Mixed results.
I tried a new main foil the last two weeks and it took a while to work out why I was going so badly. Basically the strut I built longer than the predecessor was not stigff enough and on every corner I got the wobbles and crashed. There may be other issues with the horizontal but I was so far behind I would not be able to assess.
So the Sydney International was a disaster for me. I completed a few races but as I was more than 10min behind the winner I scored the same as if I had pulled out, which I did on a couple of other occasions so as to not hold up proceedings. In the end I scored the same as Jon Emonson who did not even leave Tasmania. But I had some fun and learnt a bit more about my boat, Thats what design and development is about anyway.
So this weekend I went back a few weeks, fitted my original foil and I was more than happy with my straight line speed and the boat' handling. The rig did seem to be working well. Trouble was it blew hard and I struggled on the corners again. Forecast was 15 but the records after the race indicated 25 with bigger gusts, good practice for the Perth afternoons.
So seeing as we are packing the boats for Perth in a few days and my sore wrist was still playing up a little, I bailed out to save any damage to boat and body.
So boat is ready for Perth, I am well off pace but am looking forward to the holiday and the regatta.
Pity it looks like being the smallest Nationals in the 10 years I have been a regular.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Slow Development Process
Despite the lack of posts, which was not due to Dave's observation on Mothcast, I have been sailing, testing, modifying and making progress on Karma.
First, things have stopped breaking, so building time has been devoted to new stuff not repairs.
I have progressed well with the foil control system adding a few strings and trying some ideas borrowed from other StGeorge sailors. Height adjustment, flap adjustment etc. Its a bit of a tangle but I plan on a tidy up this week.
I also have made a new rudder foil to go on the narrow rudder previously tested with a tiny foil. Seems to have added some downwind speed.
A new centreboard is in progress to go with the high aspect main foil I built months ago.
But mostly I have been working on the rig. I had a two strut diamond system working well. But then the transport deal for Perth Nationals came up as crates rather than container so the fixed spreaders had to go at the risk of getting busted off in transit. I now have a new removable system which seems to be working even better giving good leach tension and minimum side bend. Just some fine tuning to go.
I beat the other moths in a light wind race at the Sunshine regatta, and lead one at Belmont last weekend. Sub foiling conditions is not normal moth sailing but does help with the confidence when other things are not going so well.
Sailed two days last weekend. Its time to work on fitness. I have always preferred sailing to any other form of exercise. Sore today so it must have been necessary.
Club racing at St George has been good. Nine moths most weeks with some very fast and some very ordinary. I fit in the middle somewhere. Dave is still consistantly fastest with Luka and now Andrew not far behind. There is a lot of development continuing and a lot of info exchange which raises the standard for everyone. We will have a total of 14 foilers shortly.
But at Belmont on Saturday against Dave Luka and others, Nathan won all three races.
Looking forward to Perth Nationals, never been there before! Not cheap $1300 to get boat and self there and back, plus accommodation, but the Swan has a reputation as one of the best regatta waters in the country.
First, things have stopped breaking, so building time has been devoted to new stuff not repairs.
I have progressed well with the foil control system adding a few strings and trying some ideas borrowed from other StGeorge sailors. Height adjustment, flap adjustment etc. Its a bit of a tangle but I plan on a tidy up this week.
I also have made a new rudder foil to go on the narrow rudder previously tested with a tiny foil. Seems to have added some downwind speed.
A new centreboard is in progress to go with the high aspect main foil I built months ago.
But mostly I have been working on the rig. I had a two strut diamond system working well. But then the transport deal for Perth Nationals came up as crates rather than container so the fixed spreaders had to go at the risk of getting busted off in transit. I now have a new removable system which seems to be working even better giving good leach tension and minimum side bend. Just some fine tuning to go.
I beat the other moths in a light wind race at the Sunshine regatta, and lead one at Belmont last weekend. Sub foiling conditions is not normal moth sailing but does help with the confidence when other things are not going so well.
Sailed two days last weekend. Its time to work on fitness. I have always preferred sailing to any other form of exercise. Sore today so it must have been necessary.
Club racing at St George has been good. Nine moths most weeks with some very fast and some very ordinary. I fit in the middle somewhere. Dave is still consistantly fastest with Luka and now Andrew not far behind. There is a lot of development continuing and a lot of info exchange which raises the standard for everyone. We will have a total of 14 foilers shortly.
But at Belmont on Saturday against Dave Luka and others, Nathan won all three races.
Looking forward to Perth Nationals, never been there before! Not cheap $1300 to get boat and self there and back, plus accommodation, but the Swan has a reputation as one of the best regatta waters in the country.
Monday, September 14, 2009
sailing again at last
Back to St George for a casual warm up before next week's first race.The new Gemmell sail on the unstayed mast looks good but I did have some issues with the foils and controls. Photos shows the new long leach profile.
Boat in background is Bruce Gault's 16ft moth on steroids, inadvertant finger in bottom of view is shielding Dave's new secrets from early release, well his boat was there anyway.
Regardless KARMA appeared to go pretty well upwind compared to Dave, Luka and Lea and might be OK downwind too once I sort out a few wand issues.
I ended up breaking the 230g gantry so I guess it was just too light. Clive was kind enough to give me some short peices of 15mm CST pultrusion for the repairs. Already glued together.
I had problems with tacks and gybes, mostly due to me learning new techniques with aft mainsheet and swinging the tiller extension forward not aft, but also because the tiny rudder foil I was trying kept stalling out when the boat lost speed. Back to the std Illet rudder foil next week.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Congratulations Bora!!
The WC is over and a worthy Champ determined. It took a couple of years of deep commitment in time, money, travel, training and learning and was a well deserved win. Some basic skills and instinct must have helped. And he is a pretty decent guy too.
It was also a triumph for the organisers, the sailors who seemed to have a great time and the reporters and publicists who kept the rest of us around the world very well informed.
So what's come out of it so far as seen from the opposite side of the world? (all based on interviews and blogs already posted on IMCA site, event site or SA.
1. The Mach 2 has proven the fastest production moth. Even the skills of Nathan could not bring the BR up to Bora's pace.
2. AMAC is obviously the top moth designer and he seems very content with his latest product. Expect only very subtle development for a while from him.
3. Rohan has implied that a very different Bladerider will be at Dubai next year.
4. Rohan is again working on a promo circuit with about 10 boats travelling the globe for high profile sponsored events.
5. The US has quickly reached strength in the class both in numbers and in quality. This has to be good for the Moth class and can only continue to expand.
6. There were a few significant breakages amonst top contenders.
* Rohan's VRX hull split before the WC but we are advised it was a preproduction version and all subsequent boats coped well. I understand that the other preprod boat which Nathan sailed also broke when it was much newer.
* Scott and maybe 2 others broke Mach2 wings but I do not know if the failures were similaror the causes.
* Scott also broke a CST nano mast which was a bit unfortunate as CST was the major sponsor.
7. WC in 2012 after Dubai and Blemont looks like being Gara again. I will have to go this time.
8. The new Assasin appaeared, but had a tough task in the quality fleet. With new mothies on board and some prototype and test foils they got around mostly mid to back fleet but the testing will undoubtably prove most valuable when they get their new foil molds into production.
It was nice to hear Bora acknowledge all his helpers, parents, Bear, Clean, AMAC, etc but also Dave Lister who he accepted as the fastest man downwind at Geelong. Its good to know that we midfleeters still have a high standard to aim at in our St George club races for the season about to kick off.
It was also a triumph for the organisers, the sailors who seemed to have a great time and the reporters and publicists who kept the rest of us around the world very well informed.
So what's come out of it so far as seen from the opposite side of the world? (all based on interviews and blogs already posted on IMCA site, event site or SA.
1. The Mach 2 has proven the fastest production moth. Even the skills of Nathan could not bring the BR up to Bora's pace.
2. AMAC is obviously the top moth designer and he seems very content with his latest product. Expect only very subtle development for a while from him.
3. Rohan has implied that a very different Bladerider will be at Dubai next year.
4. Rohan is again working on a promo circuit with about 10 boats travelling the globe for high profile sponsored events.
5. The US has quickly reached strength in the class both in numbers and in quality. This has to be good for the Moth class and can only continue to expand.
6. There were a few significant breakages amonst top contenders.
* Rohan's VRX hull split before the WC but we are advised it was a preproduction version and all subsequent boats coped well. I understand that the other preprod boat which Nathan sailed also broke when it was much newer.
* Scott and maybe 2 others broke Mach2 wings but I do not know if the failures were similaror the causes.
* Scott also broke a CST nano mast which was a bit unfortunate as CST was the major sponsor.
7. WC in 2012 after Dubai and Blemont looks like being Gara again. I will have to go this time.
8. The new Assasin appaeared, but had a tough task in the quality fleet. With new mothies on board and some prototype and test foils they got around mostly mid to back fleet but the testing will undoubtably prove most valuable when they get their new foil molds into production.
It was nice to hear Bora acknowledge all his helpers, parents, Bear, Clean, AMAC, etc but also Dave Lister who he accepted as the fastest man downwind at Geelong. Its good to know that we midfleeters still have a high standard to aim at in our St George club races for the season about to kick off.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Big Wind WC
The US Gorge worlds are past half way and its been mostly big winds and fast sailing. Its starting to take a toll on the boats so before the damage makes too much impact on he score sheet here is a little analysis.
At least the Australians are putting on a good show.
It appears the top two in Bora and Nathan have a slight edge, winning most of the races. The next bunch of five (Arnaud, Dalton Bergan, Simon, Rohan and Scott) also seem to have a speed edge on the rest. Thats 5 M2 and two BR VRX all new since Geelong, but including a similar cast of top sailors.
The similarity at the top between the Gorge fleet and the Geelong fleet should be expected. Because at Geelong we not only had the best AUS mothies but also Bora, Simon, Arnaud and other OS visitors.
In fact the top 9 from day 3 at the Gorge include 6 of the top 11 from Geelong. Mark Robbo was in that 11 as well but is back at 13 so far at the Gorge. Of course Rohan and AMAC skipped Geelong but are also putting on a good show, lying 6th and 10th. No wonder people commented that Geelong was like a mini WC.
The breakage rate is unfortunate. I thought we had some big winds at Geelong but maybe the water was flatter. Regardless there was only one DNF/DNC in the top 10 from 10 races while already there are 5 from the Gorge also from 10 races. Maybe the new boats are still a bit tender but I am sure the lessons learned here will make them better.
What is very good is the big numbers of US sailors who have taken to moths and also the high standards they have brought with them. Its like the elete of US dinghy racing. I hope they stay with us and make the trip to Belmont in 2011.
Its been great to wake up each morning, log on and get instant results, video clips and comments from the site. Extremely well done to all concerned, I hope we can do as well at Belmont.
We will at least have a great viewing platform for the spectators, The top deck at B16s is very welcoming.
Its going to be an interesting last two days. Nathan and Bora are close and seemingly clear of the field. Nathan has a good record at the end of regattas but Bora seems to have a slight speed edge downwind at times.
They all do at least seem to be having a good time and the reports of all digging in to help repair boats and supply spares indicates that the traditional Moth class culture remains at this high level and between people of many countries. Great to see.
Thanks for the show guys and good luck for the remainder of the regatta, enjoy it.
At least the Australians are putting on a good show.
It appears the top two in Bora and Nathan have a slight edge, winning most of the races. The next bunch of five (Arnaud, Dalton Bergan, Simon, Rohan and Scott) also seem to have a speed edge on the rest. Thats 5 M2 and two BR VRX all new since Geelong, but including a similar cast of top sailors.
The similarity at the top between the Gorge fleet and the Geelong fleet should be expected. Because at Geelong we not only had the best AUS mothies but also Bora, Simon, Arnaud and other OS visitors.
In fact the top 9 from day 3 at the Gorge include 6 of the top 11 from Geelong. Mark Robbo was in that 11 as well but is back at 13 so far at the Gorge. Of course Rohan and AMAC skipped Geelong but are also putting on a good show, lying 6th and 10th. No wonder people commented that Geelong was like a mini WC.
The breakage rate is unfortunate. I thought we had some big winds at Geelong but maybe the water was flatter. Regardless there was only one DNF/DNC in the top 10 from 10 races while already there are 5 from the Gorge also from 10 races. Maybe the new boats are still a bit tender but I am sure the lessons learned here will make them better.
What is very good is the big numbers of US sailors who have taken to moths and also the high standards they have brought with them. Its like the elete of US dinghy racing. I hope they stay with us and make the trip to Belmont in 2011.
Its been great to wake up each morning, log on and get instant results, video clips and comments from the site. Extremely well done to all concerned, I hope we can do as well at Belmont.
We will at least have a great viewing platform for the spectators, The top deck at B16s is very welcoming.
Its going to be an interesting last two days. Nathan and Bora are close and seemingly clear of the field. Nathan has a good record at the end of regattas but Bora seems to have a slight speed edge downwind at times.
They all do at least seem to be having a good time and the reports of all digging in to help repair boats and supply spares indicates that the traditional Moth class culture remains at this high level and between people of many countries. Great to see.
Thanks for the show guys and good luck for the remainder of the regatta, enjoy it.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Karma, Whats working and whats not.
Karma has been sailed a few times and is now staying in one piece so I have had time to reflect on what has worked and what maybe needs some redesign or reconsideration. There are so many things on this boat which are diferent to most modern moths its worth considering some components separately, even if many are intendended to function as a complete package. I am not a follower in design terms and the freedom to experiment a bit off to left field is one of the reasons I am interested in this class.
So the list:
Hull: The freeboard is lower than any other modern skiff. The bow height is a little less than Bladerider and the stern is a lot less. But it works. There is enough volume to float everything, and because the aft wing has been brought forward, there is still heaps of volune aft. No Hobiecat like stern overs likely. The Hungry Tiger shape proved one of the best in the light over Easter, so performance when the hul is in the water should be up to standerd. Its light too.Tick.
Elevated wings and tramp. Not new, seen on Greg K's boat at 2000 WC, plus Sideshow Bob, Fuzzy Logic, Chainsaw and of course all the 14ft qnd 16ft Hobiecats. Its very comfortable in the light, but needs some foot holds which I have done with half pool noodles in pockets. I have not felt discouraged even when a lot of other things were not going well. The wing spacing is only 1.65m so its reduced the windage of the wings, tramp and the hull/tramp interface is not even there. I broke the first set of elevating struts, and build a better set, adding only a little weight. The boat is remarkable smooth and quiet when flying, which must in part be due to the windage reduction. Tick
Tapered foil tops. Also on B2 but I did not copy, see photos here late last year. This is a great idea, BR owners would miss their rubber mallet, the foils go in so simply, lock in place and need only a small pin to prevent them falling out. The fin and rudder box are smaller and lighter and the verticals will be too when I make some better ones. Tick.
Reversed Bellcrank and tesnion wand linkage. Marty Johnston had this first, but I have simplified it as best I can. The bellcrank is on the hull aft of the fin. So tesion in the wand linkage pushes the flap down. The bungee pulls the bellcrank back directly which also pulls the flap up and the wand down. The linkage between wand and bellcrank is a 1mm spectra kite string. Light, simple, flexible. It has taken me a lot of trimming to work out settings and where the adjustment needed to be. It now has a model yacht rigging screw in the linkage for fine trim. Bungee tension is adjustable via a contol line and needed to be increased as trimming processed. Happy so far. I have to get it right as the top of the fin and case is too small to insert a regular bellcrank anyway. Maybe a smaller tick for this one.
Removable Tees. I have had the rudder foil removable since last year, sailed the nationals with one and seem to have got it sorted. But the main foil Tee is another matter. I have rebuilt it a few times but for now I have given up and glued it together with a much more substantial molded Tee. Its seems very hard to get a decenet size T section and a strong enough receiveing case inside the small vertical section. I will have another go later after I sort out a few more issues and get the boat completing races on pace. Cross.
Aft mainsheet. Becaue there is no deck to mount a central sheeting system and the front wing is too close to the mast, the aft wing is the only place left. Not new, Lea Sitja, Charlie Mckee, and Martin Cross all use it. I just took a while to sort it out. Purchase, ratchet block location, sheet length all played with, but coming good. I do know that when its wrong its aweful. I have to get it sorted, no tick just yet.
Tiny Gantry. The pundits all said it was flimsey. Its a little shorter than the max 500mm at 350mm because the transom is so small I could not get decent angles at full length. Its made from 10mm tube pultrusions and weighs 260g. I have had some big crashes in the first few weeks and no signs of cracks or groans so far. Still a tentative tick.
Layout. Compared to Hungry Tiger the mast is forward 100mm at 900, and the fincase is forward 200mm which is also why I could shorten the gantry and maintain appropriate foil spacing. Although I have yet to be happy with the rig/sail combo, I think the helm is right. Neutral when healed to windward but still not excessive weather helm when low riding. All good, Tick.
Now the really big one: Unstayed rig. The mast is max length and made from a CST M354 40mm spar with some 50 and 55mm sleaves from the base almost up to the spreaders. It is strong enough to stay up without any rigging, but is too soft. I have also sailed it with either: 3 stays with spreaders, forward raked diamonds, and with the diamonds plus a forestay. In none of these configurations can I get the mast to match the luff curve of the KA MSL13 which I bought for the boat and to use on the old boat at the Nationals. Also because the mast is stepped quite upright with little rake, plus max length, the sail is set very high.
So I need either a new sail made for the present mast in one of the three configurations listed, or I need a new mast to rig more conventionally to match the KA sail. Since I just sold a boat I might splash out and do both. The stayed KA rig would allow me to sort out what esle works well and what does not, and also be the right stuff when there is good winds. The unstayed mast with a new sail could be much higher aspect ratio as the leach could easilly be a half metre longer, and that combined with the ability to square the rig would be a big advantage in light winds, especially for a heavyweight skipper.
So another tentative Tick with a lot more development to come.
Overall I am happy with progress so far. More ticks than crosses! The boat is very light, maybe close to a M2 or VRX but at only 1/4 the cost so far. Its noticable most when carrying it out on its side to deep water. Balance point is the (high) boom, rather than the toestraps as on the old boat.
Working on two rigs will delay my other plans which was to be a full solid wing rig. This was one incentive for the unstayed configuration of the whole boat. We will see what time is left this year.
The fact the boat is far from fully developped and reliable means that I will not be going to the Gorge as I had once planned. But Perth in January seems a good alternative and I hope to have it racing well by then.
On the list of new stuff are new foils, new tampoline to replace my amateur sewing, plus sail and mast. I have a new main foil under way, and will make a new small aft foil based on Andrew's new one. A new mold for the vericals is needed, slight reduction in width like the M2 plus a better section. Plug carving first. Soon.
And of course I need to learn to sail it fast, practice? Not over winter, I feel the cold too much at my age.
So the list:
Hull: The freeboard is lower than any other modern skiff. The bow height is a little less than Bladerider and the stern is a lot less. But it works. There is enough volume to float everything, and because the aft wing has been brought forward, there is still heaps of volune aft. No Hobiecat like stern overs likely. The Hungry Tiger shape proved one of the best in the light over Easter, so performance when the hul is in the water should be up to standerd. Its light too.Tick.
Elevated wings and tramp. Not new, seen on Greg K's boat at 2000 WC, plus Sideshow Bob, Fuzzy Logic, Chainsaw and of course all the 14ft qnd 16ft Hobiecats. Its very comfortable in the light, but needs some foot holds which I have done with half pool noodles in pockets. I have not felt discouraged even when a lot of other things were not going well. The wing spacing is only 1.65m so its reduced the windage of the wings, tramp and the hull/tramp interface is not even there. I broke the first set of elevating struts, and build a better set, adding only a little weight. The boat is remarkable smooth and quiet when flying, which must in part be due to the windage reduction. Tick
Tapered foil tops. Also on B2 but I did not copy, see photos here late last year. This is a great idea, BR owners would miss their rubber mallet, the foils go in so simply, lock in place and need only a small pin to prevent them falling out. The fin and rudder box are smaller and lighter and the verticals will be too when I make some better ones. Tick.
Reversed Bellcrank and tesnion wand linkage. Marty Johnston had this first, but I have simplified it as best I can. The bellcrank is on the hull aft of the fin. So tesion in the wand linkage pushes the flap down. The bungee pulls the bellcrank back directly which also pulls the flap up and the wand down. The linkage between wand and bellcrank is a 1mm spectra kite string. Light, simple, flexible. It has taken me a lot of trimming to work out settings and where the adjustment needed to be. It now has a model yacht rigging screw in the linkage for fine trim. Bungee tension is adjustable via a contol line and needed to be increased as trimming processed. Happy so far. I have to get it right as the top of the fin and case is too small to insert a regular bellcrank anyway. Maybe a smaller tick for this one.
Removable Tees. I have had the rudder foil removable since last year, sailed the nationals with one and seem to have got it sorted. But the main foil Tee is another matter. I have rebuilt it a few times but for now I have given up and glued it together with a much more substantial molded Tee. Its seems very hard to get a decenet size T section and a strong enough receiveing case inside the small vertical section. I will have another go later after I sort out a few more issues and get the boat completing races on pace. Cross.
Aft mainsheet. Becaue there is no deck to mount a central sheeting system and the front wing is too close to the mast, the aft wing is the only place left. Not new, Lea Sitja, Charlie Mckee, and Martin Cross all use it. I just took a while to sort it out. Purchase, ratchet block location, sheet length all played with, but coming good. I do know that when its wrong its aweful. I have to get it sorted, no tick just yet.
Tiny Gantry. The pundits all said it was flimsey. Its a little shorter than the max 500mm at 350mm because the transom is so small I could not get decent angles at full length. Its made from 10mm tube pultrusions and weighs 260g. I have had some big crashes in the first few weeks and no signs of cracks or groans so far. Still a tentative tick.
Layout. Compared to Hungry Tiger the mast is forward 100mm at 900, and the fincase is forward 200mm which is also why I could shorten the gantry and maintain appropriate foil spacing. Although I have yet to be happy with the rig/sail combo, I think the helm is right. Neutral when healed to windward but still not excessive weather helm when low riding. All good, Tick.
Now the really big one: Unstayed rig. The mast is max length and made from a CST M354 40mm spar with some 50 and 55mm sleaves from the base almost up to the spreaders. It is strong enough to stay up without any rigging, but is too soft. I have also sailed it with either: 3 stays with spreaders, forward raked diamonds, and with the diamonds plus a forestay. In none of these configurations can I get the mast to match the luff curve of the KA MSL13 which I bought for the boat and to use on the old boat at the Nationals. Also because the mast is stepped quite upright with little rake, plus max length, the sail is set very high.
So I need either a new sail made for the present mast in one of the three configurations listed, or I need a new mast to rig more conventionally to match the KA sail. Since I just sold a boat I might splash out and do both. The stayed KA rig would allow me to sort out what esle works well and what does not, and also be the right stuff when there is good winds. The unstayed mast with a new sail could be much higher aspect ratio as the leach could easilly be a half metre longer, and that combined with the ability to square the rig would be a big advantage in light winds, especially for a heavyweight skipper.
So another tentative Tick with a lot more development to come.
Overall I am happy with progress so far. More ticks than crosses! The boat is very light, maybe close to a M2 or VRX but at only 1/4 the cost so far. Its noticable most when carrying it out on its side to deep water. Balance point is the (high) boom, rather than the toestraps as on the old boat.
Working on two rigs will delay my other plans which was to be a full solid wing rig. This was one incentive for the unstayed configuration of the whole boat. We will see what time is left this year.
The fact the boat is far from fully developped and reliable means that I will not be going to the Gorge as I had once planned. But Perth in January seems a good alternative and I hope to have it racing well by then.
On the list of new stuff are new foils, new tampoline to replace my amateur sewing, plus sail and mast. I have a new main foil under way, and will make a new small aft foil based on Andrew's new one. A new mold for the vericals is needed, slight reduction in width like the M2 plus a better section. Plug carving first. Soon.
And of course I need to learn to sail it fast, practice? Not over winter, I feel the cold too much at my age.
Monday, April 27, 2009
End of season
We had the last race at St George on Saturday, Dave won as usual but the gusty westerly was a good finale.
Since I sold Tiger on a Chain last week, I am now back to development work on Karma. I had some issues with the flap mechanism, mainsheet and mast bend, but I am happy to have spent a considerable time on the water without breaking a thing. So with the hope that the structural issues are over for now, I get to work on the refinements needed to these systems at least for a start.
The unstayed mast now has diamond struts equal to regular spreaders and although it was bending a bit more than needed for adequate leach tension, it felt secure and stable and gave me confidnece that it will make the grade with a bit more work. I will add a forestay next week so it will be rigged much like the canoe, except the mast is about half the diameter.
The weekend before I tried regular stays and forestay with normal length spreaders and prod. I found that the friction in the mast step/bearing was excesive under the staying loads and the rig did not rotate freely enough for comfort. I also broke the main foil T, so last week saw a T rebuild, discarding the removable T insert and building in a more substantial structure.
We have 4 races at the Balmoral winter series in May so I get a few more tests of the boat before a winter break. Hopefully enough to decide what systems will be viable for next season. Will probably get a purpose made sail for the rig over the winter as the mast bend profile does not match the KA very well.
Still no good photos of Karma, wait for some reasonable sailing performance before its worthwhile.
Since I sold Tiger on a Chain last week, I am now back to development work on Karma. I had some issues with the flap mechanism, mainsheet and mast bend, but I am happy to have spent a considerable time on the water without breaking a thing. So with the hope that the structural issues are over for now, I get to work on the refinements needed to these systems at least for a start.
The unstayed mast now has diamond struts equal to regular spreaders and although it was bending a bit more than needed for adequate leach tension, it felt secure and stable and gave me confidnece that it will make the grade with a bit more work. I will add a forestay next week so it will be rigged much like the canoe, except the mast is about half the diameter.
The weekend before I tried regular stays and forestay with normal length spreaders and prod. I found that the friction in the mast step/bearing was excesive under the staying loads and the rig did not rotate freely enough for comfort. I also broke the main foil T, so last week saw a T rebuild, discarding the removable T insert and building in a more substantial structure.
We have 4 races at the Balmoral winter series in May so I get a few more tests of the boat before a winter break. Hopefully enough to decide what systems will be viable for next season. Will probably get a purpose made sail for the rig over the winter as the mast bend profile does not match the KA very well.
Still no good photos of Karma, wait for some reasonable sailing performance before its worthwhile.
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