tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26071315237105631932011-11-27T18:47:36.762-06:00Building and sailing the i550 sportboat "Lunatic Fringe" in the Icebox of the Nation.Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-19126246190052476932010-08-10T07:20:00.000-05:002010-08-10T07:20:46.775-05:00

Here's a short video taken from a J24 that was sailing downwind under main and genoa.  The J24 was traveling at about five knots.  According to our Speedpuck, we were moving at about eleven knots in the i550 at the time the video was taken. The main and jib on the i550 were made by Ryan Malmgren of  Mad Sails in Madison, Wisconsin.  The spinnaker is a used Melges 20 spinnaker. The music is

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-77420718233610998072010-02-25T09:58:00.003-06:002010-03-05T13:16:23.587-06:00

Last fall, my crew and I managed to get Lunatic Fringe in the water for a few sails before it was too crazy cold. On one of those sails, we spun out a few times with the kite up. I didn't like the way the mast flexed and bent at the masthead during one of those spinouts. So this winter we added a pair of upper spreaders to support the masthead. It turned out to be a fun project. The home built

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-15815293800755977292009-11-17T07:12:00.004-06:002009-11-17T09:37:49.087-06:00

Well, Lunatic Fringe is put away for the winter. But we managed to go sailing a few times this fall before it got too cold. We sailed a few times in light air and twice in moderate wind. We still have a lot to learn but I thought I would pass on a few tentative thoughts about how the boat sails and handles.Moderate Air (10-15)In moderate air, the boat feels fully powered up when sailing into the

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-53822127170973119952009-09-24T06:40:00.009-05:002009-09-25T08:08:32.923-05:00

We are still experiencing warm and windless conditions here in the "Icebox" but my friend Roger did take a video of one of our shakedown sails in light air. We originally intended to fly the spinnaker but the halyard was binding when we launched and in the process of trying to free it, I lost the end in the mast. Because we were short on time, we went sailing with white sails rather than re-feed

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-34277418127790201672009-09-09T21:34:00.010-05:002009-09-09T22:36:59.221-05:00

The i550 Lunatic Fringe was officially christened and launched today. We had hoped to also go sailing but there was no wind to take a test sail. The forecast is for more wind tomorrow .... More pictures are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/intune99 .

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-59361295563359298162009-09-07T08:39:00.006-05:002009-09-07T12:16:36.599-05:00

We've been busy here in the Icebox. After we put the keel on, lots of details fell into place. So many details … but in the past couple of weeks we glued the mast together, cut it to length, cut the shrouds and forestay, attached Hi-Mod mechanical turnbuckle studs, installed the jib halyard exit block, mounted the rudder, rigged the boom, installed a windex at the top of the mast, rigged the

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-25191565288753372582009-08-23T15:39:00.003-05:002009-08-23T15:49:12.868-05:00

This weekend we took another big step by lifting the boat on top of the keel. First we strung a piece of amsteel blue line between two large trees. Then we hooked a chain fall to that line and hoisted the boat high enough to get the keel under. Then we lifted the boat with the keel attached onto the trailer.We attached the chain fall to the boat with a homemade lifting bridle that attached to

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-75930600701577486802009-08-03T11:25:00.005-05:002009-08-03T11:42:08.557-05:00

Ok, I've been slacking off, enjoying the summer here in the Icebox. Work on the i550 has been slow. Too many other things to do in the summer. If I ever build another boat, I will try hard to find a heated workspace and plan the build to only work on it when it's cold/bad weather.But I have made some progress since my last post in April. The boat is painted including the nonskid. The mast step "

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-88265586390890508292009-04-28T20:03:00.021-05:002009-05-05T11:19:57.346-05:00

The bow pole fitting for the articulating sprit was kind of fun to build. I needed to fabricate a fitting to hold the bow pole axel upright at the top of the stem. I decided to build the fitting out of carbon with a stainless steel axel bolted and epoxied onto a removable carbon nose cone. The axel is a 5/8 inch stainless steel rod with a threaded eye ring on top of which the forestay will

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-87306052813844758102009-03-30T20:28:00.013-05:002009-04-04T20:30:53.274-05:00

More progress on the companionway hatch….We have slightly more than one half inch of clearance between the raised keel and the aft face of frame 110. We used that half inch with the hatch boards. One quarter inch was needed for the hatch boards and an additional one quarter inch was needed for the drip edges on the bottom of the top two hatch boards.The current plan is not to install any kind of

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-13201934946751210932009-03-25T07:03:00.009-05:002009-03-31T10:22:38.430-05:00

This past weekend, we moved ahead on a step that has been a bit intimidating – pouring the lead bulb. As it turned out, it wasn't as tough as I had worried. Kind of medieval work with the advantage of power tools. Speaking of tools, a power planer, grinder and air chisel were helpful.The plan was to melt lead in a large pot over a propane turkey fryer. We built molds from plaster of paris using

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-15633215643125782402009-03-03T07:33:00.006-06:002009-03-03T07:47:37.708-06:00

This post is intended to backfill information about steps we took in early June, 2008.Early in construction, it seemed like the large open, unsupported bottom and side panels between frames 169 and 214, needed additional support. While trying to work inside the boat, those panels just seemed to flex and deflect more than I liked. So, we added cedar stringers to make that part of the hull a bit

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-41727521071634049072009-02-28T21:16:00.004-06:002009-03-01T16:26:08.927-06:00

In order to build some of the composite pieces on the boat, I decided to give vacuum bagging a try. I found vacuum press kits on a woodworker supply website, joewoodworker.com and because I have an air compressor, I decided to build a compressed air venturi vacuum press. The kit included the electrical and brass bits needed to build the vacuum press. A short length of pvc pipe and a couple of

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-44218073277394957052009-02-25T07:05:00.010-06:002009-02-25T09:27:16.064-06:00

This past week I've been working on bits and pieces that can be built inside. One of those bits is the compression post and its attachment fittings.With new masts being built, we've been talking a bit about the loads generated by the shrouds which caused me to wonder about the compression post under the mast and how those loads need to be transferred from the mast, down the compression post and

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-61803864446521345432009-02-13T10:47:00.008-06:002009-03-18T21:20:32.549-05:00

Part of the discussion on the i550 class website among some of us glue sniffers is how to rig the mast and boom for racing. It feels great to turn the corner to do something other than sanding for a while. Kmac is working with C-Tech in New Zealand to get our masts and booms sorted out. While that has been going on, I've been working on getting hardware sorted out, thinking about where to drill

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-23061754681332293582009-02-09T22:14:00.002-06:002009-02-09T22:20:45.916-06:00

It was warm again in the Icebox this weekend so it seemed like a good time to get outside. After reading that Kevin intended to cut out his companionway on Pipedream, I decided to take the plunge and do the same. I carefully cut the top of the cabin top back ten inches which leaves about ten inches between the mast and hatch to mount sail handling hardware. Sure makes it easier to get in and

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-3840659989966308512009-01-31T18:04:00.003-06:002009-01-31T18:19:44.901-06:00

There was a January thaw in the Icebox today so I got outside and started mounting the rudder. I first cut a hole in the cockpit floor for an inspection port. Then I mounted rudder gudgeons on the stern. Then I drilled for the tiller mounting bolt. When it gets a little warmer, I intend to redrill the mounting holes slightly larger than the fasteners, fill the larger holes with thickened epoxy

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-17372849775314498552009-01-31T12:13:00.008-06:002009-01-31T18:29:44.248-06:00

Recently I started rigging the spinnaker pole. I intend to basically copy the setup on Tokyo Trash Baby. Because the pole will articulate, I decided to build it out of aluminum rather than carbon fiber. A little heavier than carbon but I think it should be able to take a little more abuse than a carbon pole. First I cut the pole to length. Then I cut a small foam plug to fit tightly inside the

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-88886506388334707522009-01-21T20:12:00.004-06:002009-01-25T07:30:35.611-06:00

I still can't figure out the best way to get into the cabin once the keel is lifted. A cabin top slider seems complex and heavy and would require a complete rebuild of the cabin top. A small hatch on the deck in front of the cabin is a possibility. Or maybe a companionway hatch that cuts out a bit of the back part of the cabin top above the companionway hatch along with that portion of frame 110

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-49370245533676114362009-01-19T15:18:00.005-06:002009-01-25T07:30:23.423-06:00

Among the first steps I had to take to build the boat was to come up with a covered work site. My garage is in use and my workshop is too small so I bought and set up a portable shelter from carbox4u.com. The shelter is twelve feet wide and twenty-four feet long. Just big enough with no extra space, especially now that the boat is on the trailer. I ran an air hose to the shelter along with

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-53557746651962274092009-01-18T19:48:00.005-06:002009-01-25T07:30:09.777-06:00

Building the cockpit was challenging. No square corners and all curves. And we wanted to figure out a way to glue it in place without having to work inside a confined space. The first thing we did was reinforce the cockpit floor. Then all of the cockpit pieces were dry fit and screwed into place. The port and starboard halves of the cockpit were taped in place using plastic across the inside

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-27793058650034246282009-01-18T15:23:00.004-06:002009-01-25T07:29:56.709-06:00

Well, I made a couple of mistakes on the compression post. The plan was to use a two inch aluminum tube as a mandrel, to coat the mandrel with a layer of paraffin wax, and to use shrink tape to consolidate the layup. The plan also included using a heat gun after the pole set up to melt out the paraffin to allow the pole to slide off the mandrel. When the time came to remove the pole, it worked

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-91821290943697382822009-01-17T07:57:00.004-06:002009-04-29T21:55:53.736-05:00

There were a number of things we had to do to get ready to build. One of our first steps was to build a cart or dolly on which to build the hull. We chose to build the hull upright so we wanted something for the boat to sit on that would help support the bottom of the hull and also help force the plywood into the correct shape. We also wanted to be able to move the hull around as space was

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-85962730004371286572009-01-13T21:08:00.006-06:002009-01-25T07:29:22.187-06:00

In order to finish the tiller, I wanted a nice round end. After coming out of the vacuum bag, the end of the carbon sleeve looked kind of like the end of a tube of breakfast sausage. So I used a hack saw to cut off the very end of the tiller to get to the foam core. Then I dug out about an inch of foam and taped a lip around the end of the tiller to pour in epoxy and graphite powder. After that

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-70956142148890943402009-01-13T20:59:00.007-06:002009-01-25T07:29:06.984-06:00

In order to save a little weight and just for fun, I decided to make a carbon fiber tiller. First I traced the shape of the tiller onto some 1.5 inch pink styrofoam. I shaped it with a jig saw and sand paper and then filled and faired with microballoon mixture. When it looked right, I vacuum bagged a fiberglass sleeve and a carbon sleeve over the foam tiller.

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-37627775684558825172009-01-13T20:57:00.005-06:002009-01-25T07:28:49.118-06:00

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-67224299879896424752009-01-13T20:32:00.004-06:002009-01-25T07:28:22.317-06:00

This shows how the pintles were attached to the rudder. After shaping the pintle supports, the pintles were epoxied to the rudder. Then the pintles werre wrapped in carbon uni tape and carbon 0-90 tape and consolidated using plastic stretch film and peel ply. After cleaning the bearing surfaces, the carbon was faired in and will be painted.

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-66609816012432712162009-01-13T19:58:00.003-06:002009-01-25T07:28:09.457-06:00

The rudder was made from laminated cedar boards. The basic shape of the foil was cut into the blank with a table saw and then planed to rough shape. The blank was filled and faired a little and then covered in carbon and glass cloth to be filled and faired some more. The finished foil was then painted with Interlux Performance Epoxy.I decided to attach the rudder directly to the boat with

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-22745115639304115212009-01-13T19:28:00.007-06:002009-01-25T07:27:49.838-06:00

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607131523710563193.post-44478431259750593212009-01-13T13:16:00.005-06:002009-01-25T07:27:27.092-06:00

Building the keel takes a lot of time. I built mine out of mahogany boards. First they were laminated together to make a large mahogony plank. Then that plank was ripped into strips and the strips were flipped end for end and epoxied back together to offset any tendency to warp.Using a table saw, we made "guide cuts" into the plank in order to roughly mark the shape of the foil. Using an

Ron Bowmannoreply@blogger.com0