Home made outriggers

[Romainpek]

So, we're at 24 downloads (plus my trial, 25), did anybody start building yet ?

[MoeJoe]

Sweet looking sailing setup! Looks like lots of fun.

[John Monroe]

Romainpek I was sidetracked. I am building a new boat called a PDRacer. The PD stands for Puddle Duck. It is a Class sailing boat, and simple to build. Only 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. The bottom 8 inches of the hull all must conform to specifications but from 8 inches up any thing goes. I will put the mast at the bow and also at the at the stern as in the picture and raked forward to hold one large roller reefing sail of about 75 sqft. The top picture of rigging by a fellow in Germany is what I am after.

John

[Romainpek]

I read about the PD Racer class, they seem to be a lot of fun. Their shape is really the opposite of a kayak...

Looking at your pictures above, if I understood well, your boat will be powered by a sort of a giant jib and no mainsail, isn't it ?

[John Monroe]

Yes, a giant jib is a good way to describe it. Without a boom I don't know how well it will sail to wind but I like the idea of having the large roller reefing sail for various weather conditions. I'll have to make a new poly sail for this. In the meantime I can slip my mast in the bow and use my regular sails for sailing. I figure I am about two or three weeks away from putting it into the water.

John

[mje]

Phil Bolger once designed a boat using a single large staysail like this. The idea was in part to get around rules about sail size, I think. But it's a neat way to do a boomless sail.

[John Monroe]

I've seen some of Phil Bolger's boat designs but not the one you mentioned. Shorty Pen built the Bolger "Brick" and from that came up with the PD Racer and made the class rules for it. Phil died with in the last month.

John