Tale of Two Mikes

[rwdsr]

I couldn't find the post about the NACA foil that got all of this started but wanted to thank you Mike Greene for forwarding that e-mail I mis-sent.  And thanks to you Mike Carpenter for the foil templates.  I got them yesterday all in good shape and am anxious to start working on them.   I'm going to try something different, Im going to use an Iron bar and build the foil around it.  My plans are to make the foil out of some kind of wood that is easily shaped, and then fiberglass it.  Maybe I'm doing it the hard way, but wish me luck.  Took the boat to the lake today good wind, temps in the low 60's, sunshine, but the lake is so high that the boat ramps are inaccessable (sP?).  What I had in mind was to try out my iron jenny, but when that didn't work, I brought it home and fired it up in the tank.  A little hard to start (nobody knows when it was run last) but once it got going it sounded like a little sewing machine.  All in all a long day, so going to get off here and go to bed.

[Bob23]

Bob:
   I'm gonna try to talk you out of building it out of wood. I just got done with mine and although it's quite pretty to look at, it was a very expensive and time consuming project. That being said, I'll probably build another one and spend half the time because I've already made all the mistakes. It went pretty smooth and as planned in the building stage (I'm a carpenter by trade) and epoxying the parts together went well. The trouble started when I started fiberglassing. I should've let my son do the glassing (he's a surfboard builder).
   I can email you some step by step photos if you'd like. I still haven't learned how to post pictures here.
   Sea trials will be coming up on the 22nd of May- launch date. Stay tuned for more!
Bob23

[rwdsr]

Back about February, Salty got me straight on posting pics on this site.  It's real easy once you do it a couple of times.  Go to the test area and practice it.  I use picassa, some of the others use other things but it all works the same way.  If you don't have a picassa site, click into mine and play with some of my pics, you can't hurt them, and I can replace them.  Here's what Salty sent me - OK, what you do post this is:

1.) open your picasa picture. 
2.) Right click, then go to properties.
3.)Highlight (hold down left mouse button, drag to highlight) the web address to the right of where it says address.  Be sure to get all the address.  It will probably end in .jpg always.
4.) Release left mouse button, then click right mouse button with the mouse over the highlight.  Click copy with left button.
5.) Go back to this forum where you're posting, click on the second to the far left icon (says insert image).
6.) It will enter some img code automatically. 
7.) Put your mouse cursor right in between the brackets between them img's
8.) Right click, paste.  Then press save on the forum or enter to go to the next line.

About the wood rudder, I may well re-think that, but thought that the extra weight of the wood might help things.

[Bob23]

Bob:
   I will learn how to post photos within the next 2 weeks. Why 2 weeks you ask? Because my 23 is going in for her annual splash on the 22nd. The rudder is essentially done. I'm pretty happy about how it turned out...it just was a larger project than I orignally anticipated. I'm a wood guy. I love the look of clear finished wood. So it was a natural that I'd build my rudder out of wood.
   Somewhere along the process, I had to come to the realization that this was a prototype. It will never be the furniture grade rudder that I envisioned. And maybe no rudder should be furniture grade for a rudder is a working part. Mostly out of sight, it is possibly the most important part of the boat. Without it, we have no steering yet the part that steers is underwater, out of plain view. Many other parts draw the oohs and ahhs from onlookers but not the rudder.
   Sorry for the philosophy...just got back from dinner and too much wine brings the poet in my out.
   Bob, I'd be happy to email you my many photos and share with you what I learned. Would I do it again? You bet!
Bob23

[Salty19]

I'm a function over form guy, for those areas as you say Bob are "working parts". 

With that said, if I were to make one, it would be made from materials that are unaffected by water, can withstand light to medium impacts, is lightweight, UV resistant and will last for years if not the life of the boat.

Good luck with your build rwdsr, whichever method you decide on.  I'm sure it will come out, as the rest of your boat is, looking spectacular. 
We'll be on the lookout for your pics, Bob23.  We are all anxious see the rudder!

[rwdsr]

Bob23 - There isn't any doubt in my mind that you are going to like that rudder.  Between getting the Sidewinder and getting the Compac, I experimented with rigging a 17' Coleman canoe to sail.  I redid the rudder a couple of times, and reconfigured the leeboards a couple of times.  The last time, I made the rudder in a foil configuration and it made a big difference in the handleing of the canoe under sail.  Now I don't claim to have the perfect foil shape, I just eyballed it and trimmed till the rudder was a rough foil, but it seemed to work a lot better than a flat board sticking down in the water.  Anyway, then I traded the canoe for my Compac and that ended my experimenting on the canoe.  Anyway - in other news, I found the West Marine store in this area today and bought the railfit I need to put the bow pulpit back on, and whilst there found a tiller tamer for a real good price so I bought that.  Now If I can just get the weather to cooperate, and the water to go down so I can get to the launch ramps - maybe - I can get out to try all this stuff out.  By the way, I'm not a professional carpenter, but I too love the look of a nicely finished piece of wood anything.  Would love to see those pics - send them to rwdsr@charter.net.  I have several big projects before I start on my rudder job, but will keep everyone posted of the progress.  Good luck on the splash, I know you are really getting anxious.
BobD