1 2 << Elementarry - 7.5 m x 4 m folding sports, daysailing, or camping proa (Australia) Report 3 >> 4 5 6
Elementarry test sail, 10th of November, Coffs Harbour.
Plans for either boat will be available for amateur builders for $AUS1,000, ex tax.
Prices for both boats available when they are complete.
A quick note on the launching. For all the usual reasons the boat was not quite complete when I arrived here from Perth. Didn't stop it looking very quick, and a few pushes with my knee convinced me it was plenty stiff enough. I also looked at the beams and hulls of number 2 and they are very well built as well. On the down side, we agreed the rudder frames looked marginal, they had only been finished the day before. We spent the day putting on the tramp and fitting the cradles to the trailer. We also had our first look at the sails, and at first glance tentatively decided the masts were too stiff or the sails had insufficient luff curve. We did some bend tests on the masts, including a 100 kg load between head and boom end.
Next day, took it down the beach. Wind 10-15 knots, direction about 45 degrees off directly onshore. Undid the straps on the ww hull, lifted it up and slid the masts into the lw hull which was in cradles on a pivot. Pushed the masts in, and slid the sails over the masts. Took less than 5 minutes. Putting in the battens, playing with the sail shapes and measuring and buying the running rigging took the next 90. We then flipped it up, and telescoped the hulls. Took another couple of minutes. Because there was a bit of surf running, three of us picked it up and carried it into the water. Getting through the surf was easy enough, I held the front, Mark got the rudders down (the blades floated, so the tie down clam cleats didn't work), I clambered on, sheeted on and off we went.
The trampoline stretched as the knots tightened up, so I was sitting in the water, close to the lw hull, Mark was perched on the windward hull. Acceleration was good, first shunt was after about 100m, before we hit a wharf. Bit of confusion as Mark had both tillers (no lock for the front one, and I pulled in the aft sail instead of the fore sail. The battens were most reluctant to flop over, but some violent boom pulling did the trick. A deep breath, some instructions and off we went. Next shunt in 200m before we hit a rock wall.
The trampoline stretched as the knots tightened up, so I was sitting in the water, close to the lw hull, Mark was perched on the windward hull. Acceleration was good, first shunt was after about 100m, before we hit a wharf. Bit of confusion as Mark had both tillers (no lock for the front one, and I pulled in the aft sail instead of the fore sail. The battens were most reluctant to flop over, but some violent boom pulling did the trick. A deep breath, some instructions and off we went. Next shunt in 200m before we hit a rock wall. Came hard on the wind and may have cleared it, but sanity prevailed and we shunted about 20 m before we hit it. Mainsheets in the water, but otherwise pretty smooth. Back to the jetty, effortless shunt. Back to the rock wall, effortless shunt. Cleared the end of the jetty, bore away a little, and up came the windward hull. Eased sheet, Mark luffed, down it came. Some ominous cracks from the rudder areas. Sailed across to the other side of the bay, a few more hull flies, and noises, then we noticed the rudder frames coming apart, so decided enough was enough. Sailed ddw back to the shore.
Max speed? gps was in my bag, so no idea. Quick, with potential to be quicker. Tacking angle? No idea, not great, but this was nothing to do with the rig or the boat. Schooner? No idea re performance, but shunting is a dream. Potential? Huge.
Put it on the trailer and was ready to go home in 30 minutes, much of which was spent chatting to incredulous onlookers and tying on gear which will eventually have cradles/boxes to sit in.
Next day, Mark beefed up the rudder frames, I assembled a rig on the grass to try and sort out the battens. I (80 kgs)stood on the mast to get some prebend and tighten up the battens. Then picked up the boom rotated it through 90 degrees and dropped it to my knees then lifted it to about my chest as hard as I could. Very small force compared to what we had tested and sailed with, and nothing compared to my efforts on the water the day before. The battens floated across beautifully. Initial euphoria turned sour when we saw the mast had a kink in it. Took it out and it had broken, a classic compression collapse on the aft side.
We cut the broken section out for inspection and the walls looked pretty thin. We then went back through the laminating records and discovered that 40 tows had been skipped in this area. On the bright side, the laminate was very well compacted and even. The failure was caused by lousy quality control (disappointing, but not too surprising at this stage of the rushed process), the engineering was fine, and the actual construction technique a success.
So, cancel the Bridge to Bridge race this weekend. We will build another mast over the weekend and test it on Monday. Not sure if we will get to Wangi for the trailerable Nationals, anyone contemplating a visit should ring Mark first on mob. ph: 0431 486 814.
Our apologies to anyone who has made plans to visit either Grafton or Wangi to see the boat.
Regards, Rob, Mark and Michele
