Foiling the 23's rudder

[Bob23]

Wow.
   What do you mean by "watertight"? Are these projects for your CP23? ?What do you mean by improved cleat design?
When you cut your rudder blade 6" shorter, how was the performance changed? Did you notice any different in handling and/or reduction of weather helm?
   I'm planning to play around with some long oars on my 23 this summer. I'll probably make 'em using some local spruce to cut the cost. Should be different rowing a 3000# sailboat vs a 50# rowing shell. Nothing like excercise, eh?
  Bob23

[brackish]

Newt, you've inspired me to revisit my welding days.  Qualified ASME secVIII Div1, 5G positions, in SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, and SAW (only 1G applies to the last), but only dabbled a bit in GTAW (Tig).  I think I may take that up.

The kind of stuff I worked on:

[newt]

Thanks Mike, I may not be alot things, but I am bull headed when I decide to do stuff. My list for the Valiant is similar.

[rdcvsmith]

Hey Brack . . Very cool looking pic you posted! - what are we looking at and where?

-Ray

[brackish]

Hey Brack . . Very cool looking pic you posted! - what are we looking at and where?

-Ray

You are looking at two offshore production platforms leaving CE Natco's facility on Gulfport Lake, heading down the industrial seaway towards Biloxi, MS.  It would ultimately end up meeting a derrick barge to be lifted onto a Jacket to produce oil and gas.  I think those platforms ended up off Trinidad.  Didn't do any welding on those, I was the loadout engineer, had to figure out how to get the "boat out of the basement".  Each platform weighed over 1000 tons, we only had 400 tons of bridge crane capacity over our canal.  Interesting and frightening project.

[newt]

Hey bob and brack (two of my favorite sailors that I would love to work with) I apparently was writing at the same time you were. Bob by water tight I am going to seal the hatchs- ESP the main may need a sea hood and a few other fixes. I want to be able to turn turtle without damage.
Brack: we could part out projects between the both of us...you could jig and assemble the spirit and I could make the latter for example... what do you say? Do you want to do ss and al?

[brackish]

Well, Newt, unfortunately, I am no longer so equipped.  When I left the industry (well, left isn't quite accurate, the oil bust of the mid eighties chased me out) and started making stationary woodworking machinery for a living, I took up woodworking  as a hobby.  I also lost access to the metalworking equipment which was the company's welding school shop.



Curious, does your class let you do your own projects with their equipment?  I took an adult special interest class in auto body work when I lived in Tulsa and found out that everyone there had taken the class multiple times in order to use the school's equipment to paint another vehicle.  The instructor was just present as a consultant, he didn't teach anything unless you asked.

[newt]

That is exactly my setup, although once a year they sell all their welders off at a big discount. Next year I am picking up a few machines. Nice wood would you do boat interiors?

[brackish]

 Nice wood would you do boat interiors?

Thanks.  I've done some boat interior woodwork renovation and have considered it as a retirement business.  No market where I currently live, had planned to move to the Gulf Coast, however that plan delayed, first by Katrina, then by the Admiral's need to stay close to Vanderbilt Eye Institute as she went through a series of surgeries over the past four years. With that done, becoming more serious about the move, however, when will depend on the housing market.

Have a friend going back to high school who does that.  He takes old cypress hull commercial trawlers and luggers and converts them to pleasure craft. 

No one really wants to do that work because of the cramped quarters and the fact that nothing is true, plumb, straight or square on a boat.

The night stand cabinets are Cherry, starting with rough cut 4/4 lumber.  About half of the casegoods in my house are home made.

[newt]

One more person I need to see when I get down there...:-)

[Styge]

Hey all,

Didn't mean to resurrect an old thread, but Newt's comment about cutting his rudder blade short got me worried.  Since I appear to have his old 23, I am now wondering if I have been sailing with a shorter than normal rudder!  So, to those of you out there, can anyone please let me know what the measurement from say the pivot point down to the bottom edge is supposed to be? 
Thanks
On a side note, I am seriously thinking about foiling the rudder ($450 is too rich for me to go buy one!) and after much research, it seems like a viable way for me at least will be the hot wire cutting styofoam foil section, Naca 0012, cut down the chord line and glued either side followed by a brushed on layer of truck bed liner!
Well that should start tongues wagging!

Styge 

[Blown Away]

Great job!!!

[Styge]

Just came across another product.  Check this out! Windknife.com. Only problem is, it's about an inch slimmer than my current blade, so I'd have to consider splitting it, which introduces more complexity to the build.  Weighing up my options!