Bolger June Bug as SUP

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Dieter51, Mar 18, 2024.

  1. cluttonfred
    Joined: Mar 2014
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    cluttonfred Senior Member

    Pamperin's Jagular is a simplified version of Bolger's Pirate Racer design, a decked skiff, so probably too heavy for the cartopping role that Dieter has in mind, but it is an example of the great fun that can be had with just a modest plywood boat. Looking through the various Bolger designs on the Instant Boats site, I actually think the vertical-sided June Bug hull form is probably the best option for maximum initial stability while standing, and 14' is a good length for cartopping so you can get the bow up on the roof rack with the stern still on the ground.

    You would need to build a stripped-down June Bug hull--no decking (just triangular gussets at bow and transom corners), no foam (just a couple of inflatable flotation bags), no thwarts, no sailing rig, 1/4" (6mm) plywood reduced to 3/16" (5mm) on the bottom and 5/32" (4mm) on the sides, chine logs replaced by taped epoxy joints, skids 1/2 thickness, and all rest of the framing full size but of the lightest wood you can find (spruce, poplar, light pine). That should get the bare hull down from the stock 70-80 lb (32-36 kg) (estimating from the weight of four sheets of Okoume ply) to under 50 lb (23 kg). It's easy enough to make a little padded cradle with some wheels to attach to the stern with a ratchet strap, then you throw everything in the hull and just walk it down to the water on the wheels.

    Another option to consider would be the West Mersea Duck Punt or something similar, not as stable and not as much capacity as June Bug but smaller and lighter. You could include the sailing rig and just not use it when you want to go SUP style. Free plans for the original design below (not pirated, distribute with the permission of the late John Milgate) as well as free plans for the design adapted to tack-and-tape plywood/epoxy construction for an even lighter hull.

    West Mersea Duck Punt PDF Free Plans https://duckworks.com/west-mersea-duck-punt-pdf-free-plans/
    Light weight stitch and tape conversion of the West Mersea Duck Punt https://flo-mo.weebly.com/light-weight-stitch-and-tape-conversion-of-the-west-mersea-duck-punt.html

    Cheers,

    Matthew
     
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2024
  2. skaraborgcraft
    Joined: Dec 2020
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    Location: sweden

    skaraborgcraft Senior Member

    My bad, I thought he was on another forum saying it was a June Bug.
     
  3. Dieter51
    Joined: Aug 2022
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    Location: Munich

    Dieter51 Junior Member

    As I said before: I have a bolger-style boat and it sails and rows. Little flattieboat with twin skin sprit sail https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/little-flattieboat-with-twin-skin-sprit-sail.67268/

    But: This boat is too unwieldy and sheer to be transported alone on a Golf, the typical former middle-class car in Germany. And it has 16 degrees of flare, so you have to stand too off-center to be able to operate it as a SUP - while the mast stays on the car or anywhere else.

    And that's why I wanted to know: Whether a June-Bug, which has no flare, can be operated as a SUP, if the weight is about 30 kg or less (Paulownia 18 mm). I have no experience with SUP and narrow hulls, but others probably do. A lightweight boat as a SUP that could also become a sailor in a second step seems to be of interest to the public in Germany.

    Perhaps it is now clearer what I am asking and why I am asking. Whether each sail is good enough for my purposes I will see.
    Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
     
  4. cluttonfred
    Joined: Mar 2014
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    cluttonfred Senior Member

    Not at all, it was a great example to share!

    Dieter, June Bug will work if you build it lightly, go for it!
     
  5. sharpii2
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Michigan, USA

    sharpii2 Senior Member

    Standing up does not raise the Center of Gravity (CG), or at least not as much as one would think. This is because the human body is programmed to keep itself from toppling over. So the it is relatively safe to say that the VCG, as far as the boat is concerned, is moved up to the deck the paddler is standing on.

    The same is true when sitting on a kayak or a surfboard. Even in a sitting position, the human body automatically tries to stabilize itself. This is one of the reasons it is not recommended to have a back-rest on a kayak. Once the upper body is immobilized by leaning against the back rest of the seat, the CG does indeed move upward, and by quite a bit.
     

  6. Dieter51
    Joined: Aug 2022
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    Location: Munich

    Dieter51 Junior Member

    Hello, the automatic stabilization is the reason why sailors of light dinghies have sore muscles after sailing in spring, although they think they have not done much in the light wind.

    Nevertheless, if you have a light flat bottomed dinghy where you can sit on the floor and brace yourself firmly between the opposite plank and the plank in the back, you will get to know your boat!

    If he pretends to be an immobile part of the boat, he will experience how his boat stabilizes itself through its shape. Sitting in different longitudinal positions in this way, he learns more about the stability behavior of the boat than if he is constantly trying to compensate for the heel.

    You then know when you should sit where in which wind, in my experience. Sailing a Laser and similar boats is of course something completely different ...

    Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
     
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