comfortable minimalist live-aboard challenge

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by Thunderhead19, Oct 4, 2004.

  1. Thunderhead19
    Joined: Sep 2003
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    Location: British Columbia, Canada

    Thunderhead19 Senior Member

    More Tequila pourfavor!

    This thread rose out of the SAILBOATS ARE EVIL discussion. I challenge all of you sailboat folks to get together on a design for a live-aboard. This particular live aboard can be of any type, but it must comfortably accomodate a crew of two-three. Be buildable with a minimum of tools. Be made from inexpensive lumber or scrap. Some of our dunnage around here is 4X4 rough-cut white oak, so scrap can still be useable wood. This craft must be safe, seaworthy, have minimal or no machinery (outboard is OK). Not necessarily easy to build, but buildable. The philosphy here is "three guys marooned on an island with one toolbox, and nobody know's they're lost". Think a journey of three weeks to get to safety. Do it!! I DARE YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! THIS IS OPTION 4!!
     
  2. SeaDrive
    Joined: Feb 2004
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    Location: Connecticut

    SeaDrive Senior Member

    Clarification required. Is this a live-aboard, or is it a get-off-the-island-and-home-again emergency vehicle?
     
  3. Thunderhead19
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    Thunderhead19 Senior Member

    Emergency vehicle...that you expect to have to live on for three weeks and potentially have to weather a few nasty squalls. Your captain marooned you and two of your fellow mutineers here. You're all the standoffish type and need some elbow room.
     
  4. Thunderhead19
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    Thunderhead19 Senior Member

    So folks, what do you want in your tool box? No power tools of course. A saw, a machete, but what else?. No nails either, you'll have to use trunnels. Your seams have to caulked with easily obtainable material, possibly hemp line, pitch, palm oils etc... Where, pray tell, will your canvas come from? Maybe you could use a foil section. You have to either store or distill your drinking water on the way too. Well? Is it impossible?
     
  5. FAST FRED
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    Location: Conn in summers , Ortona FL in winter , with big d

    FAST FRED Senior Member

    Bligh, from the Bounty answered this a few decades ago.


    FAST FRED
     
  6. Thunderhead19
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    Thunderhead19 Senior Member

    Good ol' Capt. Bligh. Good officer, excellent navigator. Although he didn't have to build his lifeboat and water kasks. Could he have?
     
  7. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Think of Viking ships. They were built with an axe and an adze. Vikings didn't know the saw. Also, the lumber was in short pieces. No need to reinvent the wheel. ;)
     
  8. Sean Herron
    Joined: May 2004
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    Location: Richmond, BC, CA.

    Sean Herron Senior Member

    I would rather play violent video games...

    Hello...

    But for a muse see http://www.regia.org/Ships1.htm ...

    I might be inclined to stay put and become a cannibal - at least until the meat ran out...

    Perhaps collect rain water in my baseball cap...

    Or I would just whip out my cell phone and call my friend with a rental boat business and give him my credit card number...

    Cheers...

    SH.
     
  9. Thunderhead19
    Joined: Sep 2003
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    Thunderhead19 Senior Member

    Me too, but I'd at least like to have a way of getting off the bloody rock if I had to. I see iron nails on http://www.regia.org/Ships1.htm used on Viking ships.
     
  10. FavoriteSon
    Joined: Oct 2004
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    Location: Washington

    FavoriteSon Junior Member

    Build Kon-Tiki. No nails or any thing. It is a sail boat. it's got a mast and a rudder and center board. and it can carry five people. went 4300 nm
     
  11. FavoriteSon
    Joined: Oct 2004
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    FavoriteSon Junior Member

    so here's what you need to build Kon-Tiki
    Twelve large/giant Balsa logs
    1 1/4 inch hemp rope
    bamboo for the deck
    Mangrove wood for masts
    bamboo and banana leaves for cabin
    solid fir for center boards (five center boards)

    so there it is no nails just an ax an your hands
    also Thor Heyerdahl didnt say what the sail was made out of. you could make it out of hemp
     

  12. FavoriteSon
    Joined: Oct 2004
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    Location: Washington

    FavoriteSon Junior Member

    NOTE: If you ever think of building kon tiki read the book then read it again and take notes. if you do it wrong you will most definatly die
     
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