Flatpack IC

Boat Repairs, New jobs and a New build planned

2011-12-01T21:16:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a winter - yes I spent it snowboarding, and yes I paid for not doing winter maintenance on the IC when I split a chine on the third race of the season. And since I started a new job at the same time poor AUS31 is still sitting upside down in the shed. But it is not all doom and gloom, I have some time coming up over Christmas so I should be back on the water in the new year - and then planning the Flatpack Mk II can begin as we look forward to the Worlds in the USA in 2013.

And then there was 1

2011-05-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened in the last few months since I last updated this, but not much on the IC front.

Good news is that there are now 3-4 regularly sailing IC's in Adelaide, bad news is that AUS32 is no more. Pete and AUS32 got caught in a big squall off of West Beach, several boats were written off in it including a Pacer from ASC. Thankfully Pete was safe, picked up by the SA Sea Rescue Squadron, but AUS32 didn't fare so well - sustaining significant damage to the spine (see design pics) of the boat possibly due to being upside down for over 3 hours and bouncing on the bottom. A small positive from this is that it looks like Pete is picking up AUS25 for the upcoming season.

I've been pretty quiet on all fronts, and very embarrassed that Australia will not be represented in Germany this year or defending the International Challenge Cup. I feel I have let down the IC Association by not working harder to get a team there, and have already started planning an assault on the next worlds beginning with:

The 2011 Nationals at Milang Regatta Club over the October Long Weekend
Then a number of other key regattas where IC's will race, fund raise, and promote this fantastic class.

Expect to hear more from me soon.

Cheers

Finally an update

2010-10-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have been off snowboarding New Zealand (Treble Cone, Coronet Peak, Cardrona, Roundhill, Mt Dobson, Mt Hutt, Mt Ruapehu) and Australia (Mt Hotham) and the Flatpack has been left in the shed for the winter. But with the sailing season here, it was time for that new rig for the flatpack:

C-Tech HM 2 piece mast, Alexander Sails

Looking Sweet!

Flatpack is off the market

2010-05-14T03:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of sniffs, but no-one serious - so Flatpack is getting bit of a facelift and a change in colour, a new mast and rig and will be back on the water for the June Long Weekend.

AUS31 'Flatpack' is for sale

2010-04-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

AUS 31 'Flatpack' is for sale

Flatpack is the first of the MECHAR designed Flatpack boats (follow the link to my blog on my signature for a history of the boat, info on the design and heaps of pictures).

Built in 2009
Carbon foam sandwich construction all built around a carbon spine
Minimum weight
C-Tech Mast
Alexander Sails
MECHAR foils
On beach trolley

Available at a very good price (under 10k) for the next month, as I have a window of opportunity to build another one before Germany next year (and yes, I'll be building another flatpack).
PM me or email me at internationalcanoe at hotmail dot com if you have any questions or are interested in purchasing the pocket rocket with plenty of development left in it.

Cheers

2010 Nationals

2010-03-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

Well it wasn’t a great Nationals, results wise.
A third and a second were the best I could muster in a full range of conditions.

The positives:

The boat is equally as fast as Phils over a range of conditions around the course
I was using my old small set of Alexander sails and still did okay
I still have an IC (which in the conditions, and given our current world champ damaged his beyond repair, is something to be happy about).

The negatives

I really hadn’t sorted a few things out on the boat properly – laziness, lack of motivation, and a focus on family and Uni meant that a lot of my changes and fixes weren’t completed or tested very well
I really haven’t spent much quality time in the boat this season.
I had no where near the pace that Hayden had in the windy stuff – but then again, I never really have in those conditions (thinking back to Mannering Park and the Worlds)

Where to now:
I have a month of shed access before the home renovations start (and the shed fills up with furniture). In that time I want to strip and completely rub back the boat and reskin it with a lightweight carbon cloth (vacuum bagged down) to:

Add some strength to the hull where I think I have sanded back through carbon previously
Clean up a few bumps and lumps in the hull
Achieve a better finish to the boat presentation wise

Any suggestions or comments on this?

I am also going back to Dave Alexander and sitting down with him to go over my mast and rig set up and get a set of sails sorted out and the mast dialled in. I don’t seem to be very good at this, and want to work with someone local to get it right (Dave A was in Sydney last year which is why I haven’t done this already). I should add that I mean no disrespect to Lindsay Irwin, his sails are great, it's just I'm not good enough to explain whats working/not working so we can get things right from interstate.

I have a leak

2010-02-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, we have had some pretty windy racing the last 3 weeks (I believe my brother is some sort of wind god - if he shows up, the wind really howls).

Anyway, the boat has been going well - and has been feeling really good. I've added a tiny bit more mast rake and it's feeling good up and down wind; possibly lacking a bit of power off the wind but that could be my decision to use the old Alexander Main from the 2008 Worlds with the new Irwin Jib - resulting in me being a little undersize. But this combination is working better for me than the new Irwin main which I'm hoping Pete will buy for AUS32 (as it's been looking good and he's been fast, while upright, with it).

Anyway, I have noticed i am taking on water and I can't work out where. It started about three weeks ago on that hard Port River race, and the last two weekends have been similar. Now all three races I have spent time on my side so it may be hatch cover not sealing correctly, and this is kind of backed up by my just having pressurised (http://www.windline.net/proj4.htm) the boat and gone over with the soapy water; but no bubbles. So next Saturday I will put a bit of vaseline on the hatch covers and see if the issue is there - else I am scratching my head!

Had another interesting issue last week aswell, the tenon part of the mast stump came out of the mast stump on me when dropping the mast (and remained fixed inside the stump). So I'm going to have to knock out the mast plug fitting from the mast and get the bit out from the stump and put the c-tech fitting back together. Take note that it is held in by a bolt so maybe put some thread lock on it before fitting your mast plugs people.

3 IC's, 2 hangovers & 20+knots. Yeehaa

2010-01-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

If only we had packed up at this point. It blew hard! 25 knots with 30+ gusts sorted us out, I broke the carriage, Kyle (blue Nethercott) is just broken and Pete (yellow flatpack) capsized and pulled out early (which was a smart move).

The gusts with big windshifts simply 'snotted us'. I broke my carriage on a screaming reach in a gust when I had to take evasive action of a capsized fireball (what is it with me and fireballs). I plowed the end of the plank (with me on it) into the water hard and the carriage made a very loud crack noise. Turns out I've opened up a corner, which I'll try to repair before we leave for Yarrawonga on Friday. I don't think there is a weakness here as such, as I've don't think I've ever gone that quick in an IC before and I slammed it into the water hard to avoid the collision.

I need to better sort out my vang still, I'm thinking of just biting the bullet and putting on a radial track system before the Nationals.

Quietly progressing

2010-01-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

Been a bit quiet on my blog, Christmas can have that effect, but I've been sailing when I can and look forward to racing resuming next weekend. I've found a configuration with my current rigs that seems to work best: My old AUS018 mainsail with the new Irwin jib - this seems to perform best in all conditions but does leave me .8m^2 under size. Not sure if I will have time (or access to a sailmaker) to sort this about before the nationals in 7 weeks.

Got out for a great sail yesterday before the 40+ degree heat kicked in, the boat is really feeling good and I am really hoping I can run with Hayden, Phil and Alex at the upcoming nationals. I'm also hoping to see if I've pegged back anything on Hayden over the Australia Day weekend at Yarrawonga (we all know how much I love lake sailing.....). Hopefully I can run with him on speed, if only to prove to myself that the Flatpack is a great boat let down by the nut on the tiller.

A year after starting the build, I finally get some bullets!

2009-11-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

The boat went really well but I was a bit rusty:

Race 1 started in about 4-6 knots, and I was starting with Pete (in AUS 9) a bladerider, about 7 finns and 6 OK dinghies. I shot out to an early lead despite feeling like my pointing was a little low and soon had about a 2-300m lead over the fleet. However I sailed into a hole on the right of the course and rounded the top mark behind several of the Finns. I overtook the Finns on the reaches of the first triangle but on the 2nd upwind leg I had a shocker and let all the Finns and nearly all the OK’s through on me (basically I just parked in a piece of glassy water). I caught all but 1 of the Finns and ended up crossing the line 10 seconds behind him. In those light and flukey conditions the speed difference upwind between a Finn and the IC was small – I would accelerate quickly but stop quickly while the Finn would point slightly higher and maintain momentum.

Race 2 was a windward leeward 3 loop sprint race – I had my racing brain in gear this time and had a few more knots of wind (it was now about 10-12 knots) – I hit the start line with good speed however I missed a lift and let the fast finn pip me at the top mark. Again sailing the angles downwind I had him at the bottom mark and then just powered away from him (like an IC should). Once the IC was planing I found I was pointing as high as the finn and still footing fast. On the second loop my rudder popped up and I sailed one long tack to the top mark with it not in the water – but by overstanding the mark I gave myself enough time to push it back down, tack and sail to the finish.

It was great to get some bullets, and I now need to spend some time in the boat getting back up to speed – it will always be tough to win on YS on short course racing but I was pretty disappointed with 19th and 15th respectively overall (http://www.yachting.org.au/site/yachting/results/adelaidesc/2009/club/north/singlehanded/series.htm )– the only small positive on my results is that we have some hotshot laser and Finn sailors at our club at the moment.

On the boat: the boat felt great, but in the light stuff I was using huge amounts of Cunningham to get the battens to pop (infact after stuffing around releasing and tensioning the Cunningham – Iended up just racing with it on). Next week I will fit the other set of battens Lindsay sent to me.

New Rudder

2009-11-13T15:28:00.001-08:00

New Rudder stock - Geoff has been busy putting together a new rudder stock for the flatpacks after some issues with the original design (and then the change from kick up to cartridge rudders). I've just glued in the stop pins an lockdown tab at the rear and given its 40 degrees here it shouldn't take long to dry. If we get some breeze I'll get it out on the water this evening.

In other awesome news, the 2010 Nationals will be at Adelaide Sailing Club in March next year!

Frustration

2009-10-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

I just haven't been able to get the paint on the hull in time to race this weekend; sub 10 degree nights and driving rain has made it near impossible to paint for the last 2 weeks. However I have a window of opportunity tomorrow and Monday so I should be able to have her already to be back on the water for a Friday twilight sail before racing Saturday.

As you can see above in the pictures, Pete has traded the FD for a 12 (woo-hoo), my rudder is now a cassette drop in (note the squared off stern - Hayden said my IC was to long), Winglets tapered to remove the '2nd hollow' from when looking at the boat from above.

Pressure

2009-09-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

No, not work or family, but barometric pressure is what has been hampering repairs (well that and a large ingress of water in the kitchen!).

However after racing Petes FD last weekend, I got the incentive to finish the boat repairs no matter the weather (yes the FD is a pretty boat but so boring after sailing an IC).

Geoff posted the replacement rudder blade with the new stainless steel and Carbon shaft and I dropped it into my rudder stock this morning. I then bit the bullet and cut the stock up to change it from a swing up arrangement to a conventional (in IC terms) drop in rudder. While the araldite is drying on that mod I faired the bow repair and put in a second filler coat. Once this is dry I will lay up a layer of carbon around the bow then fill and fair (ditto with the stern). Unfortunately this work, and timelines means I will miss the Zhik regatta, but will be on the water at ASC with the boat on opening day.

Given the inauspicious start the flatpack has had, and the start of a new season, I am thinking of painting her a different colour and giving her a different name.

AUS31 needs a nose job

2009-09-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

I must have accidentally laminated a black cat into AUS31 as I seem to be having some bad luck:

I broke the rudder right on the start of race one on Saturday (no kidding, it was on the start gun), even worse is that I was in a great position so I ploughed at near full speed into a fireball underneath me. His boat is holed, my boats bow is open and I have no rudder.

So tonight I'll give it a really good clean and work out how we do the rhinoplasty on the bow, meantime the rudder goes back to the workshop to have a stainless steel pin put through it (Insurance will probably have to handle the damage to the Fireball....)

Back to the shed.....

Back on the water - Finally

2009-08-08T01:17:00.000-07:00

Well after a well needed break and spending my weekends doing family stuff i finally got a nice day to get the flatpack (with modifications) back on the water. Now sporting a regular sheeting jib and a lower more raked set of spreaders (and the lowers removed) I headed out in about 10-15 knots. As soon as I was through the break water and hardening up on the wind I noticed the improvement, the boat just hooked in upwind and I quickly found a groove. I played around with a couple of OK dinghies which were tuning new sails and found I was footing fast but still pointing as high as them.

Pete then came out in his Nethercott (AUS9) and I was able to out point and easily pull away from him. The boat felt great and I wish I had it set up like this when I went to the Nationals!

Well its a week off skiing in NZ next week and then the winter hot up series - I'll also be looking to do some heats of the IC Traveller series this year.

Post Nationals

2009-06-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Been a little quiet since the Nationals, catching up with family after spending the last 6 months in the shed.

However AUS31 now has a conventional Jib sheeting system and a new set of spreaders - 150mm lower than the old ones. Hoping to get some good weather next weekend to hit the water.

Meanwhile here are some pics from the Nationals http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=35025993421&view=all

AUS 32 Launches and the 2009 Nationals

2009-06-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Though the images appear in the wrong order chronologically, they are:

Broken Self Tacker - AUS31 on Heat 6 of the Nationals
Broken rudder shaft - AUS32 Heat 3 of the Nationals
Nethercott, Flatpack, Serendipity (flatpack)
AUS32 'Serendipity' on her maiden sail

Pete launched Serendipity (AUS32) in almost no wind the day before the Nationals and quickly discovered that he needed grip and that he needed to plug a leak in the transom.

Hayden ran the measuring stick over AUS31, and pointed out that I needed to fair in the ends of my flares to reduce having 2 hollows in profile view - this is an easy fix. I also need to fair my tiller stock - which I was planning on doing anyway as i am switching from kick up back to cassette rudder.

For an overview of the Nationals I suggest you check out the Nationals report and results (which I will publish shortly) but here is my bullet point take on the nationals:

AUS31's rig needs major work, the self tacker flexed too much meaning the jib pulled to dead centre and back winded the main badly - upwind I was lucky to be withing 15 degrees of the other boats pointing range.
The mainsail was far to full and the battens just would not click over, after day 1 I switched back to the old flat AUS018 mainsail and immediately performed better
The hull slipped very easily through the water, and makes very similar noises to Haydens 'Miracle Drug' upwind. Though I was getting a gurgling sound down aft which may be a bit of air getting sucked in around the kick up rudder.
I need to do more work on my plank to get it to slide better
I need to round the leading edge of my foils a little more - suggested by Seth after he noticed it took me a little while to get going after tacks
I need to move the daggerboard slot further forward, the boat was hard to tack
I need to put on a conventional jib sheeting system, this decision was made easier by the self tacker ripping out of the boat.
I need to strengthen the rudder axle on my boat as insurance against what happened to AUS32
I may look at a different vang system to the GNAV
I need to rub back the boat and get the finished surface that I want.

Overall I am disappointed with my result in the Nationals, but I am pretty pleased with my first 5 and a 1/2 races in the first boat I have built. Though could not run with the other new IC's i could beat the Nethercotts when things held together even though I had some very visible major rig issues. I need to sit down and work with Geoff on a plan to address some of the above issues and incorporate the changes into the flatpack building instructions so that others can benefit from this Beta testing. I am looking forward to taking the flatpack back east in October to see if I can apply what I have learned.

Hitting the road

2009-06-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

The Adelaide Sailing Club Express is packed and ready to roll:

AUS 31 (Christian) in the trailer
AUS32 (Petes) on the roof
Brendans and Andrews RSX Sailboards on the trailer roof

Both AUS31 and 32 need a couple of things done before we race, but we should be able to take care of those Friday before we race.

Safe trip Pete, see you in a couple of days.

Pre-nationals float

2009-05-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

I got out yesterday for about 4 hours:

Launched at about 1200 off of ASC; it was an offshore breeze with about 10 knots on shore and 5-15 on the water. I have kept the kick up rudder but substituted the bolt for a S/S pin as the hinge and have also made a better lock down system which worked fine – useful since I’ve nearly had IC’s get away from me while mucking around with rudders on the downwind leg. I ran out of the bay and got myself sorted out in the boat then beat back into shore, my impressions were:

I was sitting too far aft, so I moved the carriage to just over the aft edge of the c/b
I had forgotten my gloves
My mainsheet didn’t seemed to run freely on starboard tack, and the plank didn’t slide all the way on this tack either.
The Main seems very full in the head

I chucked in a few tacks then decided to come in and address some issues and get my gloves. I went over my mainsheet and found I’d fastened the pulley on backwards (meaning it had to twist a long way to get to stbd tack), I also fed all my control lines to a piece of elastic on my seat (so I could pull them all to me while on the end of the plank). I laid the boat over and tightened the top two battens as there were some creases running up-down over those areas.
After doing this and getting my gloves on I launched again but the wind had dropped off to under 5 knots, the boat sailed along nicely but I was having major issues getting the battens to pop across (needed a massive amount of Cunningham and a bit of vang to do it). All the control lines to the seat looked messy but actually worked quite well (we’ll see if it does when racing); I also let off the leeward stay downwind for the first time since completing Flatpack and the boat seemed to respond positively.
Unfortunately with no other boats on the water I still have no real idea of how fast the boat is, but she is slipping through the water nicely and feels good. I am concerned about how full the main looks, and may run it up the mast tonight to see what other adjustments can be made- worst case scenario is that I will have the old AUS018 main if it looks like being a super windy series. I think I have goofed with the plank/carriage, with one end being wider than the other – I will sand again tonight, but I think I need to have a good look at this (unfortunately after the Nationals) to see what I might have done wrong and how I fix it. So, tonight is a quick rig and check, then a wash and pack up of the trailer ready for Pete to drive over Wednesday.

The 11th Hour

2009-05-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

4 days from packing the boats into the trailer and AUS32 emerges from the shed. She's had a few modifications made: Gnav has been substituted for a regular vang, she'' be racing the nationals with Kinder sails and not new Irwins (until we get the mast bends fully sorted), and she may still have her centreboard moved.

Boats get packed on the trailer Wednesday, and Pete hopes to have her ready for a test sail by tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, I'm off to ASC for my last float before the Nationals.

Broken Vang

2009-05-26T04:12:00.001-07:00

The fitting pictured above is the universal joint between the GNAV strut and the mast - it seems the proctor plastic isn't up to the task. Pete is going to knock up some alloy ones tomorrow while I finish putting his carriage together. 1.5 weeks to nationals and the primer is still drying on AUS32.

More Mast work

2009-05-25T12:59:00.001-07:00

Did some more mast bend work on the mast last night as it seems the original data we took my have been incorrect (bugger).

A=5710mm

B=1840mm

% 40kg 50kg

25 100mm 110mm

50 133mm 146mm

75 96mm 110mm

87.5 61mm 70mm

The rain got too heavy to do Petes on the boat, so I used the CST method:

M Point zero load 25kg load

1000 0mm 21mm

2000 0mm 35mm

3000 0mm 42mm

3710(LP) 0mm 40mm

4000 0mm 37mm

5000 0mm 33mm

AUS31 Prebend

2009-05-23T22:18:00.001-07:00

Top Pic has rig tension but no cunningham or vang, bottom pic has rig tension cunningham and vang - the difference in sail shape is amazing (and I'm amazed that in all my years of sailing I've never done these sort of comparisons - I've just played around with the settings someone else has suggested). The GNAV changes the sail shape so much in the 'push' it puts on the mast. I've also switched around the way my rig tension feeds at deck level to get a smoother line from the hounds-spreaders-deck. I'll send these pics to Lindsay and Geoff and see what they think.

Meantime it is zero knots here still so it looks like sailing is a wipeout, will be out next Sunday at ASC (OK dinghies are having a measuring day aswell so should atleast get a speed indication from the beast before the Nationals the following weekend).

Tarted Up

2009-05-23T17:59:00.001-07:00

AUS32 has had undercoat applied, just in time too as it started raining last night and it is expected to last all week.

AUS31 can be seen out in the rain as I try to chase some more pre-bend; when Lindsay Irwin rings me on a Saturday and says my mast needs work, I listen. Speaking with Geoff last night, he reckons that I need to play around with the whole picture of GNAV, rig tension and spreaders - so it looks like a long day in the rain today.

More test sailing

2009-05-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

Got AUS31 out on the water for a couple of hours today - and I am much happier with the way she went (though looking at the pictures i still don't think I have enough mast rake so I'll need a new forestay). One of the things I'm about to ring Geoff about is converting the kick up rudder back to cassette style - the kick up simply requires too many moving parts (well, 2 moving parts - the rudder down and the tiller locking in).

I'm still not convinced I have it right by having the vang cleat on the boom, but I'll use tomorrow on the water to get a better feel for that. I also have to look at a better mainsheet cleat or no cleat - as I cannot get the system I have to work.

The boat itself sailed very nicely - it went upwind with good feel and very light helm, tasking went smoothly (though I did have to heave on the cunningham to get the batterns to flick). The self tacker seemed to work well and I was easily able to reach the jib sheet and cunningham. She is much more stable to sail than I remember Josie feeling, and she can sail with more control on her ear (not that you want to do this - but it does mean you can get her back under control if you do get smashed by a gust, or in my case are unable to uncleat the main).

I really need to sail against another IC to see if the boat has pace in it, so I guess we'll see at the Nationals

AUS32's Carriage

2009-05-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

Pete is halfway through assembling his carriage, the whole boat is really coming along quickly now - but with 3 weeks to go will he make it?

And check out that rudder, blade is the same as min on AUS31 but Geoff has upped the level of finish on the stock (now we know it works on my boat it has elevated from a Beta). It just keeps getting better and better!

AUS31 Weighs in

2009-05-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hull + carriage + boom + fittings 35kg

Hull + carriage + boom + fittings + centreboard + rudder + tiller extension + seat + mast = 48kg

I'm very happy, though the official weigh in will be when Hayden throws the tape over at Toukley next month

AUS31's new sails

2009-05-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

AUS 31 'Flatpack' has received her new Irwin sails, I just quickly put them up today and they look good. I will have them out on the water all day next Saturday (it is annoying to not have a drivers license until July).

Main differences to the sails I had on AUS26 are more luff round in the main (a fair bit more given how hard the things were to pull up) and the jib cut (not as high aspect as my usual jibs but the geometry of the flatpack didn't lend itself to that).

(you can also see the yard has been neglected in place of boat work)

AUS32 has her filler coat on the hull and the seat is carboned on the bull noses and Apex. Rails will be made today and fairing of the hull will start.

Flat out on AUS32

2009-05-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

We're both flat out on AUS32, and with only 3.5 weeks to go we're going to struggle to get her ready for the Nationals.

Seat (mark 2 as the first 1 had some issues from not following the designers advice) went together last night and looks good.

AUS31 is back in the shed at the moment getting the prettying up that she missed out on in an effort to make the abandoned Adelaide nationals. Her new sails have finally arrived so I'll get them up on the weekend.

AUS32 More Progress

2009-05-02T22:52:00.001-07:00

The carriage rails are going on AUS32 - and using WRC as level supports is a much simpler way that the way I did AUS31 (evolution people). To help Pete get to the Nationals with his new boat, it looks like I will give him my seat and carriage and I will build a new set for my boat. So a little croweater teamwork to ensure both boats are ready for the June Long Weekend.

AUS32 is on the go

2009-04-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

Pete has got his Disco running again and is back working on AUS32 - foredeck is now on as is most of the dancefloor (still beeds to be able to get into the front tank for the fitting of the self tacker. As can be seen AUS32 has a different look to AUS31 with Pete opting for and angular foredeck and straight bulkheads.

In the background can be seen the remains of a seat - not all builds are successful, so we have salvaged what we can off of AUS32's seat and will rebuild shortly.

AUS31 can be seen in the shed too, she is getting rubbed back ready for her top coat.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

2009-04-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it would have been a warm but light Nationals had they gone ahead in Adelaide, but with the change to Toukley in June I got the chance to get some more time on the water:

The good

Adding more mast rake made the boat handle much better, tacking and gybing were easy in the 7-12 knots which is comforting
Switching the jib sheet to coming back from the mast stump worked well as does the vang off the boom
The plank came out dry showing that my work on it during the week was worth it

The bad

I snapped the tiller (a drop in piece which is now re-enforced with a 100mm resin impregnated wooden plug and is strong as houses)
have to play around with my mainsheet blocks as I am having a few issues cleating and uncleating the main

The Ugly:

I really need the new sails for the boat as the AUS018 sails don't do the boat justice
I need to clean up the hull and fittings now I know they work
The mast is 55mm too long - not sure if I'll live with this or trim it
I need a longer forestay as I may want to have even more mast rake and I am on the last setting

Sailing wise - the boat went upwind beautifully, I had the carriage forward (in fact over the centreboard) tracking upwind and had the bow just pushing into the water (about 3-4cm) as I slid along. Stern had very little disturbance and the boat slipped quietly through the water. The boat really doesn't like healing too far and has a definite 'groove' when sailing flat. Unfortunately with AUS13 not hitting the water (Kyle was taking his son and nieces out on a pacer and some bics) and AUS9 only getting out yesterday (Pete had pressing car issues) I can't give a write up compared to other IC's (hopefully next Saturday). But I can tell you that I am very happy with the way she handles and responds and I am looking forward to racing with the new sails on.

Geoff (not the designer) asked me to give my opinion on the self tacker - I have been a fan of this since having it on AUS018 (which was an IC/AC convertible Nethercott). To be honest, I don't think the self tacker track needs to be any wider than the standard 'slot' for the fairleads in the upwind position (so basically a 20-30cm width). This allows for hands free on the jib upwind sailing and the jib is still able to be trimmed easily downwind. My self tacker track is wider, but i don't believe it makes a difference on these skinnier boats (and a narrower self tacker means no need for sheet position control). A self tacker is a little more annoying in that you need to be creative to ensure the sheet can be led to you on the seat, but in my opinion it is worth it.

Dialling in the Mast Rake

2009-04-06T02:28:00.001-07:00

Using a Datum to set the mast rake, turns out that I had no rake at all last Saturday - hope to see some big improvements this Friday on the water.

I've also put her measurements on the ICAA website - IC Measurements

AUS32 is plugging away in the shed, it had a bit of a set back with plank construction but should still be on track to be at the IC(y) Nationals in June.

Not a great first race

2009-04-04T01:27:00.000-07:00

12-15 knots and grey skies with a lumpy sea set the scene for the first race, we (AUS31, AUS13, AUS9) lined up with the lasers/finns/OKs . Well, I lined up after a few swims, I was having major problems tacking but I got to the line sort of on time.

I had good height, and the boat was tracking well but with a championship race I went low to keep out of the others way. I blasted away from the nethercotts UNTIL I tried to tack and then things went bad. I just could not get out of irons and ended up capsizing (interestingly the boat does not turn turtle). I couldn't work out what was going on but got upright and caught AUS13 at the top mark and then took off on the reaches - the boat just blasted off the wind (I even slammed the seat into waves a few times to see if the carriage was ok - thumbs up here) but upwind again my world of hurt was back. I got to the top mark, but was actually concerned that my tacking could see me foul another boat so I pulled out and headed into shore.

On shore I was acid, wondering what I had done wrong in the build..... then I got over it and started analysing:

I had gotten my sidestays shortened as I got my measurements wrong on the stays, so I got them altered BUT I never thought about the forestay. Sure enough my mast was raked forward - a long way.

So the Good news:

Boat was dry inside despite my swims
Boat held together
Boat was really quick downwind

Bad news:

Plank leaks
Jib sheeting off the boom didn't work (have now swapped the jib with the vang cleat)
Boat didn't go to windward or change direction (mast rake should fix this)
Elastic on tiller didn't work (where the tiller kicks up, will replace with a pin)

So, I'll fix the problems during the week and we'll get out next week for some 2-3 boat tuning.

Weigh in

2009-03-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

With Pete as my witness we put it on the scales (complete with water still dripping from the seat (I forgot to drill holes in the footwells) - with everything on (Seat, boom, rudder, and all lines) except the mast we got 37kg. Yes, the scales are correct.

I still have some fairing and painting to do but I am pretty happy with that (I hope its still strong enough).

Pictured is AUS32, with her foredeck going on, and as you can see the flatpack is very customisable with AUS32 having angular foredecks and will also feature straight bulkheads as opposed to the angled aft bulkhead in AUS31.

Launched

2009-03-28T23:08:00.001-07:00

AUS 31 hit the water this afternoon, for a quick 30 minute sail. Initial impressions are that it is a lively hull that slices through the water nicely, but I will report more on this next weekend in its first race. Today was just about proving that it works, and seeing any things that need to be changed prior to racing.

Things to do:

Add bung plug to seat - despite some mods it still leaks
Fit toe straps (and attach jib sheet to centre of fwd strap)
neaten up boom slider fittings (currently functional but not pretty)
Order new sails - the AUS18 sails work for trials but a new set is needed
Fair and paint (after Easter)

A prep night

2009-03-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, well the rudder and stock is together, cassette is done and ready for glue, GNAV is assembled - need to buy some bolts tomorrow and make a countersinking tool and fittings will be bolted on.

Above is a pic of the parts for the carriage (sides and front/back) on the left and an assembled carriage with mainsheet block on the right. In case you're wondering its the centreboard cassette and bits of the GNAV in the background.

Oh, and there was no resin work tonight as its pouring with rain as well as I need to put a new plug on the vacuum cleaner as it got trodden on yesterday and has no pins left.

Paint and Progress

2009-03-23T02:52:00.000-07:00

AUS31 has had her 'final' paint before the Nationals (yes it is undercoat, and yes she will be rubbed back and faired after the Nationals - I just ran out of time to get the finish I want before the racing starts. Fittings are being added now.

AUS32 has her bulkheads in and will get a dancefloor and foredeck this weekend.

MECHAR Foils

2009-03-23T01:10:00.001-07:00

How the MECHAR foils come with (or without) a Flatpack IC kit - CNC 2 piece centreboard and 1 piece rudder (also pictured is kick up rudder stock).

If you are interested in this or the Seat, Carriage or a whole IC kit then email Geoff at mechar@bigpond.net.au

Still working

2009-03-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Sorry for no pics but we've been flat out in the shed (especially with Nationals just a couple of weeks away).
AUS32 is under the portable carport at the moment while AUS31 has had a couple of light coats of paint (90% undercoat 10 % topcoat) - she's still a bit lumpy but this is pretty much how she'll be if I want to make the Nationals - I'll then rub back and clean her up before Sauna Sail.
Centreboard and rudder are together, we're using a kick up transom slung rudderwhich is quite neat. Carriage is together, and after reading ICU2's post on Sailing Anarchy I have beefed it up with a couple more layers of bidirectional carbon in the corners - and may put in a cross brace depending on how it feels this Saturday when I plan to launch her!
So tonight I will start bolting on fittings and hopefully weigh her, and with any luck I should be putting her in the water at 10am on Saturday at ASC.

Carriage

2009-03-16T03:34:00.000-07:00

The Carriage is in place ready to glue tomorrow night, Geoffs kit goes together very easily (I hope i don't goof and that everything still slides after I glue).

Getting there, slowly

2009-03-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

Lots of sanding, fairing and carriage building today, but i did get the chance to pull up the old AUS18 sails (from the World Championships) to see how they look on the boat. Too windy to stand it up in the back yard though.

Lots of fiddly bits

2009-03-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, well in the last few days AUS31 has had:

Mast stepped to check stay lengths so they can be made
a couple more coats of undercoat and been rubbed back
it's slider fittings for the boom (GNAV, Mainsheet blocks and outhaul) - the first of these is being bagged right now - the pic shows that I pulled my first full vacuum (I've only gotten to 95 before, so I'm getting better).

AUS32:

All carbon is on on the inside
winglets/carbon chainplates are glued in
the gunwales have been faired to meet the dancefloor.

So things are progressing well, but with the Nationals less than a month away things are going to be tight.

Shabby Chique

2009-03-09T00:05:00.001-07:00

First coat of undercoat is on, my doesn't white highlight any bumps and lumps that were missed during the fairing and filling!

From 40+ to 100% humidity

2009-03-02T01:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, the first rain in Adelaide pretty much this year and the humidity has peaked, after racing around madly to get in gear from outside and dump it in the shed I thought I'd take some progress pics. Should be fitting the selftacker tomorrow (if it arrives) and then glueing the front bulkhead on, some carbon and then paint!

Vacuum worked

2009-02-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't faired it or cleaned it up - this is straight off the seat: My first vacuum formed object - a carriage rail. Now to do another one.

My first vacuum

2009-02-26T03:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, after a lot of preparation, I have begun my first vaccum bagging of a part that will go on the boat - a carriage runner. I have currently pulled a 90kpa vacuum and everything is ticking away in the shed (however after the crappy day at work that I had today, I'll be checking on this all through the night to make sure my day's woes don't continue).

On my first vacuuming - tacky tape is your friend! It is like plasticine for grown ups and it can seal some spots you didn't think you missed until you applied a vacuum. I got to the point where i could hear the revs of the pump and didn't need to look at the needle to see where I was at. Anyway, I hope i wake up to a nice dry rail, and not a splinters and carbon artistic impressionist piece - fingers crossed.

2009-02-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

Work has been progressing:
Bull noses have been routered on the seat, and 3 layers of Uni on the ends and 4 over the seam have been applied. Tonight or tomorrow night I will lay up the carbon for the racciage rails (the seat is the template for these) and vac bag it all down (first time in anger use for the Vacuum pump).
Pete should have all the insides carboned by the weekend on AUS32.
I'll try and get some pics up tonight

The end of a dream

2009-02-21T01:25:00.000-08:00

The IC has ruined me!

Ever since I was young I have thought the FD was a fantastic boat and that one day (if i found a shaved down wookie) I would race one. Well today i did, and it was boring! After sailing the IC everything else really is like kissing your sister, but if nothing else it has motivated me to spend a full day in the shed sanding tomorrow so I can have the hull ready for paint.

Planked

2009-02-17T01:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, well I have constructed the makings of my first seat, I need to put on the WRC bullnoses and then router and carbon but it looks and feels seat like (and with the tweaks we made may even be waterproof). AUS31 is upside down and ready to receive it's first load of fairing filler and Pete is laying the carbon on the inside of AUS32.

Pete decided that owning Nethercott AUS9, a Heron and building AUS32 wasn't enough, so he bought an FD off eBay last night - should be fun since he's never seen one before. Anyway, back to work...

Seat work

2009-02-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Dry assembly of the seat - lots of fiddly glueing tonight

90% done, 90% to go

2009-02-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

It was always going to take longer to build the first of the flatpacks as we (designer/pre fabricator Geoff, and myself) are working to make it as simple and easy for the next wave of builders who are interested in this design, but even I'm starting to get a little disappointed in my weekly progress. Every job now is small and fiddly, and needs to fully cure before the next can be started.

The plan is to dry assemble the seat today, and then wet assemble it tonight- so touch wood, by tomorrow I should have a picture of a curing seat.

AUS32 is coming along, with the inside laminate of carbon going in last night, the techniques we learnt from doing mine made that a much simpler and easier job.

Anyway, back to the shed

Sliding Seats

2009-02-10T13:09:00.001-08:00

The focus has shifted off the hulls for the next few days and onto the sliding seats. Just chasing up some machined Western Red Cedar and once sorted we will put them together. For anyone interested in the pre-cut seat kits - Geoff (MECHAR) can do a kit for $300 AUD + GST including the plywood. They can also be made with jigsaw joints so they can be packed for easy transport.

Now to buy more resin and filler as we have nearly gone through 20l of resin and 20l of Microlight 411.

Back to work

2009-02-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well the heatwave has passed for now, so we got stuck into boatwork this morning. AUS32 is off the mould, and on the trolley and AUS31 gets its tracks on this afternoon. The seats arrive this Tuesday, so Wednesday should see us assembling them.

It is good to finally be able to work in the shed, now we have to catch up on the two weeks lost - i plan to be racing in the AIR Regatta (www.adelaidesailingclub.com.au) in March.

Some lessons learnt (while the temp is still above 40)

2009-02-06T02:32:00.000-08:00

AUS31 is ready for the tracks to be fitted, and AUS32 is ready to pop off the mould, but while we wait for Sunday and the outside temp to drop below 40 degrees we thought we'd share some lessons we've found work:

When laminating mix a little of your light filler into the mix, this helps the carbon bond better with the foam
When starting a project like this, never underestimate how many brushes, mixing sticks and mixing pots you will need. Along with clean rags, acetone and peelply.
Sanders - 50 degrees in the shed and carbon dust kill sanders - go pneumatic or keep the receipts and keep swapping them as they die (we're on our third - 2 to Pete(1 less than 15m use), 1 to me)
Wear gloves for laminating, and wear a mask when sanding carbon!
When vacuuming clean your boat beware electric shocks - seriously!
Keep your resin pots small - mix small (200ml of resin) and often over a large pot
If it doesn't go (fold, join, bend, fit) easily then it probably isn't right. Check it, don't force it
Send postcards to your family, this way they will remember you when you emerge from the shed

4am start (half 5 for Pete)

2009-01-31T13:13:00.000-08:00

It was a very early morning start this morning in an effort to make some progress on AUS32 - and as you can see we got the carbon on the hull.

AUS31 is still being sanded back - I had a couple of places where the carbon didn't bond to the dancefloor which have been sanded out. I am also still having issues getting this carbon to go around sharp angles (dancefloor to the sides). So I have sanded that off and am going to have another go if it gets cool enough tonight (fingers crossed).

Post Cure

2009-01-27T03:26:00.000-08:00

Foredeck and dancefloor carbon is on, but we didn't get AUS32's carbon on the hull, and with high 30's and low 40's (50's in the shed, thats celsius people) predicted all week it looks like we're going to fall behind by a week.

I should be able to start fairing AUS31 in the evenings but I just stopped tonight as i reckon I lost a kilo of sweat after 1/2 and hour of sanding!

2009-01-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

Final sanding and clean up, before laminating the rest of the hull this evening

Big Day on Sunday

2009-01-22T23:56:00.001-08:00

Well both boats have their final bits of filler on for their respective build stages, and Sunday will see us laying the carbon on AUS32's hull and on AUS31's dancefloor and foredeck. So it's sanding and cleaning tomorrow and a busy dy in the shed Sunday.

It's glued (I hope)

2009-01-19T02:00:00.000-08:00

The foredeck and dancefloor are on - so I take a couple of day break while it cures (touch wood) and pete gets to work on his boat making it ready to carbon.

I'm going to go reacquaint myself with my family - I hope they remember who I am.

"Please, dear God, don't let me fuck up."

2009-01-18T00:39:00.000-08:00

Just watched 'The Right Stuff' again and I feel the the 'Shepards Prayer' is appropriate as I finish the prepping to glue the deck and dancefloor onto the hull. I've got all my tiedown straps, beams, weights.... so as soon as i get home from work tomorrow it will be a final going over and then mixing glue.

Fingers crossed.

Is it a boat yet?

2009-01-17T00:59:00.000-08:00

Well, AUS31 is looking more like a boat - it now has a dancefloor, and a foredeck (though the foredeck won't be glued down until the self tacker stuff arrives.

While we wait for the next package from MECHAR (boom, foils, self tacker, carriage and seat parts) we'll be putting together a Vacuum pump system so we can bag the winglets and the seat.

AUS32 is getting its final filler coat tonight, then rubbed back and ready for carbon.

All the small things

2009-01-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

foredeck is laminated, reinforcement for the selftacker is fitted but we've discovered that I'm just on a kilo heavier at this point in the build that I should be - so Geoff is investigating what I can do to get back on par with regards to the dancefloor (knowing Geoff the answers will be emailed and waiting for me when I get up in the morning). I'll use tomorrow to fair in the foredeck and fit out the masts.

AUS32 is still being faired, and is coming long nicely with Pete looking to be ready to laminate shortly.

Making Hay while the sun doesn't shine

2009-01-12T23:05:00.000-08:00

42 degrees outside, and a fair bit warmer in the shed but we got some work done. Petes AUS32 is ready for fairing (all staples removed) and AUS31 has its foredeck trimmed and in place (will get laminated on the underside tomorrow). So thats it for today, we've got a couple of days in the low thirties but back into the high 30's by Friday again - so we need to make hay while the sun doesn't shine.

A Long Day

2009-01-09T23:41:00.000-08:00

No pictures today, but 10mm foam does not flex around the foredeck (even when heated) - which was quite disappointing as I need to wait til Monday to try some other options. However I got a fair bit of the reinforcing with Uni done so it wasn't a total waste.

Pete got all the foam on the mould so hopefully fairing tomorrow night and carboning by next weekend.

It's now bourbon 'o'clock

2009-01-09T01:30:00.001-08:00

Well, I went back to work this week, so not a massive amount of progress on AUS31, but Pete has been working hard on AUS32 with nearly all the foam on and glued in place. I've got the bulkheads in ad with any luck should have the foredeck on by the weekend - with 41 degrees next week I'm not sure how much will get done as it gets pretty warm in the shed!

AUS 32 Begins

2009-01-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

Pete has just started on AUS32 as I put the chainplates on AUS31

I fxxked up!

2008-12-30T12:06:00.000-08:00

The pic on the right is the boat laminated on the inside with carbon - the pic on the left is all the carbon that peeled straight out of the inside of the boat after the first time I laminated.

I used the exact same process of fair, fill, fair, fill, fair, clean, resin, lay cloth, work resin, peelply (as shown in the previous post) but despite the cloth wetting out beautifully nearly half of the cloth laid didn't bond to the hull!!!!

The only difference in the outside of the hull to the inside was that I used a Nylon abrasive brush (type that goes into a drill) to fair some of the trickier spots - and it seems that nylon dust caused the resin not to bond in areas. So after several heartbreaking days of pulling out carbon, sanding, fairing, filling (and cleaning with acetone) I am now happy with the inside and am ready to put on the foredeck and bulkhead. As it is now New Years Eve that may have to wait until tomorrow.

More Progress

2008-12-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

A quick photo before I get busy with the spatulas and squeegees, man I'm glad I chose (Geoff strongly suggested) slow resin hardener as getting this carbon to go around corners has been challenging.

On the trolley - our tame aluminium welder bailed on us so I put together a very simple bolted trolley which I plan to get welded later.

Back to the shed.....

Now the work can really begin

2008-12-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

The boat is off the mould (and about to go on the cradle so I can start work). It was a three person job with 2 of us lifting, and 1 looking under the hull to free any tight frames or spots where chines were tight (chines come out with the frame).

And it is a girl, as it is definitely pink on the inside.

2008-12-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

Having a couple of issues separating the hull from the mould - nothing too major but I just need to wait until a couple of people can come over and help (as I don't want to force anything)

A boat or an expensive blob of carbon resin and foam

2008-12-15T17:53:00.001-08:00

Well the resin is curing with plenty of peelply, in a couple of days we'll know whether it has the structural integrity to be called a boat. I think its kay, but the laying up and resining always felt rushed. Time to shut the shed door and walk away for a couple of days.

2008-12-15T03:04:00.000-08:00

Boat is faired, filled and faired and filled and faired - I am certain that I could do this four or five more times but i think I am ready to Carbon the hull now (hindsight will be 20/20 on if I am right). So the weather is looking good, the rain has cleared up so the next post should be of a laminated hull waiting to dry while we build some aluminium boat trolleys. I am nervous and excited, I don't think I have rushed anything so i hope it all goes well. In the picture you can see the boat with the carbon and peel ply hanging up at the back of the shed:

I'm using a light glue spray on the carbon to hold the fibres together when I cut
I bough a really good pair of scissors (like $40 dollars) and they are worth every cent

SO I need to cut and lay up the rest of the carbon, vacuum (the cleaning kind) the hull again, cut the peel ply and then mix resin - and pray I don't/haven't screwed it up!

Test sample of carbon

2008-12-11T03:11:00.001-08:00

My test sample of carbon and foam. While we wait for the rain to ease up (humidity is to high in the shed) I did a couple of test samples of carbon to practice to make sure I don't go too heavy on the resin.

In this sample I had 35gms of foam, 19 gms of carbon and a total cured weight of 79 gms - just need to use the spatula a bit ore after I put the peelply on.

1% of the area 99% of the effort

2008-12-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well we delayed laminating today until next Tuesday as I was not happy with the bow shape. Geoff has forwarded me templates for frames 1 and 2 that have the foam factored in so I should be able to sight from these as to whether I need to keep sanding or fill and fair. It's frustrating but it is worth getting right.

I also did a test lay up of carbon on foam last night, so we can approximate if there may be a weight issue and look at vacuum bagging ....

2008-12-08T00:53:00.000-08:00

More rain, and Bubs on antibiotics have cut seriously into boat building (but family comes first), but if I get my arse into gear and finish fairing by Wednesday we'll still be able to laminate the carbon Thursday morning (touch wood). If not it will be next week, as it's my brothers wedding this weekend.

2008-12-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a bit quiet, but there isn't much to say (or take pictures of) when you are just sanding and fairing.

The plan is to laminate next Thursday so pictures and posts will be coming thick and fast then.

does cladding the mould ever end?

2008-11-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

I know most of the other websites with male mould building show a bit of foam and next picture a lovely faired hull. For me, the transition from frame to a smooth faired hull ready for laminating has taken the best part of a week (working around work and family). However the end is in sight, and after lunch I will mix up another pot of resin/filler and put on the the last of the bottom of the boat and the two side panels that taper into the transom swing rudder. Then a couple of days to dry and I'll start the fairing.

2008-11-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

Okay,

It's my first ever boat build and I have just learnt a couple of important lessons:

Peanut Butter consistency on Filler means super crunchy and not smooth - I had a few runs to clean up joining the bottom to the sides and spine
It takes more filler than you think to fill the chamfer and join the sides
It is really a 2 person job (for a beginner)
You can check the line up a million times, but once resin has been mixed nothing sits where it is supposed to (I now love my staple gun)

So, after an intense morning I have the two aft panels drying and one aft side as well as the two panels that hug the centrecase. I'll continue this afternoon with the next batch of panels (depending on how the weather is - rain in Adelaide in late November???). I've leant some lessons, and I'm much more confident with putting on the rest of the foam.

2008-11-26T03:18:00.000-08:00

Laying foam is not as easy or as fun as it may seem. But we have the boat clad and will be glueing the bottoms to the sides (and all the other bits either tomorrow or Friday. It's kind of starting to look like a boat now, which is a good thing but we have a long way to go.

Foam is going on

2008-11-24T01:23:00.001-08:00

We have started from the back, but the foam is going on tonight (taken a break to watch Top Gear - no not the crap Aussie version). Hope to have all the foam on before Sunday (as we're going to the Test Match, day 3, so I hope the game is still going).

So far so good, the boat is coming along nicely and Geoff has patiently answered all my stupid questions (no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people).

Spine is in, ready for foam

2008-11-23T01:06:00.000-08:00

Spine is in, chines are faired and on, gunwales are attached - I'll get the foam on during the week so that we should be looking at fairing and sanding next weekend and laminating the following week. Fingers crossed.

2008-11-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

The Spine has gone from 3 pieces to one, as the resin holding it together dries in my shed.

It slotted together beautifully (although reading the post 'DC Designs' on Sailing Anarchy made me second guess the rocker - but then stuck with what Geoff recommended....). The only real hassle was the $20 scales that would reset before we could add the hardener to the resin - FRUSTRATING.

We'll be dropping the spine into the mould tomorrow and then start cladding the mould with foam.

More Progress from Geoffs Workshop

2008-11-11T02:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, we have a spine (or at least parts of a spine).

The rudder box, aft section of spine, centrecase have all been machined. All the rest of the parts e.g. rudder pivot, stiffeners, mast stump, forestay plates have been made.

The centrecases (building 2 boats) and end blocks received their final coat of epoxy today so assembly starts tomorrow.

One giant MECHARno set.

Broken bones

2008-11-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

I just got the email today that the designer, Geoff, has broken some bones in his foot - so there'll be a bit of a delay in getting the spine here. With the spine pre-fabricated with the centreboard cassetted, rudder slot (we're using a kick up stern mount rudder, forestay fitting, and mast stump the build should progress quickly once it arrives.

On the plus side, the Western Red Stringers (chines and gunwhales) are made up and ready to fit, and the mould is covered in packing tape. The delay will give me a bit more time to practice working with the resin and get an idea on pot life.

Get better soon Geoff.

A short delay

2008-10-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

As with any new build, there are often delays. The flatpack design is built around a pre-fabricated carbon spine which contains the forestay mount, centre case cassetted, and rudder cassette space - the backbone is the key for making amateur construction quick and simple (relatively anyway).
With this project about creating a kit IC that anyone can build, it is worth taking the time to get this stuff right, as it will save new builders lots of time and effort.
So this weekend I will be fitting and fairing the stringers, and messing around with the Resin (AMPREG21) so that we're already for the spines arrival (hopfully by late next week)

2008-10-25T00:54:00.000-07:00

The Mould is together, just out of picture on the right is enough Divinycell to build 2 IC's (so long as we don't screw up). Just waiting on the spine (boat is built around a spine which seat in the mould - hence the slots), resin, and carbon, and the stringers (Dad has knocked them up and is bringing them down during the week).

Mould is ready

2008-10-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

The Mould is built (albeit up in Queensland), it is being packed up and shipped down to SA so we should begin building shortly.

Masts were ordered yesterday from C-Tech, there is a 7 week lead time at the moment so we thought it wise to get in early.

So hopefully the next post is of the mould set up in my shed and us starting to cut up the core.

The waiting is the hardest part

2008-10-12T01:36:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, I don't have a canoe! After picking up 2nd place in a very light and shifty Nationals over the October Long Weekend AUS26 'Trouser Friendly Kiss' has moved to Albury and is in the hands of the current IC junior world champion.

So yesterday I borrowed my brothers nethercott (AUS13 'Hurt') in conditions that made the nationals look windy - I missed the start by about 6 minutes (thankyou Hobie 16 sailors!) but managed to claw back some boats by the end of the shortened 1 lap course. AUS13 has a couple of things that need updating, it has all the gear - carbon stick, good sails...., but because it hasn't been raced in a couple of seasons since some changes have been made it needs to be sorted out. Sailing a high performance dinghy that isn't set up right is just painful and unrewarding.

Anyway, the good news is the male mould frames should arrive this week so we can start putting that together and then get on with building the boat. I'd still like to have it built by Christmas, but the critical deadline is the 2009 ICAA Nationals which will be at my home club of ASC in Adelaide.

The Flatpack Model

2008-10-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

Let the Shopping begin

2008-09-23T17:59:00.001-07:00

Putting the shopping list together now for the stuff we need to buy pre-build. I have to say that Guy from SP Gurit in Sydney has been absolutely awesome, as has Scott from ATL Composites, and Tim Wilson from Tim Wilson Yacht Design. Geoff at MECHAR gets the major kudos though, as he's put all this stuff together into a design/build program.

Rig wise I will be ordering a C-Tech mast from New Zealand and setting it up as to how I have AUS26 currently set up (GNAV vang and lowers). I will probably be using Irwin sails again, but we are still investigating whether to go with a self tacking jib.

Next post should have the pictures of the delivered Mould - ready for us to assemble, as well as hopefully a positve update from the IC Nationals (where AUS26 goes to her new home).

The Flatpack

2008-09-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

After several months of design reviews and dicussion, I have finally ordered the mould so that I can begin construction of my new Flatpack IC (developed by MECHAR Pty Ltd). The Flatpack International Canoe is an IC built to the current rules, with the goal of allowing easy construction of a high performance IC. The mould, frames, mast step, foils/cassettes are all pre-fabricated at MECHAR Pty Ltd and are purchased as a kit with build instructions.
I will be building the first of these Flatpack boats (actually we will be building 2 or possibly 3 initially in Adelaide), with the build commencing in October 2008 - our build is the beta for the Flatpack IC before it is available to everyone. We will be regularly posting pictures and articles as the build progresses.