Tuesday 24 March 2015

Life art boats

Made to measure. I am beginning to see more clearly like feeling with my hands in the dark, away of developing lost at seas still further. By reaching back into my childhood to the events that have gone some way to inspiring the work so far and making drawigs models and artifacts of reflection. I now have a growing body of work and confidence to continue despite the lack of immediate income, i hope to have enough work soon for another show of lost at sea but with a wider collection of artifacts contributing to the whole, it should be more attractive to show and sell the smaller items.

Friday 6 March 2015

Through bolted towing eye

Now getting carried away and no idea if the thing floats. So desperate to see gaffuw floating.

design criteria

Criteria 55kg Hull weight Good beach wave handling Sail closeto wind Sail at 5 knots Capable of 290kg Minimum load 100kg Seaworthy in chop and wind Towable (by boat) Roof-rack mountable Self bailing 4 seats Bouyancy Rowable Sailable Rightable
ID A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
ID Criteria                              
A 55kg Hull weight                              
B Good beach wave handling A                            
C Sail closeto wind A C                          
D Sail at 5 knots A D C                        
E Capable of 290kg E E E E                      
F Minimum load 100kg A B C D E                    
G Seaworthy in chop and wind B G G G G G                  
H Towable (by boat) H H H H H H H                
I Roof-rack mountable A I I I E I G H              
J Self bailing J J J J J J J J            
K 4 seats K K K K K K K H I J          
L Bouyancy L L L L L L L L L L L        
M Rowable M M M M M M M M M M M M      
N Sailable N N N N N N N N N N N N M    
O Rightable O O O O O O O O O O O O O O  
P
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
Total 5 2 3 2 6 0 6 9 5 9 7 11 13 12 14


Letter of Thanks to Ian Oughtred


4.3.15

 

Ian Oughtred

Stuan Cottage

Bernisdale

Isle of Skye

IV51 9NS

 

01470 532732

 

 

Dear Ian

 

This winter I have made a skin-on-frame lightweight lug rigged double ender pictures enclosed. I have not had it afloat yet! Will let you know how it goes. I must thank you for your boat construction book, and lug designs, they inspired and helped me develop my own set of lines along with other references. Having rowed a good distance in a Faroe Islands boat at the Nólsoy feastival with the Faroe museum curator he gave me a copy of his book on the boats, this was also a great inspiration. I have also had the pleasure of working 2 weeks along side a boat builder at the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum, Denmark and sailing some of their collection of boats, this experience made a great impression on me. Making a commitment to designing your own hull shape is a leap of faith it seems of a rear nature these days, its not the first boat I have made but it always feels like that, addicted to the new. Having not floated it yet I cannot comment on the pleasure and/or pain involved fully, but so far I would not have done it another way. The lines and details, I finally decided on after two weeks over the drawing board are the result of many factors, a friend made a design comparison chart to help, enclosed, it gives an idea of my brief.

 

This boat was made as part of an art project called 'Lost at Sea', in memory partly to my late father who worked offshore in the North Sea oil and gas drilling and production for 35 years. Two skin-on-frame pods are part of the art installation, which to my surprise won a place, and the prize for most original artwork, at the Visual Arts Scotland open show at the Royal Scottish Academy last month. This project I hope to tour as an exhibition with some workshop activities for all ages and at some point a visually documented art performance with the family taking the pods out to sea in an off shore wind and releasing the pods.

 

This summer our new skin boat 'Guffaw' will be our tender on our summer cruise in our Folkboat 'Chuckle'. Guffaw will give the kids some adventure between the passage making.

 

I will go off now and weigh the boat, interesting problem, as I do not have these details yet to share and it being one of the design criteria that influenced the design. I am at present finishing the rig so it can be reefed easily, and making the hard foam buoyancy blocks to go in the ends and under the seats. After launching at Eyemouth soon I hope, (its killing me waiting), the family, Jenny (mum), Fergus 10yrs, Freyja 7yrs, Beatrice the dog and myself will make a sailing rowing camping trip down loch Shiel. Perhaps a night at the Glenfinnan house hotel after the trip might be appreciated.

 

 

Thanks again for your inspiration.

 

 

Thomas Hawson

Thursday 5 March 2015

Bar balance

The ply bar was balanced with 5.016 kg this was deducted as ply bar weight to get final fig.

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Oops. New weight!

I forgot to deduct the weight of the ply bar so final weight calcs are:
77.246 kg for rigged weight
55.176 kg for hull weight including centre board. Wow, thats spot on the weight i required in my design brief to be able to lift the boat on to the truck roof bars.

How much does guffaw weigh

82.262 kg rigged
60.192 kg hull,with centre board only.

Very happy with that. Now how do we get that on and off the roof rack?