Sailboat cruise in Dalmatia, part 2 (Pantera bay - Rava island)

We wake up in the morning and repeat the early swim ritual and we make breakfast. Fried eggs with cheese and onion was my specialty.. Nutella, cheese and vegetables, coffee ... sometimes we would prepare the lunch before the departure. We lift the anchor and go. On the exit of the spacious bay, a German nice trimaran overtakes us. The wind is weak, so neither it is very fast. We take same photos, and discuss about its performances, the pros and cons. We sail to the south, a little bit towards Zverinac isle and then back to the Dugi. Then suddenly we spot a hole in the mountain. According to the book it is a German underground submarine refuge. But we think it could also be built by the Yugoslavian army after WW2. We approach carefully. The sailboat that was anchored just in front of it lifts the anchor and leaves. Since it was much bigger then us, we deduce that we can come just till the entrance. We drop the dinghy. Some by rowing, some by swimming, we enter to the sea tunnel. It is impressive, exciting to imagine submarines entering the hole. Lake in a James Bond movie. We swim inside, walk along the paths on the edge, take pictures and perform water jumps.

After a while, we lift the anchor and continue to the south. We sail zig-zag, chasing the wind and island landscapes. We check some beautiful bays. We have lunch while sailing. As the day comes to the ending, we check on the maps and in books where could we pass the night. The island Rava, with its rugged coastline seems perfect. Just before sunset we arrive to the first bay, Mala Rava. There is no too much space, and we are not very experienced, it's crowded to us, we are hesitating...an Italian sailboat pretty fast enters the bay with a buoy hunter on the bow and targets the buoy chosen by us. We hurry up, and show them then they will have to choose another one.

When the adrenaline dies and the impressions of the day calm down we get aware in what kind of paradise we just arrived. A small village with colorful houses, an old grandpa sands the hull of an wooden boat on shore, children playing in ankle deep water, few people talking, a dimmed conversation from a local restaurant...what a nice atmosphere. As every evening, we recount the day during a light dinner. In the morning we walk around the village, talk to some people and go for a coffee in the local restaurant.  

Sailboat cruise in Dalmatia: Ugljan – Kornati

This is a description of a sailboat cruise that took place in the summer of 2008. (20-28th August), with my sister and a couple of friends.

Last summer, when friends were with us while sailing on a small sailboat, there was an idea for the next summer to make a real cruise and spend a week sailing to the Adriatic. That could have been one of a hundred ideas, one of those that usually falls with coffee in the cafe, and it goes off before the end of the winter when various business and social responsibilities arise. But this time that was not the case, it turned out that we were really interested in this idea and we really did take it for realization. Searching the Internet, dreaming about destinations, evaluating prices, contacting a skipper friend .. the adventure started while still the snow was falling out.

We do the paperwork at the reception, and the skipper shows us all the boat's systems and relieves the ambiguities with patience. We add more water reserves. The excitement grows when we decide to let go the moorings. Although the friend Jordi and me are sailors and we have some experiences from various trips and regattas with bigger crew, it is for the first time that we take the full responsibility for such a boat. I hope we have successfully hidden our anxiosity before of the departure. Immediately in front of the marina we find a nice mistral wind. There is no time for waiting, we have to try the sails. We sail to the north-west of Ugljan hitting large waves while the excitement grows. As night arrives, we estimate that we wont turn the cape of Ugljan and we return to a small bay near Sutomiscica. The small boats that we saw there before left, and left us almost a desert bay. We check the depth and drop the anchor. As part of the evening bathing we check the bottom. Weather forecast says it will be a quiet night. The adrenaline because of the departure for the adventure that has floded us for hours gradually disappears and gives way to total relaxation. We are preparing a simple dinner, talking with wine in the cockpit under the stars until late night.

The next morning, the rays of the already high sunshine wakes us up through the portholes. Unspoilt, warm, blue-green sea is waiting just for us. The morning jump from the boat is a liberating spiritual experience. After swimming and breakfast we will continue to sail further to the north. When the mistral appeared, we opened the sails, although it was a really weak. We pass between the island of Sestrunj and Molat towards the Pantera bay on the island Dugi. The spacious, shallow bay recalls a tropical atoll. We catch a buoy in the north-east part of the bay. After bathing we go to the land to visit the lighthouse and the populated place of Veli Rat. We enjoy walking and taking some pictures, but it's really hot. We got quite dehydrated. Luckyly, we find an open store, so we buy a lot of refreshing drinks. As we walked we got hungry, so we decided to have dinner in a pizzeria. While we ate and drank, we were caught by the darkness. And the way to our boat was not very bright. On the asphalt it was not too difficoult, but at the end we stumbled through the woods, tapped the beach looking for our dinghy and deciphered the contours of the sailboats without anchor lights (one of them was ours). However, we have successfully found our Puntica and after all had a good laugh at our little, late night, gourmet excursion.

The sailboat was an old but good Elan 33.

To be continued..

Motorboat M480

I like sailboats a lot. They offer that connection with the nature, the free, silent, ecological source of energy. The infinite range. Then, there is the physics involved: wind speed, lift force, drag, buoyancy, equilibrium, momentum … all fascinating terms. Even Albert Einstain was aware of the beauty of the sailing activity (https://boatingnz.co.nz/articles/the-universe-relativity-sailing/).

But not everyone shares these opinions, someone prefers the speed, power, independence of the weather that motorboats offer. I also have to admit that lately I was in situations then I wished to have a motorboat (guilty), or more precisely to build one. I am free from work mostly in summer, when here, in my waters, winds are weak and irregular. I often embark some friends that do not know how to sail, or do not have the time or patience to wait for the breeze. I use to combine sailing to reach the fishing spot, and fishing. But if it' s just the afternoon, after job, usually I have just few hours, so I have to decide for just one activity.

Considering also the boat conception, small cabin sailboats are really nice, but no boat can fulfill all the needs, or, there have to be some kind of compromise. Sailing gear is somewhat cumbersome: long mast to lift, heavy centerboard to lift, low boom to be hit with, sails in the cabin...on a small boat reduces the space for the crew and for other (fishing) toys. Also, usually sailboat hulls are displacement hulls, so speed is limited to the displacement speed, i.e. about 5 knots for a 5 m long hull. A semi-displacement or planning hull can offer higher speeds, which is also an attractive feature. It allows reaching further in the limited time. It allows to escape bad weather.

After this introduction, I would like to present one of my plans for a motorboat.

M 480 stands for Motorboat, 4.8 m long. My boats are often planed to be 4.8 meters long because this length can be obtained by adding two plywood sheets of the standard dimension of 2.5m in length. The lines are pretty classic, similar to local boats. A 2.4 meters long and 1.6 m wide cockpit is the main living area. The double floor makes it self-bailing. The cockpit is surrounded by seating benches, under which there are storage volumes. A nice cockpit tent could increase sun or rain protection. A 2 m long cabin in the front allows a sleeping area for two. The cabin can also be used for gear storage, for cooking, reading and rest. There is seating headroom in the cabin and the entrance is wide and easy. There are also storage volumes in the cabin. Overall it is a bit smaller than the mainstream production, but it is lighter, easier to trail and to lift. It is faster and more efficient. Most importantly, it has more character and it is more beautiful, with visible wood finish.

On the transom there is place for an outboard motor. A conservative power of 4-20 hp should be enough to propel the craft.

The hull is built from 8 mm thick plywood, which makes for a good compromise between robustness and lightweight. The mass would be much lower compared to a usual reinforced plastic hull, which means better performance. The consumption would be lower, the power needed to induce planing would be lower, and the final speed would be higher.

The drawings are not yet ready, since I do not still have the life environment to build it. But if someone is interested, I could develop the plans in short time.

Data

LOA: 4.85 m

Beam: 1.85 m

Draft: 0.3 m

Weight: about 200 kg

Engine power: 4-20 hp

S 360

At the time, in 2008, I was building wooden lamps. Lamps were nice, they have the electricity inside, the cables are integrated in the wood, the colours, the game of light and shades... But, compared to sailboats, they are boring. Then I thought.."Hey, I have just one life, I have to use it to do what I really want to do!. Let's check if I could build a nice sailboat."

At the time I was inspired by small, 11-12 ft dinghies. In particular the racing dinghy International Europa, and the Truc 12, designed by Marco Croci.

I start the design process in the traditional manner, with paper and pencil. After many iterations I had a simple sailboat drawing.

Then, for tridimensional development I use the software FreeShip. After many versions, I came with a dinghy that could be built from 3 plywood sheets (2.5 x 1.7 m).

I built a scaled down cardboard model ...

and developed a set of drawings:

The first phase of building was the building of the foils for the daggerboard and for the rudder. I glued up laths of the appropriate dimensions and used a manual planer to shape them.

Then I started to build the hull. I used a ruler and a wooden batten to transfer the drawing lines from the drawing to the plywood sheets.

I cut the parts. I glued up wooden battens along the borders of the stations in order to make them stiffer.

The bottom sides were glued together, and a stations were placed on positions.

The internal filets, the stations in place, and the side strips. It looks like a real small boat.

But there are a lot of small things to do, like protecting internal volumes with some layers of epoxy and with some paint. It is important to do it before closing the volumes. The transom also need to be stiff because it will support the rudder and because it is important for the overall torsional stability. Hence the triangular wooden elements in the corners.

After finishing the top side, the hull is turned over. The bottom looks finished, but it needs to be finished with sandpaper and protected.

A layer of thin glass fiber will be applied and impregnated with epoxy. It improves the rigidity of the bottom. It makes a composite material. Or a sandwich of plywood, epoxy resin and glass fibers.

Epoxy is not UV-radiation resistant, hence it also has to be protected by some layers of paint. A light blue does the job, plus I find it to be very nice looking.

On the top side, I left some exposed plywood surfaces, without paint. It is protected by the thin glass fiber fabric, epoxy and some layers of varnish. On some parts I made some black lines, in order to make it look like the teak strips. I made the holes for inspection hatches.

The mast is also home built. It is an aluminum-wood combination. The sail groove is a square tube with a cut. The stiffness, or the bending curve was tested, in order to get a correct sail shape.

The boat is finally equipped and almost ready to sail.

I enjoyed the project and building process a lot. I had to repair some details at first. And it was far from maintenance-free, but the process was a joy. Of course, I enjoyed also lot of sailing.

Pros and cons

+ looks good

+ light weight

+ good light wind performance

+ pleasant to sail

+ simple, fast and cheap building

- there is no room for a passenger

- can't be moved by a single person or car topped

- unpractical to row

- narrow waterline, instable, not suitable for swimming or fishing trips

Outboard engines – Facts, Trends and Brands

Facts

The outboard engine is a very common mean of small boat propulsion system. It consist of the engine itself, the power transmission (gearbox), the propeller, the mounting system, and on smaller units, the incorporated fuel tank. The main function is of course boat propulsion, but it is used also for steering, since it can rotate on the mountings. It is installed on the transom of the boat.

It offers several advantages over the traditional inboard engine:

- it is easier to install

- the engine, gearbox and propeller are well matched (they have to be matched to the hull too)

- it can be tilted, which allows usage it in shallow waters and to reduce the effects of fouling

It is used mostly for smaller, recreation boats, but lately some brands produce units in power ranges that can fulfill the needs of bigger crafts.

Trends

From the beginning, they were mostly small units, with one cylinder, few horse powers and an included fuel tank. Soon, bigger units appeared, with more cylinders, separate fuel tank, remote controls, electric current generator and greater power.

They were regularly 2-stroke engines, because of the simplicity, reliability, lightness and higher specific power of the 2-stroke engines. On the downside, these engines had higher specific fuel and oil consumption, and higher emissions, especially unburned hydrocarbons, compared to 4-stroke engines. But fuel price and emissions were not a problem at the time at the beginning of the 20^th century. In the late sixties, Honda started to build 4-stroke outboard engines. Later, in the nineties, increasingly stringent exhaust emission limits, especially in the US and Europe, forced all the producers to the 4 – stroke cycle technology. These engines have lower emission levels, fuel consumption, and smoother operation. However they are heavier and more complex then the 2-stroke alternatives.

In the first years of the 2000s, Evinrude came with the E-TEC direct fuel injection system applied to their range of outboard engines. They gained the favor of the public and some media, since they claim to achieve the best of the 2 worlds: 2 and 4 stroke technology.

Brands

The outboard engine has been around now for more than a century. The first commercially available gasoline fueled (there were some electric before) unit seem to be the 1906 - Waterman Porto.

But there were many interesting outboard engines. Some information about hystorical brands can be found on the Internet site: http://www.cailleoutboards.com/rowboat/index.html

Seagull

A legendary design and brand is the British Seagull, produced in England from 1931 to the mid 1990-ies. It' simple design allowed a great reliability and the engines gained many fans. Many of them still run and are actually used. Details about the engines and their history can be found on several Internet sites. At the end of the century it ended its production because of the ever more restricted emission laws, which the 7 decades technology could not fulfill.

http://www.saving-old-seagulls.co.uk/index.html

http://www.classicboat.co.uk/articles/seagull-outboards/

Tomos

In my region, the former Jugoslavia, Tomos was the most famous, and often only brand. It was founded in 1954 in Sežana, Slovenia. The factory was soon transferred to Koper, where it started a licensed production of small motorcycles. The outboard production started in 1959 when the Lamo 05k model was released. It was a one cylinder, 50 ccm, air cooled engine that could deliver 3 hp, with the fuel consumption of 0.9 l per hour.

Later during the sixties more advanced models were developed, with water cooling, enhanced reliability and power. They had the displacement of 59.4 ccm and power between 3 and 4 hp. At the beginning of the seventies, the two cylinder models were developed: the Tomos 10 and 18 had the displacement of 250 ccm, and they delivered 7,3 kW at 4000 - 4600 rpm and 13 kW at 5200 - 6000 rpm.

The production ended with the separation of Jugoslavia at the beginning of the nineties.

Detailed information on Tomos history can be found on:

http://www.splavari.com.hr/plovila/tomos/tomos.htm

Japan is the country with the biggerst number of outboard brands.

Honda has been manufacturing four-stroke outboard engines for over 50 years, which makes them leaders in low emissions. They produce engines divided in 3 ranges: Portables (from 2.3 to 20 hp), Mid range (25 to 100 hp) and High power (115 to 250 hp).

https://marine.honda.com/outboards

Suzuki Produces 4-stroke outboard engines in 4 ranges: Portables (2.5 to 30 hp, carburated or EFI – Electronic Fuel Injection), Mid size (40 – 60 hp), In-line 4 (70 – 200 hp) and V6 (225 -350 hp).

http://www.suzukimarine.com/

Yamaha produces many ranges of 4-stroke outboard engines that really cover all the needs.

- 2.5, 4, 6 hp, single cylinder, carbureted, portable

- 8 – 25 hp , 2- cylinder, lightweight, electronic fuel injection

- 30, 40 hp, 3-cylinder, 750 ccm

- 50, 60, 70 hp, 4-cylinder, 1000 ccm

- 75, 90, 115 hp, - 4-cylinder, 1.8 l displacement

- 150, 175, 200 hp, 2.8 l displacement

- 200 hp, V6, 3.3 l

- 225, 250, 300 hp – V6, 4.2l

- 350 hp, V8, 5.3l

-XTO Offshore - 425 hp, V8 5.6l

Besides, they offer the high tech and performance V Max SHO (Super High Output) line, and claim leading torque, speed, and efficiency:

In-line 4: 90, 115, 150 and 175 hp

V6: 200, 225, 250 hp

https://yamahaoutboards.com/en-us/

Tohatsu began manufacturing outboard engines in 1956 and is Japan’s oldest outboard manufacturer. Outboards were originally developed for commercial Japanese fisherman.

Today they divide their program in 3 ranges. Beside the prevailing 4-stroke units, they offer 2-stroke engines and also LPG powered 4-stroke. Some models have direct fuel injection (TLDI models). There are also some models called Ever Run, which are claimed to have superior reliability.

Portables: 20 hp, 18 hp, 15 hp, 9.9 hp, 9.8 hp, 8 hp, 6 hp, 5 hp, 4 hp, 3.5 hp and 2 (2.5) hp

Mid-Range: 100 hp, 90 hp, 75 hp, 60 hp, 50 hp, 40 hp, 30 hp and 25 hp

High Power: 250 hp, 225 hp, 200 hp, 150 hp, 140 hp and 115 hp.

https://www.tohatsu.com/int/

Mercury

The main American brand is Mercury, located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The first Mercury outboard was manufactured in 1939.

Verado: 250 and 300 hp (V8, 4.6 l displacement), 350 and 400 hp (Inline 6, 2.6 l displacement, supercharged), direct fuel injection

Sea Pro: adressed to the professionals who demand higher reliability, models from 15 to 300 hp, from single cylinder to V8 models.

Four Stroke: dedicated mostly for recreational users, 2.5 to 300 hp models, from 1 cylinder to V8 models, the smallest are carburated, while the biggerr have the EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) system

ProXS: the high performance line. It replaces the OptiMax line of two stroke direct fuel injection engines. It offers more power per weight, higher speed and acceleration then compared to the Four Stroke series. The technology used is derived from racing models and they rely on higher rpm. The power ranges from 115 to 300 hp.

https://www.mercurymarine.com/en-gb/europe/

Evinrude

An outboard named Evinrude after its constructor exist since the 1909. However, the brand name was owned by various owners. In a period it was Johnson, another American outboard brand. In the year 2000 the company was pushed into bankrupcy. In 2001 it was aquired by the Bombardier group. The Evinrude main site is located in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.

Their bigger models ( not tehe Portables) are characterized by two-stroke technology and direct fuel injection. They claim that it allows them superior torque, pawer to weight ratio, lower consumption and emissions than the competitors.

Portables: 3.5 – 15 hp

E-tec: 25 – 135 hp

E-tec G2: 150 – 300 hp

There are some other very interesting niches in outboard market, like the diesel fuelled OXE and Yanmar/Neander 50hp Dtorque 111, the electric powered Torquedo, the LPG powered Lehr. There are also some competitive Chinese alternatives to the mentioned mainstream production, especially in the lower end production. We could mention here the luxuary niche promoted by the American 7-Marine. However, theese occupy smaller market niches. I could possibly write about them in a future post.