Around in Ten

Gents

What would your minimum size recommendation be for such a race at which you could see sponsorship?

http://www.aroundinten.com/index.html

I have visited the site regularly and seen racers come and go, and i have seen some very interesting designs by some well known designers. However there seems to be indications that 14 maybe 16 ft would be better.

I just wonder at what point this type of adventure would attract sponsors and media interest, without which nothing is going to happen.

It just seems sad that something which could be affordable in todays hectic life just dies without a whimper.

Surely the sailing faternity could put an "Around" race together that would grab the imagination and let the young people dream again, without getting into the megabuck world of "Volvo" etc.



Just curious?

What would you do?

How do you see it?

 

A bit too gimmicky for me at that size! There's some big stretches of Ocean out there, the amount of Safety Gear required these days plus stores for the run would, in my mind make the minimum size about 16 foot to be reasonably safe! Presumably the idea is that in any weather you batten down and toss about till it's done, but even lying there still consumes stores etc! Plus you need something to do!! Having said that it is a race so anybody who would go out in one of these is mad enough to say 'to hell with battening down, lets sail' going to kill somebody for sure!!

 

Tiny Things for Big Places

You want tiny boats for long passages? I'll give you tiny boats.

Some time back, I designed and wrote articles for two, very tiny LOA vessels for transoceanic journeys. You may enjoy reading the pieces and taking a look at the renderings.

Stasis 7
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/designs/ostlind/stasis7/index.cfm

Oceanic Pencil
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/designs/ostlind/pencil/index.cfm

The articles pretty much say it all, but if you have any questions... or suggestions, please don't hesitate to fire away.

Chris

 

hi, i would be very interested in taking part if it was 14ft, i am currently making a 14ft motorsailer but i could remove the engine for the race. if this is a serious thing, i could get4 local sponsors for my boat...dads work, mums work and my 2 jobs. my dad works for lighthouse caledonia ltd, so he would be the best sponsor, i could get iun touch with some of his aquacluture suppliers for sponsorship, his company would probs provide safety ribs etc for stretches of the journey. i'll post some pics of my boats progress. be as complimentary or as critical as you like, i need to learn alot if i am to take part in such a voyage. i think this will only be a prototype and if the length below what i have, i can shrink it in the final design, this one is only plywood so i can use it to pick out little faults etc. bearing in mind i'm only 15 (16 in august)...here she is...

 

just to add...all joints will be covered in fiberglass, sanded and then painted. the cuddy is quite cosy but for any large voyages, i will be getting a canvas for the back. i ordered sails and mast from ebay, they are from a 14ft sailing dinghy, including jib, mainsail, spinnikar, spinnikar pole, boom and mast. the whole lot.

 

O.m.g.!!!!

 

You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

 

Floydrob - For a 15yo, you should be proud. Gee - I really hope it works.

Mainie and all other small boat ocean crossers --
for gawds sake - isnt there enough suffering in the world already? Think of something constructive and stop teasing mortal 15yo boys whose dad would like them to reach 40!!!!!

 

what do u think about using an 800cc jetski engine for messin about and racing my mates? i found 1 in the dump yesterdaay and got it going within ten minutes! lol. i recon it wud be fast.

 

another quick wee questiion, what is fiberglass tape for? i was planning on just covering the chines and keelson in fiberglass mat but my local chandlery doesnt sell it, just tape. could i use tape for the same job?
i think it will be a good wee runabout, my last 8ft runnabout nosedived nto the trough of a wave at 25kts and was a definite write off, so i know what u mean bout bein dangerous, but i have instructor level training with RYA (royal yachting association) for all u americans etc. and safety boat level in powerboats, so i'm pretty handy on water. this boat is my third, all previous ones float fine and i still have my jonoat which i made at christmas holidays, it is sitting on a mooring, thanks

 

another quick wee questiion, what is fiberglass tape for? i was planning on just covering the chines and keelson in fiberglass mat but my local chandlery doesnt sell it, just tape. could i use tape for the same job?
i think it will be a good wee runabout, my last 8ft runnabout nosedived nto the trough of a wave at 25kts and was a definite write off, so i know what u mean bout bein dangerous, but i have instructor level training with RYA (royal yachting association) for all u americans etc. and safety boat level in powerboats, so i'm pretty handy on water. this boat is my third, all previous ones float fine and i still have my jonoat which i made at christmas holidays, it is sitting on a mooring, thanks

 

Well it would appear we are now flying into the face of the ridiculous here! The theme from M*A*S*H keeps running through my head "suicide is painless etc"

There's small and there's small, but you either work at sea or go out for pleasure -ther's no pleasure in anything at this size! death maybe, but plesure - no way. Unless of course you are totally masochistic! As for work, what kind would require something this small and what would the pay be like?

Crazy man!! (Chris I do like your sense of humour, and yes they are feasable, of course they are but see above, as you so rightly say who in their right mind would?)

 

If his psyche is so tender that these responses cause irreparable harm, the ocean should be avoided at all costs.

Of course 15 year olds with this much moxie should be encouraged. That does not mean they should be sent out into the arena with the lions before they are ready. His boat shows more good thought than my first one which had a habit of flipping without warning. Still, it has no business on water with more than small ripples and definitely does not need a jet ski engine.

We owe that much to him and his loving parents. This is not the place to learn basics of sensible boating.

Floyd, get to the library and read some books on boats. The learning part is just as much fun as the doing part.

 

hav any of u ever made an 8ft "one sheet skiff" by herb mcleod? it is a tiny boat made from 1 sheet of ply, this was my first boat as a learning curve, but i put a 5hp engine on it and followed the zap-cats offshore, this was when i hit trouble...but it was very fun so forget th whole"job or pleasure and u cant have pleasure in a small boat" cos i have proof, my 8ft skiff was amazing in inland lochs, and almost deadly offshore, so eh its fun.
i am much more of a practical learner, i have read countless articles,books and methods but i prefer to try it out myself and c what happens. i was brought up on the isleof jura and moved to helensburgh 2 years ago, so i'm used to going offshore in small fishing boats etc, i hav a good pair of sea legs and can handle the rough, it was just stupid of me to hit a wave that fast in a 8ft tender.
i dont see the poblem with a 14ft pleasure craft, it has a 5ft beam so it is quite big on deck. it has 2 air tight compartments, one at the stern and one at the bow so should be relitively safe in sheltered lochs.
as for the jetski engien, why cant i put an engine from an 8ft jetski into a 14 ft boat? it saves ma alot of cash, i cant afford an outboard.
it has a hydroplane hul, it is flat at the back and v-shaped at the frontso it will handle decent waves, i got the plans from svensons . com and adapted them a wee bit, not the hull, just put a cuddy on it .
this is now my 3rd boat so i have experience of what works and what doesnt. (well a wee bit) lol. i personally recon racing about with freinds in their boats during the holidays is good fun and i dont see a problem with it, hopefully sum1 will agree.
can sum1 tell me if i could use fiberglass tape to cover th chines and the keelson? thanks

 

Good onyer Floyd. I thought the boat was quite ok. Its good you know its limits and ignore crazy around the world miniyachts enthusiasts.

yes, you can use fibreglass tape to cover the joins, but its best to use Epoxy resin in place of the 'standard' polyester resin. Polyester will crack off and let water in, in due course.

Epoxy and Tape will prevent the joins from 'working' and cracking and letting water soak into the wood. If you have done a good job of glueing the plywood together on solid chine logs, you dont really need it. But if you would like the boat to last just that bit longer - its a good idea.

I would definitely use epoxy to help 'glue' the keelson to the hull, but I dont think I would bother to cover the keelson in tape and epoxy. That bit tends to get quite knocked around, and it will break throught the tape quickly, and any water that gets in wont dry out very quickly. A good quality sealer and paint should do the keelson fine.

Your jetski engine will be a problem mounting on that hull, as you will have to cut out sections to sit the prop in, and mounting the motor would be be problematic on such a small boat.

I would save it for the next project, where the design was meant for that sort of powerplant, and see if you can get a small outboard from a dumpster.