Re: William D Jochem's Schooner (long)
Kjær Bjørn Harbo,
Many thanks for this old but very interessant message.
I was first interested by a Bolger AS29, then Whalewatcher and now The
Jochems Schooner.
What do you think of such a boat sailed where I am living : South
Western Pacific, lagoon of New-Caledonia with 25/35 degrees C,
tradewinds between 15 and 25kts, crossed waves of 1 to 3 ft, usually a
maximum of 6ft except when there blows a hurricane but then lowered
masts must be a good asset ? And the mixed accomodation/cockpit spirit
looks great.
Thanks for your feeling.
Seileren hilsen, jcjglt.
Many thanks for this old but very interessant message.
I was first interested by a Bolger AS29, then Whalewatcher and now The
Jochems Schooner.
What do you think of such a boat sailed where I am living : South
Western Pacific, lagoon of New-Caledonia with 25/35 degrees C,
tradewinds between 15 and 25kts, crossed waves of 1 to 3 ft, usually a
maximum of 6ft except when there blows a hurricane but then lowered
masts must be a good asset ? And the mixed accomodation/cockpit spirit
looks great.
Thanks for your feeling.
Seileren hilsen, jcjglt.
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Bjorn Harbo <bharbo@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Group,
>
> I have been asked to make a report on my experience with
> WDJ/Jochems/Family Schooner - the baby seems to have many names. I
> will try to make it brief (failed) and relevant:
>
>
> Building
>
> As many of you may know from my postings a couple of years ago I
built
Richard Spelling wrote:
openings. Now the tanks are a perfect scenery for "the WDJ chain saw
massacre". Far beyond repairability...
I will have to wait till april to repair the leeboard mounts. So far I
have removed them, and made openings in the seatbacks inside the boats
to mount the different bits and pieces.
>A good idea - on which I should have thought before I messed up the
> I used bomar hatches on the seats and rear decks. You can get them
> in pretty big sizes, and they are reasonably water tight. Should be
> able to seal up your tanks/storage area fairly easily.
>
> How did the leeboard mount repairs go?
openings. Now the tanks are a perfect scenery for "the WDJ chain saw
massacre". Far beyond repairability...
I will have to wait till april to repair the leeboard mounts. So far I
have removed them, and made openings in the seatbacks inside the boats
to mount the different bits and pieces.
I used bomar hatches on the seats and rear decks. You can get them
in pretty big sizes, and they are reasonably water tight. Should be
able to seal up your tanks/storage area fairly easily.
How did the leeboard mount repairs go?
in pretty big sizes, and they are reasonably water tight. Should be
able to seal up your tanks/storage area fairly easily.
How did the leeboard mount repairs go?
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Bjørn Harbo <bharbo@o...> wrote:
> Richard Spelling wrote:
> >
> > Incidentaly, if you fill a sealed tank with 1000 pounds of
water, or
> > 1000 pounds of lead and 0 pounds of air, it will float at the
same
> > level... I.E., if you put lead in the bottom of your water
ballast
> > tanks, and then seal them, you do not loose the "unsinkable"
factor.
>
> That is correct - in theory. My problem was that I had to make BIG
> openings in the tanks to "install" the lead pigs. And the space is
not
> useable without big, non-sealable openings.
Richard Spelling wrote:
openings in the tanks to "install" the lead pigs. And the space is not
useable without big, non-sealable openings.
>That is correct - in theory. My problem was that I had to make BIG
> Incidentaly, if you fill a sealed tank with 1000 pounds of water, or
> 1000 pounds of lead and 0 pounds of air, it will float at the same
> level... I.E., if you put lead in the bottom of your water ballast
> tanks, and then seal them, you do not loose the "unsinkable" factor.
openings in the tanks to "install" the lead pigs. And the space is not
useable without big, non-sealable openings.
Incidentaly, if you fill a sealed tank with 1000 pounds of water, or
1000 pounds of lead and 0 pounds of air, it will float at the same
level... I.E., if you put lead in the bottom of your water ballast
tanks, and then seal them, you do not loose the "unsinkable" factor.
1000 pounds of lead and 0 pounds of air, it will float at the same
level... I.E., if you put lead in the bottom of your water ballast
tanks, and then seal them, you do not loose the "unsinkable" factor.
> useful things like beer... Negative consequence: exitavoid
> unsinkability. Having wife and five kids makes one think that
> unsinkability is a good thing. However: It is not a bad thing to
> rot and short life of a precious boat either. Weighing these toprobability of
> factors against eachother requires also emphasis on the
> situations where unsinkability is important... As long as I sail in
> relativly sheltered waters (Oslo Fjord) I think that "avoiding rot"
> wins...
>
Having built the 'Cruising' chebacco, I would say that it has no
noticable effect on windward performance. She is fast as hell off
the wind, once outrunning a 22 foot sloop who had his little engine
going full blast...
She will out sail most other boats her size (or slightly bigger)
except to windward, then they slowly pull away. That said, I don't
think the pilot house degrades the windward performance much.
Certainly not enough to trade in the extra room you get with it.
noticable effect on windward performance. She is fast as hell off
the wind, once outrunning a 22 foot sloop who had his little engine
going full blast...
She will out sail most other boats her size (or slightly bigger)
except to windward, then they slowly pull away. That said, I don't
think the pilot house degrades the windward performance much.
Certainly not enough to trade in the extra room you get with it.
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Will Samson" <willsamson@y...> wrote:
> Bjorn,
>
> Something I've always wondered about these boats with
the 'cucumber frame' tops ( - makes a change from 'glasshouse' and
was used by Arthur Ransome to describe Jemmerling's powerboat - ) is
how bothered are you by windage?
>
> Of course this also applies to Birdwatcher-types, 'Cruising'
version of Chebacco, Micro-Navigator and so on.
>
> I'd be interested in an analysis of whether it adversely affects
windward performance, and effectively turns a sailing boat into
a 'motorsailer'.
>
> Bill
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Peter Lenihan wrote:
Bruce Fountain
Systems Engineer
Union Switch & Signal
Perth, Western Australia
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> Le Baron had only ONE bottle of Porto and I the other.Yes,itShould that be "ScheißeKunst"?
> would have put us in deep Kunstshit had we been stopped or had an
> accident
Bruce Fountain
Systems Engineer
Union Switch & Signal
Perth, Western Australia
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Bruce Hallman <bruce@h...> wrote:
then iron clad photgraphic memory to save me from future
embarassment or to win bets. Little did I know then that my iron
would be so easily corroded to the point of ressembling a cheap
collander where only the biggest chunks are caught and saved.
Not wishing to tax you Bruce, but you wouldn't happen to have a scan
of said wee SpurII,tucked away somewhere in your vast computer
Bolger archive,just waiting to come out? I would be most interested
in having a good peek at her,if so, and thank you for having a
better quality iron clad memory then mine :-D
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan
>long
> FWIW, in the late 1980's Phil Bolger published [in SBJ] lines
> of a boat with very similar to details to Spur II. but 12 feet
> instead of 16 feet.And to think I gave all my old SBJs away years ago trusting in my
then iron clad photgraphic memory to save me from future
embarassment or to win bets. Little did I know then that my iron
would be so easily corroded to the point of ressembling a cheap
collander where only the biggest chunks are caught and saved.
Not wishing to tax you Bruce, but you wouldn't happen to have a scan
of said wee SpurII,tucked away somewhere in your vast computer
Bolger archive,just waiting to come out? I would be most interested
in having a good peek at her,if so, and thank you for having a
better quality iron clad memory then mine :-D
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan
-- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Hugo Tyson <hhetyson@y...> wrote:
the photos. Tell me what is "Porter", do you mean Port( fortified
Red wine at about 18% alc./Vol) or is this some other brew with a
medieval sounding name!? "Le Baron", driving his "Rustcheck Limo"
after two bottles of port would certainly not have a driving license
here if he was pulled over by the cops, and most likely a hefty
fine. Are the drink driving laws in Canada fairly lax?
Hugo,
Thanks for the further details regarding your Dads SpurII.I'll
look forward to some fine shots of her moving smartly under oars! It
will also be interesting to hear just how tender she is.Bolger calls
for a Junebug and Tortise(or is it a Brick?) for tenders up on
Windermeres cabin top.He also shows home buildable davits to assit
in the launching of these two small boats.Not that I have anything
against these two worthy designs but I long for building something
with lots more shape in it.
You are correct,it is Port,the fortifide wine.I have always
known it as Porto,since that is what the french call it up here and
I know few english folk other then some of the group here.
Le Baron had only ONE bottle of Porto and I the other.Yes,it
would have put us in deep Kunstshit had we been stopped or had an
accident but remember,we are pirates and our time here is but a
quick flash of light before we are returned to the infinite
night.Canada does have strict drunk driving laws which call for the
immediate suspension of the drives license,a hefty fine and perhaps
even jail time if mortal injuries are caused. I happen to think the
law is too soft and have long tried to bring back hanging in the
public square but with little luck.An over abundance of bleeding
hearts up here,I guess :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan, who'd have to be in rather dire straights or in the
presence of some rather alluring creature before ever letting
chilled white wine pass my vulgar lips,from along the shores of the
mighty St.Lawrence.............:-)
> That latest posting of yours, I mean a few days ago about"Le Baronde Kingston/Le Mouton Noir de Kingston" (aka Bruce Hector) visit and
the photos. Tell me what is "Porter", do you mean Port( fortified
Red wine at about 18% alc./Vol) or is this some other brew with a
medieval sounding name!? "Le Baron", driving his "Rustcheck Limo"
after two bottles of port would certainly not have a driving license
here if he was pulled over by the cops, and most likely a hefty
fine. Are the drink driving laws in Canada fairly lax?
Hugo,
Thanks for the further details regarding your Dads SpurII.I'll
look forward to some fine shots of her moving smartly under oars! It
will also be interesting to hear just how tender she is.Bolger calls
for a Junebug and Tortise(or is it a Brick?) for tenders up on
Windermeres cabin top.He also shows home buildable davits to assit
in the launching of these two small boats.Not that I have anything
against these two worthy designs but I long for building something
with lots more shape in it.
You are correct,it is Port,the fortifide wine.I have always
known it as Porto,since that is what the french call it up here and
I know few english folk other then some of the group here.
Le Baron had only ONE bottle of Porto and I the other.Yes,it
would have put us in deep Kunstshit had we been stopped or had an
accident but remember,we are pirates and our time here is but a
quick flash of light before we are returned to the infinite
night.Canada does have strict drunk driving laws which call for the
immediate suspension of the drives license,a hefty fine and perhaps
even jail time if mortal injuries are caused. I happen to think the
law is too soft and have long tried to bring back hanging in the
public square but with little luck.An over abundance of bleeding
hearts up here,I guess :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan, who'd have to be in rather dire straights or in the
presence of some rather alluring creature before ever letting
chilled white wine pass my vulgar lips,from along the shores of the
mighty St.Lawrence.............:-)
> looks like such a fine lined hull that I may consider building oneFWIW, in the late 1980's Phil Bolger published [in SBJ] lines
> myself to carry around on the top of Windermere instead of the two
> dinghys shown on the plan.
> Peter Lenihan
of a boat with very similar to details to Spur II. but 12 feet long
instead of 16 feet. You might consider the shorter version,
not rowing quite so perfectly as Spur II, but lifting and stowing
more easily.
Hello Peter,
I think she'd be( a Spur II ) ideal as a boat to carry on your "Windermere", if you build her using 6mm - 1/4" Okume Marine Ply she'll be very light, easy for car topping or hoisting aboard ,with probably a single Davit as long as you include a couple of well spaced and balanced Eybolts in the Keel.
Guessing the weight of a completeted Spur II, no more than 50-60KG depending on materials used, maybe a little bit more if you wanted to put in some positive buoyancy in the bow and stern. She's fairly fine lined, so I don't know how stable she'll be(As in using her as a tender for a larger craft), but that's not the point, she's made for easy and relatively fast rowing! As Bolger says in BWAOM she's not a sailing boat, though he did include a sailing rig, which he hasn't bothered with, and nor will my father, especially with the typical winds we get here in summer!
That latest posting of yours, I mean a few days ago about"Le Baron de Kingston/Le Mouton Noir de Kingston" (aka Bruce Hector) visit and the photos. Tell me what is "Porter", do you mean Port( fortified Red wine at about 18% alc./Vol) or is this some other brew with a medieval sounding name!? "Le Baron", driving his "Rustcheck Limo" after two bottles of port would certainly not have a driving license here if he was pulled over by the cops, and most likely a hefty fine. Are the drink driving laws in Canada fairly lax?
Back to the Spur II, two-three weeks(before Christmas anyway!) and she should be in the water and I'll certainly post some photos of her under oars, which will be the only power used on this fine craft, no sail and certainly no motor!!
Hugo Tyson, Launceston, Tasmania. Australia., enjoying a crisp, dry light(10.5%) white vino.
Peter Lenihan <peterlenihan@...> wrote:
I think she'd be( a Spur II ) ideal as a boat to carry on your "Windermere", if you build her using 6mm - 1/4" Okume Marine Ply she'll be very light, easy for car topping or hoisting aboard ,with probably a single Davit as long as you include a couple of well spaced and balanced Eybolts in the Keel.
Guessing the weight of a completeted Spur II, no more than 50-60KG depending on materials used, maybe a little bit more if you wanted to put in some positive buoyancy in the bow and stern. She's fairly fine lined, so I don't know how stable she'll be(As in using her as a tender for a larger craft), but that's not the point, she's made for easy and relatively fast rowing! As Bolger says in BWAOM she's not a sailing boat, though he did include a sailing rig, which he hasn't bothered with, and nor will my father, especially with the typical winds we get here in summer!
That latest posting of yours, I mean a few days ago about"Le Baron de Kingston/Le Mouton Noir de Kingston" (aka Bruce Hector) visit and the photos. Tell me what is "Porter", do you mean Port( fortified Red wine at about 18% alc./Vol) or is this some other brew with a medieval sounding name!? "Le Baron", driving his "Rustcheck Limo" after two bottles of port would certainly not have a driving license here if he was pulled over by the cops, and most likely a hefty fine. Are the drink driving laws in Canada fairly lax?
Back to the Spur II, two-three weeks(before Christmas anyway!) and she should be in the water and I'll certainly post some photos of her under oars, which will be the only power used on this fine craft, no sail and certainly no motor!!
Hugo Tyson, Launceston, Tasmania. Australia., enjoying a crisp, dry light(10.5%) white vino.
Peter Lenihan <peterlenihan@...> wrote:
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Hugo Tyson <hhetyson@y...> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've just added 3 more pictures of my fathers "Spur II" rowing
boat
> to the photos section of Bolger4photos group.
Your Dad is really doing a very sweet job of her Hugo!...in fact,she
looks like such a fine lined hull that I may consider building one
myself to carry around on the top of Windermere instead of the two
dinghys shown on the plan.
Can't wait for some rowing shots of her :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,waiting for some snow,hopefully sooner then later from
along the shores of the St.Lawrence...........
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Hugo Tyson <hhetyson@y...> wrote:
looks like such a fine lined hull that I may consider building one
myself to carry around on the top of Windermere instead of the two
dinghys shown on the plan.
Can't wait for some rowing shots of her :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,waiting for some snow,hopefully sooner then later from
along the shores of the St.Lawrence...........
> Hi,boat
>
> I've just added 3 more pictures of my fathers "Spur II" rowing
> to the photos section of Bolger4photos group.Your Dad is really doing a very sweet job of her Hugo!...in fact,she
looks like such a fine lined hull that I may consider building one
myself to carry around on the top of Windermere instead of the two
dinghys shown on the plan.
Can't wait for some rowing shots of her :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,waiting for some snow,hopefully sooner then later from
along the shores of the St.Lawrence...........
Hi,
I've just added 3 more pictures of my fathers "Spur II" rowing boat
to the photos section of Bolger4photos group.
We went for a sail today in the "Dolly T" catboat that my father
finished building earlier this year.The Wind was very light but she
ghosted off the mooring and downstream against an incoming tide and
wind. We took no motor with us this time, but a pair of oars, just
in case the wind died altogether. No pictures of her sailing yet,
but hopefully next week I'll be able to take a few, weather
depending! We seem to only have about two types of wind here,
either too light(like today) or blowing half a gale!!
Dad hasn't put the reef pendants in yet so we can't reef her yet.
I expect that for most sailing in the afternoons during Summer 1
reef may be neccessary as 20+ knots of wind are quite usual!
She's a sweet boat and moves very nicely even in the lightest of
winds and comes about very nicely due to the rocker of the keel and
the fin skeg and "winged" rudder.
And yes I agree with Peter lenihan, when I read Bjorn's phrase("Kuntspause" or whatever it was!) in his detailed review of his Jochem's Schooner I just about spilt my glass of wine over the computer's keyboard due to laughter!!!
Hugo Tyson, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I've just added 3 more pictures of my fathers "Spur II" rowing boat
to the photos section of Bolger4photos group.
We went for a sail today in the "Dolly T" catboat that my father
finished building earlier this year.The Wind was very light but she
ghosted off the mooring and downstream against an incoming tide and
wind. We took no motor with us this time, but a pair of oars, just
in case the wind died altogether. No pictures of her sailing yet,
but hopefully next week I'll be able to take a few, weather
depending! We seem to only have about two types of wind here,
either too light(like today) or blowing half a gale!!
Dad hasn't put the reef pendants in yet so we can't reef her yet.
I expect that for most sailing in the afternoons during Summer 1
reef may be neccessary as 20+ knots of wind are quite usual!
She's a sweet boat and moves very nicely even in the lightest of
winds and comes about very nicely due to the rocker of the keel and
the fin skeg and "winged" rudder.
And yes I agree with Peter lenihan, when I read Bjorn's phrase("Kuntspause" or whatever it was!) in his detailed review of his Jochem's Schooner I just about spilt my glass of wine over the computer's keyboard due to laughter!!!
Hugo Tyson, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Bruce Hallman <bruce@...> writes:
weatherstrip in the gap between the to cover halfs. That does not mean
rain does not enter the cabin.
As far as I recall Judge Jochems tells in the video that Bolger's
original rig proposal was a cat yawl. That would have located the main
mast in the forward well and the mizzen mast way aft - both outside the
cabin. The Judge thought the mast height would be a problem while
trailering (damned right) and chose the next offer from the firm - a
schooner rig with collapsable non protruding spars (when laid
down). This led to the single objection I have with the design: the main
mast located in the cabin - making the cabin roof "unsealable". Rain
seeps into the cabin along the mast - through the deck and down to the
bottom in the galley. The good thing is that the amount of water finding
its way into the boat is surprisingly small - even after looong periods
of heavy rain. As already mentioned: my boat stays in its seaberth for
the whole season - often unattended for weeks. The water collected in
the lowest part of the boat was NEVER more than a few teacups.
The short answer to your question: the hatch design itself is absolutely
hundred percent watertight.
> Bjorn,Not one single drop - even in heavy rain - thanks to a single
>
> The WDJ has hard slot top covers, hinged in the middle.
> Do they leak?
> I have a hard time imagining how a two part cover, with
> a hinge down the middle could be made watertight.
weatherstrip in the gap between the to cover halfs. That does not mean
rain does not enter the cabin.
As far as I recall Judge Jochems tells in the video that Bolger's
original rig proposal was a cat yawl. That would have located the main
mast in the forward well and the mizzen mast way aft - both outside the
cabin. The Judge thought the mast height would be a problem while
trailering (damned right) and chose the next offer from the firm - a
schooner rig with collapsable non protruding spars (when laid
down). This led to the single objection I have with the design: the main
mast located in the cabin - making the cabin roof "unsealable". Rain
seeps into the cabin along the mast - through the deck and down to the
bottom in the galley. The good thing is that the amount of water finding
its way into the boat is surprisingly small - even after looong periods
of heavy rain. As already mentioned: my boat stays in its seaberth for
the whole season - often unattended for weeks. The water collected in
the lowest part of the boat was NEVER more than a few teacups.
The short answer to your question: the hatch design itself is absolutely
hundred percent watertight.
> I have been asked to make a report on my experience withBjorn,
> WDJ/Jochems/Family Schooner - --
> Bjorn Harbo
The WDJ has hard slot top covers, hinged in the middle.
Do they leak?
I have a hard time imagining how a two part cover, with
a hinge down the middle could be made watertight.
>'glasshouse' windage?I recall reading PCB writing of the effect of height
> Bill
on wind resistance, [in context of tabernacled
masts] in a hurricane. The wind resistance on
wire stays high up might even exceed the wind
resistance on a cabin relatively low down.
If I am not mistaken, all the Bolger 'glass house'
sail boats have unstayed masts, and most are
tabernacled. Those two features might reduce
wind resistance more than the 'high' cabins would
increase it.
The exception being, Insolent 60, which appears
to have backstays. She is so long that
her glasshouse cabin is not that tall relative to
her length.
> I steered 90 deg to the waves (obviously badThanks for taking the time to make your long report. It's very
> seamanship) and there was almost no progress as the
> propeller was out
> of the water and hence ineffective...
interesting to get reports on whether these unusual boats live up to
the designers' hopes. In this case, pretty well, I guess.
A comment about strong wind and rough water. The naive assumption is
that a sailboat can survive rough water better with the sails down
and the motor on. I don't think so, myself. On my current boat and
my previous boat, progress to windward becomes difficult at
surpisingly low wind speeds, say 12 knots, when the boat can still
be sailed upwind easily and with pleasure. The reason is that the ob
does not keep the propeller in the water, much as you describe.
I have also found that peak stresses on the rig are due to waves and
not to gusts. Water is denser than air, and the boat gets tossed
more harshly by waves. This is probably true of leeboards too, and
it's very believeable to me that your leeboard bracket would not
have failed if the sail had been raised.
Thanks again, and good luck with your repair.
Peter
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Bjorn Harbo" <bharbo@o...> wrote:
Peter Lenihan
>does
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Lenihan" <peterlenihan@h...>
>
> Thanks for the clarification Bjorn.I'm still laughing,but what
> > it mean? :-)Ah.....vielen Dank!
>
> "Dramatic Pause"
> Die Kunst = l'art
Peter Lenihan
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Peter Lenihan" <peterlenihan@h...> >
Thanks for the clarification Bjorn.I'm still laughing,but what does
Die Kunst = l'art
Thanks for the clarification Bjorn.I'm still laughing,but what does
> it mean? :-)"Dramatic Pause"
Die Kunst = l'art
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Bjorn Harbo" <bharbo@o...> wrote:
it mean? :-)
The sun will soon be rising over the Bay of Fundy or at least I hope
it will be sunny for them! I'm still a ways further West of them,in
Montreal to be exact,and enjoying the darkness of night.Something
easily accomplished when working the night shift :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan
> Thanks Peter. BTW, isn't it middle in the night at the Bay ofFundy
> right now???Thanks for the clarification Bjorn.I'm still laughing,but what does
>
> Kunstpause is Altenburger-speek and is pronounced with a K like in
> kite. (as a matter of fact it is written and pronounced almost
> identical in Norwegian as well)
it mean? :-)
The sun will soon be rising over the Bay of Fundy or at least I hope
it will be sunny for them! I'm still a ways further West of them,in
Montreal to be exact,and enjoying the darkness of night.Something
easily accomplished when working the night shift :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Will Samson" <willsamson@y...> wrote:
Arthur Ransome to describe Jemmerling's powerboat - ) is how bothered
are you by windage?
a 'motorsailer'.
As PCB says in the video: the influence of the raised deck on windage
is negligable compared to the rig on sailboats. I don't know. What I
know is that without leeboards down the drift is enormous when
motoring. This is probably more due to the flat bottom and lack
of "integrated" submersed lateral resistence than increased "above
water surface" lateral area.
Bjørn
> Bjorn,frame' tops ( - makes a change from 'glasshouse' and was used by
>
> Something I've always wondered about these boats with the 'cucumber
Arthur Ransome to describe Jemmerling's powerboat - ) is how bothered
are you by windage?
>version of Chebacco, Micro-Navigator and so on.
> Of course this also applies to Birdwatcher-types, 'Cruising'
>windward performance, and effectively turns a sailing boat into
> I'd be interested in an analysis of whether it adversely affects
a 'motorsailer'.
>Bill,
> Bill
As PCB says in the video: the influence of the raised deck on windage
is negligable compared to the rig on sailboats. I don't know. What I
know is that without leeboards down the drift is enormous when
motoring. This is probably more due to the flat bottom and lack
of "integrated" submersed lateral resistence than increased "above
water surface" lateral area.
Bjørn
> However,I must confess to enjoying something of a belly-laugh whenI
> read the above incident and pronounced the word "Kunstpause" withThanks Peter. BTW, isn't it middle in the night at the Bay of Fundy
> anglo phonetics. In fact, I came within a Kunsthair of spraying
> coffee all over the monitor! This is not boat related,but please
> tell me if the K is pronounced hard,soft or silent.......it makes a
> BIG difference to english ears :-)
right now???
Kunstpause is Altenburger-speek and is pronounced with a K like in
kite. (as a matter of fact it is written and pronounced almost
identical in Norwegian as well)
Bjørn
Bjorn,
Something I've always wondered about these boats with the 'cucumber frame' tops ( - makes a change from 'glasshouse' and was used by Arthur Ransome to describe Jemmerling's powerboat - ) is how bothered are you by windage?
Of course this also applies to Birdwatcher-types, 'Cruising' version of Chebacco, Micro-Navigator and so on.
I'd be interested in an analysis of whether it adversely affects windward performance, and effectively turns a sailing boat into a 'motorsailer'.
Bill
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Something I've always wondered about these boats with the 'cucumber frame' tops ( - makes a change from 'glasshouse' and was used by Arthur Ransome to describe Jemmerling's powerboat - ) is how bothered are you by windage?
Of course this also applies to Birdwatcher-types, 'Cruising' version of Chebacco, Micro-Navigator and so on.
I'd be interested in an analysis of whether it adversely affects windward performance, and effectively turns a sailing boat into a 'motorsailer'.
Bill
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Bjorn Harbo <bharbo@o...> wrote:
Canadian dollars but they are gaining in value relative to the U.S.
greenback :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,who says"to hell with editing,I wanna see the whole
thing blury,out-of-focus,skittish and all"!,from along the blustery
shores of the St.Lawrence.........
> Rick Bedard <sctree@y...> writes:After Ricks copy, make one for moi too please! I can only pay in
>
> > Now, how do I get a copy of that video you made?
> >
> > Rick Bedard
>
> As soon as I can get my DV-editing program working I can make DVD
> copies. Hope to be there soon.
>
> Bjørn
Canadian dollars but they are gaining in value relative to the U.S.
greenback :-)
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan,who says"to hell with editing,I wanna see the whole
thing blury,out-of-focus,skittish and all"!,from along the blustery
shores of the St.Lawrence.........
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, Bjorn Harbo <bharbo@o...> wrote:
I heard a loud crack and my son who had sought
> shelter on the forward port berth came like a torpedo through into
the
> cockpit screaming: the boat is sinking!
>
> (Kunstpause...)
>
> Well. We were not exactly going under. The situation was
nevertheless
> quite frightening.
Bjorn,
Thank you for a wonderful review of your experience and the
sharing of your observations regarding your WDJ schooner.This is a
most intriguing design which I certainly daydreamed about on more
then one occassion:-)
Your Norwenglish is perfectly understandable and readable.
However,I must confess to enjoying something of a belly-laugh when I
read the above incident and pronounced the word "Kunstpause" with
anglo phonetics. In fact, I came within a Kunsthair of spraying
coffee all over the monitor! This is not boat related,but please
tell me if the K is pronounced hard,soft or silent.......it makes a
BIG difference to english ears :-)
Considering the your high level of determination in building a
WGJ schooner in much less then "perfect" conditions, I am most
confident that you will successfully complete your
repair/modification and end up with an even better boat to
confidently sail about some beautiful sea-scapes rekowned in your
part of the world.
Continued success to you and happy sailing next year!!!!
Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan, who loves long posts and is very much guilty of
same,especially with the approaching long nights of winter....and
no,this does not apply to those crazy antipodeans about to drive us
crazy with tales of their approaching summer hijinks( you KNOW who
you are! :-D )
Thank you Bj�rn. Let me know when...
Rick
Bjorn Harbo <bharbo@...> wrote:
Rick Bedard <sctree@...> writes:
copies. Hope to be there soon.
Bj�rn
Bolger rules!!!
- no cursing, flaming, trolling, spamming, or flogging dead horses
- stay on topic, stay on thread, punctuate, no 'Ed, thanks, Fred' posts
- Pls add your comments at the TOP, SIGN your posts, and snip away
- Plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA, 01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349
- Unsubscribe:bolger-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
- Open discussion:bolger_coffee_lounge-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Rick
Bjorn Harbo <bharbo@...> wrote:
Rick Bedard <sctree@...> writes:
> Now, how do I get a copy of that video you made?As soon as I can get my DV-editing program working I can make DVD
>
> Rick Bedard
copies. Hope to be there soon.
Bj�rn
Bolger rules!!!
- no cursing, flaming, trolling, spamming, or flogging dead horses
- stay on topic, stay on thread, punctuate, no 'Ed, thanks, Fred' posts
- Pls add your comments at the TOP, SIGN your posts, and snip away
- Plans: Mr. Philip C. Bolger, P.O. Box 1209, Gloucester, MA, 01930, Fax: (978) 282-1349
- Unsubscribe:bolger-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
- Open discussion:bolger_coffee_lounge-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
Get unlimited calls to
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---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Rick Bedard <sctree@...> writes:
copies. Hope to be there soon.
Bjørn
> Now, how do I get a copy of that video you made?As soon as I can get my DV-editing program working I can make DVD
>
> Rick Bedard
copies. Hope to be there soon.
Bjørn
Bjorn,
Excellent report. Thank you....
I want to dig out my Jochems plans and order a pile of plywood. [ Not 3-ply though :) ]
Now, how do I get a copy of that video you made?
Rick Bedard
Bjorn Harbo <bharbo@...> wrote:
Hello Group,
I have been asked to make a report on my experience with
WDJ/Jochems/Family Schooner - the baby seems to have many names. I
will try to make it brief (failed) and relevant:
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Excellent report. Thank you....
I want to dig out my Jochems plans and order a pile of plywood. [ Not 3-ply though :) ]
Now, how do I get a copy of that video you made?
Rick Bedard
Bjorn Harbo <bharbo@...> wrote:
Hello Group,
I have been asked to make a report on my experience with
WDJ/Jochems/Family Schooner - the baby seems to have many names. I
will try to make it brief (failed) and relevant:
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hello Group,
I have been asked to make a report on my experience with
WDJ/Jochems/Family Schooner - the baby seems to have many names. I
will try to make it brief (failed) and relevant:
Building
As many of you may know from my postings a couple of years ago I built
Esmeralda on rough ground under a tarp (and a maple tree) in Oslo. The
building season is short and the climate tough. IOW the conditions for
building were not the best. The tarp blew off several times and the boat
got drenched by heavy rains og was filled with wet snow in the
winter. Regrettably I used cheap lauan/meranti threeply 1/2" sheets. Due
to lack of boat building experience my consume of epoxy was excessive.
I started building spring '99 and launched Esmeralda Sept 3, 2002. The
best part of the actual construction took place during three periods
of four weeks. I had little time work on the boat during evenings and
weekends. I have no idea how many man hours (my father helped me a
bit) were used. I do think that it was much less than the 2000 hours
the Judge said he used. That said: It is obvious from the lack of
finish in my boat that it was built under time pressure.
The building site was on a parking lot at my father's place and the
neighbours were not too happy having a strange looking boat under an
insufficient tarp in front of their kitchen windows. As we aproached
the winter of 2002/2003 I was forced to finish and launch - I simply
could not expose my father and his fellow neighbours to another winter
with the project unfinished.
Although WDJ is a big and complex boat I experienced no technical
problems during the building period. There were no tasks I did not
handle myself (exept the metal hardware which I 'outsourced'). I was a
totally unexperienced boat builder exept for the two stitch and glue
kayaks I built in the summer of 1997 (the first built from a complete
kit from CLC; the second I copied from the first). This was possible
not due to my talent but thanks to an extremely well written and
comprehensible construction manual and drawings. (when I reread this
paragraph I feel like bragging. The intention however is to emphasize
how surprisingly simple the construction technique is. Like building a
stitch and glue kayak, just bigger).
PB&SA changed important parts of the construction during my building
period. I discovered this when I ordered a new set of drawings as the
original ones were worn out. I had not been informed of this and was
pretty surprised. It concerned the design of the water ballast tanks,
their flushing and filling and most important of all: the construction
of the leeboard brackets and their connection with the hull. At that
time I had already finished the leeboards and all that was connected
with them. Reconstructing these parts of the boat would have meant big
time surgery: removing the brackets themselves, rebuilding them,
removing and reconstructing major parts of the two forward bunks and
the water ballast tanks. I asked PCB&SA if this was really necessary
and was assured that the mentioned changes were made due to failure in
BIGGER boats with a similar leeboard system. The prototype Sapphire
sailing on Lake Mead and in San Francisco Bay had had no problems with
the leeboards at all.
My boat does not need to be trailerable. I have a permanent berth in a
Marina in Oslo and my boat club offers storing the member's boats on
land during the winter. I will never afford a car big enough to
transport Esmeralda anyway. Since the boat was to stay in the water
from ultimo april till primo november each year I got second thoughts
about the water tanks (regrettably AFTER they were finished). I had
night mares about tiny cracks in the epoxy layer in the tanks, water
creeping into the cheap ply and inducing rot and whatever). I wanted
my ballast tanks dry. My first thought was to replace the water with
lead. That would save space and let me use the tanks for storing
useful things like beer... Negative consequence: exit
unsinkability. Having wife and five kids makes one think that
unsinkability is a good thing. However: It is not a bad thing to avoid
rot and short life of a precious boat either. Weighing these to
factors against eachother requires also emphasis on the probability of
situations where unsinkability is important... As long as I sail in
relativly sheltered waters (Oslo Fjord) I think that "avoiding rot"
wins...
Let me jump to the conclusion and spare you further details of my
considerations: I bought some leadpigs (25 kgs each), wrapped them in
plastic, put 9 mm rope around them and fastened them to the bottom of
the ballast tank bottom with thickened epoxy. I got this idea from
Sven Yrvind who visited me at this crucial point of construction. The
upside of the method: I will at any time easily be able to remove the
pigs by cutting the rope and take the pigs out of the plastic. And
hopefully the pigs will not loosen should the boat lean 90 deg or -
heaven forbid - turn over. I think I have placed six pigs (150 kgs) on
each side of the boat.
The next step was to fill 5 liter (5000 cc) plastic cans with water
and fill the rest of the space in the water tanks with them (sorry, no
more room for beer, not in the tanks anyway..). I think there are abt
20 cans, IOW another 100 kgs ballast. The boat is now dry inside, I
don't have to worry about rot and I just have to hope for the best if
my hull should take a serious leak... If I need to add ballast down
low I can replace the water with sand.
Money
I intended to make a note of every penny (krone) that went into the
project - and did not make a single one (note that is)... My
guesstimate is abt 100000 NOK, (USD 12000). That is what I tell my
wife, anyway. The sails (much too heavy and expensive for the boat)
were 30000 NOK (USD 3500). As mentioned before I used cheap ply. That
was my first investment and I thought I made a clever deal. Big
mistake. My advice: buy good plywood! (The bitterness of low quality
remains long after the sweet taste of low price is forgotten...)
Sailing
Amazing! Fabilous! A dream! And she is stiff! She tracks like on
rails. Trimming is possible due to four sails, two leeboards and a
retractable rudder. She does not point high (I don't care either). She
is impressivly fast in light wind (large wardrobe). The rig is
BEAUTIFUL!! And she does not go well to windward (since you keep
asking).
The best part of the boat for my needs is the fact that the boat is
tremendiously spacy. Four full size single berths, a galley with two
counters, big lockers, one head and HUGE windows. Sitting on the bunks
while sailing, being able to breath FRESH air through the large hatch
openings that also allow a view to all sails and still have the
feeling of being ON DECK, is something I have not experienced in any
boat of this size before. I don't have to worry about my kids who can
play around inside, keep track of what is happening outside and stay
completely safe and dry. I have a nice video showing exactly this part
of the sailing.
Handling the schooner rig with four sails is fun if not intuitive to a
former dinghy sailor. All four sheets are led to the cockpit. And
hoisting and lowering sails are handled from the cockpit or cabin. No
need to go on deck. To stow the jib you have to climb into the forward
well. From here you may in completely safety take care of the ground
tackle.
The masts are easily raised and lowered even without the "default"
worm gear (I am not sure if that is the correct word either..). I
shortened the masts by 2 ft acording to PCB&SA's recommendations. My
gaffs are hollow although I used 15 mm planks instead of 12 mm
(1/2"). My sails are probably MUCH heavier than WDJ #1. Nevertheless:
as already mentioned: my ship feels stiff. I have been sailing alone
in fresh breeze with all four sails up. The boat leans 45 deg or so
and stays there. I have never felt unsafe and the cockpit stays dry.
Under power
To maneuver the boat in tight places it is necessary to steer with the
motor and to lower at least one leeboard. This is the trickiest part
of the boat handling in my opinion. It may be due to my relatively
limited boating experience. If you can afford it: buy four stroke
engines. Mine is noisy.
At anchor
There has been some postings abt slapping at anchor in flat bottomed
boats lately. This is also the case with WDJ even with the small
"keel" in the bow which is supposed to "cut" the water. For what it is
worth: I am not disturbed by these acustic background at all.
Problems
One single problem: Late July 2003 I was sailing in heavy weather with
one of my sons, then 13 years old. I never keep track of exact wind
speed or wave height but my wife deared not join us. We sailed with
fore sail, no jib and reefed main. My son was not comfortable with
this and we desided to go by motor to another marina. To reach this
marine we had to round a peninsula. The waves interfered and the see
got pretty rough. I steerd 90 deg to the waves (obviously bad
seemanship) and there was almost no progress as the propeller was out
of the water and hence ineffectiv every time we were on top of a
wave. My son insisted on going back to where we came from and I made a
180 deg turn. Both leeboards were lowered to there maximum. As I were
parallel to the waves I heard a loud crack and my son who had sought
shelter on the forward port berth came like a torpedo through into the
cockpit screaming: the boat is sinking!
(Kunstpause...)
Well. We were not exactly going under. The situation was nevertheless
quite frightening. The port leeboard was still attached to its
bracket. The bracket itself had loosened from the bracket shelf on its
lower part. The bracket shelf is a horisontal laminate of two 1/2"
plywood pieces, abt 5' long and 8" wide fastened to the hull with
screws, epoxy fillets and glass (on both sides). The bracket on which
the leebord rests and to which it is connected with a 1/2" SS bolt
(the pivot) is fastened to the shelf with fillets and glass on its
lower part. The upper part ist fastened to the hull with several
screws and thickened epoxy. The weight of the water had forced the
port leeboard outwards (at the given time the weather side) tearing
the lower part of the bracket from the shelf and pressing the upper
part of the bracket INTO the hull. The latter is what caused the loud
cracking. There was a 1' long horisontal crack in the hull along the
window forward of the gally port side. This is in safe distance from
the waterline and represented no immediate danger. However the
leeboard could no longer be used and that was my last sail with
Esmeralda as till today had not had time to make the repair.
How could this happen?
First of all: this did not happen while sailing. When sailing the
preassure of the water is preassure of the water is on the 'outside'
of the leeboard and then there must be a traction of the upper part of
the bracket directly connected to the hull and compression of the
lower part which is less effectivly connected to the shelf. The
construction as originally designed seems adequately dimensioned for
sailing.
It probably is for the kind of motorsailing I did as well - had I been
a better boat builder. When removing the bracket this fall I
shamefully discovered the many voids in the lamination between hull
and upper part of the bracket. This does of cours NOT explain the
failure of the bracket. However - it might have caused a failure while
sailing. More serious: the connection between the lower part of the
bracket and the shelf was not as secure as the drawing and building
manual instructs the builder to make it: I had NOT applied the glass
fabric to strengthen the fillets. If this joint had been strong enough
the impression of the hull caudal to the pivot had not occured.
Que faire?
Till now I have not had time to complete the repair. I have removed
the brackets and made large openings in the berths to gain access to
the inside of the hull. The before mentioned changes in the
construction drawings show a completely different attachements of the
leeboard to the hull. Much too complicated for me to explain in
Norwenglish... The most important feature is that the pivot now is
3/4" and goes through the hull which in this part of the boat is
doubled and strengthened by a vertical 5" ply lamination. I have made
the major parts and hope to finish till spring next year.
This incident has not affected my view of the boat. I take 100%
responsibility for the accident which I am sure had not happened had I
been both a better boat builder and a better sailor. Lesson learned.
I have NOT seen the latest article in MAIB.
I am damned proud of this boat and will happily recommend the design
to anyone who is willing to invest time and money into a big building
project. (Just make sure your wife agrees.............)
--
Bjorn Harbo
I have been asked to make a report on my experience with
WDJ/Jochems/Family Schooner - the baby seems to have many names. I
will try to make it brief (failed) and relevant:
Building
As many of you may know from my postings a couple of years ago I built
Esmeralda on rough ground under a tarp (and a maple tree) in Oslo. The
building season is short and the climate tough. IOW the conditions for
building were not the best. The tarp blew off several times and the boat
got drenched by heavy rains og was filled with wet snow in the
winter. Regrettably I used cheap lauan/meranti threeply 1/2" sheets. Due
to lack of boat building experience my consume of epoxy was excessive.
I started building spring '99 and launched Esmeralda Sept 3, 2002. The
best part of the actual construction took place during three periods
of four weeks. I had little time work on the boat during evenings and
weekends. I have no idea how many man hours (my father helped me a
bit) were used. I do think that it was much less than the 2000 hours
the Judge said he used. That said: It is obvious from the lack of
finish in my boat that it was built under time pressure.
The building site was on a parking lot at my father's place and the
neighbours were not too happy having a strange looking boat under an
insufficient tarp in front of their kitchen windows. As we aproached
the winter of 2002/2003 I was forced to finish and launch - I simply
could not expose my father and his fellow neighbours to another winter
with the project unfinished.
Although WDJ is a big and complex boat I experienced no technical
problems during the building period. There were no tasks I did not
handle myself (exept the metal hardware which I 'outsourced'). I was a
totally unexperienced boat builder exept for the two stitch and glue
kayaks I built in the summer of 1997 (the first built from a complete
kit from CLC; the second I copied from the first). This was possible
not due to my talent but thanks to an extremely well written and
comprehensible construction manual and drawings. (when I reread this
paragraph I feel like bragging. The intention however is to emphasize
how surprisingly simple the construction technique is. Like building a
stitch and glue kayak, just bigger).
PB&SA changed important parts of the construction during my building
period. I discovered this when I ordered a new set of drawings as the
original ones were worn out. I had not been informed of this and was
pretty surprised. It concerned the design of the water ballast tanks,
their flushing and filling and most important of all: the construction
of the leeboard brackets and their connection with the hull. At that
time I had already finished the leeboards and all that was connected
with them. Reconstructing these parts of the boat would have meant big
time surgery: removing the brackets themselves, rebuilding them,
removing and reconstructing major parts of the two forward bunks and
the water ballast tanks. I asked PCB&SA if this was really necessary
and was assured that the mentioned changes were made due to failure in
BIGGER boats with a similar leeboard system. The prototype Sapphire
sailing on Lake Mead and in San Francisco Bay had had no problems with
the leeboards at all.
My boat does not need to be trailerable. I have a permanent berth in a
Marina in Oslo and my boat club offers storing the member's boats on
land during the winter. I will never afford a car big enough to
transport Esmeralda anyway. Since the boat was to stay in the water
from ultimo april till primo november each year I got second thoughts
about the water tanks (regrettably AFTER they were finished). I had
night mares about tiny cracks in the epoxy layer in the tanks, water
creeping into the cheap ply and inducing rot and whatever). I wanted
my ballast tanks dry. My first thought was to replace the water with
lead. That would save space and let me use the tanks for storing
useful things like beer... Negative consequence: exit
unsinkability. Having wife and five kids makes one think that
unsinkability is a good thing. However: It is not a bad thing to avoid
rot and short life of a precious boat either. Weighing these to
factors against eachother requires also emphasis on the probability of
situations where unsinkability is important... As long as I sail in
relativly sheltered waters (Oslo Fjord) I think that "avoiding rot"
wins...
Let me jump to the conclusion and spare you further details of my
considerations: I bought some leadpigs (25 kgs each), wrapped them in
plastic, put 9 mm rope around them and fastened them to the bottom of
the ballast tank bottom with thickened epoxy. I got this idea from
Sven Yrvind who visited me at this crucial point of construction. The
upside of the method: I will at any time easily be able to remove the
pigs by cutting the rope and take the pigs out of the plastic. And
hopefully the pigs will not loosen should the boat lean 90 deg or -
heaven forbid - turn over. I think I have placed six pigs (150 kgs) on
each side of the boat.
The next step was to fill 5 liter (5000 cc) plastic cans with water
and fill the rest of the space in the water tanks with them (sorry, no
more room for beer, not in the tanks anyway..). I think there are abt
20 cans, IOW another 100 kgs ballast. The boat is now dry inside, I
don't have to worry about rot and I just have to hope for the best if
my hull should take a serious leak... If I need to add ballast down
low I can replace the water with sand.
Money
I intended to make a note of every penny (krone) that went into the
project - and did not make a single one (note that is)... My
guesstimate is abt 100000 NOK, (USD 12000). That is what I tell my
wife, anyway. The sails (much too heavy and expensive for the boat)
were 30000 NOK (USD 3500). As mentioned before I used cheap ply. That
was my first investment and I thought I made a clever deal. Big
mistake. My advice: buy good plywood! (The bitterness of low quality
remains long after the sweet taste of low price is forgotten...)
Sailing
Amazing! Fabilous! A dream! And she is stiff! She tracks like on
rails. Trimming is possible due to four sails, two leeboards and a
retractable rudder. She does not point high (I don't care either). She
is impressivly fast in light wind (large wardrobe). The rig is
BEAUTIFUL!! And she does not go well to windward (since you keep
asking).
The best part of the boat for my needs is the fact that the boat is
tremendiously spacy. Four full size single berths, a galley with two
counters, big lockers, one head and HUGE windows. Sitting on the bunks
while sailing, being able to breath FRESH air through the large hatch
openings that also allow a view to all sails and still have the
feeling of being ON DECK, is something I have not experienced in any
boat of this size before. I don't have to worry about my kids who can
play around inside, keep track of what is happening outside and stay
completely safe and dry. I have a nice video showing exactly this part
of the sailing.
Handling the schooner rig with four sails is fun if not intuitive to a
former dinghy sailor. All four sheets are led to the cockpit. And
hoisting and lowering sails are handled from the cockpit or cabin. No
need to go on deck. To stow the jib you have to climb into the forward
well. From here you may in completely safety take care of the ground
tackle.
The masts are easily raised and lowered even without the "default"
worm gear (I am not sure if that is the correct word either..). I
shortened the masts by 2 ft acording to PCB&SA's recommendations. My
gaffs are hollow although I used 15 mm planks instead of 12 mm
(1/2"). My sails are probably MUCH heavier than WDJ #1. Nevertheless:
as already mentioned: my ship feels stiff. I have been sailing alone
in fresh breeze with all four sails up. The boat leans 45 deg or so
and stays there. I have never felt unsafe and the cockpit stays dry.
Under power
To maneuver the boat in tight places it is necessary to steer with the
motor and to lower at least one leeboard. This is the trickiest part
of the boat handling in my opinion. It may be due to my relatively
limited boating experience. If you can afford it: buy four stroke
engines. Mine is noisy.
At anchor
There has been some postings abt slapping at anchor in flat bottomed
boats lately. This is also the case with WDJ even with the small
"keel" in the bow which is supposed to "cut" the water. For what it is
worth: I am not disturbed by these acustic background at all.
Problems
One single problem: Late July 2003 I was sailing in heavy weather with
one of my sons, then 13 years old. I never keep track of exact wind
speed or wave height but my wife deared not join us. We sailed with
fore sail, no jib and reefed main. My son was not comfortable with
this and we desided to go by motor to another marina. To reach this
marine we had to round a peninsula. The waves interfered and the see
got pretty rough. I steerd 90 deg to the waves (obviously bad
seemanship) and there was almost no progress as the propeller was out
of the water and hence ineffectiv every time we were on top of a
wave. My son insisted on going back to where we came from and I made a
180 deg turn. Both leeboards were lowered to there maximum. As I were
parallel to the waves I heard a loud crack and my son who had sought
shelter on the forward port berth came like a torpedo through into the
cockpit screaming: the boat is sinking!
(Kunstpause...)
Well. We were not exactly going under. The situation was nevertheless
quite frightening. The port leeboard was still attached to its
bracket. The bracket itself had loosened from the bracket shelf on its
lower part. The bracket shelf is a horisontal laminate of two 1/2"
plywood pieces, abt 5' long and 8" wide fastened to the hull with
screws, epoxy fillets and glass (on both sides). The bracket on which
the leebord rests and to which it is connected with a 1/2" SS bolt
(the pivot) is fastened to the shelf with fillets and glass on its
lower part. The upper part ist fastened to the hull with several
screws and thickened epoxy. The weight of the water had forced the
port leeboard outwards (at the given time the weather side) tearing
the lower part of the bracket from the shelf and pressing the upper
part of the bracket INTO the hull. The latter is what caused the loud
cracking. There was a 1' long horisontal crack in the hull along the
window forward of the gally port side. This is in safe distance from
the waterline and represented no immediate danger. However the
leeboard could no longer be used and that was my last sail with
Esmeralda as till today had not had time to make the repair.
How could this happen?
First of all: this did not happen while sailing. When sailing the
preassure of the water is preassure of the water is on the 'outside'
of the leeboard and then there must be a traction of the upper part of
the bracket directly connected to the hull and compression of the
lower part which is less effectivly connected to the shelf. The
construction as originally designed seems adequately dimensioned for
sailing.
It probably is for the kind of motorsailing I did as well - had I been
a better boat builder. When removing the bracket this fall I
shamefully discovered the many voids in the lamination between hull
and upper part of the bracket. This does of cours NOT explain the
failure of the bracket. However - it might have caused a failure while
sailing. More serious: the connection between the lower part of the
bracket and the shelf was not as secure as the drawing and building
manual instructs the builder to make it: I had NOT applied the glass
fabric to strengthen the fillets. If this joint had been strong enough
the impression of the hull caudal to the pivot had not occured.
Que faire?
Till now I have not had time to complete the repair. I have removed
the brackets and made large openings in the berths to gain access to
the inside of the hull. The before mentioned changes in the
construction drawings show a completely different attachements of the
leeboard to the hull. Much too complicated for me to explain in
Norwenglish... The most important feature is that the pivot now is
3/4" and goes through the hull which in this part of the boat is
doubled and strengthened by a vertical 5" ply lamination. I have made
the major parts and hope to finish till spring next year.
This incident has not affected my view of the boat. I take 100%
responsibility for the accident which I am sure had not happened had I
been both a better boat builder and a better sailor. Lesson learned.
I have NOT seen the latest article in MAIB.
I am damned proud of this boat and will happily recommend the design
to anyone who is willing to invest time and money into a big building
project. (Just make sure your wife agrees.............)
--
Bjorn Harbo