Finisterra Update 11 15 13

Over the last couple of months Ive been busy with mostly non-sailing issues but have found time for a few projects aboard Finisterra. In early October I made the decision to rewire the 12 volt system from the batteries to the main DC panel.  The system worked OK as it was, but over the years the previous owner had added various extras to the boat and instead of routing them through the main DC panel or installing an auxiliary DC panel, he simply ran the leads directly to the batteries and used in-line fuses on an ad hoc basis. The result was battery terminals with multiple wires leading to individual components. To further complicate matters, the house bank had been connected to the starting battery in such a way that they could not be isolated from each other. In other words, we really only had one great big bank of batteries that included six 6V deep cycle AGM batteries and a single 12V AGM starting battery. Our solution was to bring in Peter Dugan of Pacific Marine Electric to sort it all out. Together we created a new wiring system from the batteries to the main switches and installed a new auxiliary DC panel. The result is a much cleaner wiring arrangement that enables us to isolate the starting battery and provides an auxiliary panel for all the extra equipment the previous owner and I have installed. In the process we got rid of about 50 pounds of heavy gauge battery cable and have a clean and understandable system, which makes me happy.  Once the wiring was complete I fabricated a cover for the batteries so I could access the raw water pump without sitting directly on top of the battery terminals.

Battery cover is elevated to clear the battery terminals. Its a good place to sit while changing the impeller on the raw water pump. Finisterra is equipped with six 6V deep cycle battery and a single 12V starting battery.

I also finished the installation of the solar panels. They are mounted on a stainless steel tube on the aft end of the bimini and secured in place with Magma barbecue mounting brackets. This way I can adjust them through a range of about 120 degrees to align them with the sun as needed. The Magma brackets make it easy to remove the panels if necessary.

Three 50 watt solar panels. Having the ability to adjust them to face the sun  as needed vastly improves their efficiency. Since all of our lighting is LED, the primary consumer of electricity is the refrigeration system.
To augment the solar array we also carry a Honda genset.  Notice the GAM single sideband antenna on the port backstay.

Juice from the solar panels is routed through a GoPower charge controller mounted on the aft bulkhead in the quarter cabin.

One of the key elements of a good passage is having a snug, warm and secure place to sleep when youre off watch. Unfortunately Finisterra was not built with any good sea berths so I improvised with a lee board in the quarter berth. Its made of African Mahogany and slips into anodized aluminum brackets. It converts the king size quarter berth into a nice, snug sea berth.

Nothing beats a good place to sleep when youre underway.

Security is always an issue here in the States as well as abroad. To help keep ourselves and our gear safe, I installed a security system that incorporates sensors, called Pulsors, bonded to the underside of the deck and hatches in strategic locations. The Pulsors can detect slight fluctuations in the deck, such as from the weight of a person stepping aboard, and trigger the alarm. Im not sure how well itll work against the bad guys but Ive scared myself a couple of times by not disarming it before climbing aboard.

Pulsors are about 3 inches long and can be mounted almost anywhere.

Another project was to build a seat for the companionway. This is a nice place to be when youre on the midnight watch, or when you have a cockpit full of guests. On the night watches it is the warmest part of the cockpit and provides excellent protection from the elements,  a good view forward and easy access to the sailing instruments. The autopilot remote and I-Pad are also within easy reach. Or we can turn around and face the cockpit, using a drop board for a back rest. Its made of teak and is secured in place with a couple of rigging pins.

The companionway sill on the B423 is high enough that its easy to bark your shins when going below. This little seat makes that a thing of the past. 

I set the height of it so that a standard square boat cushion works perfectly for it.

I pondered whether to install an AIS system on Finisterra for a long time. After all, Ive made many a long passage without it in the past, so do we really need it now? Well, yes we do. In some ways it beats radar for sorting out what other vessels are out there. It takes less power than a radar and we can display it wirelessly on our laptops, I-Pads, GPS and smart phones. I chose a Vesper XB8000, which includes a VHF receiver and transponder and dedicated GPS receiver. Installation was quick and easy, all I needed was to install the VHF and GPS antennas and provide 12V power to the unit. Because it works through its own WIFI network I was spared the expense and aggravation of wiring all our displays to it. I could have connected it to the masthead VHF antenna by installing an antenna splitter, but I like my systems to be stand-alone and autonomous from each other, so I mounted a separate antenna on the bimini.

Vesper XB8000 wifi enabled AIS. receiver/transponder. Very cool!

The latest addition to the fleet is our new Hobie Mirage i9S inflatable kayak. I love this thing! Weve tried several different types of kayaks in the past, both inflatable and rotomolded, and none really met our needs until we found the i9S. The average inflatable kayaks are slow, track poorly and are just no fun to paddle. The rotomolded unit we had for a while paddled fairly well and was certainly rugged enough, but it was a big, bulky thing. I really couldnt accept having such a thing strapped down on the foredeck or hanging from our lifelines, so I was thinking of not having a kayak at all, which wasnt a very good solution either. Then we found this little Hobie. Right from the start I liked the propulsion system better than a double bladed paddle. It uses leg power to drive a pair of fins so it sort of swims along, leaving your hands free to do more constructive things, such as fish, or sip a cocktail, or wave to admirers as you glide past them.

Pedal powered and quite civilized, the little Hobie has earned a place aboard Finisterra

The boat comes with a paddle for emergencies, or if you want to go really fast you can pedal and paddle at the same time. But I found it to be perfect for relaxing jaunts around Alamitos Bay and I look forward to cruising it in far off places as well. The propulsion system is easy to install and comes with its own storage bag. The hull weighs about 45 pounds and fits neatly in the starboard cockpit locker when its deflated.

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Didi Sport 15 DS15 Launch

The long-awaited day arrived this weekend. Jim Foot, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, launched his self-built DS15 at Algoa Bay Yacht Club. He started with a pre-cut plywood kit supplied by CKD Boats in Cape Town and took approximately 6 months of his spare time from start to launch.

DS15 "Bateleur" about to get wet for the first time.

 Despite the very light wind, they had good sailing and were impressed by performance. Jims first comments are:-

She sails beautifully and she is fast. Beating into a chop in light wind this am going at about 3,7 kts felt happy. Then was told wind spd 4 kts by passing boat quite amazing.

Very well behaved. No balance issues. Save a bit of lee helm with the kite up. Loads of compliments from older sailors. Hunter Gall get on the water you dont know what you are missing. This is one good boat. Ps only sailed in bulb config at this stage.
A few changes to make. But not many. Congrats Dudley on a fantastic hull. Its a beaut.

Ready for sails and rarin to go.

Rigging the sails. Clean deck layout and large cockpit.

Jims friend Mark Dawson was with him for the first sail and passed these comments:-

Lucky enough to be the first to sail this boat with James Norman Foot. What a beaut! After a hairy moment of rocking the boat to moorings, which became a desperate paddle when we started drifting towards the rocks, we rigged the sails and immediately accelerated away. Bateleur likes to sit flat and notably accelerate in the lightest of wind puffs. A forced capsized showed how stable she is and how literally effortless to bring her back. Sailing the Didi 15, I just want to go again. Cant wait to see her in stronger breeze. In summary...I need one.

"Bateleur" returning to ABYC with a very happy crew.

Jim will keep us up to date with his testing and fine-tuning over the next few weeks. I hope that we will also get to see some photos and videos in stronger winds as Jim and "Bateleur" grow to know each other.

The top photo of this post shows the hull shape very nicely. For those who have not followed my posts about the build, this is a plywood boat although it doesnt look like one. It is the smallest in our radius chine plywood Didi design range. The hull is the same family as the Didi Mini Mk3 and Didi 950, with topside chine above a radius chine underbody.

It can be built from plans only, plans and patterns or plans and a CNC kit. See more info about all of our designs on our website at http://dixdesign.com/

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Argie 15 People Carrier

I have written here before about the versatility of the Argie 15. This week I watched a video posted on YouTube by Özden O?ul, of two couples sailing an amateur-built Argie 15 in Turkey. Normally a 15ft dinghy with four adults aboard is full to the brim with people. This video really brings home the size and comfort of this dinghy as a family fun boat. The winds are light, yet even with this load it is moving along very nicely, with plenty of freeboard to take more.

The crew are spread out in the boat, with one even right up in the bow where you dont normally have someone sit on a boat of this size. It accepts this and carries on sailing. This video highlights how much space there is in this boat.

The Argie 15 is a great camp-cruiser, with a good turn of speed. That also makes it a nice raid boat, capable of taking rough water and covering extended distances.

For more info on this and out other designs, please visit http://dixdesign.com/.

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A Fabulous 15 foot Rowboat

One of the most unique aspects of the St. Lawrence River Skiff (SLRS) is its hull shape which we believe derives from the bark canoes, at least partly. Both hull forms feature a very fine entry and exit to the waterlines. However, on nearly all the St. Lawrence River Skiffs, their after sections are finer than the forward sections.

The bow of an 18-footer, Annie.

Many rowboats show the opposite, with the aft sections being fuller. The reasoning behind this SLRS hull form regards how the boat trims when under power (oar power, of course). Once the boat is up to speed, the aft part of the hull settles into the water creating a skeg-type effect. A skeg improves tracking of the hull through the water. But by making the hull itself behave as a skeg, we eliminate the extra wetted surface area (WSA in designer speak) that a skeg creates. Any rower knows one tenet of making a rowboat fast: reduce the wetted surface area! This is one reason the SLRS glides along effortlessly with a single stroke of an oar, creating a feeling of flying.

Here is a shot showing the Fry 15 being stripped up. We built the Fry Skiff in 2013 at WoodenBoat using strip-composite construction. A builder by the name of Fry built these circa 1910 in Clayton, NY. The first shot (left) is the bow. The second (right) is the stern view.

You can see (right) how the strips are fairing into the stern with slight concave curvature even before weve stripped to the designed waterline. The strips are not showing this hollow curvature quite yet in the bow (left). This 15-foot model, shows a pronounced hollow even for a SLRS, partly because the boat is pretty short for a Skiff. (In fact, it is the shortest Id recommend for fast rowing. I chose the Fry 15-footer because it is going to be the cartopper in my catalog.)




So this is the fineness or hollow in the stern that I am asserting is a classic feature of the SLRS hull form, making the it such a slippery, fast rowboat.

Two other SLRSs that I am working with, the Bobby at 20 1/2 (which was strip-built in 2012) and Clotilde at 18, are true double-enders, meaning they are symmetrical. So one end is not finer than the other, but their waterlines still show a strong hollow fore and aft. Clotilde is unique because its hull is fairly full in the ends compared to the other SLRS, which has me interested because it may be a faster boat and better in a seaway. So I plan to also model this hull and develop mold kits for Clotilde as well. Bobby mold kits are available.

For the first time, the Fry Skiff is newly updated and ready to cut as a mold kit. She strips up perfectly and produces a hull that is fairer than any hand-lofted set of lines could hope to produce, I dare say. The molds receive a roundovered edge so the soft cedar is not dented. A dado is routed into the molds to make a place for squeeze clamps to hold strips in place. The stems are laminated on fore-aft molds. An alignment batten slots all the molds together in place to ensure squareness and proper spacing. The kit is $750 which includes plans package and the molds.

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