Idiot proofing Peerie Maa

[Peerie Maa]

Let us begin:
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/DSC01038.jpg
From aft
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/DSC01041.jpg
From t' front
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/DSC01042.jpg
"Clearing the decks"
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/DSC01046.jpg

[Peerie Maa]

Hangar bolts go into the Stamron.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/DSC01044.jpg
The hangar bolts are made from SB wood screws with the heads cut off and the shanks threaded (0BA in this case)
Hangar bolts in, webbing going in (the webbing is salvaged from seatbelts from the breakers yard, nice and wide)
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/planes001.jpg
Bow pillow in:D
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/planes002.jpg

[Peerie Maa]

Now the midship and aft pillows
Mast Band upper fixing
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/planes003.jpg
Lower end (by the jib fair lead.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps007.jpg
Pillow in
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps020.jpg
Driving hangar bolts in after tack timber, the nuts were made from some non ferrous flat bar from the scrap bin.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps001.jpg
Aft webbing in
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps002.jpg
One more pillow to go
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps019.jpg

[Peerie Maa]

The tafts go back in.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps022.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps021.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps023.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps024.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/straps026.jpg

[Peerie Maa]

Might as well put the rig in as well.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/finished006.jpg
Checking the jib sheet lead.
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/DSC01084.jpg
Looks OK
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/finished008.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/finished007.jpg
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/finished005.jpg
The End

[StevenBauer]

Very nice! She's a fine looking boat. Will you do some capsize practice to see how she floats when swamped?


Steven

[Peerie Maa]

Only if I can find a warm bit of sea.

[johnw]

Well, you'll never know how well it works until you try it. When I capsized Black Swan, I found I might have overdone it with the floatation in the sides. Once the mast started to sink, the boat became too stable upside down. I'll be changed a few things because of that test.

[WX]

That is one very nice boat and looks very pleasurable to sail as well.

[David G]

I'd second the notion of a capsize test before assuming you can self-rescue with the new setup. Just from the fotos, you could well have created a beast that will be very stable when upside-down... and resist efforts to right. Or not... but I'd certainly want proof if she were mine.

[Hwyl]

My guess is that swamping is more likely than capsizing.. She has no cntreboard case, so he just has to keep the rails above wave height, while he does the scared man with a bucket imitation. If she capsizes, righting it would be a job for a motor boat.

Nice horse by the way. We're shipping you warm water everyday, using the current methodology. Try swimming in Maine waters brrr

[John B]

Are those holt bag thingys a commonly available sort of unit o'er there Nick?

[Yeadon]

That's a fine boat, Nick. Fun to see how another guy fits out a double-ender. We all do it a little bit different.


Well, you'll never know how well it works until you try it. When I capsized Black Swan, I found I might have overdone it with the floatation in the sides. Once the mast started to sink, the boat became too stable upside down. I'll be changed a few things because of that test.

Now, this is a story that I'd like to hear.

[PeterSibley]

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp164/peerie_maa/Idiot%20proof/DSC01038.jpg

Very nice indeed !
Nick , I'm assuming she is an older build ? Any details ?

[RFNK]

Looks really good Nick! Could you arange things so that you could run one of those Holt bags up to the top of the mast in the event of a capsize to prevent turning turtle? Rick

[Seth Wood]

Looks beautiful. What a boat!

I have Jack Holt bags in my Windmill. Be sure you UNDER-inflate them when the boat will be sitting outside, particularly in hot weather. The air inside a sealed bag can expand to startling proportions! I've rigged a short bit of tubing so I can top off the air to re-inflate just before sailing.

[Peerie Maa]

So many questions so little time.

Peter, you asked about her age. I have nothing on the age of Peerie Maa or the name of her builder, apart from being advised that the cotton suit of sails that came with her were made before 1956.

WX, she is a pleasure to sail. With the long keel she can miss stays so it is best to hold the jib aback to swing her head through the wind. I can handle her solo, and she has room for up to four.

Yeadon, you commented on her layout. She is a classic Shetland working model, smaller than a foureen, so would have been called an Ella boat or Whilly. She was a “dead” boat when I took her on. I have replaced her shear streak and reframed her. The only way that she differs from a working boat is in the stern benches and the height of the floorboards (tilfers) in the forehead and stern sheets. I lowered the mid and aft room tilfers to original design from the ones that were in her, as they were too high to accommodate the feet of any oarsman.

John W and David commented on the amount and position of the buoyancy. Basically, because of the way that Peerie is framed out, what I’ve got is what I get. Each blue bag lifts 112 lbs, so they must be securely attached to strong structure.

John B, the bags are old technology, superseded by built in buoyancy since stitch and tape plywood, but a couple of manufacturers do still supply them.

Rick, she is gunter rigged so the mast head is very busy. You have made me wonder about sewing some buoyant foam along the head of the sail though. When I replaced the cotton sails I made a luff grove yard of spruce, so there is some buoyancy up there.

Seth, that’s a good tip, I’ll be sure to follow it, thanks.

Thank you all for the compliments, she does scrub up well.:D

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

I personally like Holt bags; and have them in both Fireflies and the Albacore, but this is not usual in the dinghy fraternity.

Be warned that they do not tolerate UV; the boat should be kept with a cover on. Don't ask me how I know that... (clue: fitted a pair in the tender...)

[David G]

My guess is that swamping is more likely than capsizing.. She has no cntreboard case, so he just has to keep the rails above wave height, while he does the scared man with a bucket imitation. If she capsizes, righting it would be a job for a motor boat.


Perhaps you're right. But we won't know for sure till he gives it a go, will we? My point is that mid-crisis is a bad time to find out that things don't work the way they were imagined :eek:

[Thorne]

Looks great, and a good choice for flotation -- much easier on the feet and legs than hard-sided flotation compartments. As above watch the UV exposure.

[johnw]

So many questions so little time.

Peter, you asked about her age. I have nothing on the age of Peerie Maa or the name of her builder, apart from being advised that the cotton suit of sails that came with her were made before 1956.

WX, she is a pleasure to sail. With the long keel she can miss stays so it is best to hold the jib aback to swing her head through the wind. I can handle her solo, and she has room for up to four.

Yeadon, you commented on her layout. She is a classic Shetland working model, smaller than a foureen, so would have been called an Ella boat or Whilly. She was a “dead” boat when I took her on. I have replaced her shear streak and reframed her. The only way that she differs from a working boat is in the stern benches and the height of the floorboards (tilfers) in the forehead and stern sheets. I lowered the mid and aft room tilfers to original design from the ones that were in her, as they were too high to accommodate the feet of any oarsman.

John W and David commented on the amount and position of the buoyancy. Basically, because of the way that Peerie is framed out, what I’ve got is what I get. Each blue bag lifts 112 lbs, so they must be securely attached to strong structure.

John B, the bags are old technology, superseded by built in buoyancy since stitch and tape plywood, but a couple of manufacturers do still supply them.

Rick, she is gunter rigged so the mast head is very busy. You have made me wonder about sewing some buoyant foam along the head of the sail though. When I replaced the cotton sails I made a luff grove yard of spruce, so there is some buoyancy up there.

Seth, that’s a good tip, I’ll be sure to follow it, thanks.

Thank you all for the compliments, she does scrub up well.:D
Actually, I think you might have the flotation in the right place. It's closer to the centerline than some of mine.

One change I'll be making is a rub rail that allows my toes more purchase. One a lapstrake boat that should be less of a problem.

I've found that on undecked boats, you can loose stability very quickly as water comes over the lee rail and occupies the space you've been relyiing on for buoyancy to balance against your weight for stability. That makes putting the buoyancy bags on the sides a good move.

I'd rather test the flotation in still water with help nearby than on a bad day with big winds. You can also arrange for dry clothing. Might want to wait for a nice summer day, though.

[peter radclyffe]

my mate a dreadlocked dutch skipper of jolie brise brought a westray skiff back from there & it seems similar to peerie
but i dont know how close it is, but peerie must be a good sea boat

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

beautiful boat, but she now looks a bit more like my Avon RIB :-D

[Peerie Maa]

my mate a dreadlocked dutch skipper of jolie brise brought a westray skiff back from there & it seems similar to peerie
but i dont know how close it is, but peerie must be a good sea boat

Peerie is an excellent sea boat:D
I looked at a Westray Skiff web site, same family but Westray boats have a more upright stem and are beamier on a shorter length.
Peerie is 18 foot over the horns on a 12' keel and 5'1" beam. The stem and stern post are cut from the same template, the stern being about 2 or 3 inches shorter. The form is nearly symmetrical, the garboard is slightly narrower across the lands, so the stern is just slightly finer than the bow, which sets the trim correctly. Shetland models are moulded with powerful shoulders so that any loose water rushing forward will not put the bow down too much.

[Peerie Maa]

beautiful boat, but she now looks a bit more like my Avon RIB :-D

Sails a damn sight better though :p

[lagspiller]

Would Peerie Maa actually have sunk if it filled with water?
I've been in similar open traditional boats when they have filled to the gunwales while racing in rough conditions. Even full we managed to keep the boat upright and make it to shore. And it wasn't unusual for a boat or two in the fleet to capsize in gusty conditions, but when they tipped, they would float on their side with the mast bobbing in the waves. I would have expected Peerie Maa to do the same.

[PeterSibley]

Thank you all for the compliments, she does scrub up well.:D

Understatement of the week !:) She's lovely !

[Peerie Maa]

Would Peerie Maa actually have sunk if it filled with water?
I've been in similar open traditional boats when they have filled to the gunwales while racing in rough conditions. Even full we managed to keep the boat upright and make it to shore. And it wasn't unusual for a boat or two in the fleet to capsize in gusty conditions, but when they tipped, they would float on their side with the mast bobbing in the waves. I would have expected Peerie Maa to do the same.

She would not sink, as she has no ballast. The larger classes pf Shetland models that were raced had lead ballast poured between the garboards, but boats of Peerie's size were not ballasted.
However she would probably be impossible to recover with the mast still stepped.