Re: The Launch of the folding schooner "Xkeban."
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "Brian Anderson" <bawrytr@...> wrote:
"The first set of latches failed almost immediately; the second design is shown and seems to be just adequate. The stress on them isn't enormous on paper, but in practice, if they have any play they're quickly jarred to destruction."
When my brother and I built our FS we decided to use a different method, based on this less than encouraging description. Ours is lashed with kevlar line and uses a rubber tensioner to remove any slack.
Cheers
Peter
>Bolger's comments from "the Folding Schooner" are as follows:
> What kind of latches are drawn on the plans, and how could they let go on the maiden voyage of a relatively old and tested design?
>
>
"The first set of latches failed almost immediately; the second design is shown and seems to be just adequate. The stress on them isn't enormous on paper, but in practice, if they have any play they're quickly jarred to destruction."
When my brother and I built our FS we decided to use a different method, based on this less than encouraging description. Ours is lashed with kevlar line and uses a rubber tensioner to remove any slack.
Cheers
Peter
What kind of latches are drawn on the plans, and how could they let go on the maiden voyage of a relatively old and tested design?
What a disaster for your sailing buddy.
cheers, Brian
What a disaster for your sailing buddy.
cheers, Brian
>
> Xkeban's latches held pretty well until her maiden voyage under sail alone the following Sunday. It was blowing a pretty steady 12 knots, with heavier gusts. Two of us were manning the boat, but we were able to hold her down pretty well, even hard on the wind. Unfortunately, the pounding we were taking wore out the latches and we started the jack-knife dance. My crew tried to jam the latches back together, the boat jack-knifed, and he lost the tip of his finger when the two hulls crashed back together.
>
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, White & Laur White <omegacubed@...> wrote:
Good to hear you finally launched.
Didn't like that bit about partial finger amputation- but at least, looking at the bright side, it wasn't the skippers :)
Peter
>Hi Will
> I write a column on sailing for the local newspaper supplement, "Waterline", which is almost exclusively about fishing. I recently submitted a column on the launch and maiden voyage of my just-completed folding schooner, "Xkeban."
Good to hear you finally launched.
Didn't like that bit about partial finger amputation- but at least, looking at the bright side, it wasn't the skippers :)
Peter
I write a column on sailing for the local newspaper supplement, "Waterline", which is almost exclusively about fishing. I recently submitted a column on the launch and maiden voyage of my just-completed folding schooner, "Xkeban." It is reprinted below. I've removed some of the explanations about seafaring terms, since most of you are experienced sailors, but it still sounds as if I'm talking down to lubbers. Please excuse the tone. I'll also add some photos to the photo file, as soon as figure out how (with the aid of the household computer maven, my wife.)
Following the column, I include an abbreviated version of a Mayan legend, from which come the names of my boats. (The other boat, "Xtabay", is an AMF 2100.)
-- Will White
LAUNCH DAY AND MAIDEN VOYAGE
Those of you who occasionally read this column may have noted the short bio of the author at the end of each article that ended with the statement "... and is building a 31-foot schooner." I find it hard to believe that, after almost five years, that schooner, christened "Xkeban", was launched a couple of Sundays ago in the presence of several friends and well-wishers. I'm sure many who saw her for the first time thought, "It took five years to build THAT?"
That thought is understandable. The Kortlucke brothers in Brisbane, Australia, built much the same boat in 100 days! My only excuse is that, at 78 years of age, Xkeban's builder has slowed down considerably. Back in the late 1960s, he and five other youngish men built six identical one-design Windmill class sailboats over a single winter, working one evening and one Saturday a week.
Christening Ceremonies
Christening ceremonies included the reading of an ode to new seafaring vessels, the mandatory splash of champagne while intoning ,"I christen thee 'Xkeban'" (pronounced skay-ban'), and a toast by all present with the same launching libation. The boat was then lowered into the water from her davits.
It was a magic moment for me. Not only did she float, but a circle of friends were there to cheer her off as we left the dock, all sails flying at preposterous angles (see photo.) The crew had never sailed a gaff-rigged boat before, and the skipper had neglected to coach them before casting off.
After about 20 minutes of racing around Edgewater Lake (the little hurricane hole in Port Charlotte just off Charlotte Harbor) under the three horsepower of a tiny borrowed outboard, we dropped sail and headed back to the dock. The rig obviously needed several critical adjustments. What impressed me, in the eight to ten knots of wind, was the boat's stability, and her speed dead to windward, with all sails luffing, under just three horsepower.
The Gaff Rig
You may have noticed in the photo that the sails of this schooner are quadrilateral, rather than triangular like those carried by most sailboats today. Up until a hundred years ago or so , almost all sailboats except square-riggers were gaff rigged. But sailboat racers eventually found that triangular sails were more efficient to windward. And sailboats in a race spend about 70 percent of their time sailing to windward. Moreover, schooners are not as efficient to windward as most other fore-and-aft rigs, like sloops or yawls.
But this boat was built just for the fun of sailing, although she will be raced from time to time. And if the old British saw "Gentlemen never sail upwind" has any validity, Xkeban will do a lot of reaching and running. She'll excel at that kind of off-wind sailing, thanks to her narrow beam and flat bottom. This type of hull is known as a sharpie, and was developed by oystermen in New Haven, Connecticut. They were relatively easy and cheap to build, and could carry a surprisingly heavy load. They were fast. too. and being first to the buy boat meant getting a better price. Sharpies soon spread up and down the Eastern seaboard. In addition to their other virtues, they could be sailed efficiently in shallow waters.
The Folding Schooner
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Xkeban is that she folds in the middle, like a jack-knife. Her designer, Philip Bolger, thought she would have more utility if she could be folded in half and carried on a small trailer. On the first sail in waves, however, the original folding schooner had an alarming way of ... what else? ... jack-knifing. She opened up suddenly as she headed up a wave, then shut with a head-snapping jar as the wave reached her middle. So Bolger designed latches to be installed at the chines where the two halves meet.
Xkeban's latches held pretty well until her maiden voyage under sail alone the following Sunday. It was blowing a pretty steady 12 knots, with heavier gusts. Two of us were manning the boat, but we were able to hold her down pretty well, even hard on the wind. Unfortunately, the pounding we were taking wore out the latches and we started the jack-knife dance. My crew tried to jam the latches back together, the boat jack-knifed, and he lost the tip of his finger when the two hulls crashed back together.
The Jack-knife Jinx
In spite of all the problems, not all listed here, I don't really think Xkeban is jinxed. That's easy for me to say; it wasn't my finger. Off the wind, she proved to be really, really fast, and at least to me, she is really, really pretty. I hope you agree.
X X X X X X X X X X X
THE XKEBAN AND THE XTABAY -- A Mayan Legend
In an ancient Mayan village lived two women born on the same day. Both were extremely beautiful, but one was known to give herself, body and spirit, to whatever man desired her. Because of this she was called the Xkeban (ske-ban), the Sinner, and many in the village mistreated her. In spite of that, however, the Xkeban had a pure and noble heart. She took care of the sick, gave to the needy, and even sold the jewelry and finery to help the poor. She was the only one in the village to take care of animals that were abandoned because they were no longer useful.
The other woman was pure of body and never gave herself to any man. The villagers called her the Utz-colel, the Virtuous One. She enjoyed the respect and admiration of the people. But she was arrogant and egotistical. She never gave anything to beggars, and treated the needy and the poor as weaklings and inferiors. She never cared for sick friends or relatives; illness was repugnant to her. Deep down, her heart was as cold as a rattlesnake's cadaver.
One day, the villagers noticed a light and pleasant scent in the air. They followed the scent to the house of the Xkeban. They called, but there was no answer, so they went inside. The Xkeban was dead, cared for only by the animals. The devine scent came from her body. When the Utz-colel heard the story, she pointed out that any odor from a sinner's body must be harmful. Bad spirits, she said, were causing the odor to intoxicate the men of the village. She pointed out how much better she, a virtuous woman, would smell when she died.
Only those marginalized by misery, old age, and sickness attended to the burial of the Xkeban. But the road to the cemetery kept the wonderful fragrance for three days after her funeral, and wildflowers sprang up and covered the earth around her grave. When the Utz-colel died, the people grieved, but for three days after she was buried, her body gave off such a foul odor that the whole village was sickened. All the beautiful flowers brought to her grave withered and died within minutes.
It was then that the villagers realized the truth; that real virtue comes from the heart.
The Xkeban turned into the beautiful white flower of the Xtabentun (shta-ben-tun'.) From the nectar of that flower a liquor of the same name is still made in the Yucatan. It is said that it evokes the sensation of being held in the arms of the intoxicating Xkeban. The Utz-colel was transformed into the flower of the tzacam cactus flower, very beautiful but full of sharp spines. If you get very close, you will smell a nauseating odor. The Utz-colel attributed the Xkeban's good fortune to her love affairs, and called out to the evil spirits to send her back to earth so she could experience sexual passion.
The love of the Utz-colel was perverted and evil, and she became the dreaded Xtabay (shta-bye), who seduces men and, when they embrace her, impales them with her sharp spines, killing them in the midst of their passion. Still, to some men, it's "what a way to go!", and they seek her in her hiding place, the buttressed trunk of the ceiba, or kapok tree.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Following the column, I include an abbreviated version of a Mayan legend, from which come the names of my boats. (The other boat, "Xtabay", is an AMF 2100.)
-- Will White
LAUNCH DAY AND MAIDEN VOYAGE
Those of you who occasionally read this column may have noted the short bio of the author at the end of each article that ended with the statement "... and is building a 31-foot schooner." I find it hard to believe that, after almost five years, that schooner, christened "Xkeban", was launched a couple of Sundays ago in the presence of several friends and well-wishers. I'm sure many who saw her for the first time thought, "It took five years to build THAT?"
That thought is understandable. The Kortlucke brothers in Brisbane, Australia, built much the same boat in 100 days! My only excuse is that, at 78 years of age, Xkeban's builder has slowed down considerably. Back in the late 1960s, he and five other youngish men built six identical one-design Windmill class sailboats over a single winter, working one evening and one Saturday a week.
Christening Ceremonies
Christening ceremonies included the reading of an ode to new seafaring vessels, the mandatory splash of champagne while intoning ,"I christen thee 'Xkeban'" (pronounced skay-ban'), and a toast by all present with the same launching libation. The boat was then lowered into the water from her davits.
It was a magic moment for me. Not only did she float, but a circle of friends were there to cheer her off as we left the dock, all sails flying at preposterous angles (see photo.) The crew had never sailed a gaff-rigged boat before, and the skipper had neglected to coach them before casting off.
After about 20 minutes of racing around Edgewater Lake (the little hurricane hole in Port Charlotte just off Charlotte Harbor) under the three horsepower of a tiny borrowed outboard, we dropped sail and headed back to the dock. The rig obviously needed several critical adjustments. What impressed me, in the eight to ten knots of wind, was the boat's stability, and her speed dead to windward, with all sails luffing, under just three horsepower.
The Gaff Rig
You may have noticed in the photo that the sails of this schooner are quadrilateral, rather than triangular like those carried by most sailboats today. Up until a hundred years ago or so , almost all sailboats except square-riggers were gaff rigged. But sailboat racers eventually found that triangular sails were more efficient to windward. And sailboats in a race spend about 70 percent of their time sailing to windward. Moreover, schooners are not as efficient to windward as most other fore-and-aft rigs, like sloops or yawls.
But this boat was built just for the fun of sailing, although she will be raced from time to time. And if the old British saw "Gentlemen never sail upwind" has any validity, Xkeban will do a lot of reaching and running. She'll excel at that kind of off-wind sailing, thanks to her narrow beam and flat bottom. This type of hull is known as a sharpie, and was developed by oystermen in New Haven, Connecticut. They were relatively easy and cheap to build, and could carry a surprisingly heavy load. They were fast. too. and being first to the buy boat meant getting a better price. Sharpies soon spread up and down the Eastern seaboard. In addition to their other virtues, they could be sailed efficiently in shallow waters.
The Folding Schooner
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Xkeban is that she folds in the middle, like a jack-knife. Her designer, Philip Bolger, thought she would have more utility if she could be folded in half and carried on a small trailer. On the first sail in waves, however, the original folding schooner had an alarming way of ... what else? ... jack-knifing. She opened up suddenly as she headed up a wave, then shut with a head-snapping jar as the wave reached her middle. So Bolger designed latches to be installed at the chines where the two halves meet.
Xkeban's latches held pretty well until her maiden voyage under sail alone the following Sunday. It was blowing a pretty steady 12 knots, with heavier gusts. Two of us were manning the boat, but we were able to hold her down pretty well, even hard on the wind. Unfortunately, the pounding we were taking wore out the latches and we started the jack-knife dance. My crew tried to jam the latches back together, the boat jack-knifed, and he lost the tip of his finger when the two hulls crashed back together.
The Jack-knife Jinx
In spite of all the problems, not all listed here, I don't really think Xkeban is jinxed. That's easy for me to say; it wasn't my finger. Off the wind, she proved to be really, really fast, and at least to me, she is really, really pretty. I hope you agree.
X X X X X X X X X X X
THE XKEBAN AND THE XTABAY -- A Mayan Legend
In an ancient Mayan village lived two women born on the same day. Both were extremely beautiful, but one was known to give herself, body and spirit, to whatever man desired her. Because of this she was called the Xkeban (ske-ban), the Sinner, and many in the village mistreated her. In spite of that, however, the Xkeban had a pure and noble heart. She took care of the sick, gave to the needy, and even sold the jewelry and finery to help the poor. She was the only one in the village to take care of animals that were abandoned because they were no longer useful.
The other woman was pure of body and never gave herself to any man. The villagers called her the Utz-colel, the Virtuous One. She enjoyed the respect and admiration of the people. But she was arrogant and egotistical. She never gave anything to beggars, and treated the needy and the poor as weaklings and inferiors. She never cared for sick friends or relatives; illness was repugnant to her. Deep down, her heart was as cold as a rattlesnake's cadaver.
One day, the villagers noticed a light and pleasant scent in the air. They followed the scent to the house of the Xkeban. They called, but there was no answer, so they went inside. The Xkeban was dead, cared for only by the animals. The devine scent came from her body. When the Utz-colel heard the story, she pointed out that any odor from a sinner's body must be harmful. Bad spirits, she said, were causing the odor to intoxicate the men of the village. She pointed out how much better she, a virtuous woman, would smell when she died.
Only those marginalized by misery, old age, and sickness attended to the burial of the Xkeban. But the road to the cemetery kept the wonderful fragrance for three days after her funeral, and wildflowers sprang up and covered the earth around her grave. When the Utz-colel died, the people grieved, but for three days after she was buried, her body gave off such a foul odor that the whole village was sickened. All the beautiful flowers brought to her grave withered and died within minutes.
It was then that the villagers realized the truth; that real virtue comes from the heart.
The Xkeban turned into the beautiful white flower of the Xtabentun (shta-ben-tun'.) From the nectar of that flower a liquor of the same name is still made in the Yucatan. It is said that it evokes the sensation of being held in the arms of the intoxicating Xkeban. The Utz-colel was transformed into the flower of the tzacam cactus flower, very beautiful but full of sharp spines. If you get very close, you will smell a nauseating odor. The Utz-colel attributed the Xkeban's good fortune to her love affairs, and called out to the evil spirits to send her back to earth so she could experience sexual passion.
The love of the Utz-colel was perverted and evil, and she became the dreaded Xtabay (shta-bye), who seduces men and, when they embrace her, impales them with her sharp spines, killing them in the midst of their passion. Still, to some men, it's "what a way to go!", and they seek her in her hiding place, the buttressed trunk of the ceiba, or kapok tree.
X X X X X X X X X X X X X