building new amas/floats from recycled beachcat hulls

[trip the light fandango]

 

[trip the light fandango]

After rifling through multi hull forums , pocket cruisers and just about anything related I've had a gut full and reached saturation point. I love reading all this stuff but there's this nagging feeling that I'm living my boat dreams existentially through others. I've had quite a go at offering advise and giving my opinion and it's frankly feeling a little hollow, I tend to answer questions from people who first jump on the forum[then disappear] or are a little out there sometimes , which appears to be my domain. As you can see I'm no marine architect...ha , but I enjoy this stuff.
I actually want to coast hop in 3 hour jaunts ,which in favourable conditions gives me a fair bit of coast to explore, that's the goal, and build /modify with very little cash resource
I want to make some grunty outer hulls that will slice through 15 to 20knot sea conditions at a 10 to 12 knot boat speed comfortably. The hobie 18 rudder castings seem really well thought out and make it so easy to lift the rudders I think I'll use them considering these big outer hulls will always be in the water, has anyone had issues with them ?
Using the outer hulls for steering means I can move the traveller back so that the two don't snag each other when changing tack. A Tremolino has such a small solid standing room area that removing the centre dagger board would be good, this means using the H18 dagger boards and building more length into the cases, or using all 3 as an option I suppose.
I've already modified the Trem adding an extra skin so that it's unsinkable, but adding 6 inches of glassed in polyurethane below the water line , even though I used epoxy to seal has added some unwanted weight. I'll upturn the main hull and with a guide, slice around taking off the the top then scoop out some foam to create a void with a bilge pump hose fitted so that the rest of the foam has a lowest point to drain to, then reseal the lid.. I also plan to move the mast back about 300/ 400mm using h16 corner castings and tube as the support base with a frame going across the cabin acting as a step also. the whole structure will slip over the hatch.
I want to lengthen the hull by one metre by adding a scoop with the left over bits from the outer hull cut and shut should will work well.
After reading Gary's bits and pieces I've realised that too much rocker is unnecessary drag so I'll be aiming to lessen what's existing.
The new hulls are 21ft by 900mm tall using H18,H16 and maricat as donors. I'll stick with polyester I think because it 's easy to use. I've thought this sucker out for years and it's time to act before winter .

A friend let me build at his place a while back, as you can see I have a full bimini frame so I can travel in comfort, I will be glassing in the H16 posts into the H18 decks .. with extra cross beams matching to the H18 mounting points . My new build site has a time limit before it starts to annoy folk so I'll get stuck in when I can
Any handy tips would be appreciated
.
I was relieved when I chopped those bulbs off, bit embarrassing really ..ha... polyurethane foam glassed in holds a little water, not heaps at this density but some.

 

[trip the light fandango]

4 hours of sanding and 3 days probably to go. I just keep thinking of places I'll go when it's finished, 4 hours is enough sanding for one day, it is awful, at least it cold weather and windy

 

[peterbike]

Well, keep it up TTLF.
It will be interesting to see what you come up with.

 

[trip the light fandango]

Thanks peterbike, I knocked off another 3 hours of sanding today, this grunt work is why more people don't do it, a bit of encouragement is appreciated. There's so many places to cruise to around here, but a fast seakindly boat is normally very expensive, I don't mind camping in the space of a micro/ pocket cruiser because the scenery/access is so impressive at anchor. Winter is better for peace and quiet, I'm thinking hydronic seat heating like solar roof mat run on lpg..ha . Keeping the focus on the prize,.. getting back in the water, cheers

 

[trip the light fandango]

Another 2 1/2 hours sanding today, then went and bobbed around in a tender helping and asking a mate about fibreglass while he dropped another pick on his dragging mooring. I think I'll rivet or maybe screw and glue(then replace with plug made of glass and filler) the 4 skins(5over the cases, the mari isn't foam sandwich) together then fair ,then glass only the joins. I'm not keen on running a complete layer over the whole lot., with little semi bulkheads stations fitting in the 16 and mari on to the hobie 18 there's plenty of strength in what's there, that's the theory anyway.I have to make the dagger board case extensions first then slot the maricat in and glass ,then the hobie 16 overlapping at the case. ..should be easy..sheesh. The main thing I got from the knowledgeable bloke was connect all skins together to stop delam and make it easier to repair,.
There's a 33ft Crowther on gumtree for 2grand, lake Maquarie

 

[Corley]

Another 2 1/2 hours sanding today, then went and bobbed around in a tender helping and asking a mate about fibreglass while he dropped another pick on his dragging mooring. I think I'll rivet or maybe screw and glue(then replace with plug made of glass and filler) the 4 skins(5over the cases, the mari isn't foam sandwich) together then fair ,then glass only the joins. I'm not keen on running a complete layer over the whole lot., with little semi bulkheads stations fitting in the 16 and mari on to the hobie 18 there's plenty of strength in what's there, that's the theory anyway.I have to make the dagger board case extensions first then slot the maricat in and glass ,then the hobie 16 overlapping at the case. ..should be easy..sheesh. The main thing I got from the knowledgeable bloke was connect all skins together to stop delam and make it easier to repair,.
There's a 33ft Crowther on gumtree for 2grand, lake Maquarie

The Crowther at Lake Mac is a Kraken 33 once known as "The Sting". I was tempted too but it is a huge job to rebuild. If you don't mind the hard work and have the time it could be worth it. I've thought at times of borrowing a trailer pulling the boat apart and bringing it back by road.

 

[trip the light fandango]

Before I bought the Trem I had geared up to build a 27 ft cat out of marine okoume 3ply, epoxy system glass sheathed, so I have 12 sheets under the house. I was going to get the stern and bow cnc'd out of foam. I think you've only got 3tri's to build or restore and I have one plus an early 50's convertible to restore.
I'd donate the ply, a possible outdoor but classic site[ being wood and quality might help the commitee,..ha]. and do a road trip and if there were others involved say one sunday a month work day.. for the next 2+ years ..to fully restore.. to save a Kracken.. with blokes I've never met, a 1/4 ,6th share? dependent on time/work logged, money input..mad .. ha. I could walk away if it didn't work out, with only time ,ply, some boat fittings and a small sum of money lost. Pity no one in my family is that interested in sailing or boats, particularly the wife who is the sole breadwinner , I'm a student this year.. but a Kraken is a gem, the wife does like dolphins.. haha . Clearly I must have a screw loose, which is a vital requirement one would think. More sanding this weekend, knocked off a bit more yesterday, regards. Note .. After a quick and less light headed reappraisal it is clear that both Corley[to whom I haven't met, err sorry about the silly proposal] and myself have too many projects already anyway, but a group of enthusiasts could save this boat of historic significance.

 

[trip the light fandango]

Beginning the little frames to distribute load in case of impact. My fibreglass boffin mate says that loading the glass with some extra bend is actually good for it, so screwing the different hull shapes together before glassing will work well and make them a little rounder.. The cases , which is the first glassing after these little bulkheads, will be strong enough for foils , [I'm not thinking about building foils until the boat is back in the water]. Because of the H16 asymmetric hull shape that will dominate the forward half of the floats/ama, I'm thinking of exaggerating the camber which would set the dagger boards further out and by attaching right angle foils, like shoes to the "ankles" of the dagger board with dowel fuses it could increase the RM, reach / overall width by a metre and a half or so. I haven't settled on this yet so I'd be interested in opinions . I'm considering having the flat side facing inward* so as when the boat reaches its tipping point it has more chance to slide sideways. I see foils as being great for righting moment but terrible for catching debris and even worse when getting close to beam capsize point because they could increase resistance to righting once lower than horizontal. I should ignore them for now.
*Having now read W17designers contribution in the pitching control thread I will put the flat side facing inwards, thanks for that. .

 

[trip the light fandango]

Looking at the Altus 20.5 and Gypsy's Corsair ,I doubt my Amas would have more bouyancy than those craft, and my Amas may be heavier when finished , I 'm guessing I may have 100% buoyancy in the new Ama. It will be a while before I weigh the whole lot but I could fill a finished Ama with water to see what it's capacity is, unless it looks like it could burst,,eek. Anyway it doesn't matter, more a curiosity, the deed is being done, so different from design from the drawing board. Bought resin and 250metres of 150mm 45 biaxial woven tape, but the temperature has dropped below 18c and there's still a day and a half of sanding, prep to go. Climate change may help.

 

[peterbike]

Hmmm... a vote for Tony Abbot & his mates will bring about that climate change sooner.
Tony is even so pro coal, that he suggested that we should have a coal fired submarines for aust's defence ... ???
This man obviously has the well being of australia at heart...
What a guy !

 

[trip the light fandango]

That was entertaining, thanks. Until lobby groups present their cases to ministers in publicly held forums with notice for affected parties to present their cases equally, we're in trouble. It wont fix everything but they ride shot gun via political donations and always have. Government and opposition ministers are sitting ducks for collusion/playing to their egos.

 

[trip the light fandango]

I'm ready to glass, I have to start at the daggerboard cases as they set the centre ,are where the overlap of donor hulls meet, and need/develop the most structural support. When they are made the rest should flow. I'll put the boards in place ,wrap them in plastic, and cut out sections from the deck of the maricat that fit and glass them in place as the extended cases, weather permitting.

 

[trip the light fandango]

Temperature hits 18 Celsius on tuesday, warm enough to glass ,better get ready.

 

[trip the light fandango]

Started glassing , just patching holes in the H18 hulls that will be inside the new hulls. It's pretty intimidating cracking open the resin, chopping glass and getting stuck..into it, I'm glad I started small. I had no choice really after faffing around finding ways to avoid glassing, like checking the batter/ solar panel voltage.. sheesh.the battery reads the same as the panel,. I bought a battery from Aldi 6 months ago expecting this one to be gone , but really it should have been ok, constantly topped up ,all dry , no corrosion, ... something is amiss with the controller perhaps. A new flexible solar panel would be nice,, possibly wont like being stumbled on ,stainless grid over it..? Rain and cold for another week.