The Gecko...

[tspeer]

It looks like an Int'l 3-Meter with a canopy. The class has just about died out here in the Pacific NW. There are still some boats around, but I don't think they're actively raced. these days.

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by Tim B

(I might also prefer rudders on the pontoons).
Tim B.

Will that work? I googled 'trimarans' and didn't see any with two rudders.I'm going to guess and speculate here but wouldn't you would have to make them a lot bigger in total area, with resultant drag, to provide adequate steerage when one rudder is out of the water. You'd have double the weight of the hinges (pintles?) and the rudders plus steering arms/cables would be more complicated. The biggest problem I would think would be if one was out of the water, steering on the other would be uneven with the rudder being under responsive one way and over responsive the other. On a catamaran you have no choice, you have to have two rudders and if only one is in the water, it pretty much steers that "pontoon", but on a trimaran having the center/main hull as a pivot point would seem to create problems.??? Sam

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by Sean Herron

Hello...

The record is simply to go faster than than my old keel boat - in the smallest boat possible - and still remain upright so I can drink and fiddle with caps and corkscrews...
Also face forward so I don't get a cramped neck...
I have not decided on the crossbeams yet...
Cheers...

SH.

Faster... See the attachment...
Cramped neck... That's my biggest complaint about small sailboats.
Crossbeams...Would those fold or collapse to make the boat trailerable? Sam

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by Wellydeckhand

Symbol of humanity without the woman.............

Now I'm confused. It seems it could be the Symbol for "Give Me a Hug" or "What In The F... Did You Do That For?" or "It Was This Big". Sam

Sam, unless the boat is going to fly the main hull there is no need for rudders on the ama's(outside hulls). The ORMA 60 tri's are designed to do that and a number of them have three rudders. The outside rudders are much smaller than the single main rudder and used at high speed when flying the main hull.
Neat picture of the Rave hydrofoil-the main cross on that boat is removed from the hulls to trailer the boat for cost and weight reasons I imagine.

[Sean Herron]

Hello...

Nice to hear everyone is still alive...

I will use a single rudder - other is too complicated and if you keep the bouyancy forward in the floats they tend to sink the main transom keeping the single rudder active...

As for the crossbeams - I will probably go with offset sliding tube in a tube - still a stable platform when retracted on water and easy flatbed trailering...

The canopy is set on three rails so the outside rails only have to be the length of the opening and not doubled...

A 12 volt bait pump will provide water cannon and perhaps I can rig up a compressor to launch some golf balls - until someone gets the bright idea of putting a flare into me...

For this season I am just going to bang out the design - build a 4 channel RC 1/4 scale model (42 inches LOA - ) at work and play - if my boss lends me some space I will begin building over 8 months in the fall...

I am using Ashlar Vellum - Freeship - and Rhino 3.0 to develop this - but I would rather just bash about with power tools - I hate trying to think like the programmer who wrote the software...

Well it's friday - whiskey day - see you across the river...

There are more 'doodles' and crack head studies of the Gecko in my gallery - also some pics of the Norwegian Trawler ('oller) that I have been bashing together at work...

Cheers...

SH.

[Wellydeckhand]

Originally Posted by SamSam

Now I'm confused. It seems it could be the Symbol for "Give Me a Hug" or "What In The F... Did You Do That For?" or "It Was This Big". Sam

Man and woman overlap in a circular and square parimeter......... signified humanity......... I think......... one of the symbol NASA send to alien out there as a package. Your without the woman....... ........... I think wat we have here is juvenile cultureshock......... just jokin.......... be a good man put down that weapon ok

[MikeJohns]

Good luck Sean
Good to see you are back at it. Allow a bit of room for a small outboard, food flares radio and how about some company?

Will the Amas take your weight ? coming alongside and boarding might be a bit tricky otherwise.

[jedclampit]

Sean,

I like your ideas, and I’d suggest that you build her intending to create a mold so that you can enter the marketplace. I think that if you keep her light enough and cheep enough you can expect to do well in this niche.

Here is my perspective on some engineering contributions…

You should use rudder pedals like in small aircraft to steer with. That will free up your hands for those more important tasks like operating a pop top or a cork screw. You can then route the running lines onto the dash inside the cockpit and not have to reach over a silly wheel.

Also her name should induce fear or respect…not remind you of car insurance.

[Raggi_Thor]

I showed it to friend who said "Messerschmitt?".
So where will you put the machine guns?
here's from wikipedia:
Early versions had four MG 17 machine guns in the upper nose and two 20 mm MG FF/M cannons fitted in the lower part of the nose. Later versions replaced the MG FF/M with the more powerful 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and many G-series aircraft had two 30 mm MK 108 cannons fitted instead of the MG 17 (or MG 151/20). The defensive armament consisted of a single, flexible mounted MG 15 machine gun. Late F-series and prototype G-series got this upgraded to a 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun with a higher rate of fire and the G-series was equipped with the twin-version MG 81Z.

Of course I like the boat!
It would be great here on a rainy windy day.