Manie's Microcruiser

Congratulations on the completion of your boat Manie, excellent job. Winter is a tough time to sort through the little things and give it a good sail test, but Spring will be here soon enough.

 

RHP just another 2 good photos regarding the space inside the boat.
Plenty, especially for one old fart

 

You surely did a fine job of it.

 

Fantabulous!

Good to see it all come together. I'm eager to see and hear about further sail trials.

I've been wanting to ask you some questions about your lug rig and it may still be too early to get complete answers. I'm hoping I don't come across as being critical. I am using balance lug sails on my build and would really like to have the roller reef capability that you have build into your rig. So, if it comes across as being critical, I guess it's because I'm thinking critically (?) with regard to how I would apply your system to my own rig. I'm certainly trying to reframe from being HYPOcritical. I believe I read that Fanie did the design on the roller system so I'm hoping to get his input also.

1) Your boom is really long. From your photos, it appears you have a fair amount of excess length. Is there any reason for this?

2) From a mass and inertia stand point, IMHO it would make sense to place reefing reel at the forward end of the boom. Your boom extends over most of your cockpit and it would seem that you are loading up the head banging ability of your boom. The forward end of the boom would have less potential energy in a tack or gybe. You may have an insight here that I have over looked. Additionally, from the way it is rigged right now, it appears that pulling in the reef would be awkward from the cockpit (pulling forward) where if the reel was forward, it would be a comfortable aftward tug from anywhere; companionway aft.

3) I am concerned about the amount of extension on your eyebolts that restrain the whole roller reef system. Considering that the greater force on these bolts is vertical, the loading is probably OK. The horizontal loads are not as severe as the vertical loads will be. I'm wondering though if you were in a stiff breeze and you release the downhaul to unload the system for reefing. Does the horizontal loading increase when the vertical loading is released? Maybe it's a visual thing. It looks like the position of horizontal loads would be conducive deforming (bending) your eyebolts inwards. I would feel compelled to add strops to the eyebolts forward and aft and tying them to the boom ends.

4) Does the sail wrap around anything when it is reefed/ rolled up? A metal strap/band? A tube or rod?

Maybe I am being critical, but definitely not criticizing. Just looking for information and offering concerns (real or imagined).

Looking forward to the stories of you rounding the horn.

 

Hi LP thanks for the message and no problem with the questions.

All your observations are 100% correct

Keep in mind that all of this is an experiment and a journey into the unknown.
There is NOTHING like this in South Africa and there are no examples that I could go and look at or even talk to somebody about it.
Having said that my focus is now on starting to build a "TEN"
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/al...ating/ait-around-ten-49601-17.html#post693316

So what I just wanted to do, is to get something on the water that I can play with and get a feel for it, ruff and ready, cheap and nasty, quick and easy.
There are more questions than answers, but at least I have a platform to collect data with and gain experience.
The sail wraps around a piece of hemp rope, and I did redo the sewing so that it is a lot more neater and does not hang ugly like that anymore.

I deliberately put the "reel" of the roller furler at the cockpit side because that is the most likely thing that could foul or jam and that I could clear it with out having to go forward. Operating it is easy. It's a cruising rig

Very important is that the roller furler is an independent function of the boom because if it is attached to the deck it becomes a "downhaul"
I'm starting to think that this is not a problem because this can be overcome by completely removing the downhaul. Install a flange around the mast that the boom rests on so that you don't pull it down towards the deck.

The good news is I have my own mooring now and I will get the boat to the mooring this coming weekend and then experimentation will start more regularly.

Finally, yes my boom is a "Heath Robinson" affair - but it's ok for now
and yes the first (panicky) sail went well and I only crash gybed ONCE

 

The roller furlers are simply tubing with a couple of small ball bearings inside and a bolt that goes thru the bearing. Fanie made them out of stainless steel and they really work fantastically well.

The hemp rope should have been inside a "sleeve" at the bottom of the sail.
Next time I will simply use plastic pipe (conduit) even better, and definitely sewn into the foot of the sail.

 

I don't know what electronics you have/plan on. Here is a free electronic chart program for your computer. Just hook up to GPS.
http://opencpn.org/ocpn/

 

Come now Manie, we want to see you surf down a wave, crashing into a big fish or at least some rinsing into the boat, a couple of gales capsizing you and the single-handed recovery event, a few lightning hits or really close-by's frying the camera a few times, a shark or two taking a leap at you when you run for cover on the walls of the boat.

Nothing happened, why did you post the vids ?

I also hear a faint distinctive chatter in the background, is that your teeth or is there a relay that is poorly connected... :!:

And where is that bikini crew you were bragging about when you started the boat

 

Add an electronic compass to your computer.

http://www.imagesco.com/articles/1490/01.html

there are also apps for Iphones ect that are electronic compasses. Just google for compass apps. too many to post.


Next post startrek style holodeck, protein re-sequencer, and transporter beam. Only for Linux. Or is it Leonard? :?

Why wait till next post? Here's the food replicator.
http://www.thewire.com/technology/2...lly-looks-and-tastes-pretty-delicious/371863/

 

Very funny Scotty, now beam down my clothes...

For all the fancy gadgets and functionality these phone and pads suck - none of the functionality is available to do anything with except staring. One day one of the manufacturers will wake up and provide a port with outputs that one can interface with an auto steering and other peripherals and the thing will actually become useful.

 

The chartplotter program for computer has autopilot output. So it says. USB? Dunno.
Anyway, I just wanted to give Manie something he could use sailing on his new boat.
I don't want to hijack his thread.
cheers.

 

I think that's a pretty good idea. It may be fun for Manie playing with the new tiller arm but after a day it's going to become a bit of a pain in the you-know-what, especially if you "have to go" - (like go get a beer).

 

This pamphlet in pdf by the Amateur Yacht Research Society of London, is very informative and thorough about automatic self-steering using the wind.
I found MOST interesting, setting your sails to self steer.
Many other articles, mostly about mechanical steering vanes, suggest for maximum sensitivity, the vane needs to be as large and light as possible.
The sails meet this criteria.
And nothing cumbersome to stow away, or awkward to maintain, or expensive to build.
Manie, I hope something is of use to you in this pamphlet.
This pdf file is quite large, 27 megabytes, so can't be uploaded here.
but you can download it here:

http://www.ayrs.org/repository/AYRS013.pdf

 

Hi Yobarnacle, nice pdf for the library, thanks. I always enjoy reading this stuff.

For single handling self steering is an essential item, you simply cannot hang onto a steering for long periods of time day in and day out. Sheet to tiller is great but I am not sure if it will be that successful on a balanced lug sail.

But what I do know is that the Raymarine ST1000 that I have on my boat is absolutely FANTASTIC in all aspects, durability, power consumption, easy of handling and affordability. This product is so well built that it would be foolish to even look at anything else. So, to the guys that want to built their own - think carefully!

The importance of the tiller pilot is that the boat goes where you point it to.
The other tool that I am now going to build for myself is a wind-vane steering, because that tells the boat to follow the wind. So with these 2 principles covered you are safe, now you can either follow the wind OR you can follow a pre-set path to the fluxgate compass.

Rory McDougal of "Cookie" fame, had huge success with his Bill Belcher designed wind-vane around the world, and he helped me to get a book that is out of print namely "Wind-vane Self-steering" by Bill Belcher. So that is the proven route that I intend to follow. Cookie also did a very successful Jester challenge some two years ago, with the same wind-vane that only got a new coat of paint!!

 

That's great. Looks like you are all equipped. I wanted to give you a "boat warming" gift, but what can you give a man who has everything? I'll just offer my best wishes for long life and health to you AND your new boat. cheers