{Helix}
The Helix [I am pronouncing it "elí" to make it more original] will likely be my final sailboat project. In the days of old, Engineer and I used to build boats and sail them on the City Lake as a hobby. Our projects were small, but we had fun with it and attracted a little attention from walkers at the lake. The only remnant of the old fleet still in North Carolina now was once my masterpiece, the Enterprise.
The Enterprise had one hull, three masts, multiple sails, etc. It was a beautiful ship compared to most of the ones we used to build. The others weren't that pretty, but they worked. I specialized mostly in catamarans, two-hulled boats, and Engineer built the more basic, and often more reliable, models.
After Engineer moved out of town, I basically dropped the hobby. The Enterprise was my final project, except for the Myth, a Victoria class remote controlled model sailboat.
To Engineer, building a model didn't count, and especially not a remote controlled one. Personally, the Victoria was my favorite, mostly because you could decide where it went.
After a recent trip to City Lake to exercise the old boats (mostly the Myth and the Blast, dad's rc motorboat), I decided to make one final project. This would have to dwarf all other accomplishments Engineer and I had attained. The result was the original Helix design. The Helix will be a catamaran, but different from most of the old catamarans. Most of the old ones had one sail, one mast. This one will be more complicated, with two wooden hulls (the old ones were bottles), two connectors between these hulls, two masts, and I haven't decided how many sails, likely four front-facing and two side-facing. I am going to have the hulls made hydrodynamically, sanded, painted [yellow], etc. Instead of the old mylar sails Engineer and I always used that couldn't fold and were fixed for the most part, I am using a fabric that, if I can get it to work, will fold up just as real sails do.
As it stands, the hulls have been made, sanded, and painted, though I need to paint them again really and I'm out of spray paint. The plan is coming along, and everything is looking good.
If you can't tell, I am very excited about this project. If possible, I would like to christen it this Saturday at City Lake and invite everyone I can. We'll just have to see if I can meet that deadline (not likely lol).
The Enterprise had one hull, three masts, multiple sails, etc. It was a beautiful ship compared to most of the ones we used to build. The others weren't that pretty, but they worked. I specialized mostly in catamarans, two-hulled boats, and Engineer built the more basic, and often more reliable, models.
After Engineer moved out of town, I basically dropped the hobby. The Enterprise was my final project, except for the Myth, a Victoria class remote controlled model sailboat.
To Engineer, building a model didn't count, and especially not a remote controlled one. Personally, the Victoria was my favorite, mostly because you could decide where it went.
After a recent trip to City Lake to exercise the old boats (mostly the Myth and the Blast, dad's rc motorboat), I decided to make one final project. This would have to dwarf all other accomplishments Engineer and I had attained. The result was the original Helix design. The Helix will be a catamaran, but different from most of the old catamarans. Most of the old ones had one sail, one mast. This one will be more complicated, with two wooden hulls (the old ones were bottles), two connectors between these hulls, two masts, and I haven't decided how many sails, likely four front-facing and two side-facing. I am going to have the hulls made hydrodynamically, sanded, painted [yellow], etc. Instead of the old mylar sails Engineer and I always used that couldn't fold and were fixed for the most part, I am using a fabric that, if I can get it to work, will fold up just as real sails do.
As it stands, the hulls have been made, sanded, and painted, though I need to paint them again really and I'm out of spray paint. The plan is coming along, and everything is looking good.
If you can't tell, I am very excited about this project. If possible, I would like to christen it this Saturday at City Lake and invite everyone I can. We'll just have to see if I can meet that deadline (not likely lol).
posted by Doug at 10:47 PM
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