I'm almost completely done with the rough shaping. The next step is sanding the worked areas down to 400 grit paper.
It was more difficult filling in the deck's wings than the hull's. The small radius meant I had to do it all by hand. I used cardboard templates off the hull to transfer the matching profile to the deck.
I cut divots into the hull and deck for the required safety radii. We'll find out whether they actually match up!
Tentatively named either the CSX or the Scip, but I'm always open to suggestions.
(The two "parent" boats were the Cobra and the Stinger, thus the C and S in the name.)
I've already got the bow grab-loop divot. Now is the time to make something for the stern. My Makao has a very simple groove. Not that easy to make though, since in the mold it stands proud of the surface.
Very nice, Bob! I really like the bow volume and shape around the bow edges. Looks like it will be fast through wave trains. Can't wait to see the finished project on the stern.
C-boats Moderator
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
The previous design was an Attainment King, and this one should be even better. You really have to work to bury the bow in small waves. It just climbs right over them.
I got the stern narrowed down this afternoon. It was easier than I expected: I trimmed the deck first and it settled into the hull, where it was easy to mark and cut. No more pictures today. I finish-trimmed everything (including making the cockpit hole) and prepped the edges for the inside seams. Hopefully I'll start that tomorrow. I'm going to do as much seaming as possible with the hull in the mold, to keep the assembly from unintentionally taking on a twist.
I'm also going to glue in some angles to hold the walls in place.
What I have now weighs about 19 lbs, so I'm looking at a finished and outfitted weight of about 26-27 lbs. It's a 4-over-5 layup: Semi-cruise.
I just finished the inside seams. It's a good thing I've done them before - I've got it down fairly well with my "special tools". (And thank goodness that my pigment is thin enough so that I didn't have to drag a drop light in there with my head, arms and tools...)
I've got some temporary outside seams which I'll now mostly grind off and replace with something permanent.. Plus, I definitely have to do an end pour in the stern It's really thin for the last 12" so I need some serious reinforcement. The current length is 145". Once the new mold is done, I think that if someone wants, more length can be taken off. Just a matter of a little trimming. I didn't want to do all the shortening from the original shape: I was already pushing the limits of change, and frankly I don't especially care if it's not at the minimum length. I like speed!
The pieces inside the cockpit opening are guides for the walls.
Busy weekend! After finishing the inside seams on Thursday, I did the outside seams on Saturday, the end pours, plus made the bow and stern walls.
Today I did the cockpit coaming, made some knee cups and did some preliminary seat fitting.
I took the boat out for its maiden voyage to check its trim. I'm going to set it up so the seat will have two easily-changeable positions: Forward for more stability, rearward for tighter courses. I think people are going to like this boat. ;>) Very controllable, even with a loose seat and no straps. Like my Stinger (maybe better even) the bow doesn't bob at all under Power Paddling, but you can still pivot at will.
Now to finish the outfitting and fix a bunch of surface imperfections in the hull from my (failed) effort at vacuum bagging.
I really like how far back you moved the widest part of the boat. It looks like it is where the feet are resting. That gives the boat lines similar to wildwater racers. Can't wait to see the finished product, especially the stern volume and edges.
Nice boat!
C-boats Moderator
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
KNeal wrote:I really like how far back you moved the widest part of the boat. It looks like it is where the feet are resting. That gives the boat lines similar to wildwater racers. Can't wait to see the finished product, especially the stern volume and edges.
Nice boat!
The original 4M boat from which this was derived had the back of the cockpit opening only 1" further back from the tip of the bow than this one. (I made this cockpit closer to what is the current standard, which is considerably larger than the older boats.) Since I widened the bow and narrowed the stern on this one, I shifted the cockpit forward a bit. Still, width notwithstanding, there's not much stern volume left after shortening and squashing, so the boat is pretty well balanced.
You should have seen the wings on the old boat necessary to make the 70cm minimum. At least as far back as the current maximum. It just looks more radical because I took all the length out of the stern.
That is pretty sweet looking. What is the weight range in paddler for this boat? are you still planning on coming south at some point? I'd love to give'r a spin. Once again, awesome job sir.
I have no problem with buoyancy, and I'm currently at 165 lbs. I think 185-190 lbs would probably be pushing things. With a cut-down stern, this would work well down to about 140 lbs.
I plan on heading South in the beginning of August.
I guess most folks don't know what your 9-5 job is.
Well, it could be the train company too. Actually (and somewhat coincidentally to the CSX name), this is where I currently work. Era ReplicasMy CSX comes from Cobra (OC1) - Stinger (C1) eXchange. A blend of both my old hull designs into a third.
Took the prototype out for its first actual whitewater trial at T'Ville. Works well! I think I'm going to flatten out the stern deck a bit before production begins. A bit too much buoyancy and form drag. If I flatten out only the deck, it will act as an inverted airfoil when the boat is pivoting.
I'd have video, except the friggin' camera battery was dead. Fortunately, my friend and occasional C1-racer David Su was there to demo the boat, and I was able to see the performance from an outside observer's vantage point.
All together now. I fixed many flaws in the hull from my failed attempt at vacuum bagging.
It's hard to see, but I enlarged my original coaming toward the stern end, making the boat more pivot-friendly. That flaw should be fixed when I modify the stern. The pieces coming out of the new mold should allow the shape to be flattened and narrowed (or left as is for the larger paddler). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qcADIvl ... ature=plcp
That does indeed look great! Looks to pivot MUCH easier than my F2. Has the forward speed turned out as you hoped? I know your past creations have been very fast...
It's a good thing I've done them before - I've got it down fairly well with my "special tools". (And thank goodness that my pigment is thin enough so that I didn't have to drag a drop light in there with my head, arms and tools...) 
Fortunately, my friend and occasional C1-racer David Su was there to demo the boat, and I was able to see the performance from an outside observer's vantage point.
