Skinny Hull
Canoe & kayak Sailing Magazine
John Summers: Isalo Redux in Stitch & Glue
www.skinnyhull.com
VOL 1 NUMBER 13
What’s Inside? ISALO......................................................................................... 4 ISALO, REDUX IN STITCH & GLUE....................................................... 6 THE MADNESS JOURNAL................................................................10 A KICK-UP RUDDER......................................................................28 OLYMPIA..................................................................................30 OLD TOWN CANOE SAILING RIG EVOLUTION................................34 DE-WATERING..............................................................................38 BOATS CAN BE CRAZY THINGS........................................................41 DECK TANKS................................................................................44 BUFFLEHEAD................................................................................47 GERBER FLIK FISH MULTI-PLIERS........................................................48 WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS GUIDELINES...................................51
Skinny Hull
Canoe & kayak Sailing Magazine 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 Contact: editor@ canoesailingmagazine.com (727) 798-2366 A publication of Edward Maurer Consulting, LLC. Copyright 2012 All rights reserved.
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- The Rudder ADVERTISE IN SKINNY HULL
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.
3 Hugh Horton photo
ISALO
(From Forest & Stream, March 16, 1892) British “Sharpie� Canoes The accompanying illustration, which we reproduce from the Model Yachtsman and Canoeist, shows a very curious type of canoe and canoeyawl which has come into use in England within the past three years, and which is obviously of American origin so far as the governing principle of the design is concerned.
This canoe and others of her type, though differing in details, are very similar to the Red Jacket which Mr. Clapham took to the 1886 meet at Grindstone Island and Used in connection with his weather grip. The Red Jacket was wider, about 5ft. beam to 16ft. length, and she had only about half as much dead rise, but with her nearly vertical sides, each of a single plank and her rounded bottom she was essentially similar. In the following year Mr. Paul Butler had several craft of like model but of canoe dimensions at Bow Arrow Point, and the Vesper men brought others at lake George in 1888, but though they made very cheap and good canoes, they showed no phenomenal speed, and have disappeared of late years. Some of the British sharpie canoes, on the contrary, have shown great speed compared with the other types of small craft, and the type is now an established one. The present boat, Isalo, is one of two built last year by H. Finn, of Isleworthon-Thames, her dimensions being 16 x 29½ x 10. The weight of the hull is 80lbs., centerplate 25lbs., rudder 7lbs. She has a sliding seat which when closed does not extend beyond the beam of the canoe.
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ISALO, REDUX IN STITCH & GLUE
Part 1 of a series by John Summers authenticboats@gmail.com I’ve started to explore whether the 1893 sailing canoe design Isalo would be suitable for re-designing for construction in modern materials. One of the first big questions to is how to build the boat. If I follow through with the idea that this cruising canoe and the 1630 sailing canoe (See The 16x30 Sailing Canoe, a Fast and Nimble Sailer, Skinny Hull, Vol 1, No. 1) are “bookends” that between them cover a nice range of sailing canoe history, then it would be best if Isalo was rendered in stitch-and-glue plywood. This has worked well for the 16-30s, proving to be light and durable and reasonably quick to build.
The body plan for the 16-30, showing its single chine hull made up from four separate stitch-andglue panels. The original 16-30 was a perfect choice for stitch-and-glue construction, with a single hard chine and a V-shaped bottom. The only difference from the original to the new version was that the plank keel was replaced by a filleted epoxy joint.
Our original 1893 canoe, however, has an arc bottom, much like a Starclass keelboat. You could likely make the plywood conform to this shape, but not in stitch and glue. In order to get the compound curve in the bottom panels, you’d have to introduce some interior framework, as on the 15 1/2′ sailing canoe Zephyr, and this would take us away from the idea of making both canoes as similar in construction as possible.
An interior shot of the original 16-30, showing the top of the plank keel. The bottom planks converge in a slightly rounded V-joint on the bottom of the hull. The arc-bottomed sailing canoe Zephyr, published in Yachting in 1925, was designed for traditional batten-seam plank-on-frame construction. There are (at least) three possible ways to tackle the bottom of the new canoe, starting with the original lines. Here’s a sample section. 7
The original body plan at midships, with an arc bottom. Option one is to take all of the arc out of the bottom and connect the chine and keel with a straight line, as on the 16-30: (Left) Bottom section straight from chine to keel, with the dotted line showing the original arc section. As you can see from the sketch, this takes a fair bit of volume out of the bottom. It might be okay, but I wouldn’t know until I did some hydrostatic calculations. Another option
would be to introduce a second chine below the waterline. The straight section from keel to chine has been broken into two parts by the addition of a second chine, with dotted line showing the original arc section. This option preserves more of the original volume, but we’re now up to six hull panels, which will be more work to construct. Another way to do this is to give the canoe a narrow flat bottom panel: Introducing a flat bottom panel equals or exceeds the original volume of the arcbottom hull. There are a few reasons why I like this option: it only needs five panels; it will make the boat easy to beach; and finally, the flat bottom will give a good solid anchorage for the centreboard trunk and mast steps without the complications of fitting them over a filleted centre seam. I built and sailed a little canoe with a hull like this for several years in the 1990s and it worked quite well. It was designed by John Bull, who used to own Solway Dory in the UK. He’s since retired, but the company continues, though I don’t believe they offer this design any more. The only drawback is that you need to install some floorboards so that you’re not sitting in any water that happens to come aboard! Next step is to lay in the flat bottom on the original hull, re-draw the lines and do some calculations. Until then. . . 9
THE MADNESS JOURNAL
And So the Madness Begins. Again By John C. Harris, Chesapeake Light Craft We introduced CLC’s proa, Madness in Vol 1, No. 2. This continues the series. Ed.
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Having paid lip service far and wide, eventually I had to commit and build the boat. Colleagues who remember my LAST adventure in proa design immediately began muttering, “So the madness has begun again,” providing me with the perfect name for a 30-foot outrigger sailing canoe: Madness. (See Skinny Hull, Vol 1, No. 2) Boats are toys, and the pursuit of a new toy by someone edging into middle age doesn’t necessarily need to have Importance or Meaning, but I think this project does mean something. I’d like to make a point about doing more with less: more speed under sail for less money, time, and trouble. I’d like to shine a light on a novel (if ancient) technical solution to much of what ails sailboats, especially big ones: for all the cost and hassle, your average cruising sailboat is neither very fast nor easy to handle. Personally, this is the extension of a lifetime obsession with narrow, efficient boats. At a very early age I came to appreciate the virtues of kayaks: lots of speed and capability with minimal power (yourself and a paddle) and the least cost of any small boat. This led to a long string of teenage experiments and, not many years later, ownership of a kayak kit outfit. My first serious proa design (discounting some clumsy adolescent outriggers) started as a kayak. What was going through my head at that time was that when I tired of paddling, applying a sail to my kayak added speed in almost ridiculous disproportion to the size of the sail and the effort in deploying it. Converting the tippy kayak to a trimaran certainly works to improve sailing ability, though it involves building two extra hulls. More on the technical challenges of two extra hulls later, but suffice it for now that
More or less the way it will be built. All stitch-and-glue, just like the giant kayak that it is.
The current sailplan. The mainsail was pasted into CAD from a Nacra, which, with its raked mast, is why the battens angle upwards. I’ll fix that.
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I am lazy and would prefer to build just ONE stabilizing hull. So we arrive at one big hull (the kayak) and one little hull (the float, or “ama”), and we have a proa, more or less. Proas have a lot of sail-carrying power, enough to haul several people and their gear on camping trips, so my outriggerstabilized kayak grew in height and depth to add storage volume. To handle the extra sail area the boat gained structure and weight. Now it was a 450-pound proa instead of a 70-pound stabilized kayak. That’s still pretty light for a 20-foot sailboat, and much fun was had. A number of them have been built around the world.(An extended rumination on the whole adventure of that particular design to come.)
At the time (2000) I got too busy with CLC to think much about proas, and ten years passed. Along the way I met Russell Brown, savant
boatbuilder and the world’s most experienced designer, builder, and sailor of Western-style proas. I’d been following Russell and his career since I was a teenager. A brisk ride on his magnificent Jzerro in 2008 brought a lot of proa rumination into sharp focus. I needed to revisit proas, this time with a 30-footer offering more speed and cruising duration. Generously, Russell has contributed to and collaborated on the design of Madness. And THAT is the story behind the assembly visible to sharp-eyed followers of the CLC ShopCam.
Carey trims cured fiberglass in the assembled lower hull of Madness. Side panels won’t be added until daggerboard trunks and other structures are in place. He’s working in what will become the footwell of the cuddy-cabin.
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The 2011 Killbear Canoe Rendezvous, Ontario, Canada
Norwegian pram built by the folding construction, Children’s Book author & artist, A. G. Smith.
Steve Daigle photo 17
Meade Gougeon, Hugh Horton (in “Detroit Tigers’ orange”) & Skip Izon carrying MG’s Woodwind, designed & built by Skip.
Scott Hughes photos
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Scott Hughes photo
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Scott Hughes photo
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Hugh Horton: “I’m sailing Jim Renouf’s Bufflehead Eden, full reefed for some reason. If I remember right it was because MG (L) was, too, so I didn’t want to blow by him & then try to photo twisted around aft.”
Scott Hughes photo
Scott Hughes photo
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Scott Hughes photo
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A KICK-UP RUDDER
Provides great control while being able to run shallow By Ed Maurer There is always a lot of discussion about what type of rudder, if any, to use in shoal-water boats. This is especially true of sailing canoes and any other boat that is shore- or beach-launched as a rule. In my Florida home waters, I often run in less than six inches of water, and have occasionally run over sandbars that are barely awash. This calls for a rudder that gives good control, but can also get out of the way either manually, or when striking objects or the bottom. Some sailors steer with a paddle, but many of us, especially those who have high-speed boats or need to hike-out, require an actual rudder. Some boats employ fixed, vertical blades that provide very good control, but limit how shallow one can sail. While these blades provide the least amount of drag, they also act as fixed hull components and can break or cause damage to the boat should they hit something. A kick-up rudder that is held in place by a fixed line or held down by ballast provides control and the assurance of operating somewhat safely at any depth. Whether it is a vertical blade, or something in more of a horizontal plane, the ability to rotate out of harm’s way will benefit any sailor. An additional advantage is the blade can be retracted when the boat is beached without having to ship it. Often a verticle-blade type rudder (seen most often on catamarans) will be mounted on a horizontal axle so it can “kick up”, rotate upwards, upon strking an object or the bottom, but these lose their designed effectiveness in that position and at time get damaged even when they do kick, especially at high speeds. To avoid damaging the rudder or losing control in shoals I prefer a somewhat crescent-shaped blade that will provide good control over all aspects of its depth as long as it’s immersed. While in its full-down position,
it gives the least amount of drag American Canoe Association Sail for Sale and requires less effort on the 44sq foot sleeve lateen tiller. While in its “shoal” position, it sail. Free rig plans. provides maximum control, but adds Stows flat for paddling more drag (hardly noticeable, but and storage. inevitable) and requires more effort USD $322 plus shipping at the tiller. In its full-up position, Contact: Marilyn Vogel used for beaching or anchoring Green Lane, PA 18054 in shallow water, the rudder is completely safe from harm. The seashell@entermail.net crescent shape also presents no flat surface to absorb energy when it strikes something; it more or less rolls over the object. It also doesn’t gather seaweed, fishing line, potwarp, etc. The “cheeks” are made of ¾ inch plywood and the blade is ¾ inch red oak. The wood has been well varnished and shows no sign of water damage after years of salt water use. The leading edge of the blade is a ¾ x ¾ X 9 inch lead bar set into a cutout in the wood. This provides both ballast to keep the blade down, and protection against damage that could be caused by the canoe’s (inevitably careless) skipper. The rudder is retracted by a line that passes through a fairlead and to hand; it can be tied or cleated in position. I prefer not to use a line that holds the rudder down because it’s just another line to mess with, and I don’t trust the quick-release all that much—one jam can cause damage. A heads up: This rudder was first designed to stay in a more horizontal position that would allow for sailing in just a few inches of water. While sailing in heavy seas once I found that when I topped a swell it would leave the water entirely, thus robbing me of control. Ensure your rudder runs deeo enough! 29
OLYMPIA
A high-performance SOF sailing canoe By Dave Gentry, www.GentryCustomBoats.com Olympia is high performance skin-on-frame sailing canoe - the first of her kind. In the interest of possible competition, she was designed to the 1935 ACA “16-30” racing rule. This class rule had been abandoned for many decades - in deference to the International Canoe class - but has been recently revived by John Summers, who redesigned a classic 16-30 canoe for stitch and glue plywood construction.
The 16-30 rule is only a rough guideline - boats shall be no more than 16’ long with a maximum of 30” of beam. Sail area is limited to 93 square feet. Within those parameters, just about anything goes. I designed Olympia to the 16-30 rule (minus the weight limit), but based her hull on a hard chine International Canoe hull from the 1980’s. Basically, I was looking for outstanding performance, easy portability and low cost. I wanted to get on the water fast, to go very fast when I was on it, and I wanted to do it cheap! Since I build many skin-on-frame boats, this seemed to be the logical way to go . . . SOF boats are lightweight, cheap and easy to build. I’ve already proven that many different types of traditional boats can be converted to SOF, so why not a sailing canoe, as well? I wanted to give the design a number of rig options, also - and she has them. As is, she can be sailed with just a single sail, or as a traditional canoe yawl, or as a sloop (a la Uffa Fox), with a stick-up rig, or finally with a teeny training or storm rig. When I release the plans for home builders (assuming further trials go well, of course), they can simplify their build by choosing just a single rig, if they’d like. The Olympia design will also be amenable to using existing sail rigs, too - like from a Laser or even a Sunfish - so that some builders won’t have to spend extra time and money on building a new rig.
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Some other highlights of Olympia: She’s sailed from a sliding plank seat similar to an International Canoe. These allow for nearly the same leverage as a trapeze, but without requiring a lot of expensive gear and rigging. The high aspect ratio daggerboard is designed to sweep both forward and aft of vertical, to an extent, so that one can dial in the helm balance. Freestanding masts for quick set up. My masts are of wood, and they float, keeping the boat from turning turtle. Nice. Both the main boom and the “secondary mast” are built with X shaped sections inspired by Thomas Firth Jones. They are very light and rigid. The secondary mast - and sail - serve as the mizzen when yawl rigged, the jib (the mast doubles as the forestay) when sloop rigged, and as the mainmast/sail when used as a training rig. This sail is selftacking, with an full length batten acting as the boom. To accommodate all the different rigs, there are 4.5
mast steps! Again, home builders can decide to build for just a single rig. Dual tiller extensions are used with the yawl rig, but only a single long one is used with the others. The cockpit area is 6mm marine plywood so you can stand or kneel on it. Floatation foam pillars inside the hull also add rigidity to the structure. The boat is constructed of 12mm marine plywood frames, Western Red Cedar stringers, and she’s skinned with 8oz polyester fabric, coated with oil based paint. The paint scheme is 17th century Dutch warship. She weighs about 65-70lbs. Note that Olympia is not suitable as a sailboat for most people - she will be difficult to sail, and will require good dinghy handling skills to even get going. But, she’s an easy to build, man-portable boat that will outperform 95% of the dinghy fleet - while costing many thousands of dollars less. My two preliminary tests have gone well the first found her planing (in very heavy and shifty air) under only 20 sq feet of sail area. The second test was in extremely light air, where she handled very nicely indeed (though I was unable to get out on the hiking plank). After I get a few more test sails under her, and work out any bugs, I’ll be making plans available in the Spring. 33
OLD TOWN CANOE SAILING RIG EVOLUTION
A collection of historic catalogs depicting rig changes By Benson Gray Old Town Canoe Company catalogs show an interesting progression of the standard sailing rigs over the years as shown in these catalog pages. The first sailing canoe was shown in 1907 with tear drop shaped leeboards and no rudder. The next major change was to a more square leeboard with a handle on top in 1913. A larger leg-omutton rig was also introduced this year. A square rudder was first offered in 1917 and shown in a small picture in the top, left-hand corner. A shallow triangular rudder was first offered in 1924 with stronger custom made pintle and gudgeon fittings. This rudder was enlarged to a more tear drop shape in 1928. The leeboards changed to a deeper and more rectangular shape in 1932. Many variations of these were also built including ones with twin sails and built in centerboards. Hopefully there will be many of these on The Green at the WCHA Assembly [http://www.wcha. org/assembly.php this year!
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DE-WATERING
Another Ubiquitous Solution from the mind of Tom Lewis De Water get in and you want De Water out – you need a De Watering De Vice. The Coast Guard no longer requires dewatering devices to pass inspection, but having something aboard that can move water is worthwhile. Splash water - seas above 2 feet , the rougue wave - usually man made and out of nowhere, that magic combination of speed and wind that makes the space between the leeboard and hull act as a geyser into the boat. ,“dipping the gunwahale” – it doesnt take much to slosh you. SPONGE / TOWELL – good for light de watering. You’re not going to empty a wallowing canoe with a sponge or towel, but they can mop up and keep the errant bilgewater at bay. MODIFIED 1+ gallon PLASTIC BOTTLE (bleach, cat food, litter) – decent for some accumulation, you cut away part of the bottle to form a scoop. cut bottom out -creating a scoop with a handle. Keep the cap on.
CANVAS BUCKET - In the hands of the right person, the canvas bucket can empty 1.5 gallons a throw. Collapsing flat it stows easily and has a myriad other uses. Even a rigid plastic bucket of 2-5 gallons will take a bite out of a swamped canoe quickly T-HANDLED PUMP - These dewatering devices come in all sizes and diameters. They work, you can set them up – rope/bungee them in place - for 1 hand use, but the T handle can be fatiguing if you have to empty any quantity of water. LOOP HANDLED PUMP - Shorter, larger diameter pump as above but the larger loop handle is much less fatiguing – shorter stroke. LITTLE SQUIRTER - These small syringe squirters are equivalent to towel /sponge, but they are great for getting that “last drop out of the boat” and provide endless squirting diversions among the fleet BIG SQUIRTER - These large volume syringe type squirters throw about a half a gallon a squirt In 4 or 5 squirts you can move some water. They are not efficient enough for large volume, but they would be better than nothing. They also work great to clean off toxic waste, sludge (both kinds), mud or slime on craft or equipment or appendage. They come with the warning “ CAUTION, WILL REMOVE EYELIDS” so they also function as defensive weaponry protecting the canoe sailor against parenting swans and osprey, snakes, personal watercraft, fire, terrorists and non-canoe sailing pirates - aaarrrrrhmen to that! Onboard,keep them extended to maximize their float time should one go over!
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AUTOBAILERS - I don’t know a lot about these, but they involve cutting holes in the bottom of the boat and installing a gate type valve that drains when you are going fast enough. Not in the cards for any of our Grummans. ELECTRICAL- an electrical pump system is relatively cheap, provides unattended pumping and adds mnimum weight to the canoe. BATTERY- if you already have an electric motor on board, you can feed from the existing battery otherwise either tape two 6volt lantern batteries together and wire as a 12 volt battery or purchase a small 12 volt, 7.5 amp hrs sealed lead acid rechargeable home alarm battery. PUMP - there are numerous 12 volt bilge pumps on the market. 500 –700 GPH will empty a full Grumman 17 in about 20 minutes. These battery rigs will repeat the feat three or four times on a charge. SWITCHES – a manual marine rocker switch allows you to switch the pump on and off from the cockpit area a float switch mounted on the floor of the canoe will activate the pump whenever the water level raises the float switch arm. CHALLENGE – I am still looking for the constant use dewatering device that requires no power but the movement of the canoe itself. I envision dragging or mounting something either that works like the garden hose pump so a lot of water going through the towed or mounted device would produce suction on a smaller hose leading to the bilge. Or the towed or mounted device would be a tiny propeller driven pump with its intake tube leading to the bilge.
BOATS CAN BE CRAZY THINGS
Selecting an affordable, shoal draft cruiser By Dan St. Gean, St Charles, Illinois (Previously published in Duckworks) Boats can be crazy things. The boat-building bug bit me a few years ago when I built a Guillemot Expedition. I have really enjoyed using the boat, but I find that paddling, while fun, didn’t scratch the itch quite enough. As a result, I began a search for a shallow draft sailboat that would be multipurpose. Those two words really did a number on a lot of designs that might have suited. Even worse was my conversion to the dark side of sailing—multihulls. Two summers ago I had the opportunity to sail on Gilbert and Sullivan, a 36’ cruising cat with a decided performance edge. Sailing 10-15 knots when the wind was up was common; once we even saw 18! All while sailing level and not needing to secure my open can of pop. With these experiences I began a search of home building plans available to amateurs. Quite a few designs really resonated with me, but the need to trailer really put a crimp in my aspirations. As a teacher, the simple solution of just buying a F24 was out of my financial reach, and I had to start Shallow draft can be a boon— thinking budget level. With my love of camping, Here’s G& S at the dingy dock I was not confined to designs that had fixed accommodations. Heck, I would have been happy with a Hobie 21 Sport Cruiser! However, the 12K starting price was more than I was willing to cough up for a toy, even one that consumes as much thought and interest as sailing does. Thus my search was narrowed even further. What could I build that would allow me to use it in the Fox river as a paddling craft, in local protected lakes, in open water such as Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and the ocean? There were relatively few hits on my list now with the sort of flexibility I was envisioning. However, I saw something online that piqued my interest. Gary Dierking had designed a Hawaiian outrigger canoe that was strip-buildable, scalable to any length up to 36’, and could be paddled and sailed. I sent off for plans and got busy building as soon as the summer of ’04 began. With my free schedule in the 41
summer coupled with the cool and generally rainy weather up at the cabin in Wisconsin, I cranked out a 21’ Ulua hull. I envisioned this being easily cartopped (on a Suburban) to the local river for paddling with a partner, and being able to sail either as an outrigger or as a trimaran. Gary had Gary Dierking with his 18’Ulua canoe in New Zealand already thought of the tri option and sent me some plans for the akas (or iakos in Hawaiian canoe terminology). I also found that Hawaiian canoes were traditionally lashed together to form Hawaiian voyaging canoes, yes that’s right—the ones in which the peoples of Oceania explored that side of the world! And here I was only thinking of doing a little costal cruising as the upper end of my ambition…. So my plan began to take shape as the summer progressed. The summer of 2004 found the hull complete less the sailing bits, but no outriggers or amas completed. School and a host of other factors slowed my progress to a crawl, but progress was once again made towards the end of September. The surfboard style of construction began for the amas. I extended the length to 16’ and upped their volume to handle the loads imposed by the larger rig the extended hull would carry. Freestanding masts would make the rigs easy to strike and have proven themselves in many traditional vessels such as sharpies. A hundred or more square feet should do the trick for daysailing and add a row or two of Traditional Hawaiian Voyaging canoe
reef points for the possibility of venturing onto bigger waters. Since Gary’s design has a covered bow and stern, I thought I wouldn’t bother with any additional flotation, but have since changed my mind. I plan on decking the 12’ cockpit or adding a false floor with some big self-bailers to handle the possibility of a breaking wave finding its way into the cockpit. Another summer will hopefully find a second hull underway and a Hawaiian voyaging canoe/catamaran underway. I don’t really feel constrained to follow tradition here and I plan on having each canoe hull sport a freestanding rig. In this way, each hull can be used with a separate ama and aka. How’s that for a picture? Imagine two outrigger canoes racing through the harbor. Or they can be lashed together to form a pseudo Hawaiian voyaging canoe for coastal camping with room for two to four sailors. Since the latter hull and subsequent catamaran are still a ways off, cruising with more than two will have to be postponed until later. However the goal for the current hull is to be sailing by Christmas break Smaller costal canoes—I’ll use twin freestanding rigs. 2004. The amas are being shaped right now and the akas will be made up once they are finished. Isn’t building fun? As a result of this focus on what I want out of a boat, how it will be used, and what I can afford, I believe that I am going to end up with a very versatile craft. I can go for a paddle with a friend on the local river, go sailing as an outrigger or trimaran, cruising with the trimaran option, or eventually realize some costal camping ambitions, with the tri or perhaps later the cat, that might not be so easily accomplished with the smaller single hulled vessel. You know, those ancient Hawaiians and their ancestors might have known a thing or two about a thing or two. Mahalo, Dan St. Gean http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/projects/crazy/index.cfm 43
DECK TANKS
Custom fit, provide flotation, double as dry storage by Larry Zuk in the Canoe Sailor newsletter, American Canoe Association National Sailing Committee As an alternative to permanent bulkheads and decks, foam blocks, poured foam or air bags, for extra flotation, I built air tanks that attach to the underside of decks. They are removable, leaving the canoe lighter for paddling or light air sailing and they make the canoe easy to clean. In case of any leaking, they may be patched or sealed from the outside while out of the canoe. My pair of 39 inch cruising decks for the Dragonfly adds 9 lbs. to the weight of the canoe. The bottom of the tank is flat and allows a half inch underneath for water to drain back into the middle of the canoe where it can be bailed out. I used a bottom plate and a stem plate of 3mm marine plywood to get the desired shape on the first tank. The second tank I molded off the first except for the bulkhead and now I am molding tanks for other Dragonfly canoes. First I coated the inside of the canoe end with parting compound or
lined it with Saran wrap to be able to release the tank after molding. Then I placed the bottom ply and the stem ply into the canoe. If they slide around, glue them in with contact bond. Then I glassed the inside of the hull and plywood with two layers of 6 ounce glass cloth. I used epoxy although polyester would be fine. The tank should be slightly longer than the deck at this time. I brought the glass up over the gunwale to form a flange to glue
to the deck. The two pieces of plywood were left in as part of the tank. I shaped the bulkhead of 3 min marine plywood to fit nicely, but not necessarily water tight, at the end of the deck length. Mine is 39 inches. Remember, the deck length is measured to the end of the deck and bulkhead. I left the top extended 3 inches to trim to the deck shape later. I glassed in the bulkhead on the inside with two layers of 2 inch glass strips and coated the surface of all wood surfaces to protect against water absorption and rot. I then pulled the tank out of the canoe and cleaned the inside of the canoe. Now, working on the outside of the tank was easy. I trimmed the excess glass and glue off the tank with a disc sander and using strips of glass 45
reinforced the joint at the bulkhead and wherever else it needed it. I put 2x3xl inch blocks in the two corners where the skin, bulkhead and deck join and a block where the front of the tank will fit up against the existing canoe deck. At the stem, small, end I put a “beak” of 3/4 plywood which will hold the tank down by wedging under the canoe deck. Fit this to size by putting the tank back into the canoe and trimming to fit. My decks are crowned 3 inches above the gunwale at the bulkhead. I tried on the deck bend and carefully trimmed the top of the bulkhead to fit. This is the only critical watertight joint since all the others can be sealed from the outside. As an optional feature, I put two strips of 2 inch ethafoam down each side of the tank with a spreader in the middle to hold the tank sides out against the hull of the canoe to reduce flexing when the canoe is submerged. As an optional feature, a plastic nipple could be glued into the stem end with a cap to be opened for breathing or emptying condensed water. Now I was ready to put on the deck. I had made my decks oversize all around with a ¼ inch by ½ inch support strip glued down the middle of the center and coated all over with epoxy. I put 2 glass strips on the flanges over the gunwale, over the block at the stem and under the deck where it goes over the bulkhead. I saturated the glass and clamped on the deck leaving it hang, over all edges for trimming later. Then I put plastic Saran wrap over the inverted finished tank and molded the second tank open at the bulkhead. After trimming; I put it into the other end of the canoe and fit in the bulkhead. This allows for one end of the canoe to be slightly smaller or larger than the other. Then finish the second tank as the first. Now I took the two completed tanks to the lake and submerged them. Very difficult. Tremendous flotation. Any leaks can be patched from the outside. If desired, hatches may be installed and the tank used for storage as with a permanent compartment. To install the tank in the canoe I pushed it securely into the end of the canoe making sure the end was firmly held in place by the deck. Then I put small bolts through the deck and gunwale. A brass clip could be used screwed onto the deck into the wood blocks glued under the corner of the deck with blocks glued under the gunwale to keep the tank from sliding back into the canoe.
BUFFLEHEAD S C 21 C
a Cruising ailing anoe for the
st entury
The Bufflehead design follows over twenty years of investment in monohull sailing kayaks and canoes for cruising; replicas and re-invention I’ve tried to avoid. Physics, and today’s materials and ideas about aero- and hydrodynamics I’ve tried to respect, while attempting to apply the lessons of the 19th and 20th century boats. Bufflehead follows eight decked sailing canoes built on a proprietary hull—the best we could find at the time— Dave Yost’s Bell Starfire. Puffin and Meade Gougeon’s Serendipity were the first two, then the six Serendipity sisters, all with sheers re-cut for decks. Bufflehead is 15 feet 5 inches by 33 inches. Her shape differs greatly but subtly from most 19th and 20th century designs by tilting to fast sailing under a broad range of conditions. Depending on how one chooses to build her, weight will likely be 40-60 pounds compared to the lightest Starfire hulled sailer at just under 40 pounds. Bufflehead’s cartop weight is 58 pounds, but she has a heavy, oyster resistant bottom. Displacement is 380 pounds, reasonable for an expedition boat considering freshwater needs in the tropics. Bufflehead’s systems were developed further with the Serendipity series. Three rig styles have been used. Rudders are kick-up aluminum plates controlled by steering sticks. The leeboard pivoting system relies on a Jan Gougeon innovation. The seat design is effective for sailing and paddling, and adjusts to fit anyone. For more information about plans for building your own Bufflehead: Hugh Horton 8471 SW, CR 347, Cedar Key FL 32625 Phone (586) 215-7060 huhorton@gmail.com
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GERBER FLIK FISH MULTI-PLIERS
A good, reasonably priced set of tools in one unit I tend to be a gear junkie. Yeah, I admit it, I like tools and gadgets and the latest, and even the oldest, gear and knives and all those sorts of things that make stuff happen. I often get a case of the “gotta-have-its” when I see a tool that may—MAY—mind you, have some use for some thing some day. That’s kind of sad in a way.... So, when I saw Gerber’s Flik Fish MultiPlier I (you know), had to have it. What a great choice that turned out to be. In spite of being
named Flik Fish this is a real handy sailing tool to have on board. The Flik Fish is, let’s see, one, two, three.... oh, about a dozen or more tools in one tidy five-inch, six-and-a-half when fully open, package. I like that: a lot of versatility in a simple, easy to carry implement that doesn’t cost too much. Right off the bat the Flik Fish is simply a good pair of stainless steel pliers that can easily install or remove a clevis’ cotter pin or open a cotter ring. Cut into the jaws are grooves in three diameters for crimping small wire collars, as well as a larger serrated clamping area for gripping tight to nuts and bolt heads, and a small wire cutter. A decent pair of scissors is on board and they (why are they a pair of scissors when one part by itself would be a knfie?) are advertised to cut through 150# monofilament line. I’ve also used the scissors to cut and
patch a sail when on the water. They’re large enough for most of those scissor-type tasks you might need when away from the house, but they fold up neatly and into the Flik Fish’s grip. A two-, no, three-task file has a light-to-medium file surface on one side and on the flip side, an abrasive, carbide-coated surface with a hook groove for sharpening and putting an edge on hooks. Conveniently, the end of the file is notched for pushing hooks out of fish and has a slot should you need to pull them out instead. Two knife blades are provided, one
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straight and the other serrated for cutting lines and rope. Keep that in mind should you find a sea turtle or dolphin tangled in pot warp or netting. The blades, scissors and sharpener all lock into place so your fingers don’t bleed all over everything and make a mess that you’ll just end up having to clean. In addition to the larger tools, there are four smaller components that are pretty effective in spite of their small size. There are two screwdriver bits, one small blade and another for Phillips-type heads, a little larger blade point that is also a bottle opener (It’s noon when I’m writing this and it does open a beer, all for the sake of responsible reporting you know.) and even (this was a surprise) an opener that I thought was too small to open a beer (it was) but turns out to be a decent can opener (for you gourmets). These also lock in place, which is nice because too often these smaller tools just fold up on you in the middle of a job. The Flik Fish comes with a ballistic nylon sheath that, for me, isn’t quite what I need. The sheath holds the tool securely and is open at the bottom to make allowance for the pliers when they’re extended, but it’s not quite roomy enough to just drop the Flik Fish back into it. However, the sheath is well made and does the job it’s designed for; I just need something different. Oh, before I forget, I attached a cord and take-up reel to the pliers for
when I miss the sheath or drop them, which I’ve done several times now in waist-deep water. You know. Yeah, so the Gerber Flik Fish Multi-Pliers turn out to be a good, reasonably priced set of tools without being too big, too heavy or too damn hard to use. I’d buy them again if the cord broke at the wrong time, or maybe even as a gift for a buddy who just doesn’t have enough tools of his own. Ed Maurer
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.] 51