Pedal Powered Boats

[Guest625101138]

Still getting some useful distance into my legs. I did 35km on Saturday in a little under 4 hours including brief stops for cleaning weed from prop and a longer stop to adjust outrigger trim.

I held a reasonably steady pace but still pulled up feeling quite done. Still a long way to go to get to the 70km or so needed for a day on the Murray River. The current assistance on the river adds about 20km to make up the 90+km on the first two days. The last three days are shorter but no easier. Race is only 3 weeks away so have some hard miles in front of me.

Rick

[MLampi]

Today the Deception Pass Dash was held. The roughly 7 mile long course starts at Bowen Bay, in Washington, goes around an island to the west of Deception Pass, heads through the pass to go around another island, and returns through Canoe Pass to head back around the first island and then to the start.

There was a pretty strong SW wind (flags spread almost completely horizontal), which turned this into a rather interesting event.

Approximately 132 boats were there at the start, including one Cadence pedal boat.

Having never been on the water here before, other than in a big whale watching vessel, I figured that it would be a good idea to have the outriggers on the boat. While we were supposed to be going through the pass around slack, the area was still known to have lots of waves and eddies.

The start was rather chaotic with all the boats trying to keep station at the starting line in the not quite headwind. The 1 to 2 foot chop in the bay also splashed me and my camera lens. Most of the pictures taken were of poor quality.

As we headed out to the island the waves quickly grew higher, and most of the paddled boats started falling behind. Piercing wave after wave I needed to open the speed bailer, or suffer with a flooded cockpit.

Interestingly enough, the prop on the Cadence didn't aerate very much, and I was able to keep within fairly close range of some of the really strong paddlers. My heart rate was in the upper 150's, and the speed was over 6 mph.

Going around the island I encountered a tandem surf ski that had capsized, but by the time I reached them they got back under way.

Shortly after that I ran into a large kelp bed. After clunking into one with the prop I paddled through the rest of the bed into clear water. The prop was able to spin, and off I went towards Deception Pass with the wind at my back.

Heading east I was able to surf on quite a few of the waves. The outriggers worked very well in their raised position, though every so often they would dig into the water and rotate on their axis into the lower position. I just flipped them back up and kept on pedaling.

Heading downwind I was able to catch a couple of outrigger canoes and another surf ski, but as the water grew calmer in the pass they stuck close to the shore. I stayed a little further out into the channel, but realized that the ebb tide must have begun. My pace was only 4.2 mph as I pedaled under the bridge at the pass, perhaps 200 feet above me.

Not much further we reached the other island. There was a bigger kelp bed on the southern and eastern side, so I steered clear - until I noticed a kayaker taking a line very close to shore in an area that seemed kelp-free.

A paddler I had been following headed towards the shore through an area that seemed clear, and I followed. It was great - no problems were encountered and the route was several hundred feet shorter than the "great circle" route.

Heading back towards Canoe Pass (the pass to the north of Deception Pass), the wind started rising. Again the paddlers dropped behind, due to their more significant windage.

Canoe Pass was much like a narrow canyon, but at the west end I saw some really large standing waves as the ebb flow met the Sound. Some of these waves were 5 or 6 feet in height. I decided to try going around the waves rather than through them, which was what I had inadvertently been doing by concentrating on photography rather than navigation. Outriggers really work!

Heading into the waves was getting a bit tiresome, and with the temperature in the upper 40's or low 50's I was even starting to get a little cool. Getting plastered by waves (not spray - full-on waves) tended to reduce my body heat a bit, even though I was wearing Gore-tex insulated winter cycling tights, two layers of wicking shirts under a thick PFD covered with a large windbreaker, and thick wicking socks on my sandaled feet. I really hoped that we merely headed back to Bowen Bay after Canoe Pass.

Unfortunately, however, the guys ahead kept heading west towards that first island. I kept pedaling, and even managed to catch up to them on the other side of the kelp patch.

The other guys took a course that kept them far away from the rocks and breaking waves on the west side of the island. They were near a couple of safety boats that had their lights flashing for some reason, probably picking up some defunct paddlers. I took a course a bit closer to shore, but with enough of a margin that the side wind and waves wouldn't force me against the rocks.

Rounding the island I was again able to surf downwind, though not quite as well as before. I was getting a bit tired, or perhaps there were some weeds on the prop. Clearing the prop seemed to help a bit, and then I had to dodge a field of kelp that had grown up in the bay between the start of the race and now. I hate it when that happens.

Just before the finish a pink double surf ski managed to slip ahead, putting me in 20th place overall out of a field of 92 or so boats that completed the race. My time was 70:41, which surprisingly enough was about what I thought I'd do before encountering the waves and wind.

For me this race was a blast! It would have been suicide without the outriggers, which pretty much let me do whatever I wanted with the camera - like wipe off the lens time and time again. Many strong surf ski paddlers and kayakers did not finish the race due to the waves, wind and kelp.

After beaching I had a great lunch of home-made vegetable soup, garden burger with roasted chilis, chips, etc., provided by the organizers. The raffle was fantastic, and everyone who stayed got some sort of prize.

Woo hoo!

Michael Lampi

[MLampi]

Photos are here.

I understand the winds were gusting to 26 mph, and the waves were in the 5 to 6 foot range, with up to 8 feet in some parts of the Pass.

Michael Lampi

[Guest625101138]

Mike
I did not have to put up with large waves but I spent a windy day on the lake on Sunday. I did almost 5 hours in trying conditions - managed a bit over 40km. Wind gusts to 90kph reported but I was able to get some shelter from the worst. Initially it was from the south but moved more to the west as the afternoon progressed. The old engine was torque limited going upwind but it was easy going down wind. The knees are a bit stiff now.

Early on Sunday I took the boat into the city for scrutineering for the Murray Marathon. For me it is simply to check that the boat will float so a two hour return trip for very little. I do get a sticker to indicate it passes. Interestingly the application form now recognises pedal power so I am wondering if there are more pedal boats this year. This is the 40th year and the last year that Red Cross will organise it. They have said there is a very large field this year.
http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/murraymarathon.htm

I am not quite where I would like to be with training but that is always my predicament. I will probably do one more decent training day on the boat.

We have had some good rain recently so may mean they have plenty of water to release and there will be local run-off. Any current assistance will be greatly appreciated by my aged legs.

Rick W

[MLampi]

http://www.goskagit.com/home/article...ough_the_pass/

Part 1 of a 2 part series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPH8wjkeG9A

Part 2 of 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Daf...eature=related

[Guest625101138]

Have been doing some final mods on the boat ready for the Murray Marathon.

Managed to lighten it by a few kilos with new CF outriggers and new CF drive frame. All up weight now around 20kg. Gave the hull a fresh coat of paint as well.

Replaced 1/4" (6.34mm) prop shaft with 8mm. This feels much less rubbery so I expect it will be easier on the legs.

Attached chart shows my last run. Only one hour to check things out but averaged 10kph even with a bit of weed and variable wind up to about 20kph.

I head off on the 26th for the race. Just hope the boat holds together for the 5 days and nothing gets broken or holed jumping logs and sandbars. Recent rain has increased river level a bit so might not be too bad for me.

Rick W

[I57]

Just an update on the progress of my new boat, the idea I had of using the outriggers as rudders proved too cumbersome and heavy. To get it to work was proving to be very heavy, the gain was outweighed by the extra weight. Also I was mucking around with different drive layouts trying to get higher gearing and smaller prop but in the end I decided the simplest layout was the best. I've used an Involute gear box attached to a 6mm flexible steel shaft going through the centreline attached to a 450mm prop supported on a fixed skeg. Outriggers are large as I intend to take it out on the bay. Boat is 5m long, beam 300mm at deck with 2m long outriggers, it is a modified version of Ricks V11 boats but a shorter length (5m is the biggest boat I can store in my garage).

[Guest625101138]

Ian
Looks good.

When do you aim to test it?

I am back from the Murray. I had a good time. Some minor drama but otherwise went well. Will make a full report of it.

Rick W

[Guest625101138]

I have attached my report on the Murray Marathon for 2008. Much of the information is for my records in case I decide to do it again. This detail will provide ready reminders for planning purposes. If anyone wants to join me it will be a good planning reference.

Rick

[MLampi]

That was an excellent write-up, Rick. Congratulations on finishing with flying colors!

Did you find the extra width of the outriggers to be a problem in maneuvering around the logs, rocks or other obstructions in the river? Did you encounter any situations where having a reverse would have helped?

On another note, did you have to do anything to make your Forerunner last the entire day? Did you have to use an auxiliary power source? I wasn't sure that the battery would last an entire day.

The Murray Marathon got me to thinking about possibly doing something similar around here. Travel down the Columbia River, for example, might be a fun thing to do, though portaging around some of the dams might be necessary.

Mkichael Lampi

[Guest625101138]

Mike
I appreciate your comments and will attempt to answer the questions.

Outriggers are only slightly wider set than others I have used. The boat is 2m overall. The only real issue with them is working through crowded launching and retrieval spots. People cannot grasp how wide and long it is. The outriggers fold up and sit above the seat for transport and this make it less cumbersome to carry as well. Being only 20kg I managed to carry it by myself most times. There was always someone willing to lend a hand at the water's edge.

The new outriggers are Carbon Fibre foam sandwich and weigh less than 1kg. They displace about 10l and I found this to be marginal if I leant out. The others I have are between 15 and 20l displacement and this gives a much higher safety margin. After my initial dunking I was very cautious with weight distribution.

The logs you can see are not an issue. It is the ones sitting a few inches under the water and you miss the eddies. It takes a lot of concentration. Many boats take hits and end up with patches. In the narrow spots you can have 3kph of current so it is easy to have approach speed of 13 to 14 kph. Many people get caught out initially by how early they need to turn to avoid something fixed.

My boat goes in reverse and it is handy at start and finish. In some narrow spots I cannot complete a 180 degree turn without backing up. There were a couple of times when I saw logs too late to turn so I was able to slow by quickly reversing and then unloading the prop so it had a better chance of bouncing over the log. There were a few occasions with logs spanning my course where I lifted the prop as a precaution.

I was really pleased with the Garmin Edge. It makes life much easier when you know the distance done, elapsed time and heart rate just by taking a quick glance. My cadence transducer was troublesome. I think it has a water problem. The battery indicator was down to the last bar on the long days after 8 hours but I did not carry any back up. I recharged it fully each day.

Some of the older guys now use the heart monitors under doctor's orders not to exceed a certain level. Many boats now use a GPS. Some guys have done it so many times they know exactly where they are at any time so a GPS is just wasted weight.

By the way Rhonda and I wish you and family good health and good fortune in 2009. You made a significant contribution to our 2008 holidays and we remain appreciative.

Rick W

[venomousbird]

Great looking boats!

[BOATDOCKTOR]

Rick,
I'm very intrested in your paddle boat endevour. I live on a lake in central Ohio where many of the residents are OUR age. I know this concept would be a huge hit. Did you start with an existing kayak and redesign it or is this a new built from scratch hull design?
John

[Guest625101138]

Originally Posted by BOATDOCKTOR

Rick,
I'm very intrested in your paddle boat endevour. I live on a lake in central Ohio where many of the residents are OUR age. I know this concept would be a huge hit. Did you start with an existing kayak and redesign it or is this a new built from scratch hull design?
John

John
I have built about 14 pedal boats with numerous variations on each. There are 4 hulls to the current design. One was built by a Canadian friend to set a new world distance record. He achieved 245km in 24 hours with it. http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/HPB/...5_archive.html

The hull is designed from scratch and is optimised for 12kph with a 75kg rider. That requires 150W at the crank. I believe it to be close to the most efficient boat possible for this power level.

It is intended for use in sheltered waters.

It is longer than most single kayaks but shorter than a rowing scull with slightly lower power requirement at 12kph than either of these.

If you are a recreational cyclist or keen kayaker living near a lake then V11 style boat is close to ideal I expect.

There is a commercially built boat with similar performance known as the Cadence. It is quite different in configuration and slightly slower for the same power but a good ride.

Rick W

[I57]

Congratulations Rick for the Murray Marathon, a long hot race so well done. Its an event I thought about back in my younger canoeing days and then just as quickly stopped thinking about it.
Hope to have the boat on the water by the end of the week. The flexible steel shaft is not spinning as smooth as I would like, maybe because it is fixed at both ends. I have made a long thin slot in the middle of the boat to allow a bit af movement so have to see how it goes on the water.
Only drawback is the 450mm deep skeg to support the prop, makes setup and launching a bit awkward but with the involute gearbox its the simplest setup.