Manie's Microcruiser

Dries here are the final sizes of the sail. From the righting moment calculations on the mast strength that you did for me last year very little has changed. Wynand did a complete righting moment calculation that was posted here http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/manies-microcruiser-27869-42.html#post535594

I am setting the mast to give a 5% lead that will increase to 7% as the sail is furled - the CE also lowers because the sail is rolled up on top of the boom, it should be a nice feature because you never have canvas high up. One thing that a lug sail can do is the sail can swing right around the mast, so under any conditions regardless of which way the boat is pointing the sail can be feathered into the wind and reefed. You don't have to turn the boat into the wind - just let the sail go.

The data is read from Larsson and Eliasson page 172 for what it's worth.
One day when there is time, I have in my bucket list to build a birds mouth mast - no promises on that one. I just want to get sailing now and take it easy on the aluminium mast.

The sail cloth for the first experimental sail is 185gm polyester that is treated for UV - it is light and soft but very strong. The second sail that can come much later, is the off-white cloth in the pic 320gm and I have 22m which is plenty. The same guy that did my Biminis - Camp-a-Tent in Pretoria North is sewing the sail to my specs, he is a nice guy that does not tell you want you want, he gives what you ask for, with advice that you can take or leave.

Costs so far is

R 1400 mast 6m x 103dia x 3mm x T6063 alum ANODIZED
R 550 sail cloth 185gm
R 800 Camp-a Tent labour
R 600 Fittings and deck hardware

R 3350 total = US$ 335

the "real" sailors with the "real" equipment that "works" want R 80k (US$ 8k) for a Marconi rig complete that "works"
like they say in the classics - over my dead body - NEVER as in NEVER I don't have it anyway.

here is a nice video of homemade sails - you go and tell them it does not work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8LE521iYRY

The boat is a work in progress that will go on for along time - I get new ideas often enough - but they have to wait now

The rudders are 90% complete
The centre board and bulb keel is 80% complete
The sail and mast is 95% in stock and labour should only take a month

So the good news is that from here on the boat will cost very little,
Just to find the time to get on with the job - not so easy with a home that needs attention, a missus that hates boats and the two "playstation" generation at university. The end of my insane expenses comes to pass next year. My son has a post at a university in Taiwan and my daughter finishes in Bloem end next year. yeeehaaa.

 

Tssk... tssk... no word on the naked sailing...

Manie, you really deserve that boat.
For one you gave been very consistent in keeping at it.

 

Hi Manie,

I'm not sure but maybe a monohull with twin rudders needs some Ackermann steering geometry like cars and catamarans because in a turn the inside rudder makes a shorter curve as the outside one.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to place the tillers at an angle on the rudders and make the connection bar between the tillers a bit shorter as the distance between the rudders.

See Ackermann steering geometry for cars.

- - - - -

Think of your boat as a car driving backwards, the front wheels stands for the rudders and the rear axle stands for a line perpendicular on the hull at the center of lateral resistance of the hull with the board down.

Here Ackermann steering for cats. (follow the links there)

From Tom Speer for cats . . . .

I didn't see any Ackermann geometry on your pics so far, the tillers looks to be straight on the rudders, but maybe I've missed it or it isn't needed on a monohull ?

Good luck !
Angel

 

What I can think of is that when sailing in a straight line but correcting a bit for lee or weather helm the Ackermann geometry will cause non paralel rudders which causes extra drag which can't be the intention . .

Cheers,
Angel

 

I do think that Lug sail rigs are a bit uggly (sorry!), but I must say that this type of reefing is very elegant, a dream for singlehand sailing in a small boat with low-tech setup, esp. if wind suddenly picks up .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4e_Tk7Gbc8

-But how is proper sail tension ensured for and aft on boom when the sail is partially reefed?

Looks ok here though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjMhjENcyrI

 

Hi Angel - thanks and yes I am fully aware of the "Ackermann" principle and I had my previous rudders set at 5 deg. "toe-in" and 15deg. "sweep" outwards. See the pic. This is the "over the top" elaborate system that I built the first time. It worked well but it is really a waste of time on a 5m boat This was a classic case of just trying to be way too clever. The tie-rod ends made it fully adjustable for toe-in.

However I am glad I did it because sitting and playing with it for 7 days taught me a lot. The rudders are "ok" in the vertical position BUT they must run "toe-in" This has a wonderful "self-centering" effect. Once I had the motor running straight I could let the tiller go and if there was no wind the boat would run dead straight for a couple of hundred meters and more. I know that this will change with the centre board but with the new system the centres on tiller arm will be less than the centres of the pintles. I will start with 5 deg. toe-in because it worked well and it is easy to alter later.

Having the tiller in the middle was not great and that is why I felt that the new system - ala Hoby - with the bar across connecting the two tillers is ok as long as it will swing up and away when at anchor.

Very important was the 16% "balance" of the rudders - this works so well that it feels like the boat has power steering and it means that the Raymarine ST1000 does not work hard at all. Also less drain on the batteries.

MoeJoe thanks for posting the video of the lug sail - it is a first class example of what I am doing. The difference is that I am building a roller reefing system on top of the boom - where he is using the boom as a roller system.

As too the remark of the looks of the lug sail I will put it this way - I am drawn to it like a bee to the honey there is a magic there that I simply have to experience. You have too keep in mind that I am in the middle of Africa - Johannesburg/Pretoria - 700 km from the sea and I have never seen a lugsail - and I stand to be corrected but if I am not the first person to go for a lug sail I have not seen one around. You have more boats in one harbour than we have in our country The indigenous African in the south NEVER went to the water - they are herdsmen looking after cattle.

In my next life I will build a "real" Viking boat with a square sail and wear sheep skin clothes BUT I will learn how to make vodka like the Russians.

Look at this video - 51 sec of heaven
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga2gI_ZhwnU

 

MoeJoe I just had looked thru your blog and jeez man I am impressed.
Absolutely the fit outdoors man - good stuff don't stop!

I have to confess that at 60 years old I am still a bit of a party animal and it has slowed down "dramatically" over the past ten years / two days but life is to just go for it - what else? When I was your age I had a testosterone problem

 

ah yes...ever hear of the "90-90" rule? usually applied to schedules, but can be equally applied to budgets too. "90 percent of the allotted budget takes the first 90 percent of the job, and the last 10 percent of the job takes the other 90 percent".

Nice work, been enjoying lurking here to see your progress.

 

Steve some pics for you - before and after peelply.

90/90 rule in my case the last 10% of budget is taking 90% of time - lordy lord how did that happen to me?

 

I've seen a big lugger in the UK with three different halyard attachment positions on the yard (not far apart), so the centre of effort could be set by choosing which one was used.

Cheers,
Angel

 

Oh BTW, not sure if we understand each other, "Ackermann" isn't about "toe-in" of the rudders but is about "toe-in" on the tillers when the rudders are in straight forward position. The straight forward position can also have "toe-in" on the rudders which can be combined with "Ackermann", but maybe is this what you describes ?

The "toe-in" of the rudders can easily be set by adjustable length of the connection bar between the tillers. Adjustable "toe-in" of the tillers independently from the rudders "toe-in" (which is adjustable "Ackermann") makes it complicated.

Good Luck !
Angel

 

Oh manie you need a distraction "trained dog" . . . .

Bugger? disallowed? happily accepted on facebook and G+, - - Oh well suffer, - - I am going back there https://plus.google.com/u/0/115975976548590881673/posts . . . far more civilised there...

Further to your earlier post, when I feel blue? - I head for the boat and set it rocking for at least 3 hours jealous ? I 'captured' some of the beauties you posted whilst I was building, cannot post as censored (totally naked)

 

Too kind Manie. I do a fair portion of my partying in relation to meetings with suppliers and customers, for some reason there's always late dinners and bars while travelling in my industry

And since I bought this little sailboat, fitness has been declining a bit, I used to do a lot more kayaking, rock climbing and mountainbiking in the summers.

But it's definately worth it, I had an amazing weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_8atVMiiho

Without having much to compare with, I must still recommend sailers from abroad to try the Stockholm/East coast archipelago sometime. Very beautiful and navigation is challenging.

 

Partying?

It is all of that Ramen!

 

Good thing is you don't have a centerboarder, the board would rattle during the process . . .

Cheers,
Angel