Daggerboard

Another failed attempt, the skins moved in the last process. I need to get a better system/ think about it more. I trimmed the excess off the skins and had very little to hold in place, also the mould shape has less location, so when I flipped over the upper mould the skin just fell out, I thought I had managed to get it back into place but had not.
No time to do more before the nats, and no resin. No time either to fit the first daggerboard I did, so back to the old one I made for 240, how frustrating! Also still no new seat and carrige, need to spend some time on this boat to get the best out of it!!

Naca 63A 010 Dagger board

At last had a chance to layup the skins (again) from the new mould. Down at Aldeburgh this w/e so will trim them and put them together next week. Used 1 layer 200gsm at 0/90 and a random amount of ud, onlt a short bit but about 900gsm 100mm wide and going down about 400mm from the top of the board. Will prob put in another cloth reinforcement 2/3 the way down the board when I stick it together.

Phantom Nationals

OK so more non-canoe sailing but the competition is so good I have been sailing the phantom all year. This is at the nationals, photo of me and of the fleet, we had 83 boats entered with some really world class sailors, I think about 5 previous world champs from various other classes.
I came a slightly disappointing 33rd, but was completly phased with all the boats, last time I was in a fleet that size was the laser nationals in the early 1990's. All in all a really good championships, and I like sailing at Stone as well.
The next event I am doing is the Canoe nats in Weymouth, I think we will have a good turn out, just need to make a dagger board from that latest mould, disaster struck with the first skins I took out, left them in the car after trimming them at work early one am and the bloody things warped so badly I can not use them, never mind they were a bit sub standard in any case.

Steve's rudder skins taped up and ready to cast foam, cast the foam at 6.30 am before work, might be ready tonight or perhaps tomorrow am. The skins and foam are being delivered as a kit so Steve can put his own pin in for a slot in style rudder.

steves rudder

Skins for steves rudder, 2 plies all over, 2 reinforcing plies in top part

OK so not a canoe, but this is one of the other boats, a Phantom called Avocet, completely standard(except the main sheet arrangement). This is on Alton Water near Ipswich at the open there a few weeks back, we had 32 boats and I came about 8th I think, which is OK , its about the 6th time I have sailed this boat so I did not expect too much. As always withthe Phantom crowd a good time was had by all.

Been thinking about altering Monkey for the worlds in Germany, my thoughts were to move the mast back a small amount, 50mm, replace the foredeck, I think its a bit heavy having been changed so much in the past, take off the winglets, they do't add enough width especially as when I move the mast back the hull get wider. I think I will also lower the bow a bit, perhaps 50mm so the shear line is level from the bow to the chain plates. She already has a new dagger board and rudder blade, another dagger board to come and if time a new sliding seat.
Spring is in the air and enthusiam is gaining. Buying a house by the sea as well so will be joining a sailing club for the first time in years.

Some old photos of ply wood models I found

More upto date models for the daggerboard, go ahead has been given for machining so will have it in the next few weeks as long as no work comes in for the machine shop. May just use it as a standard dagger board, this one I will get machined from epoxy tooling block, the last ones were PU, not as durable and defintly can not take heat.