Development Class for Wind and Human Powered Ocean Racing

CutOnce, thanks. I appreciate all your thoughts.

All that you say is completely vailid for Raids and Raid boats. The whole point is to go beyond those limitations.

Ocean rowing boats regularly go through hurricanes in the open Atlantic. I'm sure it's not pleasant, but one doesn't really need to risk ending up dead. I see no reason that sailing/rowing boats could not be equally seaworthy. It's a design challenge!

Designing a development class and races would also be a challenge, clearly.

I'm 63, I don't need "thrills", and I have become more cautious . . .

 

Bump

I just saw this thread. I think the only sensible designs that could do what you are looking for, scot, are outrigger canoes in the OC6 fashion. Maybe instead of mandating an "ocean crossing", which I am sure few people would really want to do, maybe a race that goes through some tough offshore conditions but wouldn't take all day would be a better development class for what you are thinking of. For example, OC6's regularly race across the catalina islands crossing in california. They hit some serious offshore conditions, but the race can be done in a day or so. Just a suggestion. And I do like the concept, alot.

 

If you look at all of the previous posts, you'll see that I'm talking about boats for sleeping aboard, and seriously seaworthy - involving a cabin. And also that are efficient to move effectively by human power - I'm thinking 4 to 6 knots for hours at a time for someone like me who is not an olympic rower. Given what's come of this thread, I've about given up the idea of a development class. On the other hand, I'm still very interested in the boat.

In case you are interested, here are some criteria:
I. The most basic requirements:
- simple, light (max 200 lbs including all sailing & rowing gear), preferably inexpensive
- fun sailing with good performance on all points of sail and in a wide range of conditions
- good, efficient rowing in calm conditions (at least 4-6 knots easily w/ single rower)
- sleeping cabin, minimal (snug for 2, more roomy for 1, min 36 inches floor to ceiling)
- as seaworthy as possible, but not necessarily for really extreme conditions
- loads: solo~275 lbs (crew 175, gear & supplies 100), pair~450 lbs (300/150), max 1000 lbs
- maximum beam 5 ½ feet (unless very good reason for needing slightly more)
- easily beached and suitable for exploring estuaries and other shallow waters (kick-up rudder, board still providing some lateral resistance when mostly raised; draft max 6-8 inches with all up )

II. Issues to balance/resolve:
- I want the boat to work very well both solo and with two person crew.
- plane?
- adequate storage space/capacity (easy to achieve, I think); including for mast sections & oars

III. Secondary desires?
- Voyaging capability for one person, self-steering, self-righting, others?

Some Details:
- Electrical: hand held GPS & VHS, running lights, anchor light (w/ strobe?), cabin reading light, small battery, smallish solar panel; other?
- no-seeum netting for hatches w/ Velcro?
- boom tent

I'm currently looking for a designer to help me move forward on creating this boat - answering some basic questions: to plane or not? fore or aft cabin? basic hull shape; and then to do final design for construction. I'm also interested in finding a boat builder to create it, at least the hull, preferably on east or west coast of US or Canada, or someplace in the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America. I hope to have a boat by the end of the year.

If any of you are interested in such a project, and/or know good designers and/or builders who would be, please let me know.

Thanks, Scot

 

Scot:

Your requirements are not ridiculous at all. As the discussion has proceeded, it appears your thoughts have clarified and gelled somewhat.

Certainly is worth contacting Eric McNicholl. He'll be able to design and build a boat to meet your specific needs. He's been down this road before and has references to prove it.

For what it's worth, I think I'd avoid a planing hull as it isn't an easy hull to adapt to your human powered rowing requirements. I would certainly not discount multihulls, as the potential performance goes up a lot at the price of a more complicated and expensive build. You may want to look at Lunada Designs as well as other people I've mentioned during the thread.

--
CutOnce

 

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Contact Eric Sponberg; he has done ocean going competition rowing design and numerous other ocean going sailboats. I'm sure he could help you. He is a member here and his web site is: www.sponbergyachtdesign.com

This is some info from Eric on this topic-check out the link as well:

Doug, I have an engaging interest in offshore rowing because you are out there alone on the sea with very little to survive on, so the boat has to be able to treat you well and protect you. That said, I think most rowing designs to date don’t do that well in that they (designers) are forever putting the main accommodation in the ends of the vessel where the motion is the worst for comfort. The accommodation should be in the middle. The boats have to offer better crew protection and better stability. Some of the really lightweight and shallow designs flip over so easily that you are at a constant threat of drowning and always wet. I helped Tori Murden rebuild her American Pearl rowboat, and you can see that story on my website. In there I have also posted a sketch that I did for her that put to paper some of my thoughts on what a new ocean rowing boat would be like.



http://sponbergyachtdesign.com/Americanpearl.htm

Ned Gillette, the famous explorer, used some ideas like this for his boat “Sea Tomato” in which he and his crew successfully rowed to Antarctica. He called me on the phone prior to building his boat, and we discussed some of these design ideas. His was necessarily a very heavy boat, but it did what it was supposed to do. Ned wrote about this adventure in the January 1989 issue of National Geographic.

 

This is 5.5 x 2.25m boat, but I'd suggest a 6.5 or 7 metre version. The 5.5 fits most of your requirements, except a cuddy which could be placed in the forward section and ending at the second mast. This boat, as it is, has two bunks in the forward area side decks.
This boat is light, around 100kgs and could be rowed plus it is very good sailing to windward and a planing fool downwind.

 

Thanks to you all, CutOnce, Doug, Gary. I've contacted both Eric Sponberg and Eric McNicholl. I'm continuing to think about and work on creating a boat. We'll see how it all goes. Gary, what boat are those pictures? Who designed and built it? Scot

 

It's the Cox's Bay Skimmer, my design and build for a friend. Originally it had unstayed masts but in strong winds and seas, carrying too much sail, the forward mast bent below the spanner - so I changed it to a stayed rig, and raked the masts to allow better staying angles.

 

East to West Trans-Atlantic rowing record

These guys just set the record for rowing across the Atlantic in a trimaran whose main hull was based on a Kurt Hughes Formula 40 cat hull:

http://www.teamhallin.co.uk/wp/

 

new design, hope to start construction in April

Hello all,

I've moved forward with a design for my own use, not to race, but for minimalist cruising. I think I'm in final design review process. Drawings and more info below.

I'll be interesting in any thoughts, advice, and/or suggestions you might have.

Scot

Specifications (nothing set in concrete here, open to suggestions!):

General construction will be composite sandwich of fabric/epoxy over CoreCell, with overlap or fabric tape on rails/chines/edges :
- Hull (bottom, sides, transom): 9mm CoreCell with 6 oz satin weave S-Glass outside (possibly use 9oz for the bottom), lighter cloth inside (see below)
- Cockpit floor and side decks: 9mm CoreCell with 6 oz satin weave S-Glass on top, lighter cloth on bottom sides (see below)
- All other panels: 6 mm CoreCell and lighter weight fabric
Lighter weight fabric will depend somewhat on availability; possibilities appear to include: 1.7 or 2.2 oz plain weave Kevlar, 4 oz plain weave S-Glass or E-Glass, . . . or possibly use the 6 oz satin weave S-Glass, or ???

Hardware mounting and likely impact areas: high-density CoreCell:
- leading edge of bow
- gudgeon mounting on transom
- eyebolts for safety lines [low center on aft wall of cockpit and maybe forward wall also]
- hinges and latches for hatches,
- bottom-aft corner of storage compartment side walls and bottom-forward corner of cabin side walls for cleats and/or other hardware mounting
- where mast goes through storage compartment top for halyard and other hardware mounting
- other hardware mount locations to be determined.

Cabin hatches: ¼ or 5/16 inch Plexiglas, acrylic, or ???

Spars and tiller: carbon-fiber/epoxy over foam core (pipe insulation)

Centerboard and Rudder: CoreCell core with lead in bottom adequate for overall neutral buoyancy surrounded by carbon fiber/epoxy with layer of S-glass on leading edges; OR ??.

Kick-up rudder housing: carbon-fiber/epoxy over CoreCell (high density where appropriate) with built in pintles.

 

Scott, I couldn't open your zip file. If it's not too much trouble could you post it in a pdf? Don't go to a lot of trouble and congratulations on moving forward!

 

Thanks. I don't know how to get it into PDF, but will try posting as individual jpeg files.

 

Drawings in jpeg

8 drawings in jpeg format attached to this . . .

 

Scot, looks good and very interesting-good luck!

PS-thanks for the effort on posting the jpegs-don't know why I can't open a zip file.

 

Thanks Doug!