| Another humble beginning. A beach on the south island of New
Zealand was littered with driftwood, so I picked out some 'pontoons' that
looked good. |
 |
The logs were so small in diameter that I added a third, technically
making it a trimaran, but as you'll soon see, three was not to be.
The pole standing where the mast will go was a little bent, so I opted
for bamboo. That would prove to be a poor decision, favoring beauty over
strength. The top two feet of the bamboo mast snapped at launch, making
the jib useless. |
 |
| Another curse of the perfectionist. Why put a swing-up rudder on a driftwood
sailboat? WEll, because the boat has to be dragged across the sand to the
water. If the rudder is on, it will snap off. There were so few amenities
here that the idea of adding the rudder after the boat is in the water was
not feasible. So this crude sailboat has a swing-up rudder. I was pleased
that the rudder was not what failed, it was the mast - too thin at the top. |
 |
| After a test float, I dragged the boat back to add yet more wood. The
wood, it turned out, was full of water and afforded little flotation. So
the catamaran-turned-trimaran now becomes a raft. Actually, catamaran means
'bound logs', so this version may come closer to the real thing than two
or three hulls. With all those logs pointing forward, I decided a keel was
not needed. |
 |
| Locating a large scrap of discarded plastic sheet, I got on with the task
of sailmaking. Not just a mainsail, it had to have a jib. I figured one
sail might not move all of that heavy wood. |
 |
| Ready for action. I rigged the stays to hold the mast up and the sheets
(ropes) to control the sails. Now all we need is some wind and a volunteer
to join me in this insanity. |
 |
| Wind on this beach was hardly ever a problem, except when it blew you
away. |
 |
| Not bad looking, but sailing it is another matter. As mentioned, I lost
the top two feet of the mast when the wind picked up. The bamboo was simply
not strong enough near the top. I could have cut it shorter, but the sails
were already made and there was no time to remake them. |
 |
| The rudder can be raised and lowered with two control ropes. Such sophistication
on a crude raft may appear odd, but this part of the boat actually performed
well. |
 |
By the time this pic was taken, the mast tip had already
snapped under strain from two large sails in a good breeze.
I can't blame the wind, any more than a good sailor can thank the wind
one minute and curse it the next. My choice of bamboo was at fault.
The bent and not-so-perfect branch I found first probably would have
held up, although it was shorter. But both sails would have worked better,
even with less area.
|
 |
| Flotation, even with a dozen small logs, was barely adequate
to keep both of us out of the water. But we had a great time, even when
we realized that we had little control over the boat and the current was
pulling us out into the strong flow coming from a nearby river mouth. |
 |
So we paddled - with our hands, I had neglected to make
oars - frantically and managed to avoid getting sucked into the muddy
current heading out to sea.
|
 |
We dragged the boat, now quite watterlogged, back to shore.
We were cheered by onlookers. They thought we did great. |
 |
| |
|