LID FOR THE AIRLOCK

The lids for the airlocks have to be very good, waterproof and such tings.

For me that means thick gaskets and large radius. I use closed foam EPDM rubber. I do not use a conventional hinge with a fixed axes. That way I can tension the lid all around.

The present opening is a bit larger than previus ones 40X60 cm with radius of about 11 cm.

The first try showed that there was to much friction in the tensening line, that is tensioned with a home made over the center device.

I am now building rollers for the line, 7 in all to reduce the frictione. I do not have much space in the upper part where the lid turns so this will take some time.

Also the tire on my bicycle was getting to worn a bulge made the wheel bumpy. Before I could get a new tire there was a puncture. I was talking to a man before leaving work and before knowing there was a puncture. He left in his car. I turned to leave on my bike but there was no air. Had I known that I would have asked him for a ride. That would have saved me a 40 minutes walk. Next day he told me that he had a puncture on his car tire. Odd!

I am still trying to get a certificate that I had 2 vaccinations in order to fly to my boat on Madeire. The doctor told me that the policy is to cure sick people not to help people to get sailing. I am working on this bureaucratic problem. hopefully finding a solution soon because I am eager to go sailing the big blue deep endless eternal sea.

Video below.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind

Video: Airlock for enhanced seaworthiness

To increase seaworthiness I am adding an airlock. There is a video below showing the start.

I use the fore and after peak as airlocks.
I will fit these relatively small spaces with two watertight hatches in series.
Captain Nemo had one on his submarine Nautilus 1869 so the idea is not new. Nowadays its common on submarines and spaceships but not on small cruisers.
I endeavor to make my small cruiser as seaworthy as possible. From the hatches I can reach the masts and sails. Those I do not have to be on deck to reef and unreef. A good thing if I should get old and week. In high latitudes there is the possibility of waves filling the fore or after peak when the hatches are open. Now with the peaks in airlock mode no water will enter the living compartments. I can close the hatch, pump out all the water get dry and enter the living compartment.
1973 I left Sweden in an attempt to round Cape Horn in Bris a 20 feet light displacement double ender. The first part of the route took me north of Scotland, west of Ireland similar to my 2020 sail. For several weeks the weather was heavy. At one time a wave hit the beam with such a force that the boat was flung a long distance to lee. When looking out I noticed that the logline was wrapped around the hull. At an other time one dark night when the wind increased I went up to the mast to reduce sail. Looking back I saw an enormous breaker. I only just had time to sit down cross my legs and arms around the mast, because I was sure that when the breaker hit my small boat she would capsize. But as miracle she just held her course and took of in an enormous surf leaving a monster wake behind her for what seamed a very long time.
When I was back below my arms and back ached.
In the beginning of 1974 I left Mar del Plata Argentina bound for Cape Horn. After a few weeks of sailing south Bris was capsized by a wave hitting her beam. The wind was much less strong than the ones I had had in the Northern North Atlantic. A week later. It was early in the day the wind suddenly increased to hurricane force. I did not worry to much because such sudden winds usually die down quick. Not this one. It just kept blowing with the same intensity for hour after hour. All sails was down and a drouge was streamed om a 150 meter long line. Despite that Bris was pichpoled.
I designed a more seaworthy boat, but it was a long way to my mothers basement where I had built Bris.
An important part was the ventilation system. When Bris had been upside down water had entered. To prevent that from happening again I made the air enter at the bottom of the boat. When the boat is upside down the boats bottom is up in the air hence no water can enter in a capsize or pitchpole. The system works very well and I have written more about it in the manifesto.
Now 2021, 47 years later I am still finding ways to make my boats more seaworthy.

I now had two shots of vaccin I hope to be back in Porto Santo Madeira very soon to do some sailing in the deep, big, blue, eternal, endless, ocean, before I continue working on the Canoe Yawl in the autum. But even though I am vaccinated it seams that I have to get a corona test and that will cost € 200. I try to find a cheaper way.

Below a picture of the what is the start of the coaming.

The radius of the coaming is built up of many small pieces to get the curvature. There will be four of them. The lids are cunstructed in a similar way. Curved lines can be approximated with the help of many small pieces.

The airlock video belov. Please comment, subscribe, donate and enjoy.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

INHERENT SEAWORTHINESS

I belive that boat should be designed with inherent seaworthiness. That is boat is inherent seaworthy if it has a low level of getting into danger when the weather turns bad. For example my boats have centerboards that can be retracted when running downwind before a storm. That reduces the danger of broaching too. My boats are waterproof upside down, that in combination with freestanding strong masts and a secure place for all items eliminates the problems associated with capsize and pitchpooling. My body is fat adapted thus I do not need to eat or use the bathroom in bad weather. My boats steer themself. That eliminates the need for autopilots and windvanes that can break in strong winds.

I now also design the new Exlex, the Canoe Yawl as a symetrical double ender, . That way she can set a parachute anchor or drouge as desired from aft.

Sailing a boat with that low level of getting into danger when the weather turns bad is relaxing.

Below a video illustrates the thinking.

Thanks to evryone that has donated to support my project in connection with my 82 birthday the 22 of april.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

 

82 birthday and update video.

Hi on the 22 of april 2021 I will if everything works out and the good Gods are willing, become 82 years of age. Very good.  A big day for me. Cake will be eaten and even icecream in celebration. Please donate to my cake eating project and to my boatbuilding. Write if your donation is for the cake or for the boat in order that I will know where to put the money.

Update  2021 April 22    My friends at work gave me a cake. Picture below.

The text translates to something like “At last Yrvind 82”. I are a big chunk.

My boat project evolves nicely. Much more space than I had imaged. I only need 200 liter for water and 200 liter for 100 kilo food, musli and sardines, and some other stuff. The storage will be plenty more as can be seen in the video link below.

I had not realy planned this but now there is plenty of food to reach New Zealand in 200 days and 2.8 knot average speed from Madeira. The Canoe Yawl, new Exlex, will be 2 meter longer than the 2020 Exlex 7.8 to 5.8 meter, she will have twice as much sail area 8.2 square meter to 4 square meter. She will have the superior side by side biplane rig of the 2018 Exlex. I hope she will be lighter 1000 kilo with food and water compared 1090 for Exlex 2020 reason being she have no 138 kilo bronze plate and her bottom konstruction is much lighter. The near vertical chinerunners will take care of grounding forces. Stability she will get from water and batteries. The water I drink will be replaced by saltwater of wich there is a good supply. About twice a month the water in the jerrycans will be transfered to the 18 one liter bottles.

She will have pivoting centerboard instead of daggerboard, more easy to handle. She will have superior inner doors and many more improvements. Things are looking bright.

I now have two shots of vaccination. 18 March and 16 April. In a few weeks more time I have less risk of Corona. Then I try to fly to Porto Santo Madeira to do a summer sailing in the Atlantic going nowhere particular just floting around enjoing the deep blue endless eternal sea. When food and water is getting low I will head for Horta Azores with the plan to ship the boat to Sweden.

September 2021 I plan to continue the prototype, hopefully having it fit for sailing summer 2022. September.  2022 I intend to start the real composite boat. Work carefully taking my time sailing the prototype in the summers incorporating knowledge gained in the real product.

Below is a link to a video.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

MORE ABOUT STOVAGE

Stovage is not a very exciting subject, but a small cruiser with the stovage problem well solved is not very exciting in a storm and that is desirable.

A place for every thing and every thing in its place is a question of details, hundreds of details and to secure everything takes time so progress is not very fast.

This boat is a mockup a prototype so some may ask why go into all the details. I say there is always interference. There is always something unforeseen turning up and destrying the best made plans.

Stovage is a subject I will come back to again and again. Good stovage is essential for a seaworthy offshore boat.

Blow is a video about my arrangement.

Subscribe to my youtube chanel and donate on my website.

To be contiued…

Regards Yrvind

CONTROLING LINES FOR THE BOW CENTERBOARD

Exlex of 2018 and 2020 had daggerboads. They are simple to make but more complicated to control remotly with lines. On Amphibie Bris 15  feet long of 1989 I used a bow centerboard. I sailed her from France to Newfoundland. It worked well.

Now I try again. I like to have one line pulling the board up and one line pulling her down. The problem is to avoid that the lines interfer with each other or get jammed. The bigger angle the centerbord is tuned the bigger the problem. To get much useful lateral area I like to turn the centerboard down about 80°. Large lateral area is very useful when slowly forereaching into a gale. I prefer that method to heaving to. You can make some slow progress to windward in comfort.

The centerboard case is open at the deck. That way it is possible arrange with a lever to move the centerboard in the unlikely event of the lines breaking. I will use oversize lines. 16 or 18 mm or something like that. Big diameter lines are also less likely to get jammed between the centerboard and the centerboard case.

By being able to turn the centerboard with levers I can attach new controlling lines. Exactly how it is going to be done I have to work out but I have some Ideas. It will be more easy to see as work progres.

Below is a video.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

 

YRVIND TRIES TO EXPLAIN HIS CHOICE OF RIGGING

Hi friends.

Here is a video. I will try to explain some of it feuters.

When a boat heels the sail area moves to lee, with that the center of effort and the boat gets more weather healm. With biplane rig if you drop the windward sail the center of effort moves to lee. The boat gets more  weather helm. With a third mast, a mizzen to balance the center of effort stayes the same. Much as with a ketch if you drop the mainsail the jib and mizzen keeps the center of effort unchanged.

1964 I was a member of the Amateur Yacht Research Society. I did build a proa. To balance the sail area to lateral area I moved the sail sidewise to lee or windward untill equlibrium was reached.

Going to windward with a biplane rig is fine because both mast get free airflow like a biplane airplane.

Sailing down wind the rig is very stable and selfstearing with the sails sheated out more than 90°. With freestanding masts there is no chafe if you keep the lugsail on the lee side of the mast.

Two pictures below.

Exlex of 2018 on her way to Madeira. Her beam was 1.04 meter and to narrow. The problem was in port because the masts was leaning outside. Thats why I did not use the side by side biplane rig on Exlex of 2020. Now the problem is solved. I will build tabernacles that can mowe the mast inwards in port.
The track of Exlex of 2018 on her way to Madeira. As can be seen she steered herself just fine. I enjoyed myself.

To be contiued…

Regards Yrvind.

YRVIND MIXING EPOXY

HI friends.

When I mix epoxy I do not use a pump even if it is a faster method. I measure epoxy on a scale to the 1/10 of a gram. Then I use 2 pot mixing. That is I first mix in one pot then I pour it over into an other and mix again. Molecules are tiny things. Always some get stuck in the mixing pot. If you pour the mix into a new pot you increase the distribution. To test this cut up a pot with some left over epoxy and most likely you can feel that the pot wall is sticky, an indication of bad mix. I repeat the process just to make sure.

Most people use the pump system as it is very convinient. It works well but I like to do as good as possible. I reason if I do my best at al times with everything even if the advantage of each operation is minute in the end I be better of. And in bad weather I sleep very well. I got a good conscience, I know that I have done my best if I still fail, so It may be. I am a stoic.

Below is a video.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

ARRANGING STOVAGE

I am now trying to figure out the best stovage. There is plenty of space in the boat. This means that I have to be extra careful not to fill it up othervise the boat will be to heavy.

I have come up with a system cheap light and functional for locking the hatches. The first idea was with a rope in tension but it was not enough friction in the system despite the capstan equation. I took a walk and used the rope in compression instead. That works fine. I use rope hinges.

Below some pictures of the progress.

The first modell of the hatch lid. It did not work to my satisfaction not enough friction in the rope. Next try in the video. I took a walk and figured out to use the rope in compression using the jamming effect.
Me sitting with my head above the deck. There be a deckhouse wtih a 360 vieuw from the bed and from the saloon.
An unexpected bonus was that I got a neckrest. It was amasingly comfortable. I was also sucessfull with the angle of the backrest and seat.
The first row of jerrycans below the bed, 9 of them 5 liters each. There will be one more row. Also I will have 16 one litre bottles. Plenty for a man that uses one litre water a day.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind

VIDEO ON EXLEX 2020 IN PORTO SANTO

Here is a video shoving many details on Exlex 2020

 

Enjoy

The idea is to return to Porto Santo and my friends there. Load her up with food and water sail out into the Sargosso sea, the only ocean without shores and spend the summer there enjoying myself and thinking about Exlex the Canoe Yawl.

The return is planned to be in May when I am vaccinated. I got one shot thursday 18 this month. Next and final shot will be 16 of April. 22 April I be 82 years old. Beginning of May 2021 the plan is to return to Porto santo and Exlex. Peter just promised to drive me to the airport.

Thats the plan.

Regards Yrevind