I am now in Hunnebostrand. I hope to do some test sail.
Here is a picture
I have problems with the computer and its late so I have to come back later after asking a young person how to do
Regards Yrvind
ON THE WEST COAST OF SWEDEN
ODD JOBS
Doing a few odd jobs.
Soon the sculling oar is done and more sails will be done.
The plan is to trail Exlex to the West Coast for more sailing. The future looks bright.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind
EXLEX SAILING IN VERY LIGHT WIND
Yesterday Exlex was out sailing in very light winds. Frinds with a small unmanned remote controlled helicopter did a video.
Today one year ago I started making a half modell then a modell 1:5 scale and finally a male mould. So the building time for this new Exlex is less than a year. And, she works just fine. Its a good boat. Its enough to be in her to make me happy.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind
MORE TESTS
Today I have been sailing Exlex two times light winds on boath occasions.
She sails very well and comes about easily. She is very stedy. I am happy with her. There is however room for improvements here and there. Something for the coming winter.
There is some videos made of her sailing. A friend have promised to put them on my webbsite. I am an 80 year old dyslexic and have very pour knowledge about computers and such things. I leave it to freinds when they have time.
Below is a photo showing Exlex exelent stability click once or twice to enlarge.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind
SHE FLOATS
Toaday Exlex was launched. A rollover test also was made. She has positive stability to 180 degrees.
Unfortunately the ventilation system did leek. Seawater entered the sleeping cabin. It can be fixed but will be difficult.
Soon sail test will be made.
Below are two videos.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind
MY WAY OF ATTACHING SAIL TO BOOM AND YARD
This is a cheap and weight saving method. I use bits of Tufnol with holes drilled in them in it attached with carbon fiber rowing and NM-epoxy to the spars. In the holes I have Dymema strings and loopes. With the strings and loops I can knot the sail to the spars with kind of Truckers Hitch knots. The booms have three strings, the yards one string. The three strings is for reefing.
A video belov illustrates.
To be contiued…
Regards Yrvind.
WEIGHTS OLD AND NEW COMPARED
The weight of new Exlex is 660 kilos.
I plan to use 0.5 kilo food and 1 kilo water, maybee 0.6 kilo food and 0.9 water daily. If test sails show that Exlex makes decent speed I hope to sail to Australia via Argentina in three passages. I calculate with at least 2 knots speed, hopefully faster.
First Dingle Ireland to Porto Santo Madeira 1200 miles 25 days. Provision 38 kilos. Weight of boat and provisions 700 kilos.
Secound Madeira to Mar del Plata Argentina 5500 miles 115 days. Provisions 172 kilos. Weight of boat and provisions 832 kilos.
Third Argentina to Australia 8000 miles 167 days. Provisions 250 kilos. Weight of boat and provisions 910 kilos.
Previus Exlex had a weight of 1168 kilos provisoned for New Zealand. I had to do a restart in Madeira. The upcoming voyage have more easy stages and the boat is much lighter, her center of gravity is much lower, her lines are sweater. She also have a toppmast and a topsail, her beam is increased from 1.04 cm to 1.22, she is much roomier.
My plans for Next Design are lenght 8.4 meter beam 1.4 meter 1.5 tons loaded. If I get old I will add an electric engine as a complement to the yuloh. She will have better autonomy.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind
WEIGHT
Today Exlex weight is 660 kilo. I can live with that I had wished for 10% less. It is much better than her predecessor.
The original plan was for voyages not more than 60 days, as building has progressed my ambitions have grown. I think I can live on 1.5 kilos a day 1 kilo water and 0,5 kilo food. For 166 days I need 250 kilos.
250 plus boat is 910 plus myself 70 kilos gives a total weight of about one metric ton that should give me a range of 8000 miles at 2 knots speed or from Argentina to Australia. Hopefully this version of Exlex is faster than her predecessor. Anyway this is just wishfull dreams.
Below some media.
A short video on the electric installation.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind
Exlex is now painted
Exlex is now painted. I have not done a good job of it but I think its OK with father Neptune that I spend time on more important things than finish. I do start to see the end of the building process. What still is failing is solar panels and to connect some electrical wires to test the AIS navigation lights and other things.
Hopefully I can get her into the water in the end of this summer for a test sail. The test sail will give me an indicatien of her speed thuse I can calculate her range and possible destinations.
Now and then like to day I put out a video on my youtube channel so subscribe. Hopefully the videos will be better.
Also please support research and development of these small seaworthy low energy boats.
Two pictures below.
To be contiued…
Regards Yrvind
GOOD PROGRESS
After slow progress good progress is made.
The sails are mocked up. I was abel to shorten their masts by 25 cm and that is a good thing. The masts now stand 1.9 meters abowe deck about 6 feet 4 inches. 25 cm do not seam a lot but consider that in a capsize the masts peripheral speed will be slower, that water will be softer by the square of the inverse speed and that a shorter mast is stronger than a longer. Also the mass moment if inertia increses by the square of the gyr radius and there will be less wind resistance. These qualities combined makes a noticebel difference. Its desirable to have a short mast. Shorter mast are also less expensive than longer ones and they require less paint. Exlex have three masts. She is like many of my previus boats schooner rigged. She has two free standing masts and a topp mast that is set in light winds. All 3 mast and all 3 sails are identical. That way the topp mast can be used as spare mast and the topp sail can be used as a working sail.
Good news is also that I have today weighted the boat and she did not come out too heavy. Her weihgt is 490 kilos, not including spares, batteries, rudder and a few other items. My geuss is that the empty boat will be a bit more than 600 kilos and with me and water and food for 60 days 8- 900 kilos. I am happy about that. It is much less than the previus Exlex that I cruised the North Atlantic for 40 days in 2018. Also the center of gravity of the new Exlex is much lower than the previus one. This Good News makes me happy.
Below some pictures. Click once or twice on them to enlarge.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind