the horse's mouth

A Hand Powered Table Saw!

Made by Bridge City Tool Works, the Jointmaker Pro R2 uses custom Japanese saw blades and a little elbow grease to achieve what look to be ridiculously accurate (and easy) cuts. Unfortunately the thing was so darn successful that it's sold out, and Bridge City is "anticipating a second production run" but has no ship dates yet.

Tillerman Tuesday. His Next Project?

How to build a Boat made of Trash & Recyclables! - More DIY How To Projects

I wonder what other projects the Tillerman has up his sleeve? Maybe a time machine, so he can thwart Mr. O'Docker from knowing the answers before today. If you are reading this tomorrow, it will be today for you, but yesterday for me. More or less. I'm confused!

Technorati Tags: tillerman tuesday, is today today or tomorrow, what is this thing they call time?, plastic boat

Boat Of The Day.

If it walks like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck. I don't care how many hours you spent building her, Dog, that's one ugly looking boat.

Warning: The viewing of some home built boats can cause your brain to eject out of the mouth. Please drink to ease the pain. I'll have a double barkeep!

Photo via Duckworks.

Technorati Tags: ugly boats, bad design, yikes!, double yikes!, triple yikes!, sailing?

David, Why A Sabre And Not A Finn Or A Megabyte?

Dog, try doing this with a Finn or a Megabyte.
No mammes wey!

P.S. The photo of the Force 5 sailing downwind is not one
of me. The dude in that photo is an old guy, he must be
as ancient as the Tillerman. :) sorry Tilly, I couldn't
help myself.

Technorati Tags: sabre dinghy, dinghy sailing, sailing

Really. Really, I Am Going To Build It!

Hooray, the Sabre project has finally begun!

Technorati Tags: dinghy sailing, boat building, sailing

Sweet Thing.

The Unicorn Cat in action.
Dog you can build this puppy at home.

Here are her specs:

• Single handed 'A' class cat


• Trapeze and una rig


• PY of 775, ISAF 1.086


• Length 5.49m (18ft)


• Beam 2.29m (7ft 6in)


• Sail Area 13sqm


• Mast Height 7.93m (26ft)


• Latest Sail No 1098


• Portsmouth Yardstick of 775 compares with a
  Tornado at 693 and a Hurricane 5.9 at 691 and a
  Shadow with a provisional 732


• ISAF rating of 1.086 compares with a Tornado
  at 1.004, a Hurricane 5.9 at 1.009 and a Shadow
  at 1.069


• Superb boat in light winds with high performance
  up to F6 due to the flexibility of the rig settings


• Daggerboards for high efficiency and superb
  pointing


• Flexible mast with loose footed main. Adjustments
  to outhaul, downhaul, kicker and lower shrouds.
  With a full cut sail this gives terrific scope for control
  of sail shape


• Trapeze for the ultimate sailing challenge


• Una rig for simplicity of sail handling
  (13 sqm sail area to A class specification)


• Plans available for the skilled home builder from
  the RYA.

Technorati Tags: beach cats, boats you can build, catamarans, catamaran sailing, multi-hull sailing, sailing

Edward, How About A Cross 18 Trimaran?

The Cross 18 is a home built trimaran that can be sailed single handed or with
Grand Ma and the keiki. There is even room for a cup holder.

The construction used here is mahogany plywood. Thicknesses of crossectional frames,
decks and below the chine of the main hull are 1/4". All other skin thicknesses are 1/8".
West System® epoxy for adhesives and coatings are used throughout. Four ounce
fiberglass cloth is used for added strength.

Specifications

Length Overall
18' 0"

Draft Board Down
3' 6"

Length at Waterline
17' 1"

Draft Board UP
1' 3"

Beam Overall
12' 0"

Sail Area
200 sq. ft.

Beam Folded
6' 6"

Boat Weight
400 lbs.

Hello Joe,
   

Great blog!  I would like to extend an invitation to you to sail on my CROSS 18.
I know you are based in the bay area and I am in Southern Cal.  Still, if you are
ever in the area I would be glad to have you aboard.  Even if you select
Chris Whites design as your favorite. ;-)

Jeff Turner
CROSS Multihull Designs

       

A dialogue follows:

   

Joe: Thanks for the kind words. I would love to go out on your CROSS 18 if
I get down to SoCal. Can the 18 take SF Bay or would she be overwhelmed?

Jeff: I am not familiar with typical conditions there so I am not sure how to answer this.
I sail all the time in the outer harbor and open ocean in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
There are times when I would like to be able to reef the main but am not set up for it.
Photos I have seen from Latitude 38 suggest that some days would be great, some a
real challenge and others better spent watching the big guys sail.  The bay area seems to
spawn a heartier sailor than what exists down here.

The CROSS 18 is a very fun, responsive and forgiving.  My favorite days are solo in the
Catalina channel.  Deep blue water and the boat charging over the swells, sitting aft on the
windward float you can see the whole boat.  The personality and wildness of the boat really
begins to show.  I hope you can come down and sail on her some time.  The Chris White
design looks like a great boat as well.  It is a bit bigger too.

   

Joe: Do you have photos of the 18 under sail out in the channel? How about a video?
I'm biting on the lure you threw in the water. How fast can she go? How does
she handle in rough seas? Being wet doesn't bother me unless I forget to
wear my wetsuit. What's the set up time? Someone on SA said the Discovery
20 takes 3 hours to set up, of course he was trying to convince me to build
a Tremelino instead.





Jeff: This is all I have for sailing shots and they are all in the bay.  The boom has been
repositioned since these were taken.  I will see if I can get some video for you. As for set-up.
Including stepping the mast, the process takes just under an hour.  I currently store the boat at the
Alamitos Bay Yacht club with the mast already stepped.  Set-up time solo is about 30 minutes.
As for weather handling goes, she is a strong hull and slices through chop very well.



Set up of the Cross 18.



The Cross 18 under sail.

Thanks Jeff!

Tags: boatbuilding, cross 18 trimaran, multi-hull sailing, trimarans, sailing

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Hi Joe, Streaker? Phantom? You've Got To Be Kidding Me? What About A Contender?

Hi Joe:

I'm writing in response to the query about recommendations for a singlehanded boat.
My answer: why hike when you can put yourself out on the wire?
Edward's Dad-In-Law needs a Contender! It saves your back and knees a
load of grief, and with the trapeze, weight is not as much of an issue as it is with
the Finn. There are still several active Contender sailors who are near their 60s.

The early Canadian fleet featured a bunch of homebuilt Contenders that are
still sailing, so it would be a great winter project. There's also a pretty good
used boat market. The class has also moved to carbon rigs (so there's no
chance of becoming a dinosaur fleet), and there are solid fleets all over
Europe, Australia, and we're bringing it back in North America.
The 2008 Worlds will be in Kingston, Ontario.

Some links:

http://ica.contenderworld.de/

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5341076536249820244&q=contender+denmark

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8132468469133809309&q=contender+denmark

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7343625481025308679&q=contender+denmark

And the mother of all great racing videos:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=garda+contender.mpg

I've also attached a picture of one of the earliest Canadian homebuilt contenders
(looks nice doesn't it?), and a more modern action shot from the US Contender
class site. The skipper is Gil Wooley (getting to 70 but still kicking butt).

Cheers,

Stephanie "Tetley" Mah
KC47



It's very uncanny, but the woman in the above photo looks like my cousin
who lives in the Channel Islands.

Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie, you are an agent provocateur. Shame on you for
stirring the pot!.........Not really, this is fun, in fact it could be endless. Whose next?
Any multi-hulls out there for Edwards older gentleman?

Check out this thread on SA.

Tags: dinghy sailing, boat building, boats you can build, sailing, contender dinghy

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Hi Joe, What About A Phantom For The Older Gentleman?

Space Ghost!

Edward here's another boat thanks to Nick. Let's read his email:

Hi Joe,

Great site! (Flattery will get you everywhere!) Thanks! What about a Phantom?
It’s light at 61kg and really very stable............
(Nick, who are you fooling? Does the name Haversham mean anything to you?)
and can be built at home plus is roomy inside for the larger gentlemen!

I sail a Phantom and have sailed many boats and it’s by far the best single handed
non trapeze boat I have sailed with 79 boats at the nationals last year thus a great
following and growing.

I am 6 ft and 14 stone and do ok as you don’t need to be a 17 stone giant to
sail one anymore which is mainly due to the fully adjustable carbon rig which
makes a huge difference. The national champion last year was 14 stone and
this was sailed in F5-6 conditions for 2 days and F1-2 on the last day.
There are now many guys sailing Phantoms at the front weighing in just
over 12 stone.

It truly is a great boat to sail and I would personally recommend this boat
to anyone. The only negative is most of the following is in the UK with a few
boats in South Africa.

Anyway just thought I would let you know! I have nothing to do with the
Phantom Association just rate the boat highly! Please take a look at
www.phantomclass.org.uk

Kind Regards,

Nick Orman

PS Thanks for the site has given mucho enjoyment and I have even been in a
picture on the site and not in a Phantom! J

Great email Nick! Especially the parts that stroke my ego.

Phantom Dinghy
Uploaded by h2ojoe

Oh Nick, did you say something about stable?

More on the Phantom.

The Phantom dinghy was designed by Paul Wright and Brian Taylor in 1971.
They wanted to produce a single-hander that was exciting to sail, manageable
and at the same time affordable to build. It isn't possible to design a boat that
will accommodate all weights, even in these days of 'wings' and equalisation
systems. As there were already boats on the market for the lighter helms (the Laser)
they decided to design a boat that was both comfortable and fast for larger sailors.
A Phantom sailor shouldn't weigh less than 10 stone, and is most suitable for
those in the weight range of 12 -18 stone(76 -115 Kg).

The Phantom has a hard chine hull with a deep 'V' bow, a flat run aft, and
planes easily. With her lightweight hull and large rig on a stayed mast she has
a high power to weight ratio, but is stable and responsive. There is no trapeze
or spinnaker and she can carry a wide range of helm weights

The Phantom class association and the designers view the development of the
class in a proactive manner always providing that care is taken not to outclass
older boats. Latterly the design has been modified to incorporate self draining
cockpits and carbon spars. Additionally the design allows freedom in cockpit
design and sailors are therefore able to develop cockpit sail and rig control
systems that suit their individual requirements.

The Phantom can be 'home-built' from plans available from the designers using
the stitch and glue method. Alternatively it can be obtained professionally built in
GRP foam sandwich, or wood.

Isn't a Phantom a poor man's OK dinghy? We all know that an OK
is a poor man's Finn. So what does that make a Phantom?
I'm just kidding..no I'm not..yes I am..no I'm not..yes I am.
No hate mail, especially from Nick.

Update: Nick responds, "A cheap OK dinghy which is a poor man’s Finn!??
The Phantom is a boat the Finn sailors would sail if the Finn was not an
Olympic class! The Phantom is a much better boat to sail!
Lighter and faster and far more responsive plus a superb social scene!"

Edward, more to come.
A big thank you to Nick, warm beer and marmite.

Links: Go Sail | Phantom Class Association | Phantom Owners Group

Tags: dinghy sailing, sailing, phantom dinghy, home built boats, boat building

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Dear Joe, I Need A Boat That An Old Guy Can Build And Sail. Any Suggestions?

Edward has inspired me to write about boats that one can
build at home. Here's his email to me:

Joe,
My father-in-law is itching for a new project and
driving 3+ hours each way to Berkeley to work on my
boat isn't the best use of time.  We've contemplated
getting a trailer sailer to work on (he has lots of
room) but just recently got to thinking that building
a cool dinghy would be a better use of time.

We have dinghies for the kids so it would really need
to be a singlehanded and easy to sail boat for a
gentleman on the business side of 60.  Who is 6'3".
Probably mainsail only and relatively easy to find
plans for.  What would you recommend?

Thanks Edward, I'll send you some ideas over the next
few days.



How about a Streaker?

The Streaker dinghy was designed by Jack Holt in 1975 and was first launched in
November of that year. His rationale was to design a 'light weight Solo' as he was
finding it difficult to haul his Solo up the slipway as he got older.

It is a lightweight single handed dinghy designed for both racing or cruising. It has a
single sail that can be easily rigged and controls lead back to the cock pit allow it to
be easily adjusted whilst a float. The hull weight of only 48 kg makes launching and
recovery easy.

The Streaker Class Owners Association (SCOA) was formed in 1976 and since
then the class has grown steadily and there are strong fleets nationwide, with sail
numbers now fast approaching the 1580 mark and SCOA membership totaling
more than 140, spread over at least 70 clubs in the UK.( and 1 in the Philippines.)

The Streaker is an easy boat to handle no matter how inexperienced the helm
might be, it offers extremely lively racing performance in a very broad range of
conditions, belying her relatively modest Portsmouth Yardstick of 1162. A benefit
of the low hull weight means that onshore handling is easy to handle, even allowing
it be popped on the roof on most small family cars without any problem.

More suggestions to follow.

Links: Go Sail | Streaker Class Owners Association

Tags: sailing, dinghy sailing, streaker dinghy, boat building

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