build status

[lohwaikin]

Glad to announce that hull #437 from Singapore has splashed....

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[lohwaikin]

The slight list to starboard is contributed by the 13kg Suzuki DF2.5 outboard.
Right after the boat floated off the trailer and started to motor towards the jetty, the roll of the boat was quite appreciable.
Something like a slow -15/15 degree port to starboard.
After the keel was lowered, the boat was dead stable.

[Tim Ford]

Outstanding, Loh! Congratulations!

[lohwaikin]

Went for the first sail today, or should I say motoring.
I wanted to try sailing with jib alone, but there's still some work to be done on the jib sheeting.
And the kids wanted to tack along, plus the time was 4pm.
So I herded them onto the cockpit, and motored off.
We didn't travel far, maybe from one end of the marina's mooring zone to the other, about 800 meters across.
Then returned to our designated buoy-mooring, secured up and took the ferry service back to shore.

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Findings today:
1) The rudder is very responsive: I have a full section 4-feet rudder, no tapering.
2) The Suzuki DF2.5 outboard impressed me. I kept it for 10 months, started it once in a water-bin on inspection day. And it started on the second pull.
The outboard did stalled out several times when I opened the throttle too fast, but it restarted without fuss, and the throttle response seems to "heal" as we motored on.
I believe it was just a case of "sticky carburettor".

Weather permitting, I will try to hoist the jib tomorrow (02 NOV).
The main-sail is completed with insignias and markings, less reef lines.
I will find a weekday afternoon to hoist the mainsail, maybe alone or with a mate.

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Cheers,

[Tim Ford]

NIcely done! Cute kids, too!! I envy you the floating boat and the warm weather. Today is the Mid-Atlantic Championship for the J35s and the Chesapeake Championship for the J105s....it's 48 degrees F and blowing 30 - 33 kn on the race course... I can easily say, "glad I am not sailing today!"

Best of luck on your maiden sail, Loh.

[ryderp]

The boat and the kids look great! Good luck with your inaugural sail.

Phil

[i550sailor@aol.com]

Went for the first sail today, or should I say motoring.
I wanted to try sailing with jib alone, but there's still some work to be done on the jib sheeting.
And the kids wanted to tack along, plus the time was 4pm.
So I herded them onto the cockpit, and motored off.
We didn't travel far, maybe from one end of the marina's mooring zone to the other, about 800 meters across.
Then returned to our designated buoy-mooring, secured up and took the ferry service back to shore.

2014-11-1-4 (Forum).jpg

2014-11-1-8 (Forum).jpg

Findings today:
1) The rudder is very responsive: I have a full section 4-feet rudder, no tapering.
2) The Suzuki DF2.5 outboard impressed me. I kept it for 10 months, started it once in a water-bin on inspection day. And it started on the second pull.
The outboard did stalled out several times when I opened the throttle too fast, but it restarted without fuss, and the throttle response seems to "heal" as we motored on.
I believe it was just a case of "sticky carburettor".

Weather permitting, I will try to hoist the jib tomorrow (02 NOV).
The main-sail is completed with insignias and markings, less reef lines.
I will find a weekday afternoon to hoist the mainsail, maybe alone or with a mate.

2014-10-26-14 (Forum).jpg

Cheers,

Loh,

Your boat looks very nicely done. It has to be a great feeling of accomplishment to have her splashed.
Is you rudder the plan set rudder?, if so let me know how you like it. I have mine built but not sure I should have done more research.

[Marino]

Congraulations, may you and your children have a GREAT times sailing your sailboat.

[slowpoke]

Great job Loh! Your successful launch really motivates me!

[lohwaikin]

Spent 2 hours on the water last Saturday with kids, the jib alone. Very little wind as this is the time between monsoon switching.
Almost impossible to do a reach under jib alone. Once the jib filled up the boat turned downwind on its own, and rudder seemed useless without speed.
I noticed nobody in the bay was on jib-sail alone, except us...
Motored off about 2 tanks of gasoline running all over the 2-km wide harbour entrance searching for the elusive "puffs".

[lohwaikin]

On Sunday I went out alone with main-sail and finally found some wind....

[lohwaikin]

Notice the leech wasn't quite smooth up till the 5th panel (where the i550 logo is).
That is the consequence of lofting and cuting sail panels at 2am in the morning, on the living room floor big enough for only one panel at a time!

Cheers,

[jray]

I knew you built your own mast but had no idea you made the sails also. Well done!

Good to hear you got her out for a sail.

[lohwaikin]

This photo was taken just before the northeast monsoon sets in (29 Nov).
Very light northeasterly, making about 5 kph (using a land Garmin GPS) with both sails lightly tensioned.
The 2:1 jib sheeting was a bit overkill for such condition.

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Been out sailing last weekend. 15 knots northeast wind (occasional wave caps). No time to pick up the camera nor turn on the GPS.
Very good reaching speed (more than 5 kph) with jib alone.
Got ambitious and raised the main.
Almost flipped over (kids holding onto hiking straps for dear life!).
Returned alone on Sunday to sail with just the jib.
Re-rigged the jib sheeting to 1:1.
Really regretted doing so; I hardly can sheet in with one arm once the jib filled up.
Still trying to tack single-handedly without losing speed.
On one such tack I attempted to round a buoy, lost speed going in, and when the jib caught wind again with the rudder ineffective, the boat spun with the extended prod (my temporary windex mounting) slamming into the buoy.
Not much damage, just that the prod (63x1.5mm alum tubing) became too bent to be retracted.

The northeast monsoon is going to last till March next year.
So I'm putting away my punch-list of repairs and finish-up tasks to stay on the water as much as possible.

Cheers,

[admin]

Great report, thanks Loh! Sorry about the prod and glad the kids are OK

What are the water temperatures like in your location this time of year?

--TF

[lohwaikin]

25C (77F) almost all year round, warm and nice (if you discount the occassional brackish coastal water).
The down side of warm water is rapid fouling build-up on the bottom just 3 days moored on the water.
I will try the mainsail again this weekend with 1/4 of sail area reefed down.

Cheers,

[Mist]

That is a really cool photo with the child on the deck!

[lohwaikin]

This is the image I had in my mind from the moment I started drawing bulkhead patterns on plywood (April 2012).
I thought I can build an 800-lb boat in 9 to 12 months, but ended up spending 2 years 6 months.
This is the image that kept me going on those lonely nights in the workshop away from cosy bed and TV of home.
Many times I felt the urge to quit, but this image reminds me my dreams are my own and nobody owes me one.

Now I can understand why we build our own boats.
We feel the need to overcome ourselves.

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Cheers,

[i550sailor@aol.com]

This is the image I had in my mind from the moment I started drawing bulkhead patterns on plywood (April 2012).
I thought I can build an 800-lb boat in 9 to 12 months, but ended up spending 2 years 6 months.
This is the image that kept me going on those lonely nights in the workshop away from cosy bed and TV of home.
Many times I felt the urge to quit, but this image reminds me my dreams are my own and nobody owes me one.

Now I can understand why we build our own boats.
We feel the need to overcome ourselves.

2014-12-06-3 (Forum).jpg

Cheers,

Very well said Loh, and man do I hear you. The boat looks great.

[admin]

"Now I can understand why we build our own boats.
We feel the need to overcome ourselves."

A candidate for the "official slogan of the i550 builder-class?"

Great job, Loh!

[Mist]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I'm making progress with painting the hull sides. These photos show the color selection. I'm not completely happy with the finish texture so I'll be wet-sanding the entire boat and applying another coat. Hopefully just one more coat (possibly two, if I sand through).

I used Interlux Profection, Lauderdale Blue. I'm was extremely happy with the way this paint acted on the first coat using Russell Brown's roller only method. I had absolutely lap-mark free finish, though I did have a fair amount of dust in it. I don't know why the second coat applied six hours, the minimum re-coat time, had extreme orange peeled in it.

[admin]

Same here! First coat went on nicely, successive coats not so much.....

Still, the boat looks great Tim!

[lohwaikin]

Deliciously glossy.
For a moment I am seeing 2 chines per side....

[Tim Ford]

I could be wrong, and am often told by the family that I am, but I believe that is just a different color for below the waterline. Tim will tell us, I have faith....

edit: BTW, the next person to post will own number 4500

[Mist]

Righto! The transition btwn white n blue is the waterline, I think. I say "I think" because the plans done show where the waterline is on this design. Obtaining a straight line down the side of the hull is quite a project too. I used a water level to shim the boat level fore and aft, and side to side (backache). Then I use a cheap laser level to project a level line on each side of the hull. I hope the line came out close to where it belongs. It's for show anyways. I'm keeping notes on how the paint job is going and will give more details when the job is finished. I know the photos make the boat look nice and shinny but it really is orange peelly. I know I can do so much better. I paid for college repairing cars in an auto body shop and I can't accept this current paint job. Thanks for the compliment and soon it will look even better.