12-28-2010
A first prototype for Christmas
It is nice but we still need to think of fixing the rig. Little pins to lace with slipknots ?
Anyhow, there are around things to be creative.
A preview from Mélévoiles
12-02-2010
Learning to sail and having fun !
Mélévoiles designs and manufactures models of moving sail boats and sand-yacht.
This is funny and they promised me to make a proa !
If you are interested, I advise you to contact me through this blog or to put a comment below. The more we are and the easier we could put pressure on them.
They also study a small aluminium flying proa like this catamaran :
11-06-2010
Last navigation before winter
Wind of the day
Inside video
It is time to hibernate.
10-10-2010
Crabclaw sail settings
This weekend, we are welcoming the brilliant designers, builders and improvers of "Un air de famille" proa which pictures and videos are visible on this blog.
"La Palourde"
Coming back from the mooring
At their arrival, they offer us a splendid whale-fin-shape rudder. This oar will fit much better than the previous paddles to steer the boat. A bike tube is taped on the handle. This works pretty good.
Before going on the water, we have some repairs to do:
Mast foot:
We forget the idea of a commercial pole's end. This has broken too easily in weak conditions.
Instead: a polyethylene martyr, 2 U-shape
The idea is to make a littke box which is going to receive the mast. The mast works in compressioni most of the time. The box keeps it in place. Edges are tube and tape covered to prevent any incision.
Downwind, it happens that the sail is lifted by the wind. Then, it can pull the mast. A little rope prevents the mast from getting off the box. And so here is what it looks like:
Pending we work on something nicer as on Pjoa:
Halyard and furled cleats:
I thought I had the perfect system to screw the cleats on the mast with http://www.boellhoff.com/fr/fr/composants_dassemblage/techniques_de_sertissage/rivkle.php. But without the special tool to crimp the rivets we have failed. It was enough for the weekend but not more. I will use bolts passing through the mast.
Rowlock:
Exploded at the 4th tack. Replaced by a clove hitch.
We have ideas for the next time:
Adjustable forestays:
Very important for the maneuvers, these adjustable forestays allow to lift the sail from the bow before we drag the rig. But adjustable means cleats. We use the sheet's cleats but this does not work at all. It unlooks untimely and the rig falls on us.
The "drag sheet" :
Wonderful Harken cleats of many colors screwed on the hull... and it sucks ! At this place, it is really difficult to fix. Moreover, as we walk on the drag sheet, it unlocks and we are close to receive the rig on the face.
So we're back to the shore for the brilliant idea....
The cleats-holder beam:
With this beam, we have made an important improvement for the boat's ergonomy. Great and cheap.
It is much easier to move, it is safer at the boats ends. Ancient cleats are much more reliable.
The cleat on the middle is used for the "drag sheet". The 2 other cleats are used alternately for the forestays and the sheet.
The best is that we can try many different things without touching the hull. This is great !
Saturday, october 9th - Sailing:
wind: 2-3 bft (max 10 knots)
max speed: 9 knots
crew: 4 then 5 adults
Repairs on Sunday october 10th:
Mast elongation
4,3 meters are not enough. With more length, we decrease the rig movements range. The job is done with a piece of fiberglass mast and wooden wedges.
Brail system:
This is how we reduce the crab claw's surface while sailing.
We put a double block higher than the halyard's block. From there, 1string on each side of the sail gets down to the boom .
By pulling these two strings, we rise the boom and close the sail.
Variant: we unlatch the halyard. the topsail yard gets down on the boom. The sail is pulled in along the boat.
Sailing, Sunday october 10th:
wind: 1-3 bft (max 8 knots)
max speed: 8 knots.
crew: 4 adults
Still to do (oulala !)
To change the yards.
Plywood does not work. Too heavy and not rigid enough. Half of the folds are badly positionned. Since 3 beaufort, we fear to see them exploding.To make the mast longer. This will reduce the movements range.
To put a beam on the trampoline and put cleats on it.
To put a windsurf diabolo between the yards.
To make sail-thread on the stems. This will prevent the sail to get upwind while tacking in lightwind conditions.
To bend a tube 50 cm downwind of the hull. This will secure the roof and move apart the sail when it slips from a position to the other. This tube should work with the threads.
To take MacGyver's toolbox onboard:
plywood, wedges, clamps, joint, rope and strings, screwing machine, tube, tape, blocks, straps, rubber tubing, tyre, cleats, hammer, ...To consider a wider and shorter sail ?
07-18-2010
First crab claw sailing attempt
mise en place des fixations du mât avec des pontets et des rivets inox
renforts dans la voile
couche de vernis
mise en place d'une cadène sous la surveillance du contre-maitre
arrivée de l'équipe de sécurité
installation du mât
Hissez haut !
c'est parti !
06-06-2010
First season attempt on Annecy Lake
Here is an extract of the journey: upwind between Duingt and Saint-Jorioz.
- 3 km
- 52 minutes
- 4 km/h average speed
- max at 9 km/h (11 km/h crosswind)
We expect much of the real crbclaw sail. Bigger, with a center thrust more in the middle.
05-21-2010
Sail sewing preparation
It has been weeks that we were waiting for nice weather to do it.
In the public garden we lie the sheet, we cut it and stick the pieces with double-sided tape.
If it goes as planned, the sail can be cut in this big piece.
We still have to chose the sewing machine:
on the right, the "travelling" one. Light, wellknown.
on the left, Terminator (or Singer 20u professional) with its 20kg, without the engine and without the dedicated table. Strong, powerful.
05-20-2010
First sewing test
To make this first crabclaw sail, I have followed Pjoa's advices. I like his sail very much.
There are many advantages to use reinforced polyethylene tarp:
- cheap
- double-sided tape for the connections
- easy to sew with a normal sewing machine
Thread: polyester as strong as possible. Never use cotton.
04-25-2010
Wheels to put the boat into the water.
Last time, we were that many to bring the proa to the water. 6 is not that many but it is still a lot :
We need an axle with 2 inflated wheels such as what we can find in the stores ... Of course it is hard to find something adapted to an 3.14-meter-wide amphidromous pacific proa.
Ingredients used:
- 3 bamboos longer than 3,14m, the Pétrel width (we have many of those but they are all splitted)
- 2 inflated wheels
- 2 pieces 0,5m long of steel, diameter 25mm
- 4 pins
- tens of meters of string
- 500g of epoxy resin
- polyurethane varnish to protect the epopxy from UV Rays
The string drinks a lot of resin. This is experimental. More because I have all these ingredients available than something serious.
Non skid
Although we have put some powder in the paint on the deck, it is still slippy with wet feet. So we add a non-skid tape. And it is nice looking.
Finalisation of the porthole
An important High-Tech system based on straps allows a strong closing of the prothole. In the inner side, a foam tape is stuck on the window. Compressed, the foam ensures the sealing. This sealing has to be improved during the coming rollover test.
07-26-2009
Coastal camping and second sailing attempt
There are different technics: on the beach, in the net or inside the cabin. To sleep late in the morning they all worth each other.
There is enough space in the canoe to sleep inside, even with a Jacksons five haircut.
The outrigger canoe is particularly adapted for sportmen's use.
Today, we are not too hasty. We think.
We experiment well. We rig only the 6,2 m² on the proa. We fixe it on the middle by passing a string inside the footmast. Half a windsurf mast is used as a rigid shroud between the ama and the wishbone.
Sheet and countersheet are installed between the sail and each canoe extremity where there is a pulley.
The sail can be manipulated like on a boat.
To drive we plan to use a little row (which will be left in the cabin soon).
The boat does not stop of the afternoon. Crews change a lot to allow maximum of people to discover what it is to sail on such boat:
- shunting
- driving ensured by moving the crew's weight: forward, the proa goes upwind; backward, the proa goes downwind
In this configuration, it is pleasant. It goes good upwind. At speed level, it encouraging: we reached 7 knots at 3 people when there was around 10 knots of wind and with only 6,2 m².
08-20-2008
First glue
Before proceeding to assembly, we glue all the ama's (ama = small hull) scarfs together at the same time.
We add small particles in the resin until it looks like glob.
Then we put quite a much on the two sides of the scarf. We wait 10 to 30 minutes for the resin to get deep in the sanded wood.
It is very important to fit perfectly the two pieces. Then, we fix them and press. With some cellophane, we prevent the wood to stick to anything it should not.
We wait until tomorow.
08-12-2008
Scarfs
We started the scarfs sanding : after stacking panels staggered width of the scarf, we pass a stroke belt sander to get a nice flat surface.
Wider the scarf is and easier it gets. This is why I advise to start with the bigger ones. Not as I have done.
08-07-2008
Finishing the pieces
For a beautiful a shell, it is very important that the plywood panels fit to each other as good as possible. Otherwise, the resin works extensively in the gaps that appear.
The drawing of the outlines on the plywood is as precise as possible. The millimeter is the range of precision expected.
The cutting with the jigsaw follows these outlines. A good jigsaw with a blade adapted to plywoood which does not split the wood is very suitable.
The best thing is to keep up to 1 mm margin to be removed for sanding.
Sandpaper on a piece of wood is preferable to a file or a plane.
A preliminary assembly of the boat gives us an idea of the quality of our work and what lies ahead.
It is really exciting to see a 3D shape appear after so little time !
08-03-2008
First pieces
Cutting with the jigsaw of the first pieces
08-02-2008
Beginning of the construction
I have the drawings. The marine plywood is arrived... Let's start working !
So far, the boat is still carryable on the ZX's roof.
From the drawings, I put points on the plywood and then I draw the outlines.