Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Report #3-3B . . . .

[Charles Brennan]

RIGGING!!!    FINALLY!!! 
On a truly (long overdue!) calm, sunny, gorgeous, morning, I dragged the boat free of the overhead tree limbs and stepped the mast without issues.
Ya gotta love a boat, where you can drag it around with a trailer dolly, instead of a truck all the time! 
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Sure couldn't do that with Urchin. 

Hoisted the main . . . .  hmmmm . . . . yard pick point is a little too far from the mast head. 
Also, the sail trim looks all wrong.   Checked the measurements against page 8 of the plans, that shows the sail and rigging.
Something's going on, but what?!? 
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Yup.  Looks worse, from this side.  My Cool Idea,    for a shackle and block on the pick point, is rapidly becoming a victim of Adverse Geometry. 
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OK, let's lose the shackle and block and just run the line through the sail maker's thimble, at my yard pick point.
Aft end of boom noticeably drooping and tack is even with the cabin front, where it's supposed to be leading it, by around 6 inches. 
What is going on, here?!? 
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THAT worked!! 
Well, as far as the pick point anyway; otherwise the sail is still way out of trim.
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NOTHING I'm trying, will get either the clew end, or the tack end, to behave itself. 
Starting to get a little frustrated, here. 
Kept running in and out of the house, comparing plans, on-line pics of SCAMPS, even went so far as to post a query, on Facebook.

DOHHH!!!    Mystery Solved!! 
SOMEBODY forgot to allow for the mast foot at the bottom of the mast trunk, when they were figuring out where to attach the mast partner!! 
I can easily fix that later, in the mean time, I need to figure out all this rigging, while I still have some good weather.
Wedged in a piece of wood and called it good, for now.
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The next day, I moved the mast partner down and tapped a new hole for the mounting screw.
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Glad I left the option to change my mind and never epoxied the thing down. 
(Pic taken before the screw hole was filled in and the mast section re-painted.)

And now that I finally have a reliable reference point, I installed the mast chafe guard heat shrink tubing.
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Followed quickly, by the boom chafe guard heat shrink tubing.
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Fiddle block shown is just temporary, until the actual block I ordered, comes in.

Put up the Bimini frame, to verify my boom height measurements.
Right where I wanted it. 
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What a difference, the correct mast rake angle, makes!! 
It's almost like the Designer, knew what he was doing!! 
Hit all the offsets and measurements, on the plans!! 
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Rove all three reefing lines. (Yes, that's the right word;    look it up!!)
And almost stroked out, in the 80ºF+ heat, from hoisting and lowering the main sail, multiple times! 
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The third reefing line is bright red, so as to be a reminder that if you're reefing the red line, it might be time to think about heading in. 
Nahh. 
Y'all KNOW me, better than that!!   

Rigged the flag halyard, tied on the bronze flag snaps and checked that the pig stick doesn't hang up on anything unexpected.
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It's that blue line on the left side of the mast.

Closer view of the pig stick.
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And got the cleat mounted and the line secured.
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Installed a halyard cleat on the mast, whose sole function is securing the halyard for road transport; it's not used for rigging or sailing the boat.
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OHHHH NOOOOO!!! Not again!! 
Rebuilt the goal posts and raised the tag bracket once already, to clear the deck and never gave a thought to the Bimini top frame!! 
DOHHHH!!! 
Ya know, our boats are basically just collections of compromises . . . . . . .
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Looks like my own personal compromise, is going to be folding the frame forward for trailering and folding it aft, for cruising. 

Gotta say, that with the benefit of nearly 50 years of sailing experience, NOBODY trashes a cockpit as good as me!! 
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And we're not even SAILING, yet!! 

Decided to make good on my threat to make a dedicated road restraint for the mast; it's the ¼-20 eye nut at lower right. 
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Added another ¼-20 eye nut to the aft mast stand, along with a chain restraint.
Yeah, that mast isn't going anywhere, no matter HOW hard, I slam on the brakes! 
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While I was at it, I removed the utility bungee cord I had borrowed from the truck, with which I had temporarily secured the mast.
I knew how often "temporary" solutions, end up being permanent. 
Added a bungee and shackle that always remains attached, so I can never forget it and I can never lose it.
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Which otherwise, happens to me a LOT!! 

Did the same thing to the front mast stand.
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And added  a mast stand cleat, used to hold the bow line, for single-handed snap launches.
Wonder where that idea, came from? 

Oh, Yeah. Just like I used to do on Urchin. 
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A Barton double-block with becket I had ordered (couldn't scrounge a usable one, from my usual sources!) was delivered, right while I was working in the car port.
Rigged it up (before I could lose it!)    so I could mark off the down haul as completed.
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Building your own boat is fraught with a lack of precedent, so you have to make up a lot of stuff, as you go along.
I think I'll keep the down haul stowed here, unless something else changes my mind for  me. 
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I'll probably drop another progress report tomorrow and that will catch me up, for a while.
And the excitement is building  . . . . . 

Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Very exciting!!!!l

Your yard looks to have quite a bit of flex. Am I seeing it right?

[Charles Brennan]

Dale, Very observant of you.   
Yes, the yard is a 12 foot long, 1¼" O.D. aluminum tube, with .035" walls.  The wooden yards have a significant taper, at the top end to increase flex, as well.  The designer's intent, is to spill air off sudden gusts, to minimize capsize and whatnot.  He achieved that on aluminum yards, by specifying .035" walls, instead of .049" walls.

Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Dale, Very observant of you.   
Yes, the yard is a 12 foot long, 1¼" O.D. aluminum tube, with .035" walls.  The wooden yards have a significant taper, at the top end to increase flex, as well.  The designer's intent, is to spill air off sudden gusts, to minimize capsize and whatnot.  He achieved that on aluminum yards, by specifying .035" walls, instead of .049" walls.

Hope this clarifies,
Charles Brennan

I get the theory. Just seems to be a lot of flex with a limp sail. If it's to designer specs, I'd assume the sail would be cut accordingly.

Love that #3