More boat building pictures and a sailing video

Here's the stitching along the keel of my plywood,vee-hull ama (that doubles as a small, car-topable waka):

• I used galvanized steel wire, which is far stronger and cheaper than copper, but needs to be extracted with a) heat from a blow torch and b) a firm grip with linesman pliers, after the epoxy has cured for a day
  
• I pre-coated the panels with marine epoxy before stitching them together
• Only the keel is stitched: I bonded the deck panels to inner sheer clamps (inwales) using bronze ring nails and thickened epoxy

An interior view, showing the thickened epoxy fillet along the keel, re-enforced with fiberglass tape:

You can also see one of the mast step sockets bonded to a bulkhead. The mast step socket doubles as a socket for an aka post, if using the hull as an ama.



Another view of the mast step / aka post socket (unfinished)

As you can see, it's a fairly robust structure. What you can't see is its twin socket at the other end of the hull.

And here, liberal application of fairing compound (epoxy + silica microspheres):


More videos to come: The one below is my first attempt to capture the proa in motion. He's on Sturgeon Lake, next to MacCarthy Beach State Park, in Northern Minnesota:
47.674363 N,-93.02958E

Holy Moly!

A whole year went by and no posts!

Well, I launched my little outrigger canoe several times over the summer on Lake Byllesby in SE Minnesota.

I rigged him with a make shift poly tarp sail and used a paddle for a rudder.



He went fast indeed !

I got compliments galore to stoke my ego!

He fit neatly on my home built roof rack for my Subaru Forester (Sadly, my Mercury Sable station wagon threw a piston rod and had to be junked).

The lakes around here are frozen over. It happened just a few days ago. We're expecting eight inches of snow tonight. Time to take out the skates and cross country skis.

In the meantime I'll post more on my other canoe waka and ama projects. I will also keep a photo log of building a long, insulated epoxy curing box along one wall in my garage. I hope to heat the interior to 30 or 40 C.

It's time to put together sailing rigs. I plan to start with a relatively small, Oceanic Lateen shunting rig, no more than 100 square feet, something light weight and easy to learn on.

I plan to cut the sails out of heavy duty poly tarp and then engage a local small business that sews tarpaulins and awnings to hem the edges.

I'm also pretty keen about wing sails and have printed out a dozen or so U.S. patent documents on them.

LAUNCH DAY FOR MY OUTRIGGER CANOE (PROA)

(click on images to enlarge)

I finally launched my first proa at the south end of Cannon Lake.

GLORY TIMES!

The two wheeled dolly, shown above, worked perfectly, even through soft beach sand. The wae ends fit into forks in the top of the dolly cradle.

I used the same bungees to lash him together that I used to secure him on my roof rack, seen in the background. (Proas are male)

The bungee cord lashings are FAST, EASY, SECURE and CONVENIENT.

Everything worked according to my clear and definite vision. Cheers to Napoleon Hill!

The water was crystal clear and cold. There was no one else on the lake. Storm clouds were blowing in from the North. It was near freezing, and getting dark.

I elected not to perform a capsize drill.



He was a beautiful sight to behold .

He tracked nicely, owing to his deep vee hull, and was very stable.

The wedge shaped wae extensions worked beautifully, providing eye screw anchors for the bungee lashings, and elevating the akas above the water line.

LOOK AT HIM!

He goes fast with very little drag or resistance.

I can sit anywhere along the outrigger bench without submerging the bows, yet I can see how I can steer him by shifting my weight fore and aft.

I can lie down comfortably on the waka, between the akas.

The fore and aft outrigger spars interfered with paddling, but I can leave them off or move them out of the way.

The the ama lashing system developed by Gary Dierking worked BRILLIANTLY with the mooring cleats I mounted on the akas, shown above. In this case, I used 3/16 inch polyester cord, not bungees.

I was able to sail along at a fair clip with just the wind resistance of my body.

I could used multiple corners on the outrigger grid for fulcrums, for sculling along with my double bladed paddle.

HE IS GOING TO BE FAST WITH A WING SAIL OR TWO.




and now some preview images of my waka building saga . . .

Finished Ama

The ama (outrigger float) all faired and sanded, resting on styrofoam cradles. It's ready for surgery to implant the hardwood posts, to connect the ama to the iakos (crossbeams).



Performing surgery with an underused Dremel Tool. Here I'm cutting through two layers: one layer of epoxy filled fiber glass tape over a single layer of epoxy filled 7 oz. e-glass cloth. I'm cutting a rectangle to closely fit the post.



Popping out the rectangular section of ama shell with a 1/4" chisel. It popped out cleanly and easily.

Surgical tools used to gouge out the styrofoam core.



Surgery complete. Socket ready for one of the hardwood (white oak) posts.



Test fit. Such a joy.


Posts bonded in place and ama painted with primer.



Dowel end of an ioko. The plywood cheeks at the end of the main beam should keep joint from spitting under load.

First test assembly.

Cannon Lake -- The Likely Launch Site

Last week I bonded the aka attachment posts into the Ama. Photos shortly. Meantime, here's Cannon Lake, Minnesota, the likely launch site. There's a nice sandy beach at the far (South) end of the lake.