Simple habits, simple boat

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. 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

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

CROWDFUNDING WITHOUT MIDDLEMEN
PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO SUPPORT MY PROJECT ARE WELCOME TO SWISH DONATIONS TO 0706 200 550 OR USE THE DONATION BUTTON
ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE WELCOME

BOTTOM PAINT

Exlex bottom is now painted. The original idea was to use antifouling. But I have changed my mind. I had hoped to do a test sail to Iceland May 2019 but things, mostly the hatches and the steering system has taken longer than expected so the new dream is to launch in the end of this summer and do a bit of coastal cruising in home waters. But, before leaving for Cape Horn I like to sail the ocean to find out how she behaves offshore, how she rides out storms and if any modifications are needed. The new plan is for a test sail 2020 leaving Dingle Ireland early summer sail to Acores stay there for a month or two sail to Porto Santo Madeira stay there for a month or two, then sail out into the Sargasso Sea, the only ocean without shores a region of the North Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents
It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its characteristic deep blue color and exceptional clarity, with underwater visibility of up to 60 m (200 ft). It is also a body of water that has captured my imagination. I have been there before and I liked it. Now I hope to spend the winter 2020 – 2021 there just drifting around living a simple life in a simple boat thinking about my life and about the world and just enjoing myself. When spring comes I will head north stopping in the Acores some time before sailing back to Sweden rounding Scotland.
In Sweden final preparations will be done for a voyage to the Southern Ocean and beyond. Well that’s the ambitious plan, but my present boat inspires much confidence and health and moral is good so please support my project and do subscribe to my YouTube channel because I hope to learn to do videos and post more once the boat is in the water.
Back to the bottom paint. The Golden Globe Race has given the participants plenty of problems with marine growth. Exlex is a different boat, she draws only 20 cm or 8 inches and with a beam of 1,2 meter or 4 feet I can with my nose above the water reach her whole bottom to clean it. I have used Coppercoat. If that does not work to my satisfaction it is easy to paint it over. The reverse is not easy.
Some pictures below.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind