PROJECT WINDRIGGER - January 2002 installment
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Windrigger MK III proa was launched during 3 May 2001 to trial launching the proa carried on its side on a trailer ( as shown in the April 2000 installment). Photo 1 shows the proa floating on its side, and Peter. Note the strut maintaining the hull and outrigger in the trailering configuration. We removed the strut and rolled the hull into its sailing-beam configuration and clamped it in this position by scaffolding clamps attached to the ends of the bridgedeck beams. Also note that MK III can be launched with its spade rudders installed. Also with sails up, it can be laid over on its side when entering shallow-water prior to beaching or to change the rudders fins.
Photo 2 shows the proa powered by a 3.3hp Mercury outboard and Peter steering it with the spade rudder shown in Photo 1.
Launching the hull on its side and changing from the trailering beam to sailing beam, proved to be much easier than launching it with the outrigger stowed above the hull as shown on webpage 6, item 12. The bridgedeck structure is much stronger than the wooden bridgedeck of Windrigger MK II and much more comfortable for crewing. The canvas bag fitted to the cockpit to facilitate emptying water which enters the cockpit during launching and sailing, was not a success. So I have incorporated a self-draining cockpit in the second hull which I have recently completed. This is shown in photo 3.
Another problem I have experienced is removing water from the interior of the hull due to incomplete sealing of the bulkheads and 6 bulkheads. So the second hull has no sealed bulkheads - as shown in photo 4. This hull incorporates solutions to problems I encountered with the first hull. It weighs about 75 Kgs and from my tests, the laminate has an impact strength equal to 9mm marine plywood.
Sailrigs for Windrigger MK III - I have not trialled sailrigs on this proa but have trialled the following rigs which fit on MK III:
- sailrig arrangement trialled on MK II and shown on webpage 4. This arrangement certainly made MK II fly a hull ie - the outrigger.
- the balanced sailrig shown on webpage 7. I looked at a variation of this as shown in Photo 5, in which the sailrig is supported at the boom and top of the rig. This should reduce bending of the top of the sailrig to windward in high winds (sailboard sailrigs are designed to do this). This sailrig does not require a mainsheet .
This is the end of my proa project as I am now concentrating my effort on catamarans. I have now done and reported here, sufficient information for others to build proas.There other aspects of this project which I have not reported here, such as: reversable steering; spade-rudder manufacture; impact testing hull laminates; trailer design; testing of various gelcoats for epoxy/glass laminates; manufacture of ellipsoid end-caps for the outrigger pipe-hull; manufacture of a second hull by fibreglassing two fore-and-aft halves ultimately joined along the keel-line; longitudinal and transverse hull stiffeners; in-hull mast, rudder and bridgedeck attachments; and motor-powering proas. I am willing to provide details of any of these aspects - via this website so my response becomes public knowledge and therefore negates patenting of it.
Photo 6 shows Windriggercat MK II launched 9 January 2002 and finished to launch-stage in a hurry due to the threat of bushfires. MK I with sails is on a mooring. Its main feature - on launching it expands automatically from a 2.5 meter trailering beam to its 3.8 meter sailing beam. I shall provide details next month.
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