of a Beth canoe. I haven't seen it before, thanks for posting it.

By the way, your title of slowest boat builder may be in jeoprody... I have good intentions... I'm just saying...

Bob

WELCOME ... and a very exciting first contribution to the forum (from my point of view).

Thankyou HUGELY for finding the video and making the effort to put it up!!!

Best wishes
Michael.

When I was looking at the BETH video I found some footage of sailing canoes ... from the era that BETH was based on.

Look at those old boats go!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqA5xP8JTWU"]YouTube - Canoe Sailing[/ame]

The interesting thing was that sailing canoe would have be about the very fastest man made transportation on the planet before 1900.

No idea when this footage was made. (I have since corresponded with the grand-daughter of the man sailing the canoe ... I have put that information here https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...031#post857031)

Michael

Hello Michael,

I might be in the wrong here, but possibly the symbol in one of the sails provides a clue. My guess would be that the film is from Germany, end of the 1930's, early 1940's.

Best regards, Joost

Here are links to a few more pics of sailing canoes of that era in Australia and NZ.
http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi...-an13690430-47
http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi...-an13690430-42
http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/Bus.../Standard/4/en
It's amazing to think they crossed Cook Strait in them back in the 19th century.

Here is a series of videos of a journey with a replica of one of these canoes.
[ame="http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc2wjcIgQi8"]YouTube - A MOST AMBITIOUS JOURNEY by Canoe - PART I[/ame]

Hi Joost .... I would be guessing the the boat is much older than that. There were a couple of skiffs here in the 1900s that used the good swastika too. But for them it was the traditional indian symbol of good luck.

This article on wikipedia explains just how widespread it was. I was looking for a reference because one of the public buildings in Sydney has a wonderful mosaic floor with a border made of swastikas - it dates from about 1890. (for those living there you can check out Customs house at Circular Quay.

... it was accepted in many arabic and southern european cultures too.

MIK.

Hello Michael,

Like I said, I might be very wrong.

I am aware of the fact that the swastika started as a good symbol (and still is if used correctly) and was only much later in time misused (from the mid 1920's) when, at least in Europe, it became a symbol of evil.

In this video it was the styling of the symbol and especially the 1/8th turn of the symbol in the sail that caught my attention and started me thinking where the video could originate from (the symbol was turned 1/8th by the Nazi-Germans to symbolize their revolution).

Best regards,

Joost

Originally Posted by Boatmik

When I was looking at the BETH video I found some footage of sailing canoes ... from the era that BETH was based on.

Look at those old boats go!

YouTube - Canoe Sailing

The interesting thing was that sailing canoe would have be about the very fastest man made transportation on the planet before 1900.

No idea when this footage was made.

Michael

Mik,

Do you have any German blood in you? Those have gotta be your ancestors - look at 'em dragging their boom tips on one side and their elbows/asses on the other <G>

Haha..

They are Red Blooded Americans I think.

Maybe Canadians (though I don't know about their blood colour).

I think there is a good chance you are right though ... I am strangely drawn to German yachts from between the wars.

As you can see from my post here https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...675#post800675

OK ... Some more pics from David Goetz.

I love, love, love this one!!!! It is the epitome of what single handed canoe sailing is about. Elegance, feeling of going places, not a small amount of speed.



Sense of immanent peril!

um .. actually this is what Dave said...

Hi Michael, Amazing that you found my facebook page, and that is indeed your Beth design! Cheers! Here are some pics from her 2nd outing/almost maiden voyage from July '08.

The wind came up later in the day, and that's when the sailing really got fun, but somehow didnt get photographed.

All the best

Actually .. this is what has always happened with BETH ... she is so outrageously fast downwind that everyone gawps and forgets to grab the camera.

"how can a lug rig go that fast?"

I don't have any pics either of her and me screaming along.

I do have a video on tape which I must get converted one day. I was sailing with camping gear. Launched from Hindmarsh island in a real blow ... about 35 to 40 knots (I don't know how strong .. I am accurate in the the normal racing weather range, under 25, and this was well outside).

The guy holding the video camera is heeling with every gust .. and he is on the wharf.

I set off with mizzen and fully reefed main (about 35 square feet) and the boat few up the back of the first wave and just submarined into the back of the wave in front. Half filled the cockpit. Anyway decided to reach across to the other side (going parallel with the waves) and pull up in the reeds and get rid of all sail.

I look at the video now and cannot stop cackling manaically. I was crazy to think I could sail in that!!!

I reefed at my leisure. Paddled out of the reeds and headed dead downwind to my destination. A couple of times the boat had extended surfs UNDER BARE POLES!!! When I got about 5 miles down the river to Clayton the wind started dropping. Raised the mizzen and tightened it to hold her head to wind and put up all the mainsail.

Came into Clayton bay with full sail and the boat completely dry. All that wind just disappeared like it was turned off.

MIK

Beautiful boat!!!

Beth is my favourite still

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Came into Clayton bay with full sail and the boat completely dry. All that wind just disappeared like it was turned off.

MIK

MIK

you describe perfectly why I have been in no great hurry to increase the sail area of Teal. Have yet to try out the new rig at Clayton. Suspect it may be.... interesting.

cheers
AJ

Howdy AJ,

do you mean your progress will be so spectacular that everyone will forget to take photos too!!!

Michael

No.
I left insufficient quote in...

Originally Posted by Boatmik

I set off with mizzen and fully reefed main (about 35 square feet) and the boat few up the back of the first wave and just submarined into the back of the wave in front. Half filled the cockpit. Anyway decided to reach across to the other side (going parallel with the waves) and pull up in the reeds and get rid of all sail.

I look at the video now and cannot stop cackling manaically. I was crazy to think I could sail in that!!!

20 - 30 sqft has been enough to drive Teal to hull-speed with occasional too much power in gusts.
I suspect with 55sqft people ashore will be treated to an unimpeded view of the boat's bottom.
And I shall be stressed or wet.
Or both.