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New Boat 4 Sled
- Thread starter sleddog
- Start date
3/1/12
With the cat well secured to the trailer, we launched the spinnaker yesterday in a gusty southerly. A Capitola PD drove by, did a double take, and nearly rear ended a car at the stop sign.
The jib boom is complete and will be bolted on today. It pivots horizontally and vertically, so it can be folded up out of the way and lashed to the headstay. The curved portion of an old windsurfer boom serves as both vang and support. The jib boom is auto tacking and allows the jib to maintain shape at wider reaching angles.
No one correctly answered the quiz "what SSS icon won the windy DH Farallones
Race as well as having sailed more SF Bay miles than any boat in history?"
The answer would be in 1982, during particularly nasty spring conditions, the black hulled RUBY, skippered by Josh Pryor and crewed by Bob Daniels, used her long waterline to win the DH Farallones Race. The 64', steel hulled, RUBY can be seen most days sailing the Bay taking out many and assorted passengers, as she has for 30 years. http://rubysailing.com/
With the cat well secured to the trailer, we launched the spinnaker yesterday in a gusty southerly. A Capitola PD drove by, did a double take, and nearly rear ended a car at the stop sign.
The jib boom is complete and will be bolted on today. It pivots horizontally and vertically, so it can be folded up out of the way and lashed to the headstay. The curved portion of an old windsurfer boom serves as both vang and support. The jib boom is auto tacking and allows the jib to maintain shape at wider reaching angles.
No one correctly answered the quiz "what SSS icon won the windy DH Farallones
Race as well as having sailed more SF Bay miles than any boat in history?"
The answer would be in 1982, during particularly nasty spring conditions, the black hulled RUBY, skippered by Josh Pryor and crewed by Bob Daniels, used her long waterline to win the DH Farallones Race. The 64', steel hulled, RUBY can be seen most days sailing the Bay taking out many and assorted passengers, as she has for 30 years. http://rubysailing.com/
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Jan Brewer
New member
Lookin' hot
Hi Skip,
She's lookin' like one mean kitty! Great pic and I'm excited for you to splash on 3/24.
Jan
Hi Skip,
She's lookin' like one mean kitty! Great pic and I'm excited for you to splash on 3/24.
Jan
pogen
Sailing canoe "Kūʻaupaʻa"
Yes, the shorthanded schedule is really packed, all 5 Saturdays from March 17 through April 14. But a real desert in October/November.
3/12/12
Trailed the cat to the Harbor to adjust lifting slings and test attachments. The boat lifted level first time. The scale read 800 pounds. Big kitty was frisky, so we dropped her in the Harbor for a little cruise under power. With 6 hp OB, saw 6 knots at cruising revs and 7.4 at max throttle. All eyes on official launch Sat. March 24.
Thanks to Ronnie for the visit and spinny sheet!
Trailed the cat to the Harbor to adjust lifting slings and test attachments. The boat lifted level first time. The scale read 800 pounds. Big kitty was frisky, so we dropped her in the Harbor for a little cruise under power. With 6 hp OB, saw 6 knots at cruising revs and 7.4 at max throttle. All eyes on official launch Sat. March 24.
Thanks to Ronnie for the visit and spinny sheet!
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"Backyard," or in our case "Driveway," built boats are of necessity an eclectic mixture of skill, parts, and energy. Making do with what we got was the mantra. Boat parts came from WILDFLOWER, RAGTIME, MERLIN, BRUZER and MOKUALANA, just to name a few.
But we would not have got this boat done without the enthusiasm and gifts of time, parts, money, and the skills of guest contributors.
Thankyou, John Foster, for the hatches, outboard, and rudders. Bob Johnston for the donation of deck gear and halyards. Joel Woods for getting us "off the ground." Gene Sofen for the many hours of grunt labor as we sanded and faired, nailed and glassed. Alan Hebert for the ground tackle. Ronnie Simpson for the spinny sheets. Morgan Larson for the spinnaker and blocks, Jeremy Leonard for the mast, boom, and main.
Thankyou also to AJ for help buying glue. Cathy Sy for keeping the shop clean and clamps running free. Rainer for the punting pole, Jay Crum for the anodizing run, Edwin Maybe for help with stainless fabrication, Eileen Sundet for varnish patrol, Steve Mason for the traveler and tiller extension, Joe Buck for nav station expertise, Matthew Coale for splicing the shrouds. And Syn Petroka for the beautiful bunk cushion, pockets, and weather cloths.
Special thanks also to my brother Scott for the jib, to my sister Marilee and husband Tom for a most wonderful gift, and to Annie Kennedy for the "break time" treats of tea and crumpets.
But we wouldn't be where we are today without the skill of WILDFLOWER's designer and co-builder, Howard Spruit. For those who don't know Howard, his eye for design, including over 75 working drawings; his craftsmanship; and his patience over the last 18 months has been inspirational. Thankyou Howard.
WILDFLOWER is her name. It's a good name, a proud name, carrying on a tradition while bringing a smile to my face thinking of voyages past, present, and to come.
~skip
But we would not have got this boat done without the enthusiasm and gifts of time, parts, money, and the skills of guest contributors.
Thankyou, John Foster, for the hatches, outboard, and rudders. Bob Johnston for the donation of deck gear and halyards. Joel Woods for getting us "off the ground." Gene Sofen for the many hours of grunt labor as we sanded and faired, nailed and glassed. Alan Hebert for the ground tackle. Ronnie Simpson for the spinny sheets. Morgan Larson for the spinnaker and blocks, Jeremy Leonard for the mast, boom, and main.
Thankyou also to AJ for help buying glue. Cathy Sy for keeping the shop clean and clamps running free. Rainer for the punting pole, Jay Crum for the anodizing run, Edwin Maybe for help with stainless fabrication, Eileen Sundet for varnish patrol, Steve Mason for the traveler and tiller extension, Joe Buck for nav station expertise, Matthew Coale for splicing the shrouds. And Syn Petroka for the beautiful bunk cushion, pockets, and weather cloths.
Special thanks also to my brother Scott for the jib, to my sister Marilee and husband Tom for a most wonderful gift, and to Annie Kennedy for the "break time" treats of tea and crumpets.
But we wouldn't be where we are today without the skill of WILDFLOWER's designer and co-builder, Howard Spruit. For those who don't know Howard, his eye for design, including over 75 working drawings; his craftsmanship; and his patience over the last 18 months has been inspirational. Thankyou Howard.
WILDFLOWER is her name. It's a good name, a proud name, carrying on a tradition while bringing a smile to my face thinking of voyages past, present, and to come.
~skip
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3/25/12
Yesterday's launch of WILDFLOWER was a most happy event. The rain held off, and 50-60 attendees enjoyed food and drink. Annie Kennedy christened the boat. Dave Wahle operated the hoist, and after splashdown, we took Harbor cruises with 10-12 crew aboard (1800 pounds), temporarily setting WF a bit over her lines.
Attendees from out of town included Bill Merrick, Synthia Petroka and GF, Sylvia Seaburg and Tom Condy, John Foster, Jan Brewer, Robert Flowerman, Alan Herbert, Phil and Joanne MacFarlane, Ed Ruszel, Jonathan Gutoff and Christine Weaver, Cathy Sy, Cris Todd, Marilee Allan and Tom Ashkenas, and several inquisitive sea otters.
Annie and I conducted initial seatrials today. The wind was initially 2-5 knots until 3 pm, when it filled from the west at 14-16. WILDFLOWER felt frisky, and we skimmed along at 9-11 knots under plain sail according to the Velocitek.
Yesterday's launch of WILDFLOWER was a most happy event. The rain held off, and 50-60 attendees enjoyed food and drink. Annie Kennedy christened the boat. Dave Wahle operated the hoist, and after splashdown, we took Harbor cruises with 10-12 crew aboard (1800 pounds), temporarily setting WF a bit over her lines.
Attendees from out of town included Bill Merrick, Synthia Petroka and GF, Sylvia Seaburg and Tom Condy, John Foster, Jan Brewer, Robert Flowerman, Alan Herbert, Phil and Joanne MacFarlane, Ed Ruszel, Jonathan Gutoff and Christine Weaver, Cathy Sy, Cris Todd, Marilee Allan and Tom Ashkenas, and several inquisitive sea otters.
Annie and I conducted initial seatrials today. The wind was initially 2-5 knots until 3 pm, when it filled from the west at 14-16. WILDFLOWER felt frisky, and we skimmed along at 9-11 knots under plain sail according to the Velocitek.
Attachments
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Phil MacFarlane
New member
Skip, we are so happy for you. Wildflower is an awesome little boat and we wish you many many happy adventures with her.
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More shaking down today on WILDFLOWER. Good fun with Howard, the designer aboard. We found with outboard and rudder hard over, the boat spins on its daggerboard axis with no forward advancement. This may prove invaluable in tight quarters.
We flew the spinny for the first time and did several inside jibes in 14 knots TWS. Jibing was easy, even without a sprit. Just have to remember not to roll the lazy sheet up in the jib furler ;-) Howard had her going 10.3 on the thrill meter and was impressed with the control of the centerline RudderCraft rudder http://www.idasailor.com/catalog/default.php
We flew the spinny for the first time and did several inside jibes in 14 knots TWS. Jibing was easy, even without a sprit. Just have to remember not to roll the lazy sheet up in the jib furler ;-) Howard had her going 10.3 on the thrill meter and was impressed with the control of the centerline RudderCraft rudder http://www.idasailor.com/catalog/default.php
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4/2/12
Congrats to Ronnie and Ruben and all finishers of DH Farallones.
Sunday's big swell has closed Santa Cruz Harbor, creating a perfect tubular wave for surfers across the entrance. The dredge will be hard pressed to punch out before salmon season opener this weekend.
Some have asked about WILDFLOWER's jib boom.
The jib boom was chosen both for self tacking, and for self vanging at wide angles. Although intrigued by the Hoyt jib boom, we couldn't afford the weight, space, and expense. Howard fashioned a better deal with a Hobie boom and some SS tube. The vang is a piece of curved Windsurfer boom. This supports the jib boom as well as vanging it. The jib boom's vanged height is adjustable.
To date, the jib boom is a success. At AWA 140, the jib retains nice shape, obviating the need for bigger sails off the wind, a blessing for this cruising cat with its senior crew. Best speed to date on the Velocitek was 11.8 under main and jib with TWS of 16 and AWA of 100.
Congrats to Ronnie and Ruben and all finishers of DH Farallones.
Sunday's big swell has closed Santa Cruz Harbor, creating a perfect tubular wave for surfers across the entrance. The dredge will be hard pressed to punch out before salmon season opener this weekend.
Some have asked about WILDFLOWER's jib boom.
The jib boom was chosen both for self tacking, and for self vanging at wide angles. Although intrigued by the Hoyt jib boom, we couldn't afford the weight, space, and expense. Howard fashioned a better deal with a Hobie boom and some SS tube. The vang is a piece of curved Windsurfer boom. This supports the jib boom as well as vanging it. The jib boom's vanged height is adjustable.
To date, the jib boom is a success. At AWA 140, the jib retains nice shape, obviating the need for bigger sails off the wind, a blessing for this cruising cat with its senior crew. Best speed to date on the Velocitek was 11.8 under main and jib with TWS of 16 and AWA of 100.
Attachments
What began as a cruising cat design ended as a cruising cat design. As co-designer Howard Spruit is wont to remind: "speed, comfort, cost. You can only have two..."
The chines are not straight. The ends of the boat were submerged about 1" at launch, which is about 5" below the arbitrary blue waterline stripe. At launch we managed to sink the boat to or above the blue waterline stripe with 11 well wishers aboard. (Each vertical inch of immersed hulls floats approx.334 pounds.)
The 3/24 launch photo in an earlier post shows 7 people on deck, with reportedly 4 more below as we motored away from the dock on a short Harbor cruise. The above attached photo shows floatation, sans rig, with two people aboard.
To date we've enjoyed 7 shakedown sails off Santa Cruz in winds to 18 true. But the entrance is shoaled and passage is risky.
At speed, WILDFLOWER seems to float lighter, leaving only one stern wake, from the leeward hull, while sailing upwind at 6.5 to 7. Though we've tried, knock on wood nothing has broken.
WILDFLOWER is currently back home in the driveway as we prep and load for the next adventure, a road trip with the boat to the Pacific NW. Jim: where is HAULBACK berthed and what is your contact?
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Hi! Thanks for commenting. I was referring to this pic, looks pretty straight to me.
Not very much hull volume below that chine. But I guess this is sufficient in view of the extraordinary lightness of this boat. What a great accomplishment! And I am really impressed with the looks, which is certainly not easy to achieve in small cruising multis.
Have a nice trip up north!