Inspiration
I added two new links to my list today
http://www.yrvind.com/index.html
http://www.thesimplesailor.com/index.html
these are two extraordinary sailors that have “sailed” like very few before – my hero’s.
Sven Yrvind and Roger Taylor, what these two gentlemen have forgotten most of us will never learn.
Small boats – big oceans – long distances – giants of the sailing world.
Vaaldam 17 March 2012
This weekend I really wanted to test and be a 100% sure that the engine and my fuel systems are perfect. I also ran the Minnkota for an hour. I slept on anchor at a place called Anchor Creek. So now I have spent 2 weekends on the boat where I got on the boat in the morning, slept on the boat that night and only got off the following day. You can only really get the “feel” of the boat when you have cooked, eat drink sleep and “poo” in a confined space. The motor is fantastic – one pull start anywhere anytime, even after running out of fuel and switching to the other tank.
Hartbeespoort Dam
On Saturday 10 March 2012 I spent the weekend on the water at Hartbeespoort Dam. The excercise was to really test the motor and run it for many hours and to regularly stop and start to ensure easy starting and general reliability. All in all I ran for about 7 hours continuously. The little Parson 5hp fourstroke is really fantastic. My top speed was between 5.3 and 5.7 knots WOT and what really surprised me is that I could run very comfortably at 4.5 knots at approx 3200 rpm. At 2000 rpm I can do a very easy 2.5 to 3 knots.
She runs like a dream and I am 100% happy with the fuel consumption at about 5 litres to 7 hours of messing about, often wasting fuel running WOT. Hartbeespoort is beautiful between the mountains, it is just a pity that the water is terribly polluted.
I made a nice Video for the guys at Boatdesign.net
You can read the post here
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/manies-microcruiser-27869-43.html#post538215
Stability
My good friend Wynand went and spent many hours doing all the stability calculations, so that we have accurate data of the righting moment. This is important for me as I want to be sure that the boat remains a safe vessel with the balanced lug sail. The first chart is with the centerboard down and the second chart with the centerboard in raised position.
Balanced Lug Sail
After much deliberation and head scratching and sleepless nights, I am totally convinced that the balanced lug sail, with a freestanding mast, is the answer for me. I have watched many videos and read countless pages on this rig and I am totally happy that this is the way forward for me. The video that impressed me most is that of SCAMP sailing, beautiful boat, expertly built, clever designer, all in all a work of art. SCAMP is a beauty. What impressed me most was the clever and functional reefing system on the port side of the boom. Add to that lazy jacks, and you have a formula for a very smart cruising rig, economical to build in a 3rd world country, and easy to fix and repair.
Steering will still be with the twin rudder system, add to that a Raymarine ST 1000 tiller pilot, and finally a windvane similar to that which Rory McDougal used on Cookie. This windvane was a design from the book of Bill Belcher – Wind Vane Self Steering.
The Trailer
Here are photos of the trailer. It is my own design and was built for me by TomCat Trailers in Boksburg.
She Floats !
I have been very busy at work the past month so I did not update the blog as diligently as I should.
However the good news is that she is on the water and is called “Fargo”
There have been many anxious moments but all the “imaginary” problems never happened.
The trailer works fantastically well, and she tows like a dream. Keep in mind that my “truck” has only a 1600 cc 4 cylinder 70 kw engine.
On the first run I had dirt in the carburetor and on the second outing I had fuel starvation problems. I have changed the setup and it all seems to be in good running order now. The next opportunity to go and test will be in approximately two weeks time and then I will be able to report back final results. In the mean time I got my buoyancy certificate as well as my COF (certificate of fitness) so the boat is “legal”
The next big job is to complete the electrical system and get the solar panels up and running. I am looking forward to that because that will mean lights, music and most importantly the interior fans for ventilation to keep the inside fresh and cool.
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