REALLY small cruisers...

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

I think I have been here before - but I just got rid of my last American big eight (a 1979 Pontiac Parisienne) and got a little Japanese pocket rocket - difference of nearly $120.00 a month in fuel costs...

I am also thinking about how my current boat sucks money out of my account just to float tied up to the slip - I get out 3 to 4 times a week - but during the rainy winters and being physically tired on workdays it really does not justify its size - plus the sailing grounds are the same same...

The local dinghy club will not allow boats with a cabin to be stored - so whats left - a micro cruiser on a trailer that is micro enough to be pulled by a micro Toyoto - hmmm...

I am even considering sailing canoes or tris - what is happening to me....:)

I think I would like to start up a 'MICRO Cruiser' bit here - from sailing kayaks to small cabin cruisers to crazy little multis and cartoppers...

It is a real challenge to design around 'the absolute minimum I will put up with - ability to pour a drink and cup holders are the base'...:)

Hmmmm....

SH.

[fcfc]

Such things exists for a long time. http://www.microclass.org/

18 ft length, about 1000 lbs, trailerable.

For pictures of the last world race : http://users.win.be/ws102917/microclass/album/05-1.html

[Seafarer24]

Bateau Boats has something similar:

Adelie 14 (picture/link)
http://www.bateau.com/prodimages/AD14_300.jpg (http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=AD14&cat=14)

Adelie 16 (picture/link)
http://www.bateau.com/prodimages/AD16_300.jpg (http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=AD16&cat=14)

Personally, I'd prefer a rig with a mast that sits further aft and has the mainsheet on a traveler at the end of the cockpit. A jib on the nose and sprit with a reacher or spinnaker would round out the package.

[lewisboats]

I already threw in an entry to this one here: http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7682
but if you want to go motor (Not me but a friend to test load capacity)

[Raggi_Thor]

We have the Backman 18 for the speed addicts:
www.MBOATS.no/B18

[Raggi_Thor]

I think you are onto something with your Mug14 :-)
How will it sail?

[sharpii2]

How about rental sailboats?

If I paid $50.00 everytime I went out, I would still be money ahead.

I have even gone as far as drawing a proposed rental boat with my plyboats program. I call it a ST. Clair 18. It is an open, hard chined full keeled cat boat with a boomed setee sail. I went with the full keel to get shallower draft without resorting to a centerboard (something else to break or get missused). The full keel is also expected to protect the expensive four stroke auxiliary outboard. It would, of course, have full level floatation. The idea was to make a boat 'seaworthy' enough for lake St. Claire, which can get surprisingly nasty at times, and yet be quickly lifted out of the water by a long tined fork lift and put away.

The mast would fold down and have no stays or shrouds.

The idea was also to make it simple, sturdy, seaworthy, and cheap and be able to easily be able to carry six two hundred pounders without undo hardship or safety concerns.

I wounder if any such venture has ever been succesful in recent times.

Trailering seems to be too big a hassle for casual use, but with a quickly callapseable rig and really good trailer design I suppose it may be possible. Many working watermen in the 19th century had pretty much the same problem. No (affordable) natural harbors.

Bob

[Bergalia]

As the say on TV cook programmes: 'Here's one I did earlier...'
Some 35 years earlier. Called the Hobbit (I know, corny - but the book was 'all the rage' at the time) she was made from wood salvaged from a Victorian wardrobe. Six feet long, four feet wide with a draught of six inches - though for stability I installed a five foot retractable daggerboard with a sixty pound lead weight on the bottom. (Alas in choppy conditions it acted like a pendulum...). On a good day she could crack along at 4 knots. And of course I had provision for oars should I meet calm weather (har bleedin har) in the northern climes. For protection from the unending rain and sleet you will note tha addition of an old pram cover.
It stemmed, as many things do, from a drunken bet. (Whisky - without the 'e') when, during a conversation on the aardvaark, for some reason or other I suggested it was possible to cross Loch Ness in a wardrobe.
By morning I was informed that I had extended the bet to a modest sea crossing - the mainland to the Island of Rhum (note the 'spiritual' references here).
In short, Celtic pride (the Japanese call it kamakazee ) I determined to sail from Inverness to Fort William the long way around. North to John O'Groats, and westward into the setting sun, then south through the Hebrides to Fort William. (For all you doubters - NO I didn't use the Caledonian Canal).
It was trip which took six weeks - and was followed with interest by TV and newspaper journalists who spent much of their time updating my obituary. The attached picture is taken from one of their accounts.
Really small cruisers ? As we 'new' Aussies say - 'Been there, done that....' But never again. That's me in the white hat - when I had hair (before the trip). The youth is my son - then 10 - now 37... where has my youth gone ? Please ring home.... :(

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

Here is some 'vernacular'...

Nice Berg'...

Cheers...

SH.

[Tactic]

Been playing around with this... not a cruiser though

[ricardoribeiro]

I like microcuiser a lot based in the minitransat

krill: http://impactcomposites.ifrance.com/ 3.97m
Int 14: http://members.aol.com/nilssail/index.html 4.2m

[Guillermo]

Smallest boat around the world...
http://www.smallsailboats.co.uk/dinghy/dinghy_files/serg.htm

[icetreader]

There is a big group of tiny boats and big toys including kayaks, canoes, dinghies, moths, windsurfers etc. that have a lot in common - mainly the importance of their operator and the fact they are built 'around' the operator...
I propose to call the science of designing such small watercrafts 'Micronautics'.

This is the first 'W' contribution to micronautics in sailing :): http://www.wavewalk.com/SAILING.html
And this is a gallery of possible micronautical designs based on the W concept: http://www.wavewalk.com/BOAT%20DESIGN%20GALLERY.html

Yoav

[lewisboats]

Here's one I'm in the middle of building now. 11.5 x 4 ft, sleeping accomodations for one. Looking at a Gaff rig right now. Hoping to see water at Rend lake in June.

Steve

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

Just mucking about - as always...

I am getting excited and turned on by (buy) this thingee - it does require the sale of my existing boat and the re-zero of my VISA card...:)

Lewis - cool to see you off on real production - your 'poddy' probably has a better chance against a log strike than my trimaran with '****' visability - good luck...

Cheers...

SH.

[sharpii2]

Here's one I'm in the middle of building now. 11.5 x 4 ft, sleeping accomodations for one. Looking at a Gaff rig right now. Hoping to see water at Rend lake in June.

Steve

I like your design. It kinda has that VW 'bug' look about it. What will you use it for? Overnights on the water? I love the 'jacknife' keel centerboard arrangment. Nice and practical, stylish, and cool. Being that she appears to be a cat boat, I would give her a little more rudder tho'.

Hope to see it on the front cover of 'Small Craft Advisor' this Summer.

Bob

[lewisboats]

You're right on the rudder, and I may have to extend the aft end of the keel to avoid a heavy weather helm. I was thinking that it could be a real close in gunkholer, which has the option of sleeping aboard if you happen to be in a cliffy area, or somewhere not conducive to wading ashore (about knee deep) to camp. Loaded down, she'll displace 800 lbs with a draft of about 20 inches and run about 225 lbs dry. This version differs from the drawing by about 2.5 ft in length, which gives enough room for a stove on one side and a basin on the other with a porta underneith.

Believe it or not, a guy in Istanbul emailed me this past week looking for plans. Told him I couldn't do anything until I had built the boat myself, mainly 'cause I need to take the measurements for the cabin sides and roof off of the boat itself when I get things together.

Steve

[Guillermo]

...I am getting excited and turned on by (buy) this thingee..
SH.

I like your design, Sean. I hope you'll solve your VISA issue and build it soon...

[yacht371]

Really small cruisers...
I'm a minimalist by philosphy. In home decor, I hate Chachkas, knick-knacks and chintz. The same in boats, I hate trail boards, gaffs and turned taffrails. I love small cruisres but not to small. I spent some miserable time on an 18' O'Day which hardly sailed, and got tossed around by every passing wake.

The most fun overall was my 26' fiberglass folkboat (Quatsino class) which I built from a kit (30 years ago). This was the perfect size, cheap to build and sailed very well. I had a tiny outboard which was seldom used. You could scull her along at a couple of knots just by slowly waggling the tiller. She was stiff and rarely needed a reef. Because of the small size of the sails, I had a full set. They were main, 100% jib, 150% genoa, and 2 more not on any other folkboat I ever saw. They were a masthead drifter, 200% overlap of very light cloth with a wire luff, and a masthead Assymetric spinnaker. These latter 2 sails would allow her to exceed wind speed in light airs, and she seemed to make her own wind. I had two tiny sheet winches, none for halyards. There was no electricity on board, lamps were kerosene. All fun and very little work to maintain.

Some how I have slipped from my minimalist philosophy. I now have a Hanse 371, a splendid craft with many amenities. On paper she is much faster than Eclat (my folkboat) but in practice not so. Why? Well I have the big sails, but they are a lot of work to put up, so unless I have a racing crew on board I use working sails only. The folkboat would steer herself with a lashed tiller, now I have an autopilot. A block of ice used to keep the beer cold, now I have a fridge and $2000 worth of solar panels, and a large battery to do the same thing. The price of all this is more cleaning, more maintenance, and moer breakdowns. Oh, and allowing for inflation, it cost about 10 times as many dollars.

Did I change my philosophy? No, but somehow creeping affluence made the bigger boat possible. Similarly I grew up in a small house with one bathroom and 5 people. In memory at least it seemed fine. How did it happen that 2 of us have 4 bathrooms now?

Anyway, the 26' folkboat still seems perfect to me. I could sail it offshore and did, but it also could wriggle up a creek. I saw Eclat last week. Still in great shape, unfortunately she sits low on her lines due to a diesel inboard, lifelines and pulpits, and other unneeded additions...

[Guillermo]

Downsizing and KISSing is the name of the game. That's my next step. Just do some chap-a-potting cruising in my home waters, fishing and cooking for myself those local and tasty fishes in out of season secluded anchorages. If the impulse of cruising in far away waters comes: I'll rent or look for friends....;)
That's why I'm investigating pocket cruisers under sail or motor. Not decided yet. Then I'll do myn own design, build it up and enjoy the whole thing...:)
Cheers.

[jelfiser]

someone know if exist any boat similar to those but instead of sail, powered by a kite ... may be in that way having somewat planing ?

[bob164]

Tahis looks realy great, I just joind the group and am very impresed with what folks have come up with on small boats.
Any chance of more info on your project,plans or photos?
Thanks in advance.
bob164

[skyl4rk]

Here is another mini cruiser, a sharpie yawl outboard motorsailer big enough to sleep on in 15 feet. Sorry about the crappy drawings, it is changing as it gets built.

http://cruisenews.net/whaleback/

[bob164]

Thanks for your reply.