Scamp Build in Kansas!

The place to discuss SCAMP (Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project), our 11' 11" micro minicruiser.

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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

The shock cord ties on here:
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Just little lengths of thin spectra (dynema) line threaded and knotted through the existing outhaul holes at the tack and clew on the boom.

More info on previous thread page (15)
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

Here are some more things that make me happy:

I’m really glad I made these cargo nets - great for quickly stashing things out of the way
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I’m keeping fenders, various lines, the bucket, my kayak pump with hose, and the ballast tank hatch and drain plug all stashed in there. I think when I’m cruising, I’ll keep wetsuit, jacket, shoes, etc jammed in there.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

The thwart lock down system works well - just a turn and they loosen to slide back and forth without coming off; with several turns the clamp pivots out of the way and the thwart can be removed:
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The main sheet cleat thwart works the same, and I have been using it to hook my feet under to hike out when close hauled.
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Last edited by ericleif on Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
ericleif
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Posts: 209
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

The anchor storage system works well so far:
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The rode is snugged down tight and cleated to the transom when trailering (although the lid itself when bungeed down keeps the line pretty well)
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All closed up - I like having a place to put the anchor as soon as I haul it back aboard. I clip it into it’s bracket and then flake the rode in after - when I have a chance.
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And that phifertex bag snaps to the rode boxes and holds a series sea drogue that ties down to an eye strap underneath. This *may* be handy in rough conditions, but it will get a lot of use as a sea anchor for swimming. I love going for a dip away from shore - and that just adds some security even though SCAMP seems to stay put pretty well with the sail down.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

And the trailering crutch system:
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And the trailering crutch system:
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The stern crutch has pintles that go where the rudder pintles go; the spars are held down with tension the mainsheet, the halyard and the downhaul, with some shock cord for good measure.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

Here’s what hasn’t worked so far:

I made a re-entry rope ladder with PVC pipe rungs...um, nope. Not pleasant, not functional. I can go into details, but...while I was able to get aboard with it, it was awkward, painful and taxing. The H.R. sling so easy and elegant - much better.

I attached a long loop of line to the mast, clothesline style, to raise and lower a little LED masthead light. It works, but sometimes it snags on the halyard when raising the sail - I’m taking it off.

My brain. I forgot to raise the centerboard and trailered SCAMP from the water with it down. I knew that would happen at some point, just not so soon. I’ll pop it off today to repair if needed - I think it’ll be needed : |
ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

Here is another little detail I’m glad I included...

On the boom, I put a little thumb cleat as far back as I could, right up against the block that leads line down to the traveler. This cleat is for the aft lazy jack. When I’m at anchor, or rowing, I can quickly unhook the aft lazy jack from it’s chock (on the boom near the left side of pic) and hook it into that thumb cleat (green arrow), which raises the rear of the boom/yard/sail bundle to a good height with lots of head clearance. Great for rowing especially.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

Bailers, hatches, and capsize drills...

I just did some capsize drills (not turtle drills...yet). I think I capsized 8 or 9 times total and tested the hatches and bailers a bit.

Sea Sure Supersuck bailer update: I repeatedly capsized (roughly same amount of water in boat each time), and I didn’t notice a significant difference in the water removal speed moving with the bailers open vs. still with the bailers open. They do make a sucking noise and I think I can feel a slight suction there while moving around 3.5 knots but not much. I will update if they seem to work significantly better at higher speeds. The good news is they do drain the boat (capsize amount of water) in a few min. without moving or me scooping. I think just installing simple drain plugs of the same diameter slightly below the water line in the sumps would achieve similar results - just a little more water left in the sumps. If I had done that I’d probably leave them open most of the time as I do with the bailers. It’s really nice to have any water that comes aboard removed without having to do anything - the sole is always dry. Such a great feature of this boat design.

I also tested with the scuppers open as well and that did seem to speed things up from 2.5 min to about 1.5 minutes to passively drain the boat (not moving). So far, I glad I installed those. They are installed about an inch or two above the waterline and let water in from time to time which the bailers remove, but I keep them closed most of the time.

All the hatches worked great. My RB style home made B3 hatches where bone dry after all those capsizes (they make a whooshing noise when opened). The Armstrong hatched worked great too. Most of those compartments had a few drops of water, but that could have gotten in when opening the hatches - not sure.

How I capsized: there just wasn’t much wind - maybe 8 kts, tiny crests just starting, full sail up, Kansas lake - no real waves. If I got on a beam reach, sheeted in, and came up hard, I could get it to dip the coaming, and let in a little water over the side (me leaning leeward and hanging on to the windward coaming rail) - taking care not to fall out of the boat! But that’s it.

Instead I lowered the sail tied a dock line to the halyard mast loop, and raised sail back up. Jumped in (first few times with a sea anchor just in case), grabbed the dock line with my feet against the hull and hauled. As the mast came down, the boat naturally moves away from me until the mast lowers to the water (I took care to keep the yard mast from coming down on me, but wasn’t difficult to do so in these calm conditions.
ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

Also practiced anchoring and lots of 360’s, figure eights over and over, MOB drills with a fender thrown in the water, back sailing, and practiced being appreciative when people come over to my aid. “Thank you but I’m just practicing”.

Next up: turtle drills carefully and incrementally. I’ll be thinking this through beforehand. I think I will tie the dock line to the mast end (halyard) and a fender to the other end of the line to keep it afloat so I can pull on that as a backup plan to right the boat.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!

Post by ericleif »

I had a rough day and a good day and learned something I think. Went out to practice righting from this situation: knocked down on side, centerboard retracted and cleated off (like if the centerboard had been raised for gybing and adjusting weather helm while running with the wind), so righting line would be necessary. Once the boat was on it’s side I placed my hand on the coaming and hung my weight on it a bit to try to reach up and uncleat the board just to see if that’s an option. From the account of Howard Rice, this is a way to turtle the boat. But it just looked so stable in that position…The boat proceeded to turtle with confidence.

I may have panicked a bit : | The short of it is I spent a lot of energy doing stupid stuff that didn’t work, and by the end of 15 min. was totally exhausted, lost skin from my hands and wrists (slipping ropes), and made no progress.

By that time, another boat came over to assist. I asked if they would wait for me to try one more time by myself. A dock line had been cleated on one side and thrown over the hull as righting line. I tied a butterfly loop in as high as I could. That made all the difference. I could plant my feet on the coaming rail lip, grab that loop, straighten out my body to get it out of the water, and hold it there without fatiguing. “Come on you mother ++++++”, and it slowly righted. They cheered, I sighed, spent.

I decided to attach dedicated righting lines per the manual, but tied 4 loops in each line.

The first loop lands at the closer skeg when turtled. It’s high, but I can still grab it and pull either with my feet planted on the coaming rail lip, the gunwale lip or from a standing position on top of the hull (requires getting up on top of the hull first which uses up some energy). That gets the boat to the halfway point. But the loop is too low then to finish.

So, grabbing the second loop at that point, a couple of feet higher, allows me to finish the righting with the centerboard retracted; just grabbing skegs did not work at all for me, but used up tons of energy.

A third loop at the end of the line works as a stirrup if needed to get up onto the hull if tired (not sure how helpful that loop will be)

The fourth is in between, and in the right spot so that it can be used to right from a capsize (halfway towards turtle) with the centerboard retracted, by throwing it from the cockpit over the hull in the other direction…

I went out the next day and turtled the boat 6-7 times using new dedicated righting lines with loops with no problem (experimenting with different reefing situations) - worked every time - remarkably easier. What seemed impossible the day before, now seems easy and fun, at least in calm conditions - amazing boat.

I think this could be important to practice incase the centerboard is cleated up, or the CB downhaul comes off the block that turns the corner at BH 4 causing it to bind up, which happened a few times, or the string glued in the bottom of the CB slips inside the trunk and becomes inaccessible which happened once.

Anyway, FWIW, and at your own risk, hope that’s helpful.

From turtle with CB retracted:
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From capsize with CB retracted (second, opposite-side righting line shown here):
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Catching some rays:
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