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What’s Inside? KEEPING IT HIGH AND DRY............................4 US CANOE-KAYAK MOVES HQ.......................6 MADNESS, CLC’S 31-FT PACIFIC PROA........8 RUSSELL BROWN ON PROAS......................18 SMITH OPTICS SUNGLASSES.....................28 ANCHORING SURELY AND KEENLY............30 PARTS AND TERMS OF THE SAILING CANOE AND KAYAK......................................38 WRITERS GUIDELINES................................47 ON THE COVER: CLC’S PROA, MADNESS
Skinny Hull covers the world of sailing canoes & kayaks, Chesapeake log canoes, proas and all sorts of skinny-hulled sailing boats. We’re published on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Dunedin, Florida. Skinny Hull is the Global Voice of Canoe & Kayak Sailing Editor & Publisher Edward C. Maurer
NY N I K S N I MEET US FORUM HULL’S
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r e d d u R The
Contact: editor@ canoesailingmagazine.com (727) 798-2366
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ADVERTISE IN SKINNY HULL
A publication of Edward Maurer Consulting, LLC. Copyright 2012 All rights reserved. Actions, activities, building, modification, travel, techniques, etc. seen within are examples of what others do and participate in and should only be carried out by qualified individuals. The outcome of your activities remain your own responsibility. Properly wear and use all safety equipment. If you’re afraid of the water, stay away from it.
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KEEPING IT HIGH AND DRY
Yet another ‘Ubiquitous Solution’ from the mind of Tom Lewis, Richmond, Virginia Keeping your small gear off the bottom of the boat and dry can be a challenge. I use two different methods. The first 'repurposes' large clear plastic wide mouth jars with a tether. Bulk foods come in them and are found at most discount or bulk stores containing nuts, biscuits, etc. This is where cell phone, camera, small flashlight, documents, bandages, bug repellent, spare small parts, needle nose pliers, eyeglasses go. The jars are see-through, float, are easy to open and close underway and are watertight. The second method uses what I call a thwart wallet. One of the best canoe sailing buys for me has been a large box of scraps I purchased from the Sailrite Company several years ago. (http://www.sailrite. com/Box-of-Fabric) They are almost gone! I have made several sails with some of the material, but the coated fiberglass mesh proved to be terrific for making mesh bags that held rope, waterproof VHF, GPS and other things that could take the spray and drain quickly. I decided to make a multi-pocket bag that would hang from the thwart or leeboard crosspiece. I wanted something that would provide storage and easy
access for both waterproof and non-waterproof items such as dry gloves, a small towel, shirt, lunch, etc. My design involves combining the mesh material with water repellent material to achieve this. Other designs might add better closures or attachments, add more pockets or layers, incorporate Velcro, etc. The bag should hang 2-3 inches off the bottom and sides of the boat. I
cut water repellent coated material to be double the rectangular profile of the space. When folded in half it creates an inside surface upon which I attached a “dry” inside mesh pocket, and an outside surface for the outside “wet” mesh pockets. I put grommets at the corners for attachment bungee balls, and sprayed all the seams with a black rubber material to lengthen the life of the thread. The bags provide ready access to small gear (wet or dry) and keeping it off the canoe floor.
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US CANOE-KAYAK MOVES HEADQUARTERS TO OKLAHOMA CITY
USACK and Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation to collaborate on projects Lausanne, Switzerland December 14, 2011 – USACanoe/Kayak, the national governing body for the Olympic canoeing disciplines of Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom, and a member of the International Canoe Federation (ICF), announced on Tuesday that it would be relocating its headquarters from Charlotte, N.C., to Oklahoma City, the site where the sport held its 2008 Olympic trials for flatwater events. USA Canoe/Kayak will share an office with the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation (OKCBF), allowing the two organizations to collaborate and build on the inherent synergy of shared values and objectives. A panel consisting of Joe Jacobi, OKCBF Executive Director Mike Knopp, USA Canoe/Kayak Board Chairman Bob Lally, and other leaders in the US paddle sports industry discussed the USA Canoe/Kayak’s commitment to the future of paddle sports in America during a live stream broadcast aired on paddling web sites across the country and around the world. Joe Jacobi, USA Canoe/ Kayak CEO: “USA Canoe/Kayak is launching a new era in paddle sports in the United States, with a focus on enabling U.S. athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence in Olympic, Paralympic and other international competition. With the tremendous momentum taking place at the Oklahoma River – from the National High Performance Center for kayaking and rowing to the MAPS
3 OKC citizen-voted sales tax initiative to fund quality of life projects which include the construction of a whitewater center and race course improvements to the Oklahoma River – Oklahoma City is the ideal location for the epicenter of our efforts and initiatives to grow paddle sports.� About USA Canoe/Kayak (USACK) USA Canoe/Kayak is a non-profit membership organization based in Oklahoma City, OK, promoting canoe and kayak racing in the United States. A member of the United States Olympic Committee, USA Canoe/Kayak is the national governing body for the Olympic sports of Flatwater Sprint and Whitewater Slalom and the official U.S. federation of the International Canoe Federation. Other paddling sports sanctioned by USACanoe/Kayak include Marathon, Freestyle, Wildwater, Stand Up Paddleboard, Canoe Polo, Canoe Sailing, Outrigger, and Dragon Boat. For more information about USA Canoe/Kayak, please visit us on the web at www.usack.org, on Twitter at @ usacanoekayak and Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/USACanoeKayak. About International Canoe Federation (ICF) The umbrella organisation of all national canoe organisations worldwide. The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sports. http://www.canoeicf.com/ www.facebook.com/ internationalcanoefederation About OKCBF The OKC Boathouse Foundation promotes the use and development of the Oklahoma River as a world-class urban aquatic venue and provides access to rowing, kayaking and fitness programs for people of all ages and abilities. OKCBF programs pursue the highest goals of sports and embrace the principles of the Olympic spirit which inspire athletes to work toward personal excellence, embrace the power of teamwork, and practice respect for all people and the environment. To learn more or get involved, call (405) 552-4040 or visit okcbf.org.
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MADNESS, CLC’S 31-FOOT PACIFIC PROA
One big hull, one little hull. Lots of speed, not much money. By John C. Harris, Chesapeake Light Craft The design brief was for an elegant, inexpensive, and relatively easy-to-build multihull for fast cruising on the Chesapeake and in the Bahamas. Much care was taken to minimize exotic, difficult-touse materials like carbon fiber and the hope is that this design is more accessible to the home builder than anything capable of the same speeds. Madness was inspired by, and designed in direct consultation with, proa guru Russell Brown. The design is a fusion of his 30-foot plywood Jzero design from the 1970’s, his more-refined cold molded 36-footer Jzerro, from 1993, and my own experiences with the proa Mbuli, which I designed and built in 2000. Sea trials in the fall of 2011 far exceeded expectations. Madness is fast, perfectly balanced, docile to handle, and strong. Minor tweaks complete, we have locked down the plans and kits; no further modifications or major updates are anticipated. We will begin shipping complete plan sets for scratch builders soon. The first kit has been shipped. The “kit” comprises all of the boat’s plywood components (35 sheets’ worth), CNC-cut and packed on a pallet, plus CNC-cut patterns for other components like rudders. That kit starts around $4000. SPECIFICATIONS Main Hull: LOA: 30’8” LWL: 29’3” Beam: 28-1/2” Beam, overall: 8’3” Displacement: 1989lbs Moment to Trim One Inch: 274lbs cP: 0.60
Ama: LOA: 22’5” Beam: 21-1/2” Displacement, normal sailing lines: 387lbs Displacement, immersed to deck: 2,029lbs Moment to trim One Inch: 79lbs cP: 0.60
The Whole Lashup: Beam between centers: 14’5” Beam overall: 20’0” Sail Area:364sq.ft. (Racing) 294sq.ft. (Cruising) SA/D: 36.43 Draft, boards up: 17” Draft, boards down: 42-1/2”
Madness is a lightweight “Pacific� or windward proa, intended for fast cruising with two adults or daysailing with four. With a payload of just under 1000lbs, accommodations are ideal for an adventurous couple who want to cover a lot of ground, island-hopping through the Caribbean or up the coast. 9
The Proa Rationale In the Western Hemisphere proas are still considered somewhat experimental, notwithstanding the pronounced success of “westernized” proas by Dick Newick and Russell Brown, which have accumulated tens of thousands of sea miles. As so few western sailors have experienced a Pacific proa (in which the outrigger is kept to windward), much is made of their tacking procedure: the boat is stopped, the boom swung around, and one bow is exchanged for another. On paper, this is a headscratcher. On the water, however, even a sailor with moderate experience “gets it” instantly, and falls under the spell of the proa’s peculiar handling advantages. Tacking a proa, a cause of confusion and concern among armchair sailors, is revealed on the water to be a casual exercise undertaken without the slightest drama, no matter the conditions. In a conventional western sloop of similar horsepower and performance, tacking is a frantic exercise of flogging and fouling jibs, dangerous swinging booms, the danger of hanging up in irons, and a delicate process of gathering way again on the new tack as quickly as possible. Jibes are worse. In a proa, the boat is stopped in tacking and jibing and holds station on its own with the mainsail feathered to leeward. (It’s a good time to take a moment and grab a beer, something that would be unthinkable in a conventional boat mid-tack.) One jib is dropped and another hoisted on the new tack. When ready, you throttle-up with the mainsheet and presently you’re doing 15 knots on the new tack. The process isn’t ideal for short-tacking up narrow channels.
However, Madness handles well on all points under mainsail alone. Proas are the ONLY sailboats that can be reliably stopped, parked, and reversed on whim. I have never been in any sailboat type that I’d rather work into a crowded harbor under sail on a windy day. Having gotten the handling peculiarities out of the way, everything else about the proa configuration is absolutely compelling. No multihull can boast a lighter or easier-toengineer structure. This pays off for the home-builder, who is spared the need for high-modulus crossbeams and attachments. There is simply less to build than either a trimaran or a catamaran. Proa sailors enjoy other handling advantages. Instantly noticeable under way is the easy motion. With the outrigger just skimming the water (unlike the trimaran’s hardpressed leeward ama), the lack of nervous pitching is easy on the crew and keeps airflow attached to the sails. And the unusual rig geometry of the Brown-styled proa sloop opens a huge slot between jib and mainsail, making this style of proa exceptionally close-winded. Construction Madness is built using techniques that are stateof-the-art for about 1975. 6mm okoume plywood panels are stitched-and-glued together very quickly and sheathed on both sides with ordinary plainwoven e-glass. Every part in the boat is pre11
fabricated on the bench. The prototype, built at Chesapeake Light Craft, was whizzed out on a CNC machine, making an affordable kit possible. Plans builders get full-sized patterns for every part in the hull. Thanks to the fore-and-aft symmetry of a proa, the longest pattern is just over 15 feet. Even without resorting to exotic materials, a very light hull is the result. Slung from my digital scale, the stripped main hull is right at 500 pounds. The outrigger, crossbeams, rig, and outboard account for another 500 pounds. Thus, at 1000lbs rigged, Madness compares directly with a Farrier F-24 in terms of SA/D— at a tiny fraction of the cost and building complexity. Accommodations Something is gained, and something is lost: proas don’t have a lot of volume for their length. However, the payload is just under 1000lbs, which will allow two uninhibited adults to cruise for months, or three to race the boat for a few days. There are two berth flats fore and aft in the main hull, plus a wide, comfortable berth in the lee “pod.” On my boat, Madness, one of the berth flats has been converted to conceal a chemical head, and above it is mounted a lightweight galley that slides out of the way. In good weather the crew will sometimes sleep on the trampoline. The ama contains self-draining lockers for lines and fenders. Handling The skipper drives the boat from the motorcycle-sidecar-like cockpit adjacent to the cuddy. Draglinks are led from the tiller yokes to the cockpit.
The crew occupies a comfortable “park bench” style seat on the trampoline to windward of the outboard sled. The lee “pod” makes capsize very difficult. In four proas featuring a lee pod of similar proportions, Russell Brown has accumulated ocean crossings and 30 years of coastal sailing without managing anything more than a few knock-downs. Additionally, the outrigger contains up to 700 pounds of water ballast. The ballast tank is filled using very simple and reliable plumbing: a bucket through a deck plate. It’s emptied with a bilge bump. Sea trials of Madness revealed that water ballast will only be necessary when racing or showing off. Otherwise, a reduction in sail keeps the boat flat. The mast is stepped on the windward edge of the cockpit, with all halyards right at hand. Winches and sheet cleats are located on the flange that stiffens the mast bulkhead. Because the mast is mounted 39” to windward of the main hull’s centerline, struts are required to sheet the mainsail. The jibs are mounted on continuousline furlers. In tacking, the current jib is rolled up, then doused completely to allow the boom to swing 180 degrees onto the new tack. Then the “new” jib is hoisted and unfurled. The mast may be rotated through about 90 degrees for best performance. Because of the mast location, there is no danger of losing the mast in an aback situation because it is supported by stays to the four corners of the boat. The very broad staying base allows a lighter mast, with spiraling gains in weight and complexity. Provision is made for an asymmetrical spinnaker. Madness was fitted with the square-top rig shown in the drawings. A smaller “cruising rig” is meant to inspire builders to look for used masts
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and sails, which will cut the costs dramatically. Madness’s carbon stick and Vectran sails cost as much as the entire hull. An outboard of 2hp to 6hp is mounted on a retractable sled beneath the crossbeams, convenient to the skipper. Sea trials showed 5 or 6 knots with a 2hp in calm conditions, and up to 8 knots with a 4hp. Transport Madness is completely demountable for road transport. Six easily accessible bolts in the main hull and four bolts on the outrigger fasten the crossbeams. The trampoline is rigged with bungie cords for quick release, and two pins disconnect the outboard sled. With the main hull at 500lbs, a group of friends can lift it onto a trailer. It measures 8’3” at the widest point, making trailering easy behind a relatively small vehicle. Total trailer weight is less than a Montgomery 17 pocket cruiser. About John C. Harris Chesapeake Light Craft owner and CEO John C. Harris manufactured some of the very first CLC kits in 1994. Long before that, he had a fascination with small boats and boatbuilding. He designed and built his first boat, a rowing shell, at age 14. As a boatbuilder and designer, Harris’s work has been featured in virtually every English-language paddling, sailing, and small boat magazine you can think of, including WoodenBoat, Yachting World, Popular Mechanics, Sea Kayaker, Canoe and Kayak, Paddler, Soundings, Sailing, Cruising World, Classic Boat, Watercraft, and scores more. Harris’s portfolio includes almost every wooden format, including strip-planking, cold-molding, carvel, lapstrake, and of course stitch-and-glue. He has taught at the esteemed WoodenBoat School in Maine since 1999, and has led more than 50 boatbuilding classes and workshops over the years. Harris’s boat design work ranges widely, from dinghies to a 28-foot power catamaran used for surf tours in Nicaragua. His CLC designs include the Chesapeake 14, Eastport Pram, Pax 18, Pax 20, Sport Tandem, Skerry, Chester Yawl, West River 18, John’s Sharpie, Passagemaker Dinghy, CLC SailRig MKII, Peace Canoe, San O’ paddleboards, Mbuli, Kaholo, Northeaster Dory, PocketShip, Madness the Proa, and many others. For more information about Madness, see http://www.clcboats.com/ shop/boats/wooden-sailboat-kits/madness-31-foot-pacific-proa.html
Come, my friends, T'is not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths Of all the western stars, until I die. It may be that the gulfs will wash us down: It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, And see the great Achilles, whom we knew. Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. --Alfred Lord Tennyson
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Andre Cloutier’s 16x30 at sail
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RUSSELL BROWN ON PROAS
By John C. Harris, Chesapeake Light Craft, with Russell Brown Russell Brown designed and built his first proa—a multihull sailboat with one big hull and one little hull—as a teenager in the 1970’s, and promptly went to sea in it, cruising the US East Coast and the Caribbean. Adventures ensued. In the decades since, between stints as a professional boatbuilder with a specialty in ultralight racing boats, he’s designed and built several more proas. Russell’s one of the most talented boatbuilders I have ever met, and he has the cred to go with my instinct on that. He’s worked for BMW/ Oracle building America’s Cup boats, and worked with multihull god Dick Newick among many others. His humility is even bigger than his talent, though, and he’s forthright that he’d prefer to just build boats and go sailing and not hold himself up as a proa know-it-all. Compared to the rest of us, though, he DOES know it all. After a long period of cajoling, he finally sent me his thoughts on designing, building, and sailing proas. For the newly initiated, a “Pacific” or “windward” proa is basically a multihull sailboat with a single float or outrigger for stability. Under sail, the outrigger is ALWAYS kept to windward. So in order to tack, you have to exchange bow for stern! Thus proas have two bows and can sail in either direction. –John C. Harris
John C. Harris: You’ve been building and sailing proas since the 1970’s. What is it about proas that has kept you coming back all these years? Russell Brown: Proas are a wide open playing field from a creative
viewpoint. These boats offer an amazing array of potential advantages (and of course, disadvantages) over catamarans and trimarans, but they still have not been widely explored. One major attraction for me of the Pacific proa is that the concept is, in my mind, as close to structurally perfect as a multihull sailboat can get. In flat water, a proa can be sailed as hard as possible and the structure stays very lightly loaded. Yes, there’s a bit of mast compression (but not much, because of the wide staying base), and a small amount of bending 19
load on the beams, but most of the sailing loads go to the shroud lifting the outrigger. Adding water ballast in the outrigger doesn’t load up the structure very much, and because it is so far to windward, it doesn’t take very much ballast to keep sailing flat. Proas are a hell of a lot of fun to sail, but in the end curiosity is what keeps me coming back to them. JCH: You’ve got tens of thousands of sea miles in proas, but you’ve been forthright that proas aren’t for everybody. In your mind, what sort of sailor should consider building a proa? (My filter for Mbuli, CLC’s 20-foot proa, is that the sailor should have many hours in high-performance sailing craft, particularly multihulls. This will be the filter for Madness, CLC’s new proa, too.) RB: I haven’t thought much about this, having decided long ago that
Jzero might have been small and cheap, but it had serious hustle.
designing proas for other people to build and sail was not for me. I think that trying to filter clients for such a high-performance sailboat is a good idea, but there will still be people doing crazy things to and with the boats you design. Because proas are still such an unexplored area in the Western Hemisphere it seems that experimentation and craziness are in order, but it creates an awkward position for someone trying to design proas for others. JCH: You’ve designed and built at least four notable proas, ranging from 30 to 37 feet. Could you give us your recollections and impressions in just a few lines for each of them—Jzero, Kauri, Cimba, and Jzerro? RB: Jzero was a 30-foot piece of junk that sailed exceptionally well. Mark Balogh, who sailed a lot on this boat, said basically the same thing, that it was a piece of junk, but that it was in many ways my best design. It was certainly the most bang for the buck having cost about $1200 at the end of my time with it. I don’t know how many miles Jzero went, but it was
Jzerro’s elegant cabin.
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a lot. That boat was happiest going upwind. On a 350 mile upwind leg of the 1979 Tradewinds race, Jzero finished 2-1/2 hours behind the leaders: a 60-foot Newick trimaran and a 60-foot Spronk catamaran. Kauri, 37’, was designed and built as a cruising boat. It wasn’t the prettiest boat around but it sailed better than it looked. This boat was my home for about 8 years and was sailed up and down the east coast seasonally most of those years. Once, on the way to Bermuda from Florida, my buddy Mike & I sailed
Jzerro, launched in 1994,
through a tropical depression. Actually, we hung on a sea anchor for 4 days of 40 knot head winds. We were pretty comfortable below, talking and sleeping, but had to take turns looking around outside because it took awhile to calm down after looking at the conditions. Kauri was sold in 1989 to fund the next boat, Jzerro. Cimba, 38’, was built in 1984 with and for my friend, Lew McGregor. This was the first proa I designed that wasn’t built on a shoestring. A lot of design work went into it and it was a lot better-looking than Kauri. Cimba was slightly overbuilt. Other things I built during that time were overbuilt too, so it seems like a phase I was going through. Cimba was caught in a major gale in the Mediterranean (one) summer with a family aboard. The boat got a terrible pounding and received some damage to the ama, but did limp into port after a very scary night. Jzerro, 36’, was built in Port Townsend, WA and launched in 1994. This boat has many similarities with my previous proas, but was lightly and carefully built. It weighs about 3200 pounds. In the fall of the year it was launched, Jzerro sailed a sustained 22 knots on the way to a race. In 1997, I sailed the boat to Mexico, and back the following year. The boat received quite a thrashing both coming and going, including a 50 knot gale off northern California. In 2000, Steve Callahan & I sailed Jzerro across the Pacific from San Francisco to the Marquesas islands. Both of us still think of this as the best adventure we have had. I continued solo from the Cook Islands to Australia and the following year crossed to New Zealand. I learned more about this kind of proa and what it could do on this trip than I had in all my previous proa sailing. JCH: You launched your last proa, Jzerro, in 1994 and you’ve cruised far and wide. If you had the time to design and build a new proa, would you make incremental changes, or would you head off in some other direction entirely?
, at anchor in Canada.
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RB: If I had the chance to build a new proa it would look quite different, but overall I would stick with a similar concept and proportions. JCH: You’ve been an active participant in the design of Madness, my stitch-and-glue proa. For the record, how would you characterize your contribution to Madness? RB: Consultant, I would say. JCH: How do you feel about proa rudders? At one end of the design spectrum we have the Newick daggerrudder style, which offers the highest efficiency but is hard to build and has the drawback of deep sailing draft, and at the other end we have a hand-held paddle over the side of a canoe. And a whole lot of ideas in between. RB: I have seen and tried other steering methods, but the Newick style rudder in a trunk (first used in Cheers in 1967) beats all the others by a mile in my opinion. “Sideslung” rudders with surface piercing foils are just too problematic for me, unless it’s the hand-held paddle. The only proa rudders that could possibly be better than the Newick style rudders were designed recently by Dick Newick himself for a large cruising proa. These are kick-up rudders that have many advantages, but also have some technical challenges. JCH: As with rudders, you can start fights pretty quickly among the proa boffins talking about sailing rigs. It’s a big subject, but are there alternatives to the modern sloop rig that you like? RB: Yes, a cat ketch rig with freestanding masts has appeal. A rig like this would be easier to tack (especially with wishbone booms), and less vulnerable to The rudders for Madness by John being caught aback, but the compromise Harris. One of the few sorta-hard in performance, especially upwind, is not things to build on a proa.
attractive Dick Newick’s wonderful Atlantic proas, Cheers, Azulao, and Godiva Choclatier had cat ketch rigs. [Atlantic proas keep the float to leeward at all times, rather than to windward. -Eds.]
Kauri rafted up alongside some very serious racing machines. Note the smallish rig: Kauri kept Jzero raced against Azulao, a 42’ racing proa, in the race mentioned above and was about 18 hours ahead at the finish. Azulao was faster reaching in breeze, but didn’t come close upwind. There are many things about the sloop rigs I have been using that just seem to work. Yes, it is basically the same rig that has been used on every fast multihull since the Hobie Cat, but on a Pacific proa there are advantages that catamarans and trimarans don’t see. The mainsail doesn’t hit the shrouds when off the wind. The main sheet can be dumped when overpowered off the wind (until the mainsail is over 25
the front of the boat). The wide slot between main & jib (because the mast is stepped to windward) seems to really help the boat go upwind. Because of the very wide staying base there is very little mast compression, so a small mast section can be used. Jzerro’s mast is a rotating aluminum wing section 3-3/4” x 7 -1/2”, and weighs 160 pounds with all standing and running rigging. The mast on Jzerro is only 36’ long and carries enough sail for all but really light conditions. Jzerro will reach at 17 or 18 knots in 12 knots of wind. The multiple self-steering and heaving-to options are worth mentioning too (though the same would be true with a cat-ketch rig). In heavy weather a proa with this rig can be made to steer itself from upwind to a reach. This is an advantage over autopilot steering in that the boat will feather into gusts and squalls instead of taking off like a shot and going airborne while you are trying to relax below. Hove-to, the boat can be made to park at an angle to the wind and waves or walk slowly to windward and can be trimmed by raising and lowering the rudders and trimming the sheets. Yes, there are disadvantages to this rig on a proa, such as the work involved in tacking—you have to douse one jib and hoist another—but I’m not quite old enough yet to think about an easier rig. JCH: Going cruising in proas or other small multihulls requires packing pretty lightly. In the year 2010, do you think there are people who would consider cruising in fast 31-foot boats like Madness that lack heated showers, AC inverters, and private staterooms for six? RB: I used to own a Tornado catamaran (a 20-foot beach cat) and did some extended cruising on it. This was possibly my favorite cruising boat, so I may not be qualified to answer this question.
From Vaux, Canoes and Canoeing (1894)
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PRODUCT REVIEW
SMITH OPTICS SUNGLASSES
A wowingly great pair of sunglasses With the exception of sailing at night, almost all sailors can benefit from using a good pair of polarized sunglasses to cut glare and enhance colors. You’ve experienced this and know that even on overcast days (sometimes— ESPECIALLY on overcast days) eye strain can be oppressive. I’ve always worn sunglasses when on the water and up until now I’ve never had a pair that made me say “wow” when first putting them on. Two pairs of Smith Optics sunglasses did just that. CHIEFS The first pair I tried was their new Chiefs, a pair of cutting-edge sunglasses that have the most optically precise lenses available. The Techlite polarized glass helps you see your waters rigging the way they should be seen—crisp, clear and precise. Cutting through glare is essential for good vision and my Chiefs do exactly that and do it extremely well. They even help cut through the slight murkiness waters take on during the fist part of a tide change when the bottom gets stirred up a bit. Not something I can determine myself, the lenses are optically corrected using what’s called Tapered Lens Technology that eliminates distortion—which I can see for myself—utilizing a nine-layer construction that takes advantage of all available light to maximize clarity and lessen eye strain. Even during bright, overcast days when glare is at murderous levels my Chiefs provided not only immediately improved vision looking both in the water and aloft but also helped my overstressed eyes relax. To add to their cutting-edgidness, the Chiefs have a multi-layer AntiReflective (AR) mirror coating that absorbs back light effects while a permanent hydroleophobic (hydro: water; oleo: oil; phobic: dislike) coating protects the lens and mirror coatings by repelling water, dirt, fingerprints, and grease. Water beads up on the lens and wipes away cleanly without leaving that slightly greasy film saltwater normally leaves behind. Smith Optics Chiefs Medium Fit/Med-Large Coverage Techlite Polarized Glass TLT Lenses
Evolve Frame Material Anti-Reflective and Hydroleophobic Lens Coatings Hydrophilic Megol Nose and Temple Pads Stainless Steel Spring Hinges 8 Base Lens Curvature Frame Measurements 62-14-130 You can learn more about these great—wowingly great—sunglasses at Smith Optic’s Chiefs page at http://www.smithoptics.com/products/#/ Sunglasses/Polarized+Fishing/Techlite+P. PADRES The second pair I have are the Padres, which are bifocals cut in either +2.0 or +2.5 magnification. Smith continues to impress me with its quality and leading edge optics with these really nice glasses. Now gone are the days when you have to carry your readers just to read a chart or GPS. With the built-in readers the Padres have made sailing, well, the tasks that go along with sailing, that much easier and more convenient. The Padres are also the sunglasses I wear when driving so I can read a map. They make reading a book outside possible as well. Like the Chiefs, these, too instigate a “wow” reaction and are well worth checking out when you need sunglasses that let you manage those small tasks when on the water. Smith Optics Padres TR90 Grilamid frame Medium/Large fit +2.0 & +2.5 Magnification Polarized Polycarbonate Lens Material Frame/Temple: Grilamid TR90 Lens Curve: 6 Base Frame Measurements 60-19-120 Check them out at Smith’s Padres page at http://www.smithoptics.com/ products/#/Prescription+Eyewear/Prescription+Bifoc. Do yourself a favor and check out Smith Optic sunglasses online or at your local sailing shop or optical dealer. They’re reasonably priced and worth every penny. You’ll thank me later. 29
ANCHORING SURELY AND KEENLY
Keeping your boat and you safe with proper anchor rigging By Ed Maurer Anchoring your canoe or kayak can add flexibility to your sailing. You can anchor out while fishing or having a picnic on the water, or you can just [and should] anchor your boat to the beach during rising tides or when the wind is not directly on-shore; I’ve had boats [yes—more than once, thank you for noticing] sail off the beach without me. It’s kind of embarrassing…. There are several ways to anchor your boat and only a couple that I’ve used consistently without problems. Let’s go over this list and pick out the why’s and wherefores…. -Stern- Anchoring from the back of the boat is convenient but has its hazards. As you know, when the wind is aft, your sail fills and stays filled. When anchored, bringing the sail back amidships can be very tough and can cause a knock-down under the right [wrong?] conditions. You also cannot drop your sail when pressure is on it, and raising it can cause damage. With some rigs you can let the sail swing forward of the mast, much like sharpie sailors did when oystering in the old days. In any event, you will find problems when anchored aft and will have to be very careful technique-wise when making sail again. I do it sometimes—I let the sail swing all the way forward—but not often at all.
-Abeam- An anchor line attached to the side of your boat can cause it to broach in a current or when hit by a wave or wake. ‘Nuf said. I often use this when fishing but under conditions I know will be safe (enough, more or less). -Anchor trolley- A trolley system is often used by kayak anglers so
they—we—can adjust where the anchor is in relation to the boat. This is most often used when fishing. It allows us to move the anchor fore and aft on a traveling line to point the boat into or away from wind and current, or set us up for a convenient casting angle. Blocks are mounted to the boat, one forward and the other aft. I mount blocks on each side of my fishing kayak so I can move the anchor line from one to the other for full versatility. A line forms a snug loop between the two blocks. In the center point of this line is mounted a ring. The anchor line is passed through this ring. You then adjust where the anchor line’s attachment is expressed to the boat by pulling the ring fore and aft as needed. When weighing anchor, you can pull the ring to you and retrieve the anchor. It works like gangbusters on the kayak and it would do well on any canoe or kayak, though one must consider interference with leeboards and possibly the rudder. -Bow- Attaching the anchor line to the bow is probably the safest and most common way to anchor, for good reason. When anchored off the bow the wind keeps the sail amidships without pressure, allowing it to be easily raised or lowered. However, anchoring from the bow also has its challenges. Having to crawl to the bow to set or weigh the anchor is just too troublesome to go into—can you see yourself doing it? Okay—no, but there are solutions. A method my Uncle, Capt. Carl, taught me was to have the anchor at hand. You can drop it when you need to easily enough. Now, the trick is how to get it back to your hand when weighing it. Ah—the salty Capt. Carl taught me to sail above [upwind of] the anchor, let the boat fall off a bit, causing the anchor line to run across the rail. Grab the line and retrieve the anchor. It’s pretty cool, looks salty and takes skill. But…once the anchor is off the bottom—you’re sailing! So you have to get that thing aboard, free of weeds and mud, all while controlling your boat. I think it can be a fun exercise, maybe even a regatta event, but limited to open areas in light winds…and downwind of where I’m anchored! Knowing that I’d find myself in situtations where sailing above the rode wouldn’t work I created a “third hand” that retrieves the anchor line without having to crawl forward. Very simply, it’s an anchor leash, a line with a loop through which the anchor line runs. The leash is secured near the helm and is long enough to reach the bow. The anchor line passes through the bowend loop and is retrieved by pulling the leash aft, bringing the anchor to hand. 31
A third way of bow-anchoring is to use an anchor bow pulpit. A bow pulpit is simply an extension, a plank, off the bow. On some boats it’s used for sight-seeing; whalers use it for the harpooner [think “Moby Dick�], but most pulpits are for anchoring. I used a clamp-on anchor pulpit for years
and need to build a new one because it works so darn well. The anchor pulpit has a roller mounted forward with a deadeye or two aft to guide the anchor line back to hand. It protrudes far enough from the bow to allow the anchor to hang without banging on the hull. The anchor line goes from the anchor, through the roller and each deadeye, along the rail and back to a conveniently mounted cleat near the helm or crew. You can lower or raise the anchor easily and safely with little hassle. Again, the boat is under sail once the anchor leaves the bottom, but you can keep the boat in irons until the anchor is brought to the pulpit and secured. You can then just fall off
and get underway. I love it. A useful component mounted beneath and aft of the pulpit roller would be a block of wood or a bracket to capture the anchor stem to help keep it from swinging and banging while underway. Anchors There are many types of anchors available for small boaters that run the gamut from dirt cheap to bloody expensive. A simple sack full of sand has been used for centuries. I’ve successfully used a three- or four-pound disc of lead with an eyebolt cast into it. I once used a concrete block I scrounged off a nearby island when my rotted anchor line parted at the thimble, freeing my anchor from its nautical labors while under sail. Folding anchors do well, as do plow, mushroom and other types. Whichever you use, the scope is essential. Anchor Line A good quality nylon line about a quarter inch or more in diameter will hold your boat. Too big is overkill and a hassle; too small can be hard on your hands. Chain is generally not needed for our purposes. Scope is the relative amount of rode—anchor line—you have out versus the depth of the water. A 10:1 scope—10 feet of line for every foot of depth—provides 100 percent holding power regardless of anchor type. If the scope is too short, say you’re anchored straight down [1:1], the up and down movement of the boat can lift the anchor and cause it to lose its grip. If the scope is great enough, then the anchor will do its job under even storm conditions, which most of us should not encounter in sailing canoes and kayaks! Most of the time just ensure you use enough line to let the anchor do its job. 33
oes Ches n a C d e g m n r Saili are fo skipp ) g C o S L es L d B y i s a C ( p B s o e t then Cano eake , p g e s n a i i l s i w e a l the gth gS l Ch n o A e l L . l l r y e u a eake B pinned togeth hape of the h er line p a s e h “C e wat r-all s t logs h e t u v o o w e o g k at a l h u o e t d o b l m s m r o d o t o r n f f were oth e in to ke a b i u l d t o e a y k m t o f I a n o i l . r a po are f ould e too o n w t i l t r i r e , e p t g a a n t w decki d n CBLSC do above the a g st riggin o e m h t d l l n a thout a i w C S CBL noe. a c g i b really
sapeake log canoe, Jay Dee, pered by Danny North
d to e r a mp oat I o c hen . The b et W ? fe es w y o ½ r y 6 r a na ld s beam is . That’s d u n o a ight gth, I w ut the rigged l C LS me len tern, b B ully f au C s e s e t a b l s h a o t t b re the stem 000 a , f , ling ogs’.” 4 o i o l r a l S s m e u ted g-out l o-h 32’ fro ust und k. s n a o m j m boo ‘two- rom du m on is ight is y e m c a n d d f noe.co i ra he we e e r w m e o r d t r a i and and nar lly cons hull is fo w.blogc t ligh C is rea oe-style ttp://ww S h n CBL e the ca ’, from r r whe Preache ‘The
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When we took the log canoes and raced against the A-Cats in New Jersey. Tim Mangus
Morris Ellison photo
Thanks to Tim Mangus for sharing the photos and commentary in this section. Ed.
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John Wasserman ph
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PARTS AND TERMS OF THE SAILING CANOE AND KAYAK
Lessons for the crew…. From Canoe Handling (1885, 3rd Edition 1901) by C. Bowyer Vaux I’ve had more than one reader ask for articles on sailing terminology. I notice more than a few don’t know basic sailing terms when we should since we’re all sailors, regardless of what we sail. So, to help us out, I’ve called upon Mr. Vaux to hold the lesson. Keep in mind that this was written in 1885 and some of the spellings and, frankly, some of the terms, are not that up to date, but they are all historical and recognizable to old salts. Ed. APRON. A cloth covering for the well, to take the place of hatches or supplement their use. BACK-BOARD. A board usually hung from a hatch or bulkhead directly behind the paddler, against which he rests his back. BATTENS. Usually flat slats of light wood, though they are sometimes round; bamboo has been used. The lug sail has from one to three battens. Usually the mainsail is made with two pockets for two battens, and the mizzen for one. A line is fastened to the batten just forward of the mast, passes on the opposite side of mast, and is fastened to the batten again just aft of the mast. This line is called a parrel. It keeps the sail from bellying by keeping the batten always close to the mast when the wind is on the mast side of the sail. Rings are sometimes used.
BEADING. A narrow strip of wood in the angle the coaming forms with the deck at point of junction, to prevent water entering. Also a narrow strip of wood run along the top streak at the gunwale, to protect its edge from wear. BEARINGS. A plank weighted to float on edge in the water has practically no bearings. The same plank floated naturally is practically all bearings. A sharp deadrise and slight curve to bilge give slight bearings. A flat floor and quick bilge curve give good bearings. Good bearings are needed to give stability under sail. Slight bearings render paddling easy. BILGE. The curved part of the canoe’s side formed in turning from the bottom to the straight side line. BOOM. The spar at the foot of the sail and to which it is laced. The sheet is attached to the boom between its middle point and after end at the most
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convenient place for easy handling. When a long boom is used the strain of the sheet is distributed for some distance along it by the use of a secondary line attached at two points to the boom‌having a ring or block moving freely on this line, to which the sheet is made fast. A double sheet is best when large sails are used and the strain on a single line is too great for one hand. In this case the sheet is made fast in the bottom of the canoe, run
through a block or ring on the boom - or on a line as in the figure - and returns direct to the hand, or passes under a hook on deck, or through a ring in the bottom and then to the hand. The mizzen sheet should be fastened to its boom about over the sternpost, run through a ring or block at the head of the sternpost, and led along deck to a cleat within easy reach of the skipper’s hand. It is well to fasten the end of the mizzen sheet and never loosen it while sailing; but allow just enough line to let the boom swing in the right position for a free wind. In this way you can haul in when necessary and belay or cast off without fear of the sail and its sheet getting away from you and out of reach over the stern. BOTTOM or FLOOR BOARD. A board, or boards fastened together, laid on supports raised from keelson and bottom planks on which the crew and
stores rest. It is a protection to the planking, and keeps crew and stores above any small amount of water that may be in the canoe’s bottom. BRACE. A cross bar of wood placed in a rack (to adjust to any length of leg) on the bottom board of a canoe against which the feet rest or brace themselves while their owner is paddling. BULKHEADS. Partitions dividing the hold into compartments. They may be permanent, in which case the planking of sides and deck are nailed to them and an attempt is made to render them water-tight; or they may be movable, and simply used as partitions. CAMBRE. The arch of the deck. Sheer is the curve of the deck fore and aft; cambre, the curve of the deck athwartship. CARLINES. Deck beams fastened to the planking at the gunwale on which the deck planking is fastened. Technically, they are pieces of timber fastened between beams in a fore and aft direction. COAMING. A plank on edge fastened to side-frame of well and completely surrounding the well to prevent deck wash from coming inboard. DEADRISE. The angle (if less than a right angle) made by the junction of planking with the keel. The section given on page 38 shows no deadrise. This canoe is said to have a flat floor i.e., flat bottom. 41
DECKS. The covering of the hold or body of the canoe which is formed by the bottom and sides. The opening in the deck to admit the placing of stores and cargo inside and to accommodate the crew is called the well. The deck is made of a frame and deck planks. The frame consists of carlines, side-frame of well, ridge-piece, main beam, and mast beams. DISPLACEMENT. The space occupied by the body of a canoe afloat below the water-line. FRAME. The skeleton to which the planking and deck are fastened. The body frame consists of keel, keelson, stempost, sternpost, ribs and knees. HALLIARD. When a sail has two halliards one is the peak, the other the throat halliard. The halliard is used to hold the head of the sail to the mast, usually, as well as to hoist it. On small balance lug sails it is arranged much in the same manner that parrels are, being fastened forward of the mast on the yard, brought round the mast, and then through a ring or block aft of the mast on the yard, up and through the block at mast head, to foot of mast and then to cleat by skipper. HATCH. A lid or covering for any part of the well or other opening in the deck, capable of easy removal, and resting on the coaming if over the well. HULL. The body of the canoe. The sum of all its parts with the exception of masts, sail, rig, etc. The hull is made up of frame, planking and deck. KEEL. The backbone of the canoe. A timber running from end to end on the
bottom of the hull and terminating in the stem and sternposts, to which it is securely fastened. KEELSON. A timber or plank inside the canoe fastened to the keel and resting on it above the junction of the planking with the keel. KNEES. Timbers taking the place of ribs along the canoe the length of the well or cockpit, and forming deck supports as well as assuming the functions of ribs. LAZY-JACKS. Lines running from mast head to boom on both sides of a sail to keep the cloth and yard in place when the sail is lowered. The mizzen in the figure is fitted with lazy-jacks. They are specially useful on the mizzen, as the sail is out of reach, and when lowered is apt to drop in the water or foul rudder gear, unless some such device is employed to prevent it. MAIN BEAM. The largest beam generally placed in a canoe) just in front of the well as a support for the ridge-piece and fore end of well frame. MAST BEAMS. Wide beams supporting in part and stiffening the deck frame, and through which the mast-tubes are run to the step on the keel. MAST. Mainmast is placed forward in a canoe, from a few inches to three feet from stem, and supports the mainsail when it is set. Dandy or mizzenmast is shorter usually than the mainmast, and is placed aft of the well. The masts rest firmly in the steps on keel, and are kept in position by the tubes and deck bracings. A brass plate is often placed on deck around the mast tube to protect the wood-work of the deck, and present a neat and finished appearance. MAST-TUBE. Usually of brass or copper, running from deck into the step and securely fastened at both ends, and plugged at the bottom to prevent the water coming on deck from getting into the hold. It also guides the mast into the step when putting the mast up. It should be made large enough to allow the mast to be easily removed, even if somewhat swelled after having been wet for a long period. PLANKING. Boards forming the sides and bottom of hull. They are sunk into the keel and securely fastened to it, to the keelson, to each other on the laps and to the ribs. A single plank is called a streak. The garboard streak is the one (on each side) next to and joining the keel. The streaks usually run the entire length of the boat, terminating at the stem and stern posts, to which they are fastened. If they do not extend the entire length two pieces are butted, as it is called. RIBS. Timbers running from gunwale (the junction of deck and sides) on one side, down to keel and up to the gunwale on the other; or, from 43
gunwale to keel. The curve of the ribs governs the shape of the canoe, and forms its lines, so called. A canoe’s lines merely mean its shape, the lines indicating its shape. The ribs are fastened to the keel and to the timber at gunwale (which timber extends on both sides from stem to stern) or the top streak, which in that case is heavier than the others, as is the case in the illustration on this page (section). In building the planking is put over the moulds and fastened, the ribs being put in afterward, in this respect differing from the method employed in building larger vessels. The distance between ribs varies in different methods of building from 1-1/2 inches to 10 inches or more.
RIDGE-PIECE. Timbers extending from stem and sternpost to well. The carlines are fastened to it, and it forms the ridge or crown of the deck. RIVETS. Usually of copper, used in fastening the parts of a canoe one to another. The rivet has a head on one end. The other end is run clear through a plank or timber and a burr (a flat rim) is pushed over it and the rivet end flattened, thus forming two heads to the rivet-one at each end and effectually preventing its working out of its place. When nails are used to fasten parts together, their ends are clinched, turned over to prevent their getting out of place.
SAIL. Forward end or edge is the luff; aft edge the leach. In making a sail the cloth should be cut to allow the selvedge (the natural edge of the cloth) to lie along the leach, the widths all being laid the same way; the head, luff and foot of the sail are cut. The aft lower corner of the sail is the clew; forward corner the tack; aft upper corner the peak and the forward upper corner the throat. The head and foot of a sail are usually cut with a roach; that is, curved to take the shape of the spar when naturally bent by the strain it is intended to sustain. SHEER. The difference in height above the water line between the bow or stem and the gunwale amidship. In the sheer plan on page 26 the curve of the gunwale line upward from amidships to stem and stern posts shows the sheer. SHOE. A metal band run along bottom of keel at either end or its whole length to save it from wear in putting the canoe up on land. SIDE-FRAME. Timbers running fore and aft, fastened to and supported by the knees and forming the well hole. SPARS. Masts, booms, yards and gaffs; sprits and bowsprits, if used. STEM. The curved (or straight) timber rising from forward end of keel, to which the planking is fastened, forming the bow of the canoe, and terminating at the deck, or very slightly above it. STEP. A block fastened to the upper side of keel- son, with a hole sunk in it for the reception of the mast to keep it in position. STERNPOST. The timber rising from the keel at its after end, to which the planking is fastened, forming the stern of the canoe. Bow, forward end. Stern, aft, or rear end. TACK. The line used to keep the boom in position on mast and prevent it from rising. A corner of the sail is also called the tack, as before explained. TOPPINGLIFT. A single line from mast head to boom to support the boom when sail is down. Lazy- jacks serve the same purpose and are better. A jackstay is a boom supporting line from mast head just forward of the mast, not shown on the figure. TUMBLE-HOME. Where the sides of a canoe slope inward from its widest 45
part to the deck at gunwale. Nautilus canoe section on page 26 shows a very decided tumble-home. YARD. The spar at the head of the sail. The halliard [sic] is attached to this spar, by which the sail is hoisted. If the sail does not drop quickly and easily when the halliard is cast off-even with a well-greased mast-it is best to have a down-haul, a line attached to the yard, leading down the mast, through a block (or ring) at its foot and aft along deck to some point within reach of the skipper’s hand. When the sail is up, the slack of the halliard must be provided for, carefully coiled on deck or in the well, so it can go out with a run - no snarls or jams - the instant it is cast off its cleat. The slack of the down-haul is in the well when the sail is down. To avoid an extra line and slack of halliard, attach the end of the halliard to the yard and make it serve as halliard and down-haul too.
YOU, TOO CAN BE PART OF SKINNY HULL, HERE’S HOW! WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS GUIDELINES This is the preferred way of submitting copy [articles, etc.] and images [photos, etc.]. The easier it is for us to use them, the more likely it is we will! ALL submissions MUST be your original work or submitted with written permission of the creator. Old, historical works are very welcome but you need to inform us about their source. Upon submission you have, for all intents and purposes, certified that what you have sent is your intellectual property or of a historical nature. Copy: -12 point, Times New Roman, left-hand justified ONLY. No fancy formatting, etc. that I’ll just end up undoing anyway. -News pieces: 300 – 500 words -Articles: 500 or more words. Pieces that are more than 3,000 may be serialized—run in consecutive issues. Please tell me you’d like to consider that for your longer article. I’m very open to the prospect for worthwhile topics. -How-to, building and repair/restoration articles: make these photoheavy with explanations for each photo or diagram. -Travelogues: Include plenty of photos, etc. Consider including links to Google Maps. -If you have a particular placement for an image within the document, place its file name in brackets [sailingcanoe.jpg] where you’d like to have it placed. -By lines include your name and your town so we know where you’re from. Images: [ALL images—Includes photos, scans, diagrams, etc.]
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