This is what I've been working on for the past 2 days. It's nearly ready to sail!

Comments?

So far it cost me less than 35 dollars, but I did scavenge the pulleys and most of the lumber from other project bins. With the pulleys and additional found lumber, I may have spent a total of 50 bucks.

http://millenniumtree.livejournal.com/19291.html?nc=1

[Edited on 19/4/06 by millenniumtree]

I would have at the very least expected roller reefing and a crusing chute!!!!!


A very cold day off Stonehaven Scotland in the old boat Hurley 22


Nice to see some other water sportsman

[Edited on 19-4-06 by mangogrooveworkshop]
Rescued attachment P4090079.JPG

I also plan on making a tug kite for the front passenger to fly when moving downwind. It's easily stowable, and would cost next to nothing. And of course, there's always the "mary poppins spinnaker"



[Edited on 19/4/06 by millenniumtree]

Do you have a keel?

Here's the family's fibreglass money pit. Hardly locost though!

You want to get down to poole! No need for all that clobber, last time i went out was shorts and t-shirt, and that was april.

Lovely weather for it at the moment, much prefer a windsurfing though, more locost and a lot faster!!!

I have a little ridge on the bottom of the canoe, which doesn't really count as a keel, even though it holds that name.

In order to make progress windward with any sort of efficiency, I'll have to install a lee board (possibly two).

Looks like a fun little project. I did something similar to a small rowing dingie as a boy. Istead of lee boards though i fitted two 8" bilge keels but you wouls struggle with that as its such a noarrow boat. I also used a More traditional Lug rig to maximise sail area.
I reckon yours will be great down wind but you will struggle on a close haul due to the shape of the sail, it needs to be taller with more Luff edge. Cracking fun though, have you tested it yet?

I went out yesterday with it, and just like you said, it goes like stink downwind (at least twice as fast as it's EVER been paddled), but I couldn't bring it around to tack.

It's not because of lack of sail though! The wind was blowing something fierce!!

I had messed up the geometry of the boat. Firstly, the front end was light, so the wind was blowing the front downwind anyway... Secondly, the lee-board was mounted way too far back, so the sail was pushing it even more downwind.

I've now remounted the lee board quite a bit forward to move it closer to the sail's center of effort.
I also drilled 4 mounting holes into the board instead of 1, so it will be at least slightly "field adjustable" I can now control, within a foot or so, how far back the board will touch the water.

So next time, I'll have the lee further forward, and I'll probably put a weight of some sort (5 gallons of water in jugs should do it) in the front of the craft, to lessen the bow float effect.

Anyway, because I couldn't tack it back home, and I had no chance of paddling back in that gale, I had to go ashore and WALK home, 1.5 miles! It took about 10 minutes to sail more than a mile downwind and 40 to walk back. I was pretty tired when I got home, it's hard to believe I was only actually on the water for an hour or so.