Sea Trial

A couple of days ago, I was finally ready enough to take the Seaclipper to the local lake. I worked in town until 2:00 then rushed home and with great excitement hitched the car to the boat trailer. The ride to the lake was without any trauma despite there being so many things that could have blown off or out of the cockpit. The boat was badly positioned on the trailer too, being too far forward, with too much weight on the hitch.
Once I got parked in the lot, it took me awhile to get everything untied and laid out. First real work was the unfolding of the beams and bolting the hinges in place.
I had practised the raising of the mast a number of times in my own yard, so that went easily too. I secured the stays and disconnected all my straps then backed down the ramp and slid the boat into the water. So exciting to finally see it afloat!


I left the rigging of the rudder and the main sail until the boat was on the beach. Took me awhile to swing the boat to get the stern in shallow enough water to pin the rudder and tie on the control lines. Raising the sail was more difficult as the wind was shifty in that little cove and the rising sail kept hanging up and pinching the bolt rope in the groove. Finally with the help of a friend who happened by, we got the sail up while keeping the boat pointed into the wind.


Took me a few minutes to organize all the lines piled in the rear cockpit, but finally I was aboard and given a push into the lake. I paddled further out of the cove and into the breeze. The boat sat as stable as a raft! A few tugs of lines locked both the rudder and the centerboard in place and I tightened the main sheet and felt the wind grab the sail.
A moment of fright as the boat heeled with the gust. Took me a little while to recall that every boat has to heel with the wind. That's what boats do!
I sailed around for awhile using only the main, getting used to the motions, the steering and the heeling. I am so used to a hand-held tiller, one that moved opposite to the intended direction, that I frequently steered the wrong way!
When I got comfortable again, I unfurled the jib and added more power. Then it got to be exciting. Lots of speed yet hardly any real motion of the boat due to small waves. The heeling of the boat settled in and I started to look for more wind, for more speed!
It felt like I was barely moving along when actually the GPS said I was at 4 knots. Just gliding! This was frantic top speed in my other boats! At about 6 knots, the rudder or the centerboard started to hum and add to the excitement. I presume that vibration is slowing me down, but for now, I don't care.
There was some rocking in boat wakes, but never any rolling if the sail was pulling.
I think the trip was a success as I had a terrific time and came home with a list of things to fix and alter. Can't wait to get back out there!

Two Month's of Progress

The weather has turned warm enough to epoxy anytime, knowing it will set up nicely. Construction has finished and painting has happened in spurts of warm and dry weather. Easiest to include a bunch of pictures then come back to comment on them.



I decided a simple paint scheme would be best. I used marine enamel on the creamy coloured parts and an oil-based house paint on the dark red. It took a lot of thinking and the help of a neighbour to bolt the beams to the amas. I propped them up on tall sawhorses then rolled the main hull underneath. The problem then was lining everything up for the final assembly. So, here it all is, for its first roll-out into the sunshine.



I knew the amas were heavy, but I figured they would be manageable. To try out the folding part of the operation, I undid the bolts holding the hinges in place and rotated the amas onto the main hull. That was a huge grunt! It feel like they weigh about a hundred pounds. Rolling them back from the folded position to the 'open' position was much harder again. Then my lifting was with poor leverage, making the effort even worse. I am working on some system, but it may be simplest to stand on a short step stool so my legs are more effective.

Raising the mast was the next challenge. I am using the winch on the trailer. To keep the mast from moving off to one side, I have support lines between the outer ends of the main beam and where the mast-raising line attaches to the mast. I also used a pole to change the angle of the winch line. If anyone wants more information, leave me a comment here.

This was a very exciting event. My first sitting in the cockpit with the sails, beams and amas up and in place. Much easier to see how it is going to work.
A picture to show the jib sail we made from the Sailrite kit. That project went together very nicely, including the fancy corner treatments.
I now have a long list of fun and fiddly things to make and install. Things like rudder controls, center-board controls, sheet controls etc, etc, I am facing a week of rainy weather, so I am in no great rush to get things done so I can go to the lake. Rolling the boat out into the rain will be a nuisance.
Next report should be all about the sea trials. So exciting!