I suppose you don't like the looks of the MacGregor 26, either.  ;-)

       - Mike


Peter MacLean wrote:

to my mind reverse sheer looks uglyon anthing but a power boat, and then only because  I don't look much at power boats 

Mike Crawford <jmichael@gwi.net> wrote:

  Bravo!

  I like strip planking in theory, but I've never done it because of the time involved in fairing.  I've only worked with plywood, and this summer will be doing some interior bunks and cabin soles with nidacore and kevlar.

  I hear the argument that too many people are interested in a showroom-finish that looks just like a plastic boat, but I can only agree part of the time.  On one hand, something like a Wharram cat might look better with a workboat finish than a showroom finish.  On the other, I can't imagine any eventual planking print-through looking as nice on boats as sleek and rounded as the Harry and Visionarry.  I'd have a hard time accepting something rough on the Harry's (though the original mottled paint finish was a great compromise).

   It's nice to know that there will be another option on top of the strip planking.  I imagine the time savings will be impressive.

  As long as you're pondering new designs, I'd like to add some food for thought.  I've seen a lot of ugly catamarans with flat decks, and it would be easy to go down that route when building with plywood, balsa, or foam panels.  However the upward sloping decks of the Wharram Tiki series and the downward slopes of the Harryproas both look quite nice. 

  KSS construction may never look as sleek as the current generation Harryproas, but sloping the decks up or down a bit at the ends could work quite well with the flatter panels.  Up would look salty, traditional, and perhaps a bit rakish, down would be very avant-garde and interesting.  It wouldn't take much to get away from the giant-pontoon look.
 

       - Mike



Rob Denney wrote:

G'day,

 

Apologies for cross posting.

 

Most builders have read about the Kelsall KSS technique http://www.kelsall.com/methods4.html for rapidly building boats and wondered if it is really possible to build hulls this quickly.  If they are, it makes a mockery of spending weeks gluing, glassing, bogging and sanding strips of wood or foam in the traditional strip plank method, or any of the heat it, bend it and screw it foam techniques.

 

Harryproa have decided that this development is too good to miss and have paid Derek to adjust the design of the hulls of the 15m/50' proa we are building for me to race in next year's Solo Transpac.   As part of the deal, Derek is putting on a 4 day workshop at our factory in Urunga (midway between Brisbane and Sydney, 20 minutes south of Coff's Harbour) to demonstrate how infusion and KSS work. He reckons that at the end of it, we will have the hull ready to top coat paint, and a 15m vacuum table.  It would take more than 4 days to fill and  fair the hull of a 15m strip planked boat, so this will be a very impressive achievement.

 

The workshop is from 17-20th May (just before Sanctuary Cove show).  Anybody who wants to attend is welcome, at a cost of $500 for the 4 days.  This includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea, the chance to participate in the build and to pick Derek's brain on the technique.  Mostly though it gives you a way to save a huge amount of time building your own boat.   Local low cost accommodation is being organised. 

 

Anyone interested in attending, please email me at proa@iinet.net.au or phone 08 92843483. 

 

regards,

 

Rob Denney

www.harryproa.com

 

 

 

 

---

Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell?
Check out new cars at Yahoo! Autos.

•  5
  New Members
•  4
  New Photos
•  1
  New Files