Reluctantly I now realise that due to weight, time and money restrictions I have limit myself on experimenting with Exlex Minor. The idea of twin rudders and bilgeboards has to be put on hold for later boats.
There will be one central rudder. That makes it easy to find a place for the sculling oar and also make an rudder indicator. The transom will not be so crowded.
As for lateral resistannce there will be a offset centerboard if my gentle reader can accept such an oxymoron, or should I call it single bilgeboard?
In the sixties a book on seamanship was published that made a lot of impact. I am speaking of Adlard Coles “Heavy Weather at Sea”. Two schools of riding out a storm was discussed. On one hand lying to sea anchor or drouge or the Moitessier way influenced by Vito Dumas, running free. Myself, I was influenced by the running free idea. My intended twin rudders used as brakes was a middle way. But I reluctantly realised that due to money, time and weight restrictions I have to do without the twin rudder brake idea.
A small boat is not as valnurable as a big one. It will not so easily get hurt if capsized or pitchpooled. Also in my upcoming attempt to round Cape Horn in Exlex Minor I now have a spoon bow and a very high prismatic coefficient. I think they will help her not to dig down and broach running down a big wave.
Big boats have problems with self-steering. My side by side rigg should make Exlex Minor easy to self-steer. Most of my ocean passages have been done without self-steering gear or sheet to tiller arangements.
Below are some pictures showing where the centerboard will be placed.
The rectangle marked CB indicate the place of the centerboard.
The CB position viuwed fram aft.
The CB position viuwed from bow.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind.