Gravy Boat, Custom Albin 25

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Yobarnacle, Feb 5, 2016.

  1. Justaguy
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    Justaguy Junior Member

    Only partly related, but ...

    This makes me wonder about a potential DIY mast opportunity. I've been thinking about how to make a mast in a way that doesn't involve huge aluminum costs or intricate woodwork.

    I just thought of the idea of using some type of industrial-grade 4" or 6" PVC, filling it with foam or some other more suitable substance, and wrapping it with fiberglass and polyester resin. Any chance that could work as a mast? Durability to stress?
     
  2. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    A friend, here at the marina, built his own 45 37 foot boat from scratch.
    Originally rigged as a gaff schooner, he just converted the rig to 3 freestanding masts, unstayed, Chinese junk rig.
    Some place out west, sold him the custom fiberglass masts, large ones.
    The company makes fiberglass light poles, like you see lighting the freeways and turnpikes.
    He said he couldn't have bought the material to make the masts, for the little they charged him.
    If you wish, I'll get the company name and post it for you.

    Homemade carbon fiber masts are probably the best alternative.
    The labor is the big factor.
    Might as well use the best material.
    You can use PVC or nearly any longitudinally ridgid tubing for the armature.
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2016
  3. Justaguy
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    Justaguy Junior Member

    Very interesting. Yes, please do.

    And your WAG on the PVC idea?
     
  4. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    The pvc would just be an armature, an internal mold.
    Search for carbon fiber mast layup. You'll get some scantlings. (dimensions, wall thickness)

    I'm using aluminum spars for my aft mast rig.
    I've re-purposed an aluminum spinnaker pole, 18 feet long, 4 inches diameter as the primary tripod mast leg.
    Also plan for the spinnaker pole to multifunction, as the smoke stack for my dry exhaust.
    Repurposed the pair of 2 inch diameter yards, from a Sunfish sailboard, as the A-frame aft stay legs of the tripod.
    16 feett of 2 inch aluminum furling sleeve is repurposed as a lateen topsail yard. The lateen yard adds roughly 8 feet above the spinnaker pole mast, to the air draft, the rigs height.
    A conventional stainless forestay will deploy a hanked on, large Genoa. The ginny will be flown inverted, upside down, because of the low mast head.
    All these spars together cost $50, including the forestay.
    The used ginny, 26 ft luff, cost another $50.
    The two windsurfer sails comprising the lateen topsail, were freebies, also the wishbone boom from the windsurfer.
    And the windsurfer board, I plan a innovative use for, got free.

    Only missing one ridgid boom vang. Something will turn up! Probably aluminum. (the vang is the blue spar in next post)
     
  5. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Something like this




    [​IMG]



    Dropping the lateen topsail, lowers the rig from 26 ft to 18 ft and reduces sail area BY a third.

    Dropping the ginny and halfmasting the topsail, again reduces height to 18 ft, and reduces sail TO one third.

    The lateen spar can also be clipped to slide on the forestay, for running in heavier winds. See 2nd drawing.
    When running downwind with the lateen yard horizontal, the lateen sail can acquire a deeper belly. There are TWO sailsurfer sails, rigged mirror image of each other, on the lateen spar. They are overlapping in the center, and can slide/stretch apart a small amount for a deeper belly in the center of the sail before the wind.

    The anticipated effect of the lateen topsail is to extend the genoa another 8 ft above the mast.
    I imagine the sails will be pressed together where they overlap. Of course a slot would be nicer!
    Intended for light airs.
    The square riggers first sails set and last furled were headsails and topsails.

    And someday, a Flettner rotor inside the tripod. ;D
     

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  6. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Some times I'm not thinking of how other people view things, or can't view things.

    The picture I posted of the mini-fridge, you can't very well see the peltier chip I installed.

    You'll see these on tossed cheap dorm refrigerators and some 12 volt coolers.
    Only 4 screws, in the corners, hold the outside appliance to the inside heat sink.
    To install in a different box/lid, cut the correct sized rectangular hole, and screw the two halves of the peltier together sandwiching the new location.

    These are what the two halves look like.

    Inside that black housing is another heat sink and a computer fan.
    Pinched between the two heat sinks is the solid state ceramic peltier chip.
    12 volt leads from the chip and the fan, are the only circuitry.
    For greater efficiency, install another computer fan INSIDE the box!
    Some of these peltier assemblies needed the fan replaced. Never encountered a bad chip!
    On the dorm fridges, it's the 110v to 12 volt power supply goes bad (burned transformer), resulting in a pitch. They frequently have two peltier assemblies.
    The components picture is from such a fridge. Minus fans.

    People throw away the darndest things! Watch for these.
     

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    Last edited: Feb 23, 2016
  7. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Fiberglass freestanding masts!

    Didn't encounter my friend until this morning.
    Wanted his permission to post a picture of his junk rig, which he generously consented to. His boat is 37 loa, not 45 feet as I mistakenly posted earlier.
    He designed and built welded steel tabernacles for single handed raising/lowering of these spars. The steel was galvanized and powder coated after all fabrication and smoothing. Bow pulpit done at same time, his design/fabrication also.

    http://www.whatley.com/whatley

    Is the company he purchased from. The largest of his 3 masts, is 13 inches diameter at base. Total cost for the three masts, 4 thousand dollars.
    I forgot to inquire if that included shipping costs.
    PS: Includes freight from Colorado to Florida.
    Pictures of his boat's spars:


    [​IMG]
     

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    Last edited: Feb 23, 2016
  8. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    I like multifunctional.
    Imagine at LEAST some of you do too.

    Can't show you my cockpit this moment, because it's unbolted into pieces and removed temporarily.

    Because my center cockpit doubles as a cargo hatch. I'm working on the interior, and moving largish bits of fiberglass in and out, and, it just makes sense to access through the big hole left after taking the cockpit out.

    I thought I was finished with the cockpit design.
    Directly aft of, and secured to the dash is a full width 82 inch x 19 inch seat that faces aft.
    Then a foot well full width sitting on the original cockpit side seats, extends 3 ft aft before tying into aft seat.
    Then, aft end of the foot well is another full width, 73 x 19 inches, seat, this one facing forward.

    Its a nice sized cockpit for a 25 footer, and the conversation-pit seat arrangement extends the forward cabin farther aft and aft cabin farther forward, using the space under the seats.
    I raised the cockpit sole to the height of original seats, so it can be self bailing. The original DEEP cockpit sole was at/below the waterline.

    And the aft facing forward seat, undercover by the pilothouse which protects the dash, seat, in total, 4 ft aft.., is a good place to sit to fish from, because the pilothouse is open on aft side for poles to reach over the side.

    But where to step the main leg of the tripod mast?

    For convenience, I have a treated 10 foot 2x8 laying athwart ship across the 7 inch high cockpit coamings. A place to step or sit, while the cockpit is missing.
    It is really a nice feature. Straddled, it's very secure seating for facing inboard rather than just fore and aft.

    I'm going to add a permanent thwart in the middle between the two fiberglass couches to the cockpit design.
    AND, I intend it to protrude PAST the coamings, to allow sitting outboard of the coaming for a view alongside, both safe and comfortable.

    AND, I'm going to step my main mast leg right in the center of the thwart, as is on many dinghies! The thwart adding strength to the maststep.

    I'm content with a painted fiberglass interior, with a few bits of wood, like spice racks ect, but.

    This thwart I've set my heart on, should be TEAK, not a treated 2x8 currently in that location.

    So I'm looking over some of my salvaged teak pieces.
    5/4 x6 inch cap rails. Should make a handsome thwart!
    Can you imagine throwing teak in a landfill?

    [​IMG]
     
  9. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Goes with the previous post.
    These have been cut loose and I still have more attached to large pieces of fiberglass, which are not convenient to include in group photos.
     

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  10. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Pictures from a couple weeks ago.
    Imagining a table for my wife, made from salvaged parts.
    This is the very rough original concept, just stacking together pieces that looked like might work together.
    Table needs to be 4 feet long, and in one picture, you see a 40 inch aluminum yard stick, and the table parts extend more than 8 inches beyond.
    I did use these parts.
    The skimmer board was cut down to width of rest of table. it's ready to install, but deciding whether it's a hinged end leaf, or a rigid part of the under tray.
    Thinking.
    Two halves of table top are hinged in middle, independently raising, or removable entire.
    The far end of top, in the picture, is wider than the near end. but not very obvious in photo.
    The sink vanity goes against the ship side, in front of my wifes chair, and the table attaches to the sink, so that the table is in front of her, the sink to her left end of the table, and brackets, shelves attached to ship side above the sink.
    Also located a picture of one of the sink castings being built up, reinforced, sanded.
    NUTZ! Huh. :D
     

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  11. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    The table is roughly this configuration/location.
    Supporting the table is a 4 inch diameter salvaged pedestal, installed near the ship side and sink.
    The half wall alongside the settee, has a horizontal support bar under the near end of table. The bar has shallow notches.
    The far end pivots and the near end slides, allowing the table to swing farther away or nearer the chair, for access and comfortable use adjustment of about 15 degrees.
    A small ridge designed into underside of table engages the notches in the support bar, for restricting undesired movement.
    Drawn aspect is table nearest chair.
     

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  12. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    An occasional comment, or even a raspberry would be appreciated, folks.
     
  13. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Hey, Yobarnacle.
    Re-utilizing the teak is a good idea. It would have been a shame to see that go to waste. I eagerly anticipate viewing the finished product.
     
  14. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    I expect everybody wants to see the finished projects, but wouldn't believe how I scavenged material and repurposed items, unless I show the rough work, and hold the finish photos for a grand tour finale.

    I did show the finished bulbous nose and the fake mahogany transom with the azimuthing drives, so folks can know things DO get finished. :D
     

  15. Yobarnacle
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    Yobarnacle Senior Member holding true course

    Thanks for the response. Was feelin all alone in here. :D
     
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