EBB's PHOTO GALLERY THREAD

[ebb]

Tony, Dave, Bill, et al! Must be forgiven for not responding, Have just seen a list for the first time of yer unanswered posts by inadvertently pushing one of those bars I can hardly read at the top of the page here. Ebb is Not computer savvy and will never figure out all the features one can use on this site. Sorry.

I've been on the shoals for a couple of months - the cold weather not helping either - with the epoxy.

The original forehatch has the framework in for the new Bomar. It had to be completely sawn out. The interior mahogany trim against the curvey roof went in pretty good, but not varnished yet. The exterior needs to be completed. I haven't enuf other stuff done for the Boss to record.

Have begun to work on the OB well again. The cockpit now is open all the way to the transom. Cut sides of the old vertical access hatch back to the cockpit well. The built in tanks continue the eye to the transom. Whether the hatch will be extended forward to cover the OB I don't know yet. But convinced self that the hatch should be in three pieces with the center piece, being the width of the cockpit well only, remade so as to cover the OB. You may remember the OB clamp board is moved forward about 4"". The two much smaller side pieces can remain shut most of the time. Conceivably there will be standing room on the quarters of the stern with the OB hatch open. How about that?

Like it, because I think only Professor Alberg had these giant rear hatch covers (to be able to lay in the old kicker) and this preserves the look.

The side windows are being Baldwined. Got the 3/8s Lexan. And have some ideas to share soon on how to install stiff 3/8s plastic in 1/2" wide channels that are curved.

[mrgnstrn]

ebb- I don't think I ever saw your final disposition of your rudder. how did it come out in the end? what would you change about your current design? somewhere in here you said that you wouldn't have done it that way if you knew what you know now. do you still think that? what would you suggest?

[ebb]

km.
I don't think I saw the disposition of that rudder either!

But it's coming soon.
It's all fine and dandy to experiment. I'm not really 100% behind this clamshell rudder - which won't make any sense, I know, until it's together, so that photos can be taken, and comments made. I did make a full size model in wood but didn't carry it forward into the glassing stage where problems have developed. [and there have been dozens of other projects on the boat to keep the plate-spinner busy]

Did have another idea to spite myself which I now think is more viable. I think it can be engineered much more simply. You have a rudder that is simply cut in half across the blade with one piece socketting into the other. Each piece is made complete and independent of the other. One would slip into the other and simply fastened. I leave the design work to you, professor! Probably not that simple!

If I did not have a full time commitment, I'ld love to do it, really! See if there is any easy way to remove and replace these keel hung rudders without a third party.

Perhaps only a cruiser is interested in a maintainable rudder. Damage to a rudder that can not be removed for repair wherever you are IMCO is dangerous. Not hard to imagine an intense scenario where the hole you have to dig to slip the original rudder out the tube just keeps filling as you dig.

The clamshell rudder (soon to be photoed) uses too many small fastenings (5 bolts) to keep it secure. I'm not happy with small fastenings under water. Glad you're interested!

[marymandara]

FWIW, I had originally worked out a design in a foam-cored rudder mainly for ease of workability and for fear of having so much bronze in the water to get eaten. Two things stopped that, which was finding out how bad an idea the carbon fiber near/touching bronze would be and also finding about the effect of buoyancy and weight vs. what we percieve as part of the weather helm issue, i.e. a heavy rudder as the boat heels.

New plan is shockingly like sage Ebbster's bronze sheet idea, welded up with bronze sheet stringers inside to hold the shape and improve the tie-in to the shaft, then glassed and sheathed in kevlar and faired. This is actually much simpler than the previous plan and even simpler than constructing of plywood...the only difficult part is finding a reliable welder who is familiar with TIG welding on bronze! The form of the thing is an easy one, just a 2:1 taper...NACA foils do not belong on this type of rudder and are apparently counterproductive.

The rudder is to be counterweighted internally as well in order to try for the most neutral average helm feel possible.

I think...at long last...we are finally ready to build the pair of them.
One mod is the one-piece rudder shaft (almost 7' long!), and the Ariel type rudder shoe and support strap (straps, in my case, we're using two in the same locations as the recesses lie for the gudgeons). Here's hoping!

Dave

[ebb]

Good layups on your rudders, Dave.

I was appalled at the weight of the clam shell! If I didn't have so much time and money into it I would do a second one. After 338 is sailing we shall be very critical. Is it not obvious:

The rudder knows only that it sits in the shoe 3/4" and is 3/4" diameter there. The rudder knows that halfway up the keel the shaft is, let's say, half round where the gudgeon strap is located. It knows it is 1" D, with a key way, at the tiller head.

Everywhere else in its 7 feet the rudder can be anything it wants. As long as it stays within the design parameters. Some great modern materials and methods open up some exciting possibilities.

There are a number of successful rudder rebuilds. remakes, remodels, refits recorded here. To be better than the simple and direct original the innovative rudder has to be something else. Well. different, anyway. The take apart idea keeps the synapses sinning and snapping in the internal cafe at the edge of the univers.

Season's changing, it's epoxy time again.

[mrgnstrn]

Ebb: Where did you get that hinged mast step?

[ebb]

www.sfsailing.com/ballengerspars/

Ballenger Spar Systems
215 Walker St
Watsonville CA95076

831-763-1196

email
buzzballenger@worldnet.att.net

Was $200 - off the shelf.

And I may have mistakenly described this s.s. hinge step as having the upturned holed part of the hinge on the bottom, when, ofcourse, the blocks attached to the plate move with the mast when lowered or raised. The plate with the upturned sides is on the top. The plates are 1/4". The pin is 1/2"!!!

[ebb]

First, the good news,
The frames and ports came back from the powder coaters so beautiful it's hard to believe. They were baked with a standard bronze polyester that looks really fine to me. It's a luxurious softness that identifies a pc The LabMetal repairs aren't noticable. and all the pieces of the opening ports fit back together, except in one case. Fixable, a little sanding... Considerable hole in wallet.

The bad news,
My clam shell rudder can not be used. Got to the point with it filled with pvc foam and extended to its final dimensions, but not glassed, where the planes of the blade could be eyeballed real good in relation to the shaft. Walked away. Came back. Number of times..... Twisted too far out and not fixable by grinding it to square. Too late for tweeking the bronze. It had been damaged and bent in a storm, where the tent was torn apart, and one of the pipes supporting the tent had swung around under the hull and bashed it. (Was there a message there?) Thought we had it straightened!

Yesterday, had a brief unsuccessful conference with the luxury welder about a simplified version of a take-apart, for which I had a rudimentary model. I may now go with a regular single piece all-american constellation style - just to have a rudder. I'll make up two models. In respect to 'engineering:' the constellation probably has more forces on the blade/shaft connections than the more common rounded ear-shaped rudder. Just think, you are turning the whole boat against all that resistance with that bitty blade that has equal forces aqainst it. Still looking at welding pieces to an Everdur (655) shaft, foam filling and skinning with glass. Pretty bummed out, but I ended up not really liking the damned thing anyway. Much because it didn't pass the KISS test.

Back to the drawing board, and doorskin models, like me and 338 have all the time in the world..........

[Bill]

Here are photos of Ebb's newly powder coated window frames.

[Bill]

And the nice job he did filling the gap between the outer bulkhead the the cabin liner.

[Bill]

It’s been awhile, but we have more Ebb Photos to share. Ebb's been pretty busy, but with things that do not show that much. For instance, he’s managed to bring the boat's hull into compliance with Alberg's lines drawing. No more low or flat areas, but the true (and beautiful) hull shape as planned.

Another of Ebb's time consuming projects has been modifying the outboard motor well and lazarette to accommodate an 8-hp Yamaha 4-cycle engine. The redesign is more than impressive, it's phenomenal. Not only will the engine tilt up out of the water to it's fullest extent, but it will swivel to its maximum from side to side in the redesigned well. The engineering and planning for this project is on the scale of a massive Department of Defense project! Only photos can describe it.

We will begin with the hull fairing:

[Bill]

The next series of photos will attempt to describe the outboard motor well modifications. When the photo shoot date was established, Ebb took some vacation time to clean up and paint the well so it would photo better

Let's start with a vew from the stern with the engine in the run position.

[Bill]

Now we show the up position. In this photo we see Ebb's new plug for the well opening. (The engine has electric tilt, but it was not working so a rope was used to hoist the shaft.)

[Bill]

From above. Note the two fuel tanks on each side.

[Bill]

The tolerances are very close between the engine mounting bracket and the well opening.