So much for cunning plans...

Dorworth on Tahoe, Sailing Anarchy takes a stand, Republican scum bags doing what Republican scumbags do best, and in the "Just following orders" department...

Color me somewhat frustrated. The available deck area is not quite big enough for the cunning plan dinghy hack to work and so it's back to the drawing board.

Which is OK, as I actually enjoy the whole problem solving gig where boat design and building is concerned. That and my daily dose of Backgammon keeps the gray cells doing their thing.

Still, I'd much rather be building the new dinghy rather than sorting out the design...

Hopefully, more on the subject soon come.

Listening to a plethora of Cars coverage

So it goes...

a lifeboat/dinghy of choice...

Regarding weaponized stupidity, dealing with awkward numbers in Florida, and in the "A trail of Covid spikes in his wake" department...

Face it, where lifeboats are concerned,  you can't have too much positive flotation. While the two buoyancy/storage chambers combined with a wood hull assure that the Tortoise won't sink I think it's safe to say there's nothing wrong with a bit more positive flotation in the mix.

So, how best to accomplish that?

As it happens, Gig Harbor Boat Works makes and sells inflatable sponsons, otherwise known as Dinghy Dogs, which are pretty close to perfect for the purpose. The downside is they're, at $375, not exactly cheap.

Duckworks sells some inflatable Beach Rollers that, could be adapted for the purpose and has been used on Richard Wood's Duo nesting dinghy. Priced at about $150 for a pair they give a lot of extra flotation for not a lot of outlay. The downside is they're a little too big for use while sailing the Tortoise.

My personal choice for added flotation is a 52" x 4" pool noodle stuck inside a Sunbrella or reasonable facsimile sleeve which will add a Buoyant Force of 107.24 N Buoyant Force per side for a whole lot less and not interfere with sailing in the process. Better yet, they'd only cost around $20-$25 a pop.

Another advantage is they all make great dinghy fenders.

Listening to Marty Balin

So it goes

a lifeboat/dinghy of choice part 4...

Insanity in South Dakota, AJ on DIY gear, and a final wish... 

One thing that freaks people out with the Tortoise design is that the mast is not on the center-line. Instead Bolger drew it just inside the starboard hull side which opens up the interior of the dinghy which is an added benefit for its use in lifeboat mode. For those unacquainted with sailing a boat with an off-center mast there is very little, if any, disadvantage in sailing performance.

The rig of choice is a 38 square foot Lateen set on an eight foot mast. The yard (10'10") and the boom (8' 1") are a little problematic as they can't be stored in the boat. I'm still on the fence whether it's worth the trouble making the yard/boom/mast into two-piece spars for stowage purposes or just keep the rig assembled and rolled up to be stowed separately. 

The rudder and the off-center bilge/dagger board are non-problematic and will stow inside the Tortoise while on passage.

Lastly, some thought should be given to adding a couple of reefs to the sail as well.

Next up, a systematic approach to adding some more flotation...

Listening to some social distancing music.

So it goes... 

a lifeboat/dinghy of choice part 3...

Some seriously skewed/deranged logic, a depressing point well made, and in the "Anger is still the appropriate emotion" department...

Phil Bolger's Tortoise and Big Tortoise don't quite cover all the bases but do have the advantage that they are easy to build. give the most bang for the buck in terms of displacement, row easily, sail well, and are incredibly stable.

So, what do we have to do to make them better?

First of all as the basic design lends itself quite well to stitch and glue and I long ago adapted the Tortoises I've built to that construction method.

Secondly, I've also learned, after rowing hundreds of miles in Tortoises, that the side panels of the dinghy could use a bit of reinforcement by adding a pair of stringers (1" X 2") located at seat level to the side panels. These serve double-duty as they also provide a place to put transverse thwarts which will suit our purpose better than Bolger's longitudinal thwart.

The aft deck on the Tortoise (aft and foredeck on the Big Tortoise) are very important design features and it makes sense to turn them into buoyancy/storage chambers. Since I'll be building the smaller Tortoise I'll also be adding a second deck and buoyancy/storage chamber to the bow as well.

Otherwise the design remains pretty much the same as far as construction goes and most folk should be able to put one together in twelve to sixteen hours of actual labor and the expenditure of between $200 to $300 out of pocket for the row only version. 

Of course, we want a more dynamic lifeboat so we'll need a sensible sailing rig and I have a couple changes on that front which we'll get into next.

Listening to a whole lotta Caroline songs

So it goes... 

a lifeboat/dinghy of choice part 2...

Something worth reading, signs of the times, and how I'd like to see our talking heads take on politicians...

So, today's question is what do we actually need in a dinghy to make it do double duty as a lifeboat? 

Well, for starters, the dinghy has to be big enough but it also has to be stowable on deck and, to make matters even more complicated, able to be launched by one person without help.

Since we plan to use the dinghy as a lifeboat it also stands to reason that it has enough positive buoyancy to be considered unsinkable and big enough to carry a couple with enough stores, gear, and water to keep them alive till they're rescued or able to sail to safety.

Not asking a lot now are we?

Just for chuckles, let's remember that the dinghy also has to do its job of being a dinghy getting hard usage on a daily basis.

Which in simple term means we're looking for a small as possible with a biggish interior unsinkable dinghy that's as tough as we can make it, as well as being light enough for one person to manage and capable of daily hard use. 

Tomorrow we'll get into some specifics.

Listening to some covers from 1978

So it goes...