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What exactly are we trying to do here?
By:Paul G. Jacobson@aol.com
Date: 1/30/2002, 12:56 am
In Response To: S&G: Take-Apart Prfctly Sober Jig (Eric-skinyak)

Let's try to get to the crux of the matter. Do you want a boat that comes apart for storage, or do you want to disable a boat so no one else will use it? Are you lacking in storage space? There are plenty of solutions to these problems already available, and one of them, or a modification of one of these ideas ( I know how everyone on here loves to modify ideas :) ) should serve your purpose.

Let's suppose you want a sailboat that no one else is going to use when you are away. Build the hull and superstructure from concrete. Outfit it with wood cmpartments that are removeable. At the end of the season sink it in your lake. Concrete loves to stay wet, so in the spring, when you raise it, it should be in great condition and just need to be cleaned off. (rent a power washer) Of course you'll take the mast and sails and all other gear off before you sink the thing. Design the boat so that you can raise it by just pumping in some compressed air. Partially sealed compartments work fine for this. A single 72 or 80 cubic foot scuba tank will provide enough air to give you over 35 cubic feet of air at 33 feet, and each cubic foot of air will displace over 60 pounds of water, so you'll develop over 2000 pounds of lifting force. If you can raise the boat with a single scuba tank you won't need to bring along an additional compressor.

Or, just run the thing up on shore. Who in their right mind would try to steal a concrete sailboat? It would be too heavy to move on a trailer. And of course it would stand out, so any thief would be pretty obvious.

There are a lot of folding boat ideas, and also inflatable boats. I have two sevylor inflatables, and like them. It is much lighter than any wood boat of equal carrying capacity. At a bit over 40 pounds my largest boat is a 5 man boat I can carry on my back.

If you want a boat that folds up, there is a design kicking around for a wide "kayak" made from plywood panels that are hinged with canvas. This design is frequently made by scout troops as it is simple to construct, fast to build, inexpensive, has high stability, and folds for transporting. Unfortunately it is rather wide and moves more like a paddled rowboat than a seakayak, so it is not a speed demon. BUT You can take the basic idea and design a longer and narrower boat using the same construction techniques. You'll end up with something like a stitch and glue kayak that has the seams held with flexible canvas instead of a fiberglass fillet, and the shape is maintained by bulkheads that are forced into the boat, pushing out the sides into the desired shape.

You could also modify the venerable building methods of a birchbark canoe, and cover the handmade frame with a sheet of vinyl flooring, (also called linoleum by some people) (available in 12 foot widths and LONG lengths at home centers) rather than a big piece of birchbark.
It is stiff enough, waterproof and does not need to be painted as it comes with a decorative finish applied at the factory. At the end of the season, unlash the flooring and roll it up. you can slit the lshings on the frame and be left with two gunwales and a lot of loose ribs.
Anyhow, These are jsut a few thoughts. Define what your needs are and we'll try to made more focused suggetions for possible solutions.

PGJ

Messages In This Thread

S&G: Take-Apart Prfctly Sober Jig
Eric-skinyak -- 1/29/2002, 4:18 pm
What exactly are we trying to do here?
Paul G. Jacobson@aol.com -- 1/30/2002, 12:56 am
Re: What exactly are we trying to do here?
Eric-prfctly sober- -- 1/30/2002, 2:14 pm
So take a panel or two out of the bottom
Paul G. Jacobson -- 1/30/2002, 5:53 pm