RogerMann.org

Sail Rig from a Windryder Trimaran is installed. Main, self tacking blade jib,  furling reacher jib, furling code zero and spinnaker.

Tim Wolcott from WI. Just sent in a completion photo and will be starting the test hopping and flying soon. He is running a ½ VW and decided to leave the fabric off the rear fuselage and I can see why. Tim is a cabinet maker and his work needs to be seen. Some may say it looks unfinished but this does not affect the flying much except for slips. Wish I was close enough to visit but will have to do with the updates for now. Nice work and good luck with the testing. Tim has acc…ess to an original Ford powered Pietenpol AirCamper and plans to get some stick time, this is a good idea to get use to low powered aircraft and should compare nicely with his low powered ½ vw. Would love to see a photo of those craft together. Be safe and let us know how it goes. Update- Successful test flight. Congratulations. Nice Ltl’ AirCamper replica and very nostalgic. https://youtu.be/r62KcLynjq4

Photos from the launch. Notes- with the 50 lb thrust electric motor at full charge it is steady at 4.1 mph, 50% power is 3.2 mph. Sitting a bit high in the front right now but when the rig goes on that should even up a bit. Also sitting higher than expected so Looks like 1200 lb payload goal will be no issues and maybe even 1500 lb capable. During these photos we had 10 gals of fresh water, 2 anchors/ chains/ rode at 50 lbs, stove and fuel at 30 lbs, cooler at 15 lbs, Solar generator and 50 watt panel at 40 lbs, potty with 3.5 gals water, 3 marine batteries and one elect motor at 120 lbs, and misc lights, supplies etc. That gave a total of 750 lbs including weight of 2 people on board as tested.

Next step is to start installing the rig on hand, center board, and purchase a small outboard while we continue to get out as often as time will allow.

Roger

There are now pages for both RagWing and PuddleCat on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/PuddleCatCatamarans/

www.facebook.com/ragwingaircraft/

You are welcome to post to the community section on either and post photos, etc. Hope you enjoy. Thanks, Roger

Islander Catamaran is due to hit the water this weekend with no rig but powered by electric motor just to see how it does, test new rudder and get some firm number on speeds with only 50 lbs of thrust available currently. Full Rig is on hand and will go on as time permits. (currently working 7 days a week) Expect a report and video first ASAP as long as my plans hold firm. Thanks, Roger

There has also been a facebook page started for all PuddleCat designs- https://www.facebook.com/PuddleCatCatamarans/

Please “like” if you would like to follow. Thanks again, Roger

Hello, I have just completed drawings for a new set of sails for my RagWing Racing Trimaran and I will be starting construction as  soon as the materials are delivered so expect the coverage for the construction to show up here soon. So what is so great about a set of sails. Well they are Wing Sails and so will be built much like my aircraft wings. It will be my first set of wings to go on a boat. I am really looking forward to the building and testing and if the results come anything close to what other wing sails have done for performance it should be pretty exciting.

More to come soon.

Roger

This is a Stand UP Paddlcat. It is being developed for the Race to Alaska straight human powered attempt. Because of this it has several different features that you would not normally think of on a SUP. In the R2AK 2015 I saw flat calm and hot, standing 8 foot waves, 12 knot currents, 15+ swells off shore. So if caught out in tough conditions I have made it able to be powered while sitting with a hobie mirage pedal drive, which is also good in case of injury. Because of the drive I needed a rudder which will also help in cross winds while paddling in stand up mode. It may also be paddled with a double blade paddle if needed so it has 3 modes of human power with the SUP blade being the fastest. Another option is having enough stability and real estate to rest on while tied to Kelp beds, something which I did several times when no landing spot was available. The fishing is usually good in these beds and I plan to try my luck.  Lastly it has a sun shade to protect from sun, rain and a tarp can be thrown over it to form a tent. Testing is underway and looking good so far. Specs are 16’9″ long, 34″ wide, 88 lbs. It is fully portable and able to be shipped on airlines in two bags. 20 x 22 x 54 and breaks down into 8 separate sealed pieces so it would be very hard to sink.  CatSUP model II is now being built with what I hope will be improvements.

Just got a note from Chris Keogh and a video of his first flight that went well. Now there are two flying Storks in NZ. He has made some changes which include a CH701 style tail which appears to work well. Said he had some minor adjustments to make but all went well. Congratulations Chris!

The Islander catamarans goal is to be large enough and capable enough to take a couple on long trips to remote Islands comfortably. It is as big as it can be and still towed home for storage. It has stand up head room in the center hulls, a galley, a head with sit down or outside shower and room for a double bunk with a “pop top” which permits sitting headroom there as well. It carries a fair amount of water and supplies and was built with open water passages of 50 miles or more in mind. A lot of thought and time has gone into the design but the build time has been very low for this size of boat due to the way it is constructed. The priority was not very high to finish this project due to having a job and  keeping me with something to do in the garage. Well, it is at the stage that it can be taken to the water and enjoyed now although not quite finished and the plans are completed so that if anyone wants they can build one if they have knowledge of the basics of boat building. Plans released on 4-20-2015 and cost $25 instance download only. This is done because RagWing is a hobby for me and not a full time business and it will stay that way as I near retirement. Whatever money is made goes back into RagWing to help pay for past projects and keep the site up. It is my hope to become a Non-Profit 401C org. For more current photos see the photo link button and I will release more pictures as time permits and they are available. A video will be released as well. It is going to be a busy year but hopes are high to have ours rigged and ready for real adventure soon as we are still looking for a suitable trailer and sail rig.Thanks for your interest and sorry that it took so long. It has been a fun project and I am glad that so many folks have shown interest in it.  Roger

http://rogermann.org/puddlecat/designs/ragwing-islander-catamaran/