Today we tested the sail on the make shift mast in the front yard. It has no rigging except for the halyard and some ties I slipped under the battens to practice the concept of reefing but it looks really good. The idea is if I cant get all the blocks etc for the rigging this next month I can at least sail it as a crab claw. Went to take a picture and the camera was not charged so the camera is charging and tomorrow I will take a pic and post it.
Other then that today has been about saw dust. YUK! One of the guys cut me a LOT of chines for the # 1 hull. I have part of them sanded just enough to take the splinters out. Have coated all sides with Thompson's water seal.
Tomorrow is going to be about finish sanding the chines and applying a coat of water seal on them and hopefully start assembling the bottom out side of the hull. Once I get hull # 1 finished getting hull 2 done should go a lot faster since I will have the basics already accommodated.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
My Hunch Proves Out
Current challenge that I have NEVER heard addressed by any one before, in any of the boat building sites, yahoo groups etc, I have visited during the couple of years I've been researching this.
That tiny itsy bitsy thing called LAW. Yes its that time folks even though it may be a royal pain in the you know were. If its floats at least in this state you have to get it legal.
Got my call back from Tax commission. UN officially they don't have a problem with me taking the Toy out to water test it. NO, they are NOT authorized to send me confirmation of that in writing via email. ( go figure)
Talked to local lake officer ( NOT from highway patrol.) and he's OK with this after I told him what Tax Commission/ DMV person said.
(This next part is why you would want to build this boat in spite of the paper work) The next question is, since The Toy can technically be used as at least five different boats that I can think of just off of the top of my head AND since you have to have a different hull ID for each boat I was directed to a different person . It is as simple as getting a MIC ( Manufactures Identification Code ) from the Coast Guard. It is free. You fill out some forms and send them in. That makes it possible for me ( the manufacture ) to put Hull IDs on each component to be used separately or together. Yes, if I get pulled over for some weird reason the officer will have a headache looking at all of it since you legally HAVE to have each boats registration with it but if the paper work is all there it is not my problem , except maybe to offer the officer a couple of aspirin. Boat Builders Hand book is free on line in PDF format and you want to make sure you comply. Any way I've emailed for a copy of the paper work and its presumably on it's way. Send your request for the MIC application and other information to:philip.j.cappel@uscg.mil
Yes, its a pain but what the heck, I can't help but wonder since the government / Coast Guard / military is involved is this why they call them REAR admirals...... LOL
I've been working on what to do for the outer and final covering. Fiber glass would be great! I'm not made of money. Did some research. The Minwax is a bust . The good news is I have been doing some research on paint. Have decided to go with Benjamin Moore Impervo 133 external house paint for a couple of reasons. First I am putting Thompson water seal on all wood before it gets a final finish for added protection. If you do this READ THE CAN! You have to wait 30 days before you put additional paint on it. I called Thompson's They said you HAVE to use OIL based paint on it and that you should wipe it down with mineral spirit s before applying paint. Now that was after I told them the wood has been projected and sitting in doors this last month so if your situation is different do your research and find out if you need to do it differently.
The wood I already coated with the minwax is still usable. Since I am using the oil based Paint for final coat I can scuff sand the poly and go from there So outside of the cost of the poly urethane I'm good to go. You live and learn. Once I make sure the hull is deep enough to keep the deck out of the water I'm going to put a ply wood skin on it. Not as fancy as fiberglass but it's about sailing not spending the next couple of months saving money to buy fiberglass.
Am almost done sanding battens and ready to apply the Thompson's. Hopefully we will be good to go this week some times. Every time I THINK we are going to get out to lake test it seems life happens. I'm not even going to try to set a lake trail date again. It never happens, I always think if one more thing that either I want to do or that HAS to be done. LOL I'll get it in the water when it happens. One day at at time .
I am so close to having The Toy legal and ready for at least Hull # 1 to be in the water to sail I can taste it!
Sail safe and keep the bow pointed forward.
That tiny itsy bitsy thing called LAW. Yes its that time folks even though it may be a royal pain in the you know were. If its floats at least in this state you have to get it legal.
Got my call back from Tax commission. UN officially they don't have a problem with me taking the Toy out to water test it. NO, they are NOT authorized to send me confirmation of that in writing via email. ( go figure)
Talked to local lake officer ( NOT from highway patrol.) and he's OK with this after I told him what Tax Commission/ DMV person said.
(This next part is why you would want to build this boat in spite of the paper work) The next question is, since The Toy can technically be used as at least five different boats that I can think of just off of the top of my head AND since you have to have a different hull ID for each boat I was directed to a different person . It is as simple as getting a MIC ( Manufactures Identification Code ) from the Coast Guard. It is free. You fill out some forms and send them in. That makes it possible for me ( the manufacture ) to put Hull IDs on each component to be used separately or together. Yes, if I get pulled over for some weird reason the officer will have a headache looking at all of it since you legally HAVE to have each boats registration with it but if the paper work is all there it is not my problem , except maybe to offer the officer a couple of aspirin. Boat Builders Hand book is free on line in PDF format and you want to make sure you comply. Any way I've emailed for a copy of the paper work and its presumably on it's way. Send your request for the MIC application and other information to:philip.j.cappel@uscg.mil
Yes, its a pain but what the heck, I can't help but wonder since the government / Coast Guard / military is involved is this why they call them REAR admirals...... LOL
I've been working on what to do for the outer and final covering. Fiber glass would be great! I'm not made of money. Did some research. The Minwax is a bust . The good news is I have been doing some research on paint. Have decided to go with Benjamin Moore Impervo 133 external house paint for a couple of reasons. First I am putting Thompson water seal on all wood before it gets a final finish for added protection. If you do this READ THE CAN! You have to wait 30 days before you put additional paint on it. I called Thompson's They said you HAVE to use OIL based paint on it and that you should wipe it down with mineral spirit s before applying paint. Now that was after I told them the wood has been projected and sitting in doors this last month so if your situation is different do your research and find out if you need to do it differently.
The wood I already coated with the minwax is still usable. Since I am using the oil based Paint for final coat I can scuff sand the poly and go from there So outside of the cost of the poly urethane I'm good to go. You live and learn. Once I make sure the hull is deep enough to keep the deck out of the water I'm going to put a ply wood skin on it. Not as fancy as fiberglass but it's about sailing not spending the next couple of months saving money to buy fiberglass.
Am almost done sanding battens and ready to apply the Thompson's. Hopefully we will be good to go this week some times. Every time I THINK we are going to get out to lake test it seems life happens. I'm not even going to try to set a lake trail date again. It never happens, I always think if one more thing that either I want to do or that HAS to be done. LOL I'll get it in the water when it happens. One day at at time .
I am so close to having The Toy legal and ready for at least Hull # 1 to be in the water to sail I can taste it!
Sail safe and keep the bow pointed forward.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Photos from BOOTS May be slow to upload. be Patient
Finally getting the photos uploaded.
Other then uploading these photos,. today is about getting the final touches on Hull #1 of The Toy ready to take to lake to test for water line etc. Emailed Tax Commission to see what has to be done so we are legal since this is a home built boat. Am waiting for a call back from the local lake ranger .
BOOTS
Some shots of Cedar Mills Marina on Lake Texhoma.
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| That's what I call a weather vane. |
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| Nice shot of the water. Not bad for a first sailing adventure. |
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| Slips at marina |
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| View from campground shoreline |
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| Different view of Slips |
Thanks to Walter and Marty for letting us crew with them on Saturday at FALL 2010 BOOTS
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| For Deck of our hosts boat. |
Single Handing The Cardinal
Thanks to Dock Dog for letting us try our hand for the first time on his Cardinal as well as all the great tips he has shared with us.
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| Supervising. |
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| Switching turns |
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| W in The Cardinal |
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| Dock getting R started |
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| Switching turns |
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| You can't tell he's ready to get back on can you? |
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| Checking it out |
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| B in Cardinal |
Idea Gleaning Section
This is a lot of ideas in use taken from the various boats so I would not forget them when the times comes.
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| Tiller Handle: Note the cleat |
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| Keep metal fatigue from transporting out of mast |
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| Rigging |
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| More rigging |
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| Nice storage! |
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| Rudder |
Just for fun
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| The Pilgrim |
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| Me Checking out the cabin of The Pilgrim. Yes , it was VERY nice! |
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| Follow the leader. |
Idea gleaning from The Blue Peter
The photos do not do this boat justice.
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| Ice Chest hatch |
Some photos of Original Ducks
How many thought I meant a boat.
That's all for now
Monday, October 18, 2010
Yesterday
Yesterday did not go as planned. Instead of taking the hull out to test the water line, one of the guys remembered talking to someone at one of the messabouts we went to about losing mast from capsizing. So instead we put wood inserts into the PVC. Part of the idea is to fill the space between wood and pipe with canned foam so mast would float. I'm rethinking that idea as an experiement on another area showed that foam HAS to have a LOT of air around it to cure. Don't know how it would cure if it was contained. inside a pipe. Have not given up on this idea as the foam is closed cell / water proof and should block any water from getting inside the pipe to the wood. I'm thinking it MIGHT work if we put a long aquarium line ( 1.62 at Walmart for 8 ft in pet department) on the can tip and slowly sprayed a thin line into the pipe while gently pulling the line out so as to not got to much foam in one place at a time and then do it again on the other side. It wont fill it all in but it will help some. I'm thinking of getting a scrap pipe and do a test before I waste a whole can of foam . Plan " B" is close the ends with a PVC cap and glue after I put some varnish or paint on the wood. Just FYI this is for a temporary or back up mast until I get the wood or maybe an aluminum pole for a permanent one. At this point it is about getting on the water before the bad weather hits.
The good news is the wood inserts in the PVC for yard arm and boom is working fine so far. I need to sand the battens and get them attached. I found a really good instructional site for rigging a junq sail. If you print it out as is it is about 27 pages. I edited it for space down to 20 so it is going in my rigging collection of printouts. It shows 5 battens so I have to adapt it for 7. That I'll find out the how to from yahoo junq rig site .
Yesterday ended up with not only the inserts for boom and yard arm getting cut but also the battens for the junq sail. Needless to say I'm not all that upset over not getting to the lake to test. The sail I have needs 7 battens and we cut 9 out of the "damaged" cedar strips I got a while back plus a bit from the "fence: board to make up for what we missed, so Im good to go with spares. The down side was even with a solid wood insert the 1 1/2 inch PVC was not cutting it for the mast . It's just to flimsy, so have to re do that idea.
Instead of waiting we are going to cheat and copy something one of the guys at the messabout did, just to get it in the water and test it out.
The junk sail rigging that I have requires more hardware that I have one hand so improvising is required until next month. This sail has a shape very similar to a crab claw so I am setting it up in what I can only call a hybrid fashion to be used like a crab claw until I get the hard ware. I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT getting on the water in this set up with out some sort of reef points!
The sails is about 16 x 5 ft. That is WAY to much sail for us at this point.
The set up so far is: The bottom of the sail is furled around the boom to the point that what is left is 7 ft on the short side of the sail. (9 foot on long side). That brings us down to a 4 batten sail. I have put the straight battens in and borrowing an idea I saw this month at the messabout, tie ropes under the battens to reef at at least the lower three. ( The sail I saw as a regular crab claw and had the reef line running through the reef points and tied in place on both sides. ) That is going to leave one batten "unreefed" If the wind picks up so much that I have to reef past the first two it is time to head for shore. The third reef point is in case it gets THAT bad that quick and I need to reef it to get to shore. On second thought I may go ahead and put the reef lines under that final batten as well just to be sure.
That's the plan. Time to undo all this dry fitting and get to sanding.
May your anchors always be solid.
to email me put "DIY BLOG THE TOY" in subject line to get past spam filters
The good news is the wood inserts in the PVC for yard arm and boom is working fine so far. I need to sand the battens and get them attached. I found a really good instructional site for rigging a junq sail. If you print it out as is it is about 27 pages. I edited it for space down to 20 so it is going in my rigging collection of printouts. It shows 5 battens so I have to adapt it for 7. That I'll find out the how to from yahoo junq rig site .
Yesterday ended up with not only the inserts for boom and yard arm getting cut but also the battens for the junq sail. Needless to say I'm not all that upset over not getting to the lake to test. The sail I have needs 7 battens and we cut 9 out of the "damaged" cedar strips I got a while back plus a bit from the "fence: board to make up for what we missed, so Im good to go with spares. The down side was even with a solid wood insert the 1 1/2 inch PVC was not cutting it for the mast . It's just to flimsy, so have to re do that idea.
Instead of waiting we are going to cheat and copy something one of the guys at the messabout did, just to get it in the water and test it out.
The junk sail rigging that I have requires more hardware that I have one hand so improvising is required until next month. This sail has a shape very similar to a crab claw so I am setting it up in what I can only call a hybrid fashion to be used like a crab claw until I get the hard ware. I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT getting on the water in this set up with out some sort of reef points!
The sails is about 16 x 5 ft. That is WAY to much sail for us at this point.
The set up so far is: The bottom of the sail is furled around the boom to the point that what is left is 7 ft on the short side of the sail. (9 foot on long side). That brings us down to a 4 batten sail. I have put the straight battens in and borrowing an idea I saw this month at the messabout, tie ropes under the battens to reef at at least the lower three. ( The sail I saw as a regular crab claw and had the reef line running through the reef points and tied in place on both sides. ) That is going to leave one batten "unreefed" If the wind picks up so much that I have to reef past the first two it is time to head for shore. The third reef point is in case it gets THAT bad that quick and I need to reef it to get to shore. On second thought I may go ahead and put the reef lines under that final batten as well just to be sure.
That's the plan. Time to undo all this dry fitting and get to sanding.
May your anchors always be solid.
to email me put "DIY BLOG THE TOY" in subject line to get past spam filters
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A Puzzle
Wow, I just noticed it has been almost two weeks since I posted any thing. It has been that busy around here. In between BOOTS last month and going to Lake Eufaula this month, there has not been a lot of time to work on The Toy lately. The good news is progress has been slow but sure and we are ready to do a float test. Now what with her being made of foam and bottles, I am not the least bit worried that she won't float. I want to know where the water line is going to be for sure with the comparatively light load of only two or three adults on her before I say the bare boned first hull is finished and ready for the temporary "final" cover of being fitted with the heavy duty tarp I broke down and got this month.
She is not as light as I had hoped , but she can be moved by two people as the guys and I can all three attest to. Taking her to get the weight of this first hull is definitely on the agenda. It has been getting a lot cooler so I moved her into the house to work on her again, It like like moving a 18 ft long and very skinny couch,. but it is doable. I was hoping one 10 ' x 20 ' heavy duty tarp would do but the circumference is just a bit to wide so, in between the left overs from the new tarp and the other I had purchased, we will have plenty of tarp left over to make sails while we are experimenting with what we like before we spend the money on "real" sails.
Oh, before I forget, Eufaula was a bust as far as me getting any sailing done, but I did learn a lot. about Puddle ducks, sail size etc.
The junq rig sail that I was given is about 5x 16 so I am thinking that it is about right for The Toy but plan on keeping it reefed to about 50 square foot as a normal thing for general practice while I am learning.
For the purpose of experimenting I am using 1 1/2 inch PVC for a temporary mast and 1 1/4 inch for booms while I figure out how to get this sail rigged. Needless to say it is going to be a FLAT WATER ONLY boat until I get different materials or am satisfied that the PVC can handle the stress. . (The guys are talking about building PD racers so I'm thinking about letting them have the wood I bought a while back for mast. Two end to end with lap joints make just about the right size for a short mast to get them started with a lateen sail.) I'm thinking if the PVC is not strong enough and yes I have my questions about that, the local building supply store sales 1 5/16" round stock that fits inside the 1- 1/2 PVC quite nicely for reinforcement. I have a 20' joint of pipe. I'm thinking butt end two sticks of round with epoxy and water proof the wood by putting caps on the end. For convenience sake I'm thinking a screw on cap at mast top. Yes, I am planing on using wood inserts to reinforce the PVC where hardware is attached. Found out the polyurethane idea is a complete bust but that's OK, you live and learn.
For the float test I have wrapped the hull up in a heavy duty tarp with duck tape. I thought about using the gorilla tape but since this is just an extremely temporary set up just to test water line, wasting the extra 7.00 a roll did not seem like a smart move. As soon as we get her back home all that tape is going in the trash so we can go onto the next step.
Yes it's as ugly as it can be and has more wrinkles then my great grandmothers brow. Until I find out where the water line is I do not want to cut a brand new tarp. Once I find out if I am going to have to increase the height of the hulls and get it done on this first hull, then I'll cut the tarp to fit. Right now it is folded up on one side and looks pretty sad.
I am planning on increasing the hulls depth some to accommodate placing a strip of 2 x 4 length wise on top of each hull to have something solid to fasten cleats and other items to as it becomes needed.
I had the strangest thing happen at Eufaula. Someone commented that what I am doing scares them. I can't imagine why. It truly puzzles me. The basic design is already tested on what I would imagine are millions of pontoons all over the world. Seriously, if you look at a pontoon boat and this one, the similarities are astounding. A pontoon usually has 2 large long rectangular pieces of square bottom foam that are fastened to a deck with aluminum frames that go around or through the foam. This design has two long triangular pieces of foam with the structural support going through the foam and coming up from that 4 inch PVC base to attach to the deck.
While a pontoon is one large piece that you would not be disassembling to move, The Toy is designed to be modular. Although the original goal of fitting on top of my car may or may not work out due to my car being a small Lumina, as it sits right now, I have been researching that issue and THINK I MAY have found the solution on instructables. It is as simple as extending the usable length of the car with a hitch extender which will work, some tie downs and a roof rack. I need to drive to Harbor freight get some parts, but that's not a problem. Until I get the parts all I have to do is take it slow the few miles out to the local lake and I'm good to go.
We finally got the hitch I bought checked. It will work I just need to get the bolts etc to install it. I have been keeping my eye open for a light weight trailer I can modify to use but so far have not managed to get that part accomplished . Not having the hitch on puts a real cork in bringing a trailer home. LOL
The long term plan is get an extended van. The hulls will fit on top and I can set it up for long term camping. With a winch and the right rooftop rack, the hulls will go on top as slick as grease. Put a cargo extender on the hitch for the decks and other items that might not fit inside and I'll be all set up for going where ever the sailing looks good.
My son, who owns the digital camera, has promised he will get me the pics from BOOTS tomorrow. Here is hoping he does not get busy and forget. I would like to see them myself. Considering we are taking the camcorder to document the waterline test I think it will happen.
Went shopping for boat stuff. Bought a fluke anchor although I'm thinking I may want a mud anchor as well before things progress to far. Need to find out what the local lakes bottoms are for sure. Will be carrying 20 ft of 1/4 inch chain and have 75 ft of 1/4" anchor line. Yes, they are both over sized for this boat but I live in a small town and you take what you can get. This should be more then enough for local area lakes since I am only planning on anchoring close to shore. Got the hard ware to get the rudder(s) attached once I get it / them built. I found dock line and sheets at a really decent price at Lowe's, I think it was. Got at least part of the hardware for halyards etc. Still need to get or make cleats and more hardware. All in all, we are pretty close to being good to go on those areas.
One of the big questions is how to rig this Junk sail. I am really leaning in favor of Junq rigs as a permanent fixture based on what I have read for ease of single handing. This particular sail was originally designed as a flat sail with curved battens.
Realizing there is this HUGE learning curve for me, I did some searching online. It appears the original Chinese junq sails were flat with flat battens, so I'm thinking to go with that and see how I do at least for now. For the purpose of learning how to rig this sail as well as play on flat water for a while. I'm thinking use some 3/4 inch PVC just to get out on the water and see if I can rig it right to actually sail. YES I plan to HUG THE SHORE LINE IN VERY LIGHT WINDS. If needed I'll insert wood doweling into the PVC for strength.
Why am I using so much PVC ? It's a LOT cheaper then wood for this stage of things and it does not need protecting from water. This means I get on the water faster. To quote something I read online, It is about sailing not sawdust. Once I get the experimental parts figured out ( read that as figure out how I want to do parts of this,) I'll go to wood if the PVC does not work.. If I stick with the PVC I'm not out any money. If I go to just wood and can't find a buyer for the "used" PVC, I can always donate it to the Habitat for Humanity. resale store. Either way it is a win- win situation. Those do not happen very often.
All things considered and duly noted, life is good.
May your winds all be fair and your anchors firmly fastened.
She is not as light as I had hoped , but she can be moved by two people as the guys and I can all three attest to. Taking her to get the weight of this first hull is definitely on the agenda. It has been getting a lot cooler so I moved her into the house to work on her again, It like like moving a 18 ft long and very skinny couch,. but it is doable. I was hoping one 10 ' x 20 ' heavy duty tarp would do but the circumference is just a bit to wide so, in between the left overs from the new tarp and the other I had purchased, we will have plenty of tarp left over to make sails while we are experimenting with what we like before we spend the money on "real" sails.
Oh, before I forget, Eufaula was a bust as far as me getting any sailing done, but I did learn a lot. about Puddle ducks, sail size etc.
The junq rig sail that I was given is about 5x 16 so I am thinking that it is about right for The Toy but plan on keeping it reefed to about 50 square foot as a normal thing for general practice while I am learning.
For the purpose of experimenting I am using 1 1/2 inch PVC for a temporary mast and 1 1/4 inch for booms while I figure out how to get this sail rigged. Needless to say it is going to be a FLAT WATER ONLY boat until I get different materials or am satisfied that the PVC can handle the stress. . (The guys are talking about building PD racers so I'm thinking about letting them have the wood I bought a while back for mast. Two end to end with lap joints make just about the right size for a short mast to get them started with a lateen sail.) I'm thinking if the PVC is not strong enough and yes I have my questions about that, the local building supply store sales 1 5/16" round stock that fits inside the 1- 1/2 PVC quite nicely for reinforcement. I have a 20' joint of pipe. I'm thinking butt end two sticks of round with epoxy and water proof the wood by putting caps on the end. For convenience sake I'm thinking a screw on cap at mast top. Yes, I am planing on using wood inserts to reinforce the PVC where hardware is attached. Found out the polyurethane idea is a complete bust but that's OK, you live and learn.
For the float test I have wrapped the hull up in a heavy duty tarp with duck tape. I thought about using the gorilla tape but since this is just an extremely temporary set up just to test water line, wasting the extra 7.00 a roll did not seem like a smart move. As soon as we get her back home all that tape is going in the trash so we can go onto the next step.
Yes it's as ugly as it can be and has more wrinkles then my great grandmothers brow. Until I find out where the water line is I do not want to cut a brand new tarp. Once I find out if I am going to have to increase the height of the hulls and get it done on this first hull, then I'll cut the tarp to fit. Right now it is folded up on one side and looks pretty sad.
I am planning on increasing the hulls depth some to accommodate placing a strip of 2 x 4 length wise on top of each hull to have something solid to fasten cleats and other items to as it becomes needed.
I had the strangest thing happen at Eufaula. Someone commented that what I am doing scares them. I can't imagine why. It truly puzzles me. The basic design is already tested on what I would imagine are millions of pontoons all over the world. Seriously, if you look at a pontoon boat and this one, the similarities are astounding. A pontoon usually has 2 large long rectangular pieces of square bottom foam that are fastened to a deck with aluminum frames that go around or through the foam. This design has two long triangular pieces of foam with the structural support going through the foam and coming up from that 4 inch PVC base to attach to the deck.
While a pontoon is one large piece that you would not be disassembling to move, The Toy is designed to be modular. Although the original goal of fitting on top of my car may or may not work out due to my car being a small Lumina, as it sits right now, I have been researching that issue and THINK I MAY have found the solution on instructables. It is as simple as extending the usable length of the car with a hitch extender which will work, some tie downs and a roof rack. I need to drive to Harbor freight get some parts, but that's not a problem. Until I get the parts all I have to do is take it slow the few miles out to the local lake and I'm good to go.
We finally got the hitch I bought checked. It will work I just need to get the bolts etc to install it. I have been keeping my eye open for a light weight trailer I can modify to use but so far have not managed to get that part accomplished . Not having the hitch on puts a real cork in bringing a trailer home. LOL
The long term plan is get an extended van. The hulls will fit on top and I can set it up for long term camping. With a winch and the right rooftop rack, the hulls will go on top as slick as grease. Put a cargo extender on the hitch for the decks and other items that might not fit inside and I'll be all set up for going where ever the sailing looks good.
My son, who owns the digital camera, has promised he will get me the pics from BOOTS tomorrow. Here is hoping he does not get busy and forget. I would like to see them myself. Considering we are taking the camcorder to document the waterline test I think it will happen.
Went shopping for boat stuff. Bought a fluke anchor although I'm thinking I may want a mud anchor as well before things progress to far. Need to find out what the local lakes bottoms are for sure. Will be carrying 20 ft of 1/4 inch chain and have 75 ft of 1/4" anchor line. Yes, they are both over sized for this boat but I live in a small town and you take what you can get. This should be more then enough for local area lakes since I am only planning on anchoring close to shore. Got the hard ware to get the rudder(s) attached once I get it / them built. I found dock line and sheets at a really decent price at Lowe's, I think it was. Got at least part of the hardware for halyards etc. Still need to get or make cleats and more hardware. All in all, we are pretty close to being good to go on those areas.
One of the big questions is how to rig this Junk sail. I am really leaning in favor of Junq rigs as a permanent fixture based on what I have read for ease of single handing. This particular sail was originally designed as a flat sail with curved battens.
Realizing there is this HUGE learning curve for me, I did some searching online. It appears the original Chinese junq sails were flat with flat battens, so I'm thinking to go with that and see how I do at least for now. For the purpose of learning how to rig this sail as well as play on flat water for a while. I'm thinking use some 3/4 inch PVC just to get out on the water and see if I can rig it right to actually sail. YES I plan to HUG THE SHORE LINE IN VERY LIGHT WINDS. If needed I'll insert wood doweling into the PVC for strength.
Why am I using so much PVC ? It's a LOT cheaper then wood for this stage of things and it does not need protecting from water. This means I get on the water faster. To quote something I read online, It is about sailing not sawdust. Once I get the experimental parts figured out ( read that as figure out how I want to do parts of this,) I'll go to wood if the PVC does not work.. If I stick with the PVC I'm not out any money. If I go to just wood and can't find a buyer for the "used" PVC, I can always donate it to the Habitat for Humanity. resale store. Either way it is a win- win situation. Those do not happen very often.
All things considered and duly noted, life is good.
May your winds all be fair and your anchors firmly fastened.
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