New thread...in the middle of my scow build.

Discussion in 'Wooden Boat Building and Restoration' started by lewisboats, Apr 13, 2010.

  1. lewisboats
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    Location: Iowa

    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    On coffee break!

    Plan...yes. Stevenson's Lake Scow or Circle Sailor...early '70s Pop Mechanics type. Original Sail is a Lateen made of aluminum tube and tarp (Scans at the start of the thread). Not sure on the wings as I don't think the lateen sail had enough Oomph to need to hike out all that much...mostly aesthetics I think. Hopefully I'll need them though. No framing as such on the outside but I will change that. Support on the inside of the hull is shown in one of the pictures. This boat isn't finished...just done enough to give her a whirl this weekend. CE and CLR are educated rough guesstimates. I also have about 8 in of play available at the mast tip as far as rake goes and 4.75 in available for the DB to move fore and aft...some designed in fudge factor. I'll play with settings to see what works best.
     
  2. lewisboats
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    Location: Iowa

    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    WHOOOOHEEEEE!!!!!!...She FLIES! Not the best in whisper winds...though none of the other boats were either. BUT...got caught in a squall and the wind picked up to about 20-25 mph...man I was flying. Half a dozen different folks said I was planing right along and everyone was amazed at how fast it was. I didn't get too daring...I only buried the lee wing about 3 inches into the water...I wouldn't let it get any deeper. Just that little bit of rocker I put in it kept the nose up enough that only once in a while did water come over. Mainly when I wasn't paying close enough attention. Only a couple of things I am going to change...the location of the downhaul and I need a traveler with a multiple purchase...that sheet is just too taught to hold by hand. My daughter would never be able to hold it in properly when the sail starts really driving. Everything else worked a peach. Unfortunately I forgot my camera and wouldn't have had time to take any pictures anyways and I don't think anyone else got any...they were more interested in the weird little Tri that got pooped and had to get towed in by a Lund with it's nose (s) pointing skyward. This morning we went across the lake for breakfast and I beat everyone else there...including a few who got launched before me. Had a hell of a time getting back though...directly into the eye of the wind. The boat may not be too weatherly or it might be the sailor. I still have plenty to learn and the boat might not be tweaked as well as it might. Still...I call it a raging success...I didn't dump it...I got it to plane a bunch of times and I barely even got my shorts damp...my fault. Oh...and sunburnt knees.


    Edited to add: Oops...forgot I want to change the tiller...too flimsy and I want to put on a hiking stick too.
     
  3. troy2000
    Joined: Nov 2009
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    troy2000 Senior Member

    Sounds like a resounding success. Next time, commandeer someone and hand them a camera.
     
  4. lewisboats
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    Location: Iowa

    lewisboats Obsessed Member

  5. ancient kayaker
    Joined: Aug 2006
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    Location: Alliston, Ontario, Canada

    ancient kayaker aka Terry Haines

    My small sailboat is not a scow but it does have a flat bottom with just enough rocker to clear the surface at the transom, bow stem foot just kisses the surface. I am a paddler and my home-designed & built canoe is effortless to paddle, but I am amazed at how easy the sailboat is to row, even with short, cheap (Walmart) oars. Skittish though - no skeg, so I put the rudder partway down for rowing.
     
  6. Elmo
    Joined: Dec 2009
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    Elmo Junior Member

    That`s kind of a kooooool boat !:D
     
  7. lewisboats
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    Thank you kindly. I had a blast with it these past few days whilst on vacation. I did make the mistake of going from having the sheet simply tied to the end of the boom to a 4 part tackle...which wasn't engineered quite right. I ended up dumping the boat because I couldn't spill air fast enough to keep from going over. I also wasn't thinking fast enough to get it turned into the wind as it went over...so I got to test the waters. Lovely and warm. This is my first time turning ANY boat over-ish so it was a baptismal experience of sorts. Nothing boomed me and everything was salvaged, the boat was dragged to shore and emptied out and re-sailed the next day. I will be getting pictures from various places over the next week or two so have patience. I have some but only 1 of anybody sailing. At the present moment...I need 3 hands and my teeth to sail the scow properly so I don't have any to spare for pictures while on the water. I'll post pictures as soon as I get them...and get them resized and uploaded.
     
  8. lewisboats
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    Location: Iowa

    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    Here are most of the boats that were there:


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  9. lewisboats
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    Location: Iowa

    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    And...a couple of the attendees... This is the Apres Sail pot luck. A storm rolled in about 1/2 hour after everyone finished eating...say an hour and a half after these shots were taken. Rained on and off all night but Sunday morning was clear and breezy again...just wish I could have stayed another couple of days to enjoy it.

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  10. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    It looks like you had a lot of a good time!:)
     
  11. ancient kayaker
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    Location: Alliston, Ontario, Canada

    ancient kayaker aka Terry Haines

    The sow looks very business-like. You even had a PDR snuck into the party!
     
  12. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Wow! Just built and you are already calling it a lady pig. The hull looks very sleek and not hogged in at all.:D
     
  13. ancient kayaker
    Joined: Aug 2006
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    ancient kayaker aka Terry Haines

    Oops. Not my opinion, must be my computer's .. and it knows diddley about boats! However, the PDRs are full-out hogs, everyone agrees on that, that's why you have to love them!
     
  14. Elmo
    Joined: Dec 2009
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    Elmo Junior Member

    [​IMG]
    Looks fast just sitting there Steve.
    Funny how the simplest boats are often the most fun.
    What would happen if you " stretched " it by six feet ?:D
    Great post.
     

  15. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    It would be 6 feet longer and cost 30%? more.
     
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