Molds and other rigid bodies have six degrees of freedom. They can change their position forward and backward (surge), up and down (heave), left and right (sway). Translation in three perpendicular axes, combined with changes in orientation through rotation about three perpendicular axes, often termed yaw (normal axis), pitch (transverse axis), and roll (longitudinal axis).
When setting up the jig it is important that the molds are rigidly fixed in all the six movements movements.
The aluminum profiles take care of the up and down movements and roll.
The lengthwise markings on the aluminum profiles takes care of the forward back position and yaw.
The centerline takes care of the right left movement. The plumb bob takes care of the pitch.
Its good to be careful and make strong hull jig because each plank adds to the pressure on it. There is a concrete flor in my workshop. It is strong.
Below is a picture of the aluminum profiles fastened to the floor.
I started to cut the middle mold from 18 mm spruce plywood supplied by CEOS. Then I did the ones fore and aft. To my surprise the had more beam. The joy of my idea to mirror the aft part of the model had clouded my thinking. Of course the widest part of the boat was not in the middle but a bit aft.
A step from the beaten track and you are a child in a new world. There is always something to go wrong when you try something new. The world is to complex to be predictable. My molds had brought me back to reality. If at once you, fail try again.
The easy fix was to make the middle one a copy of her neighbors. When the hull is lifted of the molds it bulges out in the middle anyway a small bit. So that takes care of that problem.
Click once or twice to enlarge.
Here they are. All af them. This will give me a more roomy boat. Exlex 2018 had an inside beam of 96 cm Exlex of 2020 has an inside beam of 114 cm. That is realy sufficient. Exlex the Canoe Cruiser will get an inside beam of 122 cm.
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Today i borrowed a big van from Håkan and drove to CEOS in Norrköping and loaded a big pile of plywood. Thanks CEOS for that, more about that later.
Peter helped me to get it into my workshop.
Peter with his plywood car. The first run was with one sheet. Later with succes he became braver and loaded her with six 18 mm pieces.Me on the CEOS-plywood Some are for the molds some for the boat.
I also got new ideas for the lines. I cut the parabolic stretched model in the middle and put her on a mirror and played around a bit. Slowly as I watched the images from a distance it became very clear that mirroring the aft end was the ansver especially taking a Cape Horn passage into consideration.
Click once or twice to enlarge
The left one is the aft partit got more stability and is better for the higher orbital flow that exists in stormy waters. It also give me more space for the doors or hatches to the central dry part of the boat. Rolling the models on the bench indicates the better stabilityAn other photo of the two half models. The ast part to the left. The boat will thuse be symmetrical for and aft like Bris a boat that I in the 1970 and 80s made many ocean passages in.
I have also changed the layout. Below is picture of my notebook.
There is two bulkheads with waterproof hatches dividing the boat into three parts. The middle one is nice dry and cosy in all waether the for and aft ones is is for navigational purposes handling sails and such. The outer ones are 2.4 meters long The middle cosy one is 2.8 meter long. My bed and office is 1.9 meter long 0.8 meter wide. The dining and recreation room is 0.9 meter long. The sailing full scale wooden mock up version will decide the final layout. There is plenty of deck space in this version.Good for conserving leg muscles. There is 3 mast. The forward ones side by side like the 2018 Exlex. It worked well.
I am working on the lines for my canoe cruiser. Below is three 1/10 modells.
The first one 5.4 meter long from the year 2003. The two other now both 7.68 long carbon reinforced one lineray stretched by 1.42
The one not yeat finished stretched paraboliccaly to 7.68 to give her a bit more volume in the ends. The parabolic stretching gives fuller ends. The parabolic is a squared function, like the series 1 4 9 16 25 …
The beams of all 3 modells is 1.28 meters. Thuse the lengt is six beams long. Modern boats are unfortunaturally only 3 beams long because lenght is nowadays so penelised. But traditionally, before engines many boats used the six beams lenght for easy resistance, when powered by oars and sail. The first naval arkitect and by definition the greatest, God instrukted Noa to use those proportions when building the Ark.
Accordingly, Noah’s instructions are given to him by God (Genesis 6:14–16): the ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (approximately 134×22×13 m or 440×72×43 ft)
The Azorian whaleboats where 12 meteParabolic curves have pleasing shape.r long with a boam of 2 meter. Very seaworthy boats. The Cornish pilot gigs had similar proportions as do the Venetian Gondola. According to Wikipedia they are Today’s gondola is up to 11 m long and 1.6 m wide, with a mass of 350 kg, Often five persons are on them one man rowing.
One more exampel of a group of succesful narrow boats are the Swedish skerry cruisers. They are slender boats, with low freeboards and tall rigs. In 1923 Westin designed a 40m² boat which was 15.2 metres long and had a beam of only 1.74m – a length to beam ratio of nearly 9 to 1.
Gerdny 18.8 long with a beam of 2.85 designed by Erik Salander, 6.7 beams long is an other example.
Captain John Voss famous canoe Tilikum in wich he sailed across the three oceans 1901 had similar proportions, 11.5 long 1.68 beam
The beam on the two stretched modells increased by about 1 centimeter when the frames was remowed. That was not intended. I hope to be able to control it better on the full scale versions
I am now ready to start building the full scale wooden, sailing mockup. The planking will be 15 mm plywood or so. I look forward to an interesting Christmas and New Year.
I have been talking to the plywood man. Now I have to do estimate of how much material I need.
Year 2020 I cruised in my small, narrow, shallow draft boat named Exlex for 101 days on the deep, wide, northern North Atlantic Ocean. I started from Ålesund in Norway and sailed westwards, keeping the Faeroe Island on my port side. Before Iceland I turned south, keeping west of Scotland and Ireland, and the Bay of Biscay.
Finally I after 78 days I made my landfall at Horta, Fayal, one of the Azores islands.
There I was lucky to sail on their whaleboats several times.
I Then continued to Porto Santo, Madeira.
During the 101 days the weather was mostly grey and windy.
Despite that and accompanied by no one, I had been content with my solitude, it had given me plenty of time to reflect on life and I concluded that life is more interesting if it is lived outside the comfort zone.
The Portuguese have a saying, ”The bigger the boat, the bigger the storm”.
It is very true, the bigger the boat the bigger forces she attracts. A bottle floating out in the mighty ocean do not mind storms.
I was fit and had learnt a lot. I decided to try to build a better boat, a small boat capable of a Cape Horn doubling.
I now realize that a boats length is not necessary a good measure of size.
Length has for hundreds of years been restricted and taxed to the extent that it is now almost taboo.
That is bad because length is an excellent property and it is very cheap, nearly free, that is if you can restrict yourself from filling it with all the junk that people like to collect.
Our disease is ”horror vacui”, latin for ”mans fear of emptiness”, the cure is to keep it simple. Unfortunately this not exactly what the yachting business encourages.
Exlex from 2020 is 5.8 meter long, next boat is planned to be 7.68 meters or 1.88 meters longer.
The extra hull surface will be: 1.88 times the circumference. That is about 10 square meters. Each square meter have a weight of about 8 kilos. The weight added will thus be about 80 kilos.
However as she will be a double ender with soft chines I will make better use of materials next time I guess the final weight will be about the same. So even when she will be about 2 meter longer she will not be bigger.
This planned boat Exlex 2021 will be smaller, but longer than the 20 foot Bris I started to build in my mothers basement 1971. The new Exlex of year 2021 will be narrower and having less draft than Bris.
I will give her balanced lug sails on two short masts a dagger board.
As the two boats are double enders I can compare their sizes by multiplying their length, beam and height.
Bris 6 X 1.72 X 1.2 = 12.384
Exlex 7.68X1.28X1 = 9.83
According to the above the new Exlex of year 2021 will be about 20% smaller than Bris of 1971.
I base the new boats lines on a 5.4 meter long cruiser Matt Layden helped me to design in Florida the year 2003. Those lines are similar the Bris I started to build 1971.
I have used those lines before to build a boat 4.9 meter long with a 0.96 meter beam. It was a good try but the boat was to small to be suitable for longer voyages. She has been in Loftahammar for a number of years.
To create space in my workshop I will have to get rid of about ten thousand books that I have been collecting for decades. It hurts but technology moves on and I now can travel with tens of thousands books on my iPad.
I will also have to convert the drawings to the size and demands of the new aim.
After making a 1:10 model I will make a full scale sailing mock up in wood, strip planking her. Wood is pleasant nice easy and fast to work with but unfortunately it does not make boats as strong and durable as I like have them.
Exlex 2020 is waiting for me in Porto Santo. I will return to sail her in April, maybe trying out some new ideas.
This new project is ambitious and with my small budget it will most likely take a few years to complete.
Credit to Matt Leyden and Guy Lilljegren for important advise.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind.
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This boat was built on the same lines that Matt helped me create 2003. She proved to be to small for longer voyagesOwe took this picture Yellow stick is the oar.Sculling thrugh a bit of a calm behind the island Tjörnö Kalv
The lines stretched from 5.4 meters to 7.68One of the original drawings. She will keep the beam but be longer have a different rig and lateral area.
The original idea was to sail Exlex to New Zealand nonstop from Ireland. Due to Corona I could not trail her to Ireland. I that time a person asked me what I was going to do in NZ. Trying to answer the question I realized that it was not the destination but the voyage that I was seeking. Besides that I began to realize that the project was to ambitious.
I said to myself I might as well just sail around in the pleasant Sargasso Sea.
I had sail there before and liked it. The problem with that idea was that after summer the sun would go south and the weather would deteriorate. Finally I ended up in Porto Santo.
I had failed but that did not make me sad because had sailed the Atlantic for 101 days and that was better than watching TV. Also during at I had got some pretty good ideas for a new boat.
I left Porto Santo with the ferry for Madeira Monday the 23 of November. I had an airplane ticket for Stockholm Thursday 26. It can happen that bad weather prevents the ferry. To get a margin of safety I took an early ferry. A good thing because the ferry on Wednesday was cancelled.
The airplane from Madeira got a late start that made me nervous but there was no problem in Lisbon to catch the plane to Stockholm.
My seat was occupied by a guy from California. I asked to move and conversed with him a bit. He told me he was some kind of alternative doctor. He also told me that there had been much fraud in the election and that luckily Trump would sort it out and remain in the White House. At that time I noticed that his mask did not cover his nose. I told him to respect the other passengers and to put it on properly as I did not want Corona. He said that that prevented him from breathing. I got angry and raised my voice. Surprisingly it helped despite me being 50 or so years older than him. He left for an other seat and I never saw again. A believer in Trump and alternative medicine he probably thought that it injecting bleach would help against Corona.
The plane was in good time for Stockholm. Peter had told me that he would be there to meet me in his new black car. Surprisingly the car was white. It had broken down and he had gotten a new one just in time. He bought food for me in Nyköping then delivered me to my flat.
There is plenty to do here to get me started. One thing at the time. I have gained 5 kilos mostly ice-cream in Madeira. Now I am back to eating once a day. I have started with exercises and today I was out running a bit for the first time in five months.
To be continued…
Regards Yrvind.
Pictures below
My Portugise friends that helped me so muchMy French friends that entertained me in their mother tounge at the Porto Santo marina cafe I ate ice-creamExlex well securedThe Porto Santo pleasant marina from the deck of the ferryMe Yrvind arriving at the Stockholm airport Peter drove me to Västervik Peter Gevsjö also tock this photo
I kind of lost time but I think I have been here in Porto Santo Madeira about 2 and 1/2 week not really knowing what to do mainly due to Corona.
Yesterday I was bold and bought a ticket to Sweden for 26 of November a friend will pick me up at Arlanda Stockholm and drive me to my flat in Västervik where I will start the new boat. I hope that I do not catch the desise.
Exlex will have to wait here patiently to spring when I will return to do sail in hopefully the Sargasso Sea.
I still have the offset of Bris the boat I started to build Midsummers eve, Friday 25 of June, 1971 nearly 50 years ago. It was a good boat 6 meter long 1.72 beam height 1.2 meter.
6X1.72X1.2=12.384
Next boat Exlex Rex will be 8.4 meter long, beam 1.22, height 1.1 meter
8.4X1.22X1.1=11.2728
The ratio is =0.91
That is Exlex will be about 9% smaller than Bris.
Also comparing her to Exlex, hopefully she will not be much more heavy due to being pointed in boat ends and been giving rounded bilges.
Exlex in Porto Santo marina. Hopefully she will patiently wait for me until spring 2021Exlex in Porto Santo Marina To my surprise one day as I was eating my musli I saw that the tiller was on the lee side. She had lee helm. The designer had not done his work properly. The builder had to correct it. Now the fore mast is mowed about 1.7 meter back. This will interfere with the daggerboard as can be seen, click on the picture to enlarge. Luckily the balanced lug sail has no gooseneck so by taking a reef the boom kan be moved up and go klear.
Yrvind thanks all the kind persons that have been donating making my trip possible
Hopefully tomorrow Exlex and me will be on our way.
Soon you can see where
https://www.followmychallenge.com/live/yrvind/
Beppe webmaster will try to get it on my website as well.
Fate will decide where she will be launched.
Exlex a with her usual patience waiting for the 24 of June and to hopefully see the sunshine after a winter in the workshopOutside equally patient to trail Exlex to her new adventures are waiting Volkswagen and trailer.
Today I uploaded a video on internet. It is self explanatory but a little clarification might not be out of place.
The praparations are now mostly done. Corona has caused a lit of disruption. I like to start my sail from a place with little marine traffic and close to open spaces. One such place and a beutiful one at that is Ålesund in Norway. At N 62° 28′ it is a high latitude place. The idea is to sail west round the Faeroe Islands and then south down to Saragosso Sea and spend time there until I run out of food in maybee November. Then to find a place to reprovision. Santa Maria in the Azores seams to be a good place. Few plans survive the first contact with the enemy but we will see.
I have a about 20 year old car that have not been running for over two years due to my bad economy. Our gouvernment have imposed a driving ban on her but I will try to start her tomorrow and try to get her past an inspection. Then I trail my boat to Ålesund. Frinds will drive car and trailer back to Västervik and when weather permits I be on my way hopefully within one month.
There is food and water in Exlex for about 120 days. I had hoped for more. Therefore my plan is to build a boat with better range when my economy so allows. In my spare time I scketch her. At present she is 7.2 meters long with a beam of 1.2 meters. Draft is 40 cm. She is a bigger wessel than I like on the positive side she has plenty of stovage and even a bunk for a small lady. There is also a flat space on deck 1.8 meter by 0.8.
She have a small 30X20 cm canard trimrudder that can be adjusted from inside.
She have a new type of ballasted centerboard 2.4 meter long that descends 20 cm to increase her stability a bit for windward sailing and help to prevent leeway.
It is of course a complication but life favors complication evolution is increadible complex. I might get away with it. Anywhay it is fun to experiment.
Thuse equipeded she can sail in 50 cm shallow water.
The centerboard in retracted position. She is 240 cm long 20 cm deep and lives among the stovage below my bed.The ballasted centerboard in the down position. The Tufnol triangle is the lever that helps me to control her. The lever is controled from a slot in the deck with the help of a tackle and is immensly powerful. As with other centerboards when she hits something she automatically retracts.The planned next Exlex is a Canoe Cruiser 7.2 meter long 1.2 meter beam 40 cm draft. She is rigged as a cat ketch. 4 square meter on the main mast and 2.5 on the mizzen. Empty 800 kilos 1300 ready for an extended ocean cruise. I know boats always comes out more heavy than the designer intends. Still it is an rough estimate, no calculations.
As always please help to support my research by donating on Pay Pal and Swish.
To those that already have donated. A great thanks it helps an old pensioner a lot.
