Sea Sled madness. It’s in my brain.

Thank you. Although I'd hoped to reach this point weeks ago. Lost too much time, sick. Now I'll have to scramble.

 

Scrambling is awesome!
It really gets stuff done.
Sadly, it can lead to errors which... slows things down.
But, you have experience building boats and will prosper.
Nice work, carry on.

 

Almost ready for planking.

 

Gosh, you are really going great guns, full steam ahead - she is looking very impressive.

 

Going along OK

 

Bajansailor reminded me about Dave Gerr's sea sled design The Interdictor. Anyone know if any have been built, or is it just something he did on spec?

 

I looked on-line and found no sign of built Interdictors
He may have to build one as a showboat!
It would be interesting to build one on spec with him, for him...

 

Hell yeah. Was the construction welded aluminum? I keep meaning to learn that skill.

 

Okay. Finally back in the shop. Took a side job to make the money for the fiberglass. Anyway, all bulkheads and the ram on the strongback, plumb and square. Bevel B1 and B2, and then I can plank. I'm thinking about getting a fingerjoint bit for my router. Make some longer planks so I don't have to worry too much about spacing butt joints.

 

I'm researching Sea Sleds again and found lots this time.

I'm curious, John, if you plan to place your outboards directly aft of the parallel, bottom chines (lowest part of the hull).
They'll be so far apart, almost 9' centers!
Great for maneuvering.

How's progress?
Last I heard you were recovering from a crazy flu/cold/misery.

Dave Gerr is not an easy guy to reach.
Anybody in touch with him?
I'm interested in his Interdictor.

 

The weather and the flu have me on pause for almost a month. Both have gotten better, so back to work!
I haven't decided yet about engine placement. On one hand wide spread give great maneuvering advantage, but a slight difference in engine character might cause uneven steering.

 

I'd aim for in line with the "keel/chine/bottom ridge" for a number of reasons.

I'm not concerned about steering issues as a result.
Tow-in could be tuned and the hull design is inherently, directionally stable.
All that said, adjustability would be an asset.

Yes, our recent weather has been quite miserable compared to what we're used to.

 

Re your concerns about uneven steering, you might be pleasantly surprised.
The ally power cat in my avatar photo has assymetric hulls, and a 16' beam on 49' overall length - she was operating on just one engine for a while (she had 2 x 115 hp O/B's then - she now has 2 x 150 hp) as the other engine decided to blow up unexpectedly one day.
We were thinking that she might want to go around in circles, but no, she still tracked dead straight, and I think the helm was dead straight as well (ie not turned slightly to compensate).

 

Well, that's very reassuring. Thank you both.

 

You are most welcome.

I hope you've got the nail gun loaded and lubed for the weekend.
Electric drill charged.
Godspeed Big John!
Build-on!