The Mentor (long, with images!)
Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:58 pm
Although it appears I will not have a Mentor at the Armada (plug is all set, but I am going by my "mentor's" schedule as to when he can direct me in making the mold), I have decided to explain some of the theory behind it.
First, the basics: 8.5' long, 28" wide. Special thanks to AdkSara for taking some nice images of the plug...it is difficult with the samem color boat and shiny surfaces....
From the Bow and Stern and Bow
From the side (note: angle on bow and stern is much more gradual than angle where paddler sits), and the "top"
As background I've read the squirtbook and messed around in boats such as the Acrobat, Oxygen, Edge, and Maven (not to mention Groove and Sith, which also served as inspirations for the design), and talked at length with Eric Zitzow (Angst designer) on his theories of squirting, as well as corresponding via msg. boards with Jim Snyder.
What I find fascinating about squirting is that everyone has their own theory...and although their boats may work, their theories may be mutually exclusive! So I don't think anyone out there really understands it completely, though the two aforementioned folks clearly understanding it far better than most of us, including (or especially!) myself.
When I starting pondering what has become the Mentor, it started from the feedback on the Maven, as well as ideas I've had previously.
It appeared that folks were looking for a boat with the following characteristics:
-Stable
-low volume
-comfortable
-possibility of downtime (mystery move)
-possibiliity of river running
-able to surf
Now, as some of you are likely aware, a boat that surfs well tends to not mystery well, and vice-versa. So that is one compromise that had to be made.
Likewise, I wished to emulate the Sith, which in my opinion is brilliantly executed for what it is, and the cockpit area is simply the best out there, period. To have a COMFORTABLE (within reason
) boat, as well as for stabilities sake, it needs to be wide. The Mentor hull, at the very bottom, is 27" wide. If you sit on a 6" (or even smaller) block you will note that you can be quite comfortable with outer leg 27" apart (or, if your "vertically challenged" you may not be able to sit that far apart!!). The reason is you are not sitting ON your knees any longer - ALL (not most of) yout weight is on the seat, as it should be. This is MUCH more comfortable.
Unfortunately, this width has a price. The Mentor will be slower. And not just in forward speed, but in spinning under water as well - width means more contact area with the water, which means more drag. The boat has somewhat graceful curves to reduce the drag to a certain extent, but they need to be "sharp" enough to still allow overall volume to be minimized.
For river-running, and surfability, you need a little rocker of one sort or another. This actually degrades mystery potential, and in my humble opinion this is "proven" in Jim Snyder's latest design the KOR. NO rocker, it has been described as the best downtime machine yet...with the understanding it's "park and play" for almost everyone.
So, the boat, like any out there, does have some compromises to make it a bit more multi purpose.
Now, here are MY theories of why it will work. They are not tested yet, as the first boat or two will be the test machines in reality. Any and all feedback is welcome, whether you agree or disagree!
1) Mysteryability...assuming the cut is right (volume low enough), I believe you will be able to "load" the decks much better than a kayak, as the concavities will "grab" the water. Anyone who's stern squirted a Cruist Control or Sleek vs. an Atom knows there is a difference in how the current interacts with the boat. The Mentor's concavities (or pools) are MUCH bigger (gallon plus, each). That's how you "get down". Now, the one issue that I agree on with Eric and Jim is that the Mentor will not spin as nicely underwater as some kayakers. It's wide. It has a shaped deck and hull. BUT, it is my hypothesis that eventhough the boat will not spin as fast the width will help keep it down. An object underwater will rise faster if there is LESS surface area at it's leading edge...and the Mentor will have MORE surface area, provided you keep it flat.
On a side, note, if you believe in the "wing" theory of mystery moves, you'll love the Mentor. Hull is designed like a wing, deck, though concave, has a slight unevenness to it - the idea being that water flowing over it will be a little more turbulent (yes, drag), but that will actually help separate the flows, and have the water flow across the TOP of the concavity rather than down into and back out again. Like moving a glass around under water. Will it work that way? Good question! Water does have a lot of adhesion to itself, but basically we're looking to have an "eddy" in the bow and stern of the boat!
2) Comfort - to a certain extent I've discussed this already. Wide knee stance, and a width of the boat enough to be stable regardless of your favored saddle height. Kneecaps will be tucked in just under the cockpit rim, toes and feet (for the longer-legged among us) will go under the rear rim in a "pocket" I left for that very reason. there is an extra space in front of the paddler for water bottle, throw bag, or whatever. Skirt circumference is designed to be similar to the Wheelboy and Cascade / Atom. Shape is a bit "old school", in the shape of a U, but really, this makes SO much sense for a Cboat, especially if your knees are not totally under the deck.
3) Surfability - we'll see! I've modeled the hull after the Groove and Sith, but in concept only. The area of the plane under the paddler (and in the bow and stern) was derived from what was realistic from an overall volume perspective. There are no sharp release chines (as there are on the Groove and Sith) as these would degrade mystery performance further, as well as take a real beating when squirting (sharp edges to not wear well). I expect it to be loose on a wave, and with 4" of rocker surf a lot of smaller features (Ok, what I consider small...remember my "short boat" is the Master Cut Acrobat at 10.5' )! This amount of rocker (virtually identical to my master cut acrobat) should allow it to be a reasonable river running squirt boat as well.
4) Other- cartwheels for instance. It is short enough it should cartwheel well, particularly in lower cuts where the distant bow and stern approach Acrobat propostions (e.g. not volume, just glass). Some have thought the length of the Maven distinctly hurt it's cartwheelability, but having cartwheeled an 11.5' Acrobat I'm not sure I agree. I think the Maven had too much rocker, and the "turret" was too high in relation to the rest of the boat, which causes it to stall out when trying to cartwheel in many cases.
Now, some other explanations for the shape:
-sides around paddler are steep to allow for widespread knees. Not perfect, as this "wall" will slow spinning a little, but it's not THAT thick.
-"rails" run out from the turret area to the tip for strength - the deck should be extremely strong, which is good, as it needs to help support such a flat hull! The layup will also be done in such a way to increase the stiffness of the hull.
-rounded bow and stern for increased control and better durability
-Hull blends UP to deck to be able to remain stable while crossing eddylines and such. I did not want the bow to be as "trippy" as the Grooves....
-area around rim is shpped to blend into the boat, and shed water. The plug looks odd without a rim, and should look nicely "capped" when you're in the boat with a skirt on:)
Images of the plug to be posted later today in this message.
Questions, comments, etc...are welcome and appreciated!
Adam
First, the basics: 8.5' long, 28" wide. Special thanks to AdkSara for taking some nice images of the plug...it is difficult with the samem color boat and shiny surfaces....
From the Bow and Stern and Bow
From the side (note: angle on bow and stern is much more gradual than angle where paddler sits), and the "top"
As background I've read the squirtbook and messed around in boats such as the Acrobat, Oxygen, Edge, and Maven (not to mention Groove and Sith, which also served as inspirations for the design), and talked at length with Eric Zitzow (Angst designer) on his theories of squirting, as well as corresponding via msg. boards with Jim Snyder.
What I find fascinating about squirting is that everyone has their own theory...and although their boats may work, their theories may be mutually exclusive! So I don't think anyone out there really understands it completely, though the two aforementioned folks clearly understanding it far better than most of us, including (or especially!) myself.
When I starting pondering what has become the Mentor, it started from the feedback on the Maven, as well as ideas I've had previously.
It appeared that folks were looking for a boat with the following characteristics:
-Stable
-low volume
-comfortable
-possibility of downtime (mystery move)
-possibiliity of river running
-able to surf
Now, as some of you are likely aware, a boat that surfs well tends to not mystery well, and vice-versa. So that is one compromise that had to be made.
Likewise, I wished to emulate the Sith, which in my opinion is brilliantly executed for what it is, and the cockpit area is simply the best out there, period. To have a COMFORTABLE (within reason
) boat, as well as for stabilities sake, it needs to be wide. The Mentor hull, at the very bottom, is 27" wide. If you sit on a 6" (or even smaller) block you will note that you can be quite comfortable with outer leg 27" apart (or, if your "vertically challenged" you may not be able to sit that far apart!!). The reason is you are not sitting ON your knees any longer - ALL (not most of) yout weight is on the seat, as it should be. This is MUCH more comfortable.Unfortunately, this width has a price. The Mentor will be slower. And not just in forward speed, but in spinning under water as well - width means more contact area with the water, which means more drag. The boat has somewhat graceful curves to reduce the drag to a certain extent, but they need to be "sharp" enough to still allow overall volume to be minimized.
For river-running, and surfability, you need a little rocker of one sort or another. This actually degrades mystery potential, and in my humble opinion this is "proven" in Jim Snyder's latest design the KOR. NO rocker, it has been described as the best downtime machine yet...with the understanding it's "park and play" for almost everyone.
So, the boat, like any out there, does have some compromises to make it a bit more multi purpose.
Now, here are MY theories of why it will work. They are not tested yet, as the first boat or two will be the test machines in reality. Any and all feedback is welcome, whether you agree or disagree!
1) Mysteryability...assuming the cut is right (volume low enough), I believe you will be able to "load" the decks much better than a kayak, as the concavities will "grab" the water. Anyone who's stern squirted a Cruist Control or Sleek vs. an Atom knows there is a difference in how the current interacts with the boat. The Mentor's concavities (or pools) are MUCH bigger (gallon plus, each). That's how you "get down". Now, the one issue that I agree on with Eric and Jim is that the Mentor will not spin as nicely underwater as some kayakers. It's wide. It has a shaped deck and hull. BUT, it is my hypothesis that eventhough the boat will not spin as fast the width will help keep it down. An object underwater will rise faster if there is LESS surface area at it's leading edge...and the Mentor will have MORE surface area, provided you keep it flat.
On a side, note, if you believe in the "wing" theory of mystery moves, you'll love the Mentor. Hull is designed like a wing, deck, though concave, has a slight unevenness to it - the idea being that water flowing over it will be a little more turbulent (yes, drag), but that will actually help separate the flows, and have the water flow across the TOP of the concavity rather than down into and back out again. Like moving a glass around under water. Will it work that way? Good question! Water does have a lot of adhesion to itself, but basically we're looking to have an "eddy" in the bow and stern of the boat!
2) Comfort - to a certain extent I've discussed this already. Wide knee stance, and a width of the boat enough to be stable regardless of your favored saddle height. Kneecaps will be tucked in just under the cockpit rim, toes and feet (for the longer-legged among us) will go under the rear rim in a "pocket" I left for that very reason. there is an extra space in front of the paddler for water bottle, throw bag, or whatever. Skirt circumference is designed to be similar to the Wheelboy and Cascade / Atom. Shape is a bit "old school", in the shape of a U, but really, this makes SO much sense for a Cboat, especially if your knees are not totally under the deck.
3) Surfability - we'll see! I've modeled the hull after the Groove and Sith, but in concept only. The area of the plane under the paddler (and in the bow and stern) was derived from what was realistic from an overall volume perspective. There are no sharp release chines (as there are on the Groove and Sith) as these would degrade mystery performance further, as well as take a real beating when squirting (sharp edges to not wear well). I expect it to be loose on a wave, and with 4" of rocker surf a lot of smaller features (Ok, what I consider small...remember my "short boat" is the Master Cut Acrobat at 10.5' )! This amount of rocker (virtually identical to my master cut acrobat) should allow it to be a reasonable river running squirt boat as well.
4) Other- cartwheels for instance. It is short enough it should cartwheel well, particularly in lower cuts where the distant bow and stern approach Acrobat propostions (e.g. not volume, just glass). Some have thought the length of the Maven distinctly hurt it's cartwheelability, but having cartwheeled an 11.5' Acrobat I'm not sure I agree. I think the Maven had too much rocker, and the "turret" was too high in relation to the rest of the boat, which causes it to stall out when trying to cartwheel in many cases.
Now, some other explanations for the shape:
-sides around paddler are steep to allow for widespread knees. Not perfect, as this "wall" will slow spinning a little, but it's not THAT thick.
-"rails" run out from the turret area to the tip for strength - the deck should be extremely strong, which is good, as it needs to help support such a flat hull! The layup will also be done in such a way to increase the stiffness of the hull.
-rounded bow and stern for increased control and better durability
-Hull blends UP to deck to be able to remain stable while crossing eddylines and such. I did not want the bow to be as "trippy" as the Grooves....
-area around rim is shpped to blend into the boat, and shed water. The plug looks odd without a rim, and should look nicely "capped" when you're in the boat with a skirt on:)
Images of the plug to be posted later today in this message.
Questions, comments, etc...are welcome and appreciated!
Adam
Sure is shiney 
The earlier images didn't really show how deep the concavities are, WOW 
Are you sure that this will have more volume than a master cut Acro?
Gotta agree about the Mentor looking along the lines of the Oxygen. Was there any influence from your Oxygen, or did that end up being coincidental? Inquiring minds want to know. 