Simple habits, simple boat

Exlex is now out of the workshop and in the warehouse.

Getting her out was very close. I had 3 centimeter to spare as she had to make a 90° turn to get out of a sidedoor. But with the help of a few friends it went fine.

In the warehouse she is now rigged for the first time. She has two side by side mast for her two balanced lugsails to run before the wind.

There is also a thierd mast for a Bermudan aft sail to help her getting into the wind.

There is no pulliy at the mast tops to give the hailyard omnidirectional for the lugsails, but as the sails are not big it worked fine.

In fact so far everything worked fine.

The launching is planned to Tuesday 8 August. Time: 2 pm at Västerviks Båtvarv Solbergs Udde Västervik Sweden.

Check this website monday just in case something unexpected has turned up.

Persons with a positive interest in small cruisers are welcome to watch.

To find Exlex stability range a roll over test with me inside is planned.

A few copies of a 72 page booklet in swedish with colour illustrations booklet about Exlex, small cruisers and the planned voyage coming from the printer this friday will be for sale. Price 100 kronor.

Crowdfunding without middleman:

People who like to support my project are welcome to Swish donations to 0706 200 550 or use the donation button on my website.

Below are some pictures, click once or twice to enlarge.

Running downwind the sails will be sheated out more than 90°

Vy from up aft

To be contiued…

Regards Yrvind.

The paint and electricity jobs are now done to my satisfaction. The VHF and AIS will be done during winter hopefully by an expert.

There is a few odd jobs left to do  before test sail, mostly rope work like sheets, halyards, rope to secure the leebords and rudders anchor and mooring lines et cetera, not very much.

Below are a few pictures.

Abowe a bright navigation ligt made from 4 car reversing lights.

Abowe Exlex viewed fram aft.

Abowe: Exlex viewed from bow

Abowe: Me proudly writing the boats name with a rather shaky hand.

Abowe: Me looking out from my snug, cosy cabin.

Abowe: Me having a good time.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind

The project have now gone into finishing details

To get the boat out of the rather cramped workshop it has to be rolled.

I have made an axis and put 4 wheels on her. I made the wheels out of hard polyurethan rubber subblaied by UW-elast Mariestad, the bronce bearings is from Lagermetall Örebro.

When the going is good and the ground is flat the wheels are attached to the boat. When on a beach with soft sand or big boulders or in rocky mountains where the terrain is rough the wheels is put on the ground and the boats bottom is supplying the smouth surface.

In fact the boat can even become its own bridge. Illustration Martin Mörck from my book: Konstruktören 2003

Me strapped down in my bunk. I use a diameter 12 cm fender as pillow.

Viuw from the bow

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

I have added a safety belt for stormy weather.

I have made progress with electricity

What is left is the solar panels and their regulators.

The VHF radio and AIS I will install hopefully with professionaell help coming winter.

Below is a picture of the panel.

the 4 red cables coming in is from the 4 batteries. By disconnecting respectivly fuse I can check the status of each battery.

The lines at top is stearing cables and jammers to the port rudder.

There is not a whole lot of electrucity. I will have a fan to cool me when crossing the equator becouse in a small boat the temperature at noon can rise to 35 degrees C

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind

The four 55 Amp gel betteries are now installed.

I have wrapped them in rubber with adhesive that the rubber does not slip. The will work as schock absorber.

Below a picture:

Its a real close fit in all directions. The batteries are heavy still I had to press on them to get them down. I do not think I can get them out again. Hopefully I never need to.

Thera are four of them in two compartments. On top is more rubber as schock absorbers when capsizing.

The lid is screved down with 11 M6 screws

The lead is now also stowed in its compartment.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind

I start to see the end.

What is missing is painting and electricity, two ssubjects I know very little about.

The rudders and the Yuloh.

Me and the leeboard.

Here is a link to a 2 and a half minute video about my coming voyage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6LVzOpMzqA

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind

Hello

Belov is one of the four square meter sails reduced to 0,85 square meter thanks to 2 reefs.

The reefing hardware is strings, not much to fail.

The sails are made by Hans Hamel

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

There are two reasons for why i have not been active on the blog lately.

One reason is that I am writing a booklet about building the boat Exlex and the preparation for my planned sail to the non-stop sail to the antipode.

Work on the booklet might take two more months. Its in swedish so start practising.

The other reason is that work now is much about details, not very exciting.

Below are two some pictures.

The lead is now trimmed to fit very nicely into its box. I have painted in NM-epoxy to as lead is poisoness. That way its also cleaner.

Here its  in the boat. The handles are temporary to help lift them out. I had to lift them in and out quite a few times to get a good fit.

A stainless steel lid is fabricated to keed the lead in place when the boat capsizes. Many screws are holding it in place. This is a test run.

The date was Friday 13. After work on the bike home I congratulated myself to having escaped all bad luck.

Next day I awoke with a broken back. Its now healed.

The small bollard in front of the cam-cleat I made for the yellow boat was a good idea. One turn of the sheet around the bollard reduces the force by 90 %. A secound advantage is that it act as a lead if the sheet comes in from a different angle.

In the case of the cam cleat being broken I can cleat the sheat to the bollards.

On the yellow boat.

The new one during construction.

From a different angle.

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.

In principle, I am against ballast, but the boat has become to heavy, especially high up. At the start of the voyage from Ireland Exlex will be overloaded, halfway to New Zeeland, after five months of sailing, when south of South Africa, half the food will be gone. At the same time I will at 45 degrees south, meet heavy weather then with ballast and me having after 5 months adapted to the boat and life at sea and with the southern summer in November coming up I think same ballast, after all, is a good idea.

Below are some pictures showing Peter helping me to cast the lead pigs.

The melting pot.

Some of the lead being melted.

Peter putting the model in the sandbox.

Adding sand

Compacting the sand with a piece of wood.

The sandbox is turned upside down.

The model is remowed. Next step the top sandbox can be put on.

Peter is pouring the molten lead.

Peter is remowing the lead pig.

The lead pig is cooling in the cool snow.

I am cutting of the raisers with a wooden saw.

After grinding of the ruff surface i encapsulate the 6 lead pigs weighing 150 kilos in NM-epoxy. They are ready to be inserted in the boat.

The will not be glued in place becouse I like to have the option to remowe them for exemple beaching the boat or having her on a trailer behind a car,

To be continued…

Regards Yrvind.