Re: Pirogue Progress --- Notes
Craig, thanks also for the additional info. I haven't had much
experience with foot pedals but its all been very average so far - I
suspect that my limited ambidextrosiousness definitely does not
extend to my feet - I'll go with the Norwegian tiller I think.
==
no, I don't mean for steering - I mean that in a small boat like
this, which is essentially a sit-down, lazy man's windsurfer, you want
a backrest and a pair of cleats to brace your feet against when
necessary.
it's a very comfortable boat to sail -- under normal summer
conditions where wind is under mebbe 8 kt kt you can balance the boat
by leaning a little or shifting legs further outboard. On truly light
air days you can lie down and sail and look at the sky... it sails
surprisingly well in light air because it's so light.
if it's bowling along it's very comfy to sail as long as you have a
seat back and foot brace. For a seat use a flotation cushion which
doubles as a float to assist in the (rare) event of having capsized.
I've rolled it once or twice when caught by bad gusts and pushing
things for the fun of it. Once, caught unawares by the "dinghy death
roll" which I learned after that one time how to anticipate and avoid
in the Peero.
Half the time I just hop out into 4 feet of water and walk the boat
to the beach and empty it out. The other times you just disconnect the
rig and swim the boat in, or bail some and climb in (special technique
here) and paddle over and get the rig, head for shore, re-erect the
rig.
I have sailed it reefed in more, maybe 10-12kt, and it is quite
controllable though you are not much going to windward in those
circumstances since it's too small to get up any momentum and beat
through chop. A downwind run in such conditions is, errr, "a thrill".
John H and I went to a local gunkhole called "Cacaway Island" last
year and the wind really kicked up for the trip back. He avoided a
capsize on a bad gust off a point of land (2.5 ft of water, sand bar)
and later was able as a dinghy sailor to really hunker down and sail
back. So I may remain the only one who has successfully dunked the
boat.
I fished out. I was having a bad time with mast bend on the lugsail
in that amount of wind as John made his masts very light (he admits,
"too bendy") and even reefing did not help. So I paddled to shore,
struck the rig, and paddled back upwind to the starting place.
As a boat to paddle it is very comfortable and stable, even if it
isn't a kayak.
A couple other times out of cussedness I'd attached a sail, at 50+ sq
ft much too large, just for the heck of it, with predictable results <
grin>. Not recommended.
Sailrite has ther proper balance lug listed under "Bolger 12ft
Sailing Pirogue" and/or "Chesapeake Light Craft Mill Creek 13 Sail" if
youwant to buy a kit.
They no longer make finished sails but the sail I use (balanced lug)
was bought from them finished. The sail John Harris likes is a gaff
sail. It also came from Sailrite. I am not sure what they list it
under. Either one works fine - the balance lug works quite
well though John is able to outsail me with the gaffer. of course he
was a competitive sailor in college and I'm just a hack.
I have also sailed it with 3 or four different "play rigs" made of
polytarp - a batwing gunter, a balanced lug with airfoil battens, a
"sharpie style spritsail", a small gaff sail, etc. It's fun it you
like doing this. All of these are between 20 and 42 sq ft. The batwing
is the largest, and is easily reefed down to about 35 sq ft.
Foam glued under the front and rear decks is the preferred flotation.
Air tanks cause the boat to float too high if filled and it becomes
hard to bail because it tends to roll one rail or the other under as
you are bailing.
experience with foot pedals but its all been very average so far - I
suspect that my limited ambidextrosiousness definitely does not
extend to my feet - I'll go with the Norwegian tiller I think.
==
no, I don't mean for steering - I mean that in a small boat like
this, which is essentially a sit-down, lazy man's windsurfer, you want
a backrest and a pair of cleats to brace your feet against when
necessary.
it's a very comfortable boat to sail -- under normal summer
conditions where wind is under mebbe 8 kt kt you can balance the boat
by leaning a little or shifting legs further outboard. On truly light
air days you can lie down and sail and look at the sky... it sails
surprisingly well in light air because it's so light.
if it's bowling along it's very comfy to sail as long as you have a
seat back and foot brace. For a seat use a flotation cushion which
doubles as a float to assist in the (rare) event of having capsized.
I've rolled it once or twice when caught by bad gusts and pushing
things for the fun of it. Once, caught unawares by the "dinghy death
roll" which I learned after that one time how to anticipate and avoid
in the Peero.
Half the time I just hop out into 4 feet of water and walk the boat
to the beach and empty it out. The other times you just disconnect the
rig and swim the boat in, or bail some and climb in (special technique
here) and paddle over and get the rig, head for shore, re-erect the
rig.
I have sailed it reefed in more, maybe 10-12kt, and it is quite
controllable though you are not much going to windward in those
circumstances since it's too small to get up any momentum and beat
through chop. A downwind run in such conditions is, errr, "a thrill".
John H and I went to a local gunkhole called "Cacaway Island" last
year and the wind really kicked up for the trip back. He avoided a
capsize on a bad gust off a point of land (2.5 ft of water, sand bar)
and later was able as a dinghy sailor to really hunker down and sail
back. So I may remain the only one who has successfully dunked the
boat.
I fished out. I was having a bad time with mast bend on the lugsail
in that amount of wind as John made his masts very light (he admits,
"too bendy") and even reefing did not help. So I paddled to shore,
struck the rig, and paddled back upwind to the starting place.
As a boat to paddle it is very comfortable and stable, even if it
isn't a kayak.
A couple other times out of cussedness I'd attached a sail, at 50+ sq
ft much too large, just for the heck of it, with predictable results <
grin>. Not recommended.
Sailrite has ther proper balance lug listed under "Bolger 12ft
Sailing Pirogue" and/or "Chesapeake Light Craft Mill Creek 13 Sail" if
youwant to buy a kit.
They no longer make finished sails but the sail I use (balanced lug)
was bought from them finished. The sail John Harris likes is a gaff
sail. It also came from Sailrite. I am not sure what they list it
under. Either one works fine - the balance lug works quite
well though John is able to outsail me with the gaffer. of course he
was a competitive sailor in college and I'm just a hack.
I have also sailed it with 3 or four different "play rigs" made of
polytarp - a batwing gunter, a balanced lug with airfoil battens, a
"sharpie style spritsail", a small gaff sail, etc. It's fun it you
like doing this. All of these are between 20 and 42 sq ft. The batwing
is the largest, and is easily reefed down to about 35 sq ft.
Foam glued under the front and rear decks is the preferred flotation.
Air tanks cause the boat to float too high if filled and it becomes
hard to bail because it tends to roll one rail or the other under as
you are bailing.
> Anyway, question is, the plans are fairly enigmatic about ruddercharge
> construction. After a visit to the local chandlery, where the
> for pintles seemed to exceed the total cost for the rest of theboat,
As it happened, a day or so after your post I got a catalog from
Annapolis Performance Sailing (www.apsltd.com). These people are
dedicated to the $2500 Optimist pram and other toys. At any rate,
because of your post, I paid a little attention to their offerings in
the pintle & gudgeon department.
The price range for 2 pintles and 2 gudgeons seems to be about $25
for RaceLite 'Light Duty' (probably adequate for the Optimist) to
$125 for a keel boat of 20'+.
My small collection of old-time build-a-boat books (William Atkin and
Sam Rable) doesn't show any cheap alternatives to store-bought
hardware.
Mr. Bolger offers a suggestion BWAOM. Look at the drawings for Brick
and Cartopper. Basically, there are two tabs or flanges on each boat
and rudder, two at the top where the top pintle/gudgeon would be, and
two at the bottom where the bottom pintle/gudgeon would be. A metal
rod goes through all four flanges, but doesn't fall out because of a
nut a the top.
I had thought of having four galvanized eye-bolts, 2 on the boat, two
on the rudder, and a metal rod through all four. Bend a short 'L' at
the top of the rod to keep it from falling through. Looking around, I
see that Bolger's Gypsy is illustrated just this way.
Quotation from Payson's 'Build The New Instant Boats:'
"The plans indicate screw eyes, which would work very well if you can
find any with a 1/4-inch eye and a long enough shank. I couldn't find
anything close, so I made my gudgeons of 1/8-inch think flat brass
cut and bent to shape, and for the pintles I used a 1/4-inch brass
rod, all from the nearby Rockland boat shop."
There are some designs that use a rod something like this which is
rigged so the rudder can ride up if it goes aground without breaking
anything.
Peter
Thanks Craig, (and Clyde and Stan),
The eye bolt idea seems excellent and I will use it - I hadn't
thought of it - so suggestion much appreciated.
Craig, thanks also for the additional info. I haven't had much
experience with foot pedals but its all been very average so far - I
suspect that my limited ambidextrosiousness definitely does not
extend to my feet - I'll go with the Norwegian tiller I think.
BTW, On your Cheap pages, you refer to a spreadsheet for dimensions
of
Proa offsets - is it possible to get hold of that ? (I'm thinking
of
a proa-pirogue...)
Anyway, thanks again (and yes I'll send along the $25)
best wishes
Gary
The eye bolt idea seems excellent and I will use it - I hadn't
thought of it - so suggestion much appreciated.
Craig, thanks also for the additional info. I haven't had much
experience with foot pedals but its all been very average so far - I
suspect that my limited ambidextrosiousness definitely does not
extend to my feet - I'll go with the Norwegian tiller I think.
BTW, On your Cheap pages, you refer to a spreadsheet for dimensions
of
Proa offsets - is it possible to get hold of that ? (I'm thinking
of
a proa-pirogue...)
Anyway, thanks again (and yes I'll send along the $25)
best wishes
Gary
>"shareware
> Hi Gary, couple things.
>
> 1. Be sure to send Phil Bolger his requested $25 for this
> boat".detail.
>
> 2. My Cheap Pages have pics and a fair amount of construction
> Clyde's suggestion is perfect. I've also heard of people using doorkicks
> hinges. Provide some sort of line to pull the rudder down if it
> up, or weight it so it falls.tillers
>
> I can think of about 12 other ways to attach a rudder cheaply but
> many
> of them involve cheesy hardware which will probably rust and need
> replacing each season. John Harris used stainless screw-eyes, 2 in
> rudder, two in transom.
>
> The rudder is in two pieces, a top piece which holds the screw eyes
> and
> has the "Norwegian tiller arm" screwed to it, and the blade itself.
> No
> need for anything fancier.
>
> 3. Footbraces are very good in the Peero, even if they are just
> movable
> chocks of wood.
>
> 4. Also, a seatback is most excellent. I'll try and get a sketch or
> photo of the one John Harris came up with for his pair of Peeros.
> John
> built the first two.
>
> 5. By all means use a "Norwegian tiller" or push-pull stick. All
> short
> boats should use these. If you have no prejudices about "how
> should work" they are very easy to get the hang of. I am a musicianquite
> so
> I may have semi-pseudo ambidextrosiousness <grin> but I can go
> effectively wither lefthanded or righthanded.position
>
> 6. Provide something at bow and stern of peero to act as lifting
> handles. Rope loops, or cutouts in the transom, or whatever. The
> sharp
> bow is surprisingly hard to keep a grip on!
>
> 7. The peero is extremely sensitive to the crew's weight and
> fore and aft. This is true of course for all small light boats likework.
> just about all racing dinghies.
>
> You might want to make the mast easily rakable, or else provide a
> couple extra holes for the leeboard forward f the position shown in
> case you run into lee-helm problems caused by crew trim.
>
> I finally made a board somewhat wider (about twice) to experiment
> with.
>
> A notch in the top center of the leeboard is a very handy guide to
> exactly where the board is positioned. A tiny handle would also
"Gary Hardy" <garyh@v...> wrote:
1. Be sure to send Phil Bolger his requested $25 for this "shareware
boat".
2. My Cheap Pages have pics and a fair amount of construction detail.
Clyde's suggestion is perfect. I've also heard of people using door
hinges. Provide some sort of line to pull the rudder down if it kicks
up, or weight it so it falls.
I can think of about 12 other ways to attach a rudder cheaply but
many
of them involve cheesy hardware which will probably rust and need
replacing each season. John Harris used stainless screw-eyes, 2 in
rudder, two in transom.
The rudder is in two pieces, a top piece which holds the screw eyes
and
has the "Norwegian tiller arm" screwed to it, and the blade itself.
No
need for anything fancier.
3. Footbraces are very good in the Peero, even if they are just
movable
chocks of wood.
4. Also, a seatback is most excellent. I'll try and get a sketch or
photo of the one John Harris came up with for his pair of Peeros.
John
built the first two.
5. By all means use a "Norwegian tiller" or push-pull stick. All
short
boats should use these. If you have no prejudices about "how tillers
should work" they are very easy to get the hang of. I am a musician
so
I may have semi-pseudo ambidextrosiousness <grin> but I can go quite
effectively wither lefthanded or righthanded.
6. Provide something at bow and stern of peero to act as lifting
handles. Rope loops, or cutouts in the transom, or whatever. The
sharp
bow is surprisingly hard to keep a grip on!
7. The peero is extremely sensitive to the crew's weight and position
fore and aft. This is true of course for all small light boats like
just about all racing dinghies.
You might want to make the mast easily rakable, or else provide a
couple extra holes for the leeboard forward f the position shown in
case you run into lee-helm problems caused by crew trim.
I finally made a board somewhat wider (about twice) to experiment
with.
A notch in the top center of the leeboard is a very handy guide to
exactly where the board is positioned. A tiny handle would also work.
> I'm pottering along with a pirogue for my 8 year old, using theplans
> from the net.charge
>
> Anyway, question is, the plans are fairly enigmatic about rudder
> construction. After a visit to the local chandlery, where the
> for pintles seemed to exceed the total cost for the rest of theboat,
> I wondered if anyone had any suggestions/useful links/ or advice onHi Gary, couple things.
> cheap rudder construction.
1. Be sure to send Phil Bolger his requested $25 for this "shareware
boat".
2. My Cheap Pages have pics and a fair amount of construction detail.
Clyde's suggestion is perfect. I've also heard of people using door
hinges. Provide some sort of line to pull the rudder down if it kicks
up, or weight it so it falls.
I can think of about 12 other ways to attach a rudder cheaply but
many
of them involve cheesy hardware which will probably rust and need
replacing each season. John Harris used stainless screw-eyes, 2 in
rudder, two in transom.
The rudder is in two pieces, a top piece which holds the screw eyes
and
has the "Norwegian tiller arm" screwed to it, and the blade itself.
No
need for anything fancier.
3. Footbraces are very good in the Peero, even if they are just
movable
chocks of wood.
4. Also, a seatback is most excellent. I'll try and get a sketch or
photo of the one John Harris came up with for his pair of Peeros.
John
built the first two.
5. By all means use a "Norwegian tiller" or push-pull stick. All
short
boats should use these. If you have no prejudices about "how tillers
should work" they are very easy to get the hang of. I am a musician
so
I may have semi-pseudo ambidextrosiousness <grin> but I can go quite
effectively wither lefthanded or righthanded.
6. Provide something at bow and stern of peero to act as lifting
handles. Rope loops, or cutouts in the transom, or whatever. The
sharp
bow is surprisingly hard to keep a grip on!
7. The peero is extremely sensitive to the crew's weight and position
fore and aft. This is true of course for all small light boats like
just about all racing dinghies.
You might want to make the mast easily rakable, or else provide a
couple extra holes for the leeboard forward f the position shown in
case you run into lee-helm problems caused by crew trim.
I finally made a board somewhat wider (about twice) to experiment
with.
A notch in the top center of the leeboard is a very handy guide to
exactly where the board is positioned. A tiny handle would also work.
Hi
I'm pottering along with a pirogue for my 8 year old, using the plans
from the net. Its been a good inter-generational activity - my
father
at 89 is having a great time helping, and although 8 year old is
harder to get motivated she is enjoying painting the hull. (A pic of
hull after a couple of sessions with child under protest inside at
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~garyh/images/piro1.jpg)
Anyway, question is, the plans are fairly enigmatic about rudder
construction. After a visit to the local chandlery, where the charge
for pintles seemed to exceed the total cost for the rest of the boat,
I wondered if anyone had any suggestions/useful links/ or advice on
cheap rudder construction.
many thanks
Gary
I'm pottering along with a pirogue for my 8 year old, using the plans
from the net. Its been a good inter-generational activity - my
father
at 89 is having a great time helping, and although 8 year old is
harder to get motivated she is enjoying painting the hull. (A pic of
hull after a couple of sessions with child under protest inside at
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~garyh/images/piro1.jpg)
Anyway, question is, the plans are fairly enigmatic about rudder
construction. After a visit to the local chandlery, where the charge
for pintles seemed to exceed the total cost for the rest of the boat,
I wondered if anyone had any suggestions/useful links/ or advice on
cheap rudder construction.
many thanks
Gary