Day 21, Skin-on-frame rower-sailer. Test sail.
Took the boat down to a variably breezy and cold Columbia river today for a quick shakedown sail.
Stability is nice, it sits on a narrow waterline but hardens up considerably as you approach capsize.
The fullness of the hull towards the ends makes it fairly insensitive to trim, which has pros and cons. I’ll need to take more out of the ends to get true weight shift sailing performance. Sails fast but twitchy, like all light boats.
Good rowing ergonomics with decent turning/tracking balance. It went where I pointed it even in gusts. Similar ease of rowing to my Delaware Ducker. Not quite as smooth as a guideboat. (Nothing is).
Boat is a bit flexy, as expected. The same boat framed in fir instead of cedar would be about right I think.
Plenty of volume, for intended use. (2 people plus camping gear) I could actually go a little smaller.
The balance lug rig with the halyard that pins the yard to the mast is much safer to set and douse than the yard on a standing lug.
Sails a bit small as noted, but safer for it.
The flip-over lee boards are a huge surprise. I thought they would be all over the place but once they’re set up you just have to kick them over the side and they magically plane into position and lock there. Tack or jibe accidentally and they just flag out harmlessly. I loved being able to set them anywhere I wanted to trim the boat perfectly.
I was aiming for weight-shift sailing but discovered that the pinned oars make a fantastic rudder, and this is coming from someone who normally HATES oar steering. It was nice to sit right in the middle of the boat with just finger pressure anywhere on the oar to steer. With the boat balanced I could make huge corrections rapidly and a quick sweep to carry through the tack. Once I take out the rear crossmembers they will drop beautifully into the back of the boat when not in use.
Planning to make too many changes (on the next version) to list here. I’ll post another report tomorrow.
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