New design- Expedition Canoe Trimaran
New Class 3 Everglades Challenge Record.
Posted on March 7, 2013 by JollyRoger–
note- for photos for the last few posts see this-http://watertribe.org/jollyroger/
My finish time was 2 days, 16 hours and 7 mins. The Old record was 3 days 11 hours and 20 mins, so I bettered the old Class 3 single male record by 19 hours, 13 mins. I also bettered the best Class 3 double male time of 3 days 1 hour and 14 mins. by 9 hours 7 mins. If not mistaken I have the 14th fastest time recorded (all classes) since the EC races began in 2000. Thank you 2-day TailWind!
I have been recovering from staying up for 66 hours with only nap’s and I have been enjoying watching everyone come in at the finish and doing some Largo sailing with my wife Dawn. We sailed over to the Atlantic side, john Pennecamp state park.
The boat did really well. I only wore out one rope guide and she took the worst of the weather with ease.(4-6 seas) And she is guite a surfer reaching 13.1 knots coming down a 6 foot breaking wave entering Big Marco pass. She is not fast, more like a steady turtle. Which reminds me that she has not been named yet. Since launch she has been named “Nine” because she is my 9th boat designed. Turtle Island girl or something similar may be nice.
My body is also great. Legs are a little sore having done about 50 % of the moving and the arms are good as most of my paddling was done standing up across most of Florida Bay with no wind and when the hobie pedal dives do not do well in the shallow water at low tide. Florida bay was by far the toughest section. I was glad to do most of it during the daytime.
I did not do the wilderness waterway which is one of the things that I wanted to attempt. I was told that I had a chance for a record in class 3 at check point 2 so we went straight back to the outside and went for it.
Now cosidering to attempt the Original Ultimate Florida 1200 challenge 2014 starting and returning to Fort Desoto, Or get my big racing Trimaran ready “Seven” and do a state line to state line Coastal Ultimate Florida. Getting the time off for the race is the tougest part for me so either way I need to finish or DNF in around 19 days. Not an easy task. The fast racing Tri may be the way to go, but still undecided. I am leaning toward the orig. UF. I may just need to wait for retirement to attempt this one.
Roger
Posted on February 27, 2013 by JollyRoger
Myself and my wife DawnwiththeWind will be leaving on Thursday morning, Feb. 28th. She is my secret weapon. If she is in Key Largo waiting for me I will make it somehow.
First thing is to make it to the start and get through boat inspection and captains meeting. We have a room so it will be the first EC that I did not sleep in a truck. So starting the race with some sleep will be different as well.
Launch will be Sat. March 2nd and I have no plans as to which route to take. I have studied them all and weather will determine which route to take and can change just about anytime as long as there is a pass nearby.
I have chose the new boat which gives me the best chance at a finish. Not my fastest by a long margin but one that should be dependable and steady. Non proven in a challenge race as of yet but well tested since its launch Jan 1st 2013.
Yet un named but a Canoe/ trimaran new design that I hope will make a good expedition boat.
Roger
UFC Expedition Canoe Shakedown.
Posted on January 23, 2013 by JollyRoger
My thoughts after my third long progressive trip in the expedition Canoe. (8, 23, 41 miles) On my last trip I was finally able to get out in some weather and waves. Conditions rose to 25 mph wind gust and 1-2 foot waves. My top speed has been 8.4 kts or 9.6 mph. I think that this is not as good as I was expecting because I currently do not have a lee board and am getting pushed sideways causing drag. I have noticed a wave off the bow that curls toward the direction of the wind. I do not feel like I am being pushed sideways unless I am going 4 kts or less. At this speed it is noticeable because it takes all the rudder to stay on course and without good speed the skegs on the amas are not going to work well. I will be adding a leeboard while I await the new Hobie mast to arrive after I broke one on the third trip. The skegs will stay because they will work in shallow water where the board will not, places like Florida Bay and the rivers.The comfort level of the boat has met my needs well, so far. I am able to get up and stand, move into the front cockpit and move about all without feeling like I am going to fall out or that I am sitting right on the water. I have a hard time if I am unable to get up and stretch. I tend to get “Stove Up” as my grandfather use to say. Stiff. So standing and stretching is a good thing for me and being able to do it while still moving forward is a bonus. I suffer from Varicose veins so I can take running better than I can take sitting for long periods of time. Because the sides of the boat are high and I have the cockpits to sit in I get shielded from wind so in the front I can cook while under way as long as the waves are not too bad. I use a Jetboil hung on a support so it swings like a compass. Also on the Suwannee river and the blackwater while on my Hobie TI my thoughts were always on that gater ready to snatch me right off my boat because of being only inches off the water and sitting right on top. Call me Chicken but alone at night on that river makes you think.
Keeping the boat moving forward without being limited to just one method of propulsion was a goal since in the past I have burned out body parts having to use just one such as paddling. In this past NCC challenge I paddled a Class 5 Tri for nearly 40 miles and if it had been a 300 mile race I would not have finished. My arms and back were cooked!. So in this boat I can paddle from either pit, either side. Pedal the mirage drive from the rear. Stand up and use a SUP Paddle or pole. I have not yet installed oars but will be installing them for test.
to be continued…..back to work.
EC2013 Derby Carnage, mast break.
Posted on January 22, 2013 by JollyRoger
A big gust caught me with my sheet cleated and I was unable to release in time to save the mast. Not certain if it became unlocked and came up causing the break so I will be looking at this closer to make certain that was not the cause. Everything else seems fine, receiver, bulkhead so if there is any good news is that the boat took the load and held which gives me good confidence in it holding through a challenge and the UFC 1200 miles next year. Plans are to also carry my smaller 15 foot mast and sail as a spare.
I was able to keep pace with a Corsair 24 for a while by tacking sooner and pedaling straight into the wind to keep up. He had a few kts on me but finally my legs gave out and then he pulled away fairly quickly. I have to have one of those some day!
The removable skegs on the WaterTribe ama’s seem to be working well. Not as well as a lee board I am sure but maybe well enough?
UFC Expedition Canoe launched 1-1-13
Posted on January 2, 2013 by JollyRoger
This is a self built decked Canoe that I hope will meet my personal requirements for a good expedition craft for one or two people. I hope to test it in the field on March 2nd 2013 Everglades Challenge Race which is the 13th annual event. It was specifically designed for a solo attempt at the Ultimate Florida Challenge, a 1200 mile adventure around Florida that includes over 300 miles of rivers and a 40 mile portage. In order to meet these challenges you have to have a boat that will do it all so I have based my boat on a few and taken design elements from them all. The Hull shape is based on a angus rowboat (bottom 12 inches of their stitch and glue shape) and Kruger cruiser ( total depth and width of hull at bow, middle and stern. So I added freeboard but kept it decked like the angus. It was a compromise in order to have a hull that I could build myself but make it more of a canoe instead of a rower. I would still like to get my hands on a good used Kruger Cruiser but they are hard to come by. Anyway, this should make a good boat for the rivers and shallow waters all along the route. It should be able to be paddled, pedaled (mirage drive), or rowed. The remainder of the boat is based on one of the best off the shelf adventure boats that I know of and one that I have owned the Hobie Tandem Island. Some of the best design ideas on this boat is used on mine. On the Hobie the akas fold in just a few seconds, the mast and sail is roller furling and can be quickly set with any amount of sail up to 90 sq foot, and the pedal drive can move the boat along with leg power. To round out the package I used WaterTribe Big 16 Classic inflatable amas. They can be removed and stowed in the boat along with the Hobie akas which will allow traversing the wilderness waterway, narrow rivers and 40 mile road portage. They will also allow the boat to be driven under sail power. How well it does it’s job remains to be seen but on the first launch we went 8 nm and averaged 4.2 knots with no wind, sailed just a bit in wind less than 5 mph and then removed the amas and paddled like a canoe at 3.5 knots and it seemed very stable. I had a EC load in the front hatch and with me in the boat it draws 4 inches of water. What I really like about the boat so far is that I can get up and move about and I can even stand up and paddle like a SUP. I can also sit on the side rails or pretty much anywhere on the top deck if necessary. Testing will continue and I hope to be ready for the EC. 60 days and counting. Roger
EC2013 Prep
Posted on December 27, 2012 by JollyRoger
As of today a new boat is getting close to launch. It is a two seat Expedition Canoe.