[bolger] Double Eagle(s), Junebug/sharpie behavior
Dept. Alaskan Epic Project:
Congratulations on the progress, Fritz. What a sight!
The second hull will come together faster yet. Good to see one third
of the hull-structural assembly stand free to baffle casual onlookers;
when Phil just looked at the photo without prior warning, he exclaimed
"good grief - what is it..." only to immediately catch himself
recognizing design #646 in genesis.
To the 'casual onlookers': Fritz commissioned this design as an
expansion of his charter-business, accepted it, and loaded a barge with
200 sheets of 1/2" ply as a serious commitment on this sprawling
project.
She is being assembled in a shop long enough but too low and too
narrow to ever allow her structure of 40'x16'x10'+ to top of trunk
(+wheelhouse) to come together. Hence each hull is being assembled
upside-down with a horizontal seam for 4'x4'x40'lower hulls, glassed
and finished as far as possible. Turned right-side up she is then
blocked into a solid leaning position in order to accommodate the
erection of full-height bulkheads which happen to be higher than the
shop... Fritz thus 'steps into' the leaning hulls over the lower edge,
until that is mostly built up as well - except for openings for acess
to cabins and double heads/diner-style galley.
Once the port-hull is assembled as well, the 'bridge' with
center-spine supporting board, mast-tabernacle, yawlboat ramp,
anchor-gear etc. will be the 'last third' of the assembly sequence.
Lining up both hulls to bolt and glue together with the 'bridge' could
be done on the beach. On the other hand Lindbergh once tried to take
off with his 45+' wingspan Curtiss 'Jenny' down the middle of some
main-street... he was a few inches off though.
Again, congratulations on the progress. Having much of her
geometry based on stock ply-dimensions has helped we hope.
The plans for the 'Wide'(20') DOUBLE EAGLE are being completed,
tailored to a live-aboard couple with a book-collection, herb-garden
hobby, on-board shop etc. So Robert Norris is not exactly breathing
down your neck Fritz, but perhaps you guys can eventually 'hold each
other's hand' when even the 'moaning chair' won't do.
Dept. Big lessons from small boats:
Bill Samson describes exactly the problem with immersed bow flat-bottom
designs. In a loaded JUNEBUG the trouble is limited and does little
harm in the short-distance purpose it serves. But if a fully loaded
JUNEBUG gets 'squirrely' tracking, picture her scaled up in a 30''bad
sharpie' and it is not a laughing matter anymore, wrestling with the
rudder from one potential broaching to another under conditions that in
a 'good sharpie' could be a great sleigh-ride. That's why many of our
sharpies are controllable with rather small rudders, while others need
barn-door type ones just to keep them tracking at all. We have recenly
entertained the option of larger rudders to allow 'loading' them for
more lateral-plane load options; but that's another matter.
It's a simple lesson really - which took a wile here to sink in far
enough -, but too many sharpie-designs out there still don't reflect
it. Rocker, rocker, rocker... The JOCHEMS video offers first-hand
view of a 'good sharpie'... Well, it offers it from this angle and
from that, and again.. and goes on and on...
Congratulations on the progress, Fritz. What a sight!
The second hull will come together faster yet. Good to see one third
of the hull-structural assembly stand free to baffle casual onlookers;
when Phil just looked at the photo without prior warning, he exclaimed
"good grief - what is it..." only to immediately catch himself
recognizing design #646 in genesis.
To the 'casual onlookers': Fritz commissioned this design as an
expansion of his charter-business, accepted it, and loaded a barge with
200 sheets of 1/2" ply as a serious commitment on this sprawling
project.
She is being assembled in a shop long enough but too low and too
narrow to ever allow her structure of 40'x16'x10'+ to top of trunk
(+wheelhouse) to come together. Hence each hull is being assembled
upside-down with a horizontal seam for 4'x4'x40'lower hulls, glassed
and finished as far as possible. Turned right-side up she is then
blocked into a solid leaning position in order to accommodate the
erection of full-height bulkheads which happen to be higher than the
shop... Fritz thus 'steps into' the leaning hulls over the lower edge,
until that is mostly built up as well - except for openings for acess
to cabins and double heads/diner-style galley.
Once the port-hull is assembled as well, the 'bridge' with
center-spine supporting board, mast-tabernacle, yawlboat ramp,
anchor-gear etc. will be the 'last third' of the assembly sequence.
Lining up both hulls to bolt and glue together with the 'bridge' could
be done on the beach. On the other hand Lindbergh once tried to take
off with his 45+' wingspan Curtiss 'Jenny' down the middle of some
main-street... he was a few inches off though.
Again, congratulations on the progress. Having much of her
geometry based on stock ply-dimensions has helped we hope.
The plans for the 'Wide'(20') DOUBLE EAGLE are being completed,
tailored to a live-aboard couple with a book-collection, herb-garden
hobby, on-board shop etc. So Robert Norris is not exactly breathing
down your neck Fritz, but perhaps you guys can eventually 'hold each
other's hand' when even the 'moaning chair' won't do.
Dept. Big lessons from small boats:
Bill Samson describes exactly the problem with immersed bow flat-bottom
designs. In a loaded JUNEBUG the trouble is limited and does little
harm in the short-distance purpose it serves. But if a fully loaded
JUNEBUG gets 'squirrely' tracking, picture her scaled up in a 30''bad
sharpie' and it is not a laughing matter anymore, wrestling with the
rudder from one potential broaching to another under conditions that in
a 'good sharpie' could be a great sleigh-ride. That's why many of our
sharpies are controllable with rather small rudders, while others need
barn-door type ones just to keep them tracking at all. We have recenly
entertained the option of larger rudders to allow 'loading' them for
more lateral-plane load options; but that's another matter.
It's a simple lesson really - which took a wile here to sink in far
enough -, but too many sharpie-designs out there still don't reflect
it. Rocker, rocker, rocker... The JOCHEMS video offers first-hand
view of a 'good sharpie'... Well, it offers it from this angle and
from that, and again.. and goes on and on...