Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Ready to sail the foamy /hybrid sailboat. Been a fun project and will compliment our teardrop when we travel.

that looks really cool! where is the build thread? have you tried it yet?

Check under message "Could this be built out of foam - PD Racer boat" several posts down. I also incuded a number of pics in my album.

Going to test for leaks tomorrow in the pool, hope to sail on Labor Day. We built it to use while camping.

Larry

Larry... That’s Wonderful !!! Now we need a video ... ...

GPW,

We were planning maiden sail today, but have other commitments. Daughter and I will try to get out Sat.(sept8). May ask her to video and we will post. I have never sailed so it maybe a hoot. Rosey's boat was the inspiration to use foam. When we tested the sailboat for leaks it barely displaced much water.

I modified our teardrop to haul the boat. Removed the rear galley and just slide the boat easily through the hatch area. We never used the kitchen for cooking so it wasn't a loss. The sailboat is longer then the inside of the TD, so I may build a tongue box opened to the interior to allow the boat to be fully enclosed.

I was pleased how easy of a build this was. Feel it will make a good addition to our camping experience.

Kristi and Larry
Clermont Florida

It is Very COOL, and I’m sure will be a fine sailer

So....did you get a chance to try it out yesterday ?

W. Wheels:

Yes we did take it out in less than ideal conditions, gusty winds and threat of rain. Kristi and I are so new to sailing we can't be called novices. The good news is we are alive and well. I am glad we went with a smaller, 35 sq ft sail, rather than the recommended 59 st ft. The boat took off like a rocket from the shore. Covered 1/4 mile in no time at all. I decided to turn around and tack back to the dock when I felt a loss of control of the boat. My self engineered lee board had broken and we had to reef the sail and attempt to row back to our launch site.

The wind and waves made it too difficult to make much leeway so we let the wind blow us to shore. Thankfullly the wind was gusting in the right direction.

The second best news is a good samariton in a jet ski offered to tow us back to the dock.

We are not discouraged and will continue to sail until we can be more comfortable on the water.

I will be repairing the leeboard on Monday and will be back on the water this week. A friend of mine lives on one of the smaller lakes in the chain and we will be practicing there in better weather conditions.

Kristi and Larry - "The never give up sailors"

Great to hear that you're getting right back on that horse - it's the only way to learn.
Sailing is a bit like many other things: you'll try to figure it out time after time and maybe get discouraged once and a while, but if you keep at it it will suddenly 'click' and you'll be zipping around wondering what all the fuss was about.
That said, I still learn something new every time I go out.

If you want to post up some pics of the leeboard and its mount and rail, we may be able to offer some suggestions.
What were the boat and the wind doing when it broke ?

WW,

The wind was high and we were turning about. The problem was caused by my cheapskate nature. I know I should have used plywood for the leeboard attachment. I had some scrap pine board laying around and used it. The break was on the grain were I had fastened the support together. The leeboard is a swing up design so if it hit the lake bottom it will automatically swing up before breaking.

I am going to HD for 3/4" plywood. That should solve the problem. The pic is an example(not mine) of the swing up design. I wanted to be able to remove mine for tranport,so it is not fastened through the side. Used bolts and wing nut and attached it to the gunnel.

Larry

Modified leeboard has been re-designed and re-built. In the famous words of Winston Churchhill, "Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Give Up".

Try to get back out this week for a sail.

On a different topic. We were contacted by Duckworks Magazine to write an article about our PD Racer build. Asked my daughter to help out and will will be sending the article to the editor in the next several weeks.

Kristi and Larry

Nice, and what a good learning experience for your daughter.

Good job.

New Day. Different Lake. Different Daughter. Same Boat. Very Good Sail.
Daughter #4 joined me for her first sail ever. This is the daughter that helped build our teardrop several years ago. I think she is a natural.


Wind was a lot calmer and we had a great time. Still not doing good with tacking. Need lots of practice.

Larry

That looks like great fun and it's even better to be able to share that with your daughter.