Little Egret: an Egret-style day sailer

[RFNK]

All looking terrific John!

Rick

[Ross Lillistone]

Johnno,

I'm wondering if you are planning on installing any internal ballast as Reuel Parker does with the sharpie designs he has produced... and the Commodore added a lot and sailed in almost any conditions...

She looks great...

RodB

Rod,

The question of internal ballast is open. The transverse moment of inertia of Little Egret is much higher than my un-ballasted Phoenix III design which carries the same sail area more or less. Even with Little Egret drawn with a draft of 110mm and displacing only about 340kg, she still has a substantially higher transverse moment of inertia than Phoenix III. Therefore, I don't anticipate trouble holding her down, but if required for the test sailing, a few sandbags or some 20 litre water containers could be kept on hand.

If she can be sailed without ballast, all the better - any weight saved is good.

Ross Lillistone

[P.L.Lenihan]

Yup...a fella can always tell when it is high time to launch his boat, when he starts doing stuff like this........


Very nice to see you thoroughly taking care of the fussy details, John. I look forwad to when your nasty winter weather is over and you launch her. On the other hand, perhaps I under-estimate how very hardy you folks are and(dare I say it) even crazy enough to actually launch in the dead of winter!

Be brave!



Cheers!


Peter

[johnno]

Rod,

Therefore, I don't anticipate trouble holding her down, but if required for the test sailing, a few sandbags or some 20 litre water containers could be kept on hand.

Ross Lillistone

Hi Ross, I likewise have a feeling she will be fine, but of course, having the designer on the rail would make for a far more enjoyable test sail than some dull sandbags or water bottles in the bilge!! The conversation for a start would have to be more entertaining than what I could muster in the company of sandbags.......

[johnno]

Yup...a fella can always tell when it is high time to launch his boat, when he starts doing stuff like this........


Very nice to see you thoroughly taking care of the fussy details, John. I look forwad to when your nasty winter weather is over and you launch her. On the other hand, perhaps I under-estimate how very hardy you folks are and(dare I say it) even crazy enough to actually launch in the dead of winter!
Be brave!

Cheers! Peter

Now Peter, I have learnt all my fussiness from the master..you should realise that..and I think I've inherited his thumbs to boot. However, when it comes to the topic of our winter weather, I think I need to post today's details from our weather bureau ...this of course is now the depths of our winter, within a week of the solstice.....

Brisbane Precis: Fine, sunny. City: Min 11 Max 23

Now that is getting pretty extreme for us Brisbaneites, with a minimum of 11C ...so if I do dare launch, I'll be wearing my longjohns!! Say no more

[P.L.Lenihan]

I think I need to post today's details from our weather bureau ...this of course is now the depths of our winter, within a week of the solstice.....Brisbane Precis: Fine, sunny. City: Min 11 Max 23

Ah ha! I just knew it. You folks are indeed a tough and hardy gang! As I mentioned last, be brave!



Cheers!


Peter



p.s. what are longjohns and why would you wear them in what Nat calls biki-wiki-winni weather?

[johnno]

p.s. what are longjohns and why would you wear them in what Nat calls biki-wiki-winni weather?

These would be the very same longjohns...



and these no doubt would be the Nat equivalent...also known as biki-wiki-winnies....or Candanian bikinis...

[P.L.Lenihan]

oh pshaw! As anyone of the true North knows, that gent you show is wearing his Arctic survival gear for the colder temps like -30C and beyond. The lady on the other hand.....well....how to put this gently......I do not own enough piggy banks to ever get Nat to wear a rig like that!

I often feel compelled to raise a hearty toast to J.C. Shivers for his timely introduction of my favorite textile....



I love the way science has worked so hard to improve life for knuckle draggers like myself.First Spandex or Lycra and then epoxy! Are we in heaven yet or what?

Cheers!


Peter

[johnno]

Now that Peter has sneakily grabbed everyone's attention!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, plan is to move the boat off the verandah and onto the trailer this coming Wednesday at 2pm. If anyone in the vicinity is able to make it, would be much appreciated.
cheers
J

[RFNK]

I'm not sure that it's Peter that grabbed our attention .....

Rick

[johnno]

Perhaps there should be penalty points for posts which use this page up to quickly????

Just for my dear friend Peter and his swimming trunked pal, I couldn't resist taking a snap of the mid-winter's morn which greeted us for breakfast on the deck.....



and for those who like a little puzzle....

[m2c1Iw]

Man it doesn't pay to get side tracked by things like naked bike riding threads look what I missed. And John stop that it's raining cold and miserable here enough to put me off working on the boat.
As for your puzzle easy I have the same implements centreboard slot touch up........I don't have bouancy tanks so mine is a single purpose tool.

[johnno]

As for your puzzle easy I have the same implements centreboard slot touch up........I don't have bouancy tanks so mine is a single purpose tool.

I'm glad I didn't offer a prize then....

I bet they're slower on the uptake on my facebook page though!!

[P.L.Lenihan]

Just for my dear friend Peter and his swimming trunked pal, I couldn't resist taking a snap of the mid-winter's morn which greeted us for breakfast on the deck.....

I used to have a fair amount of sympathy for folks going through harsh winters and stuck building a boat. This picture, of coarse ,has now raised my level of sympathy all the way to wonder, as in;"It's a wonder anything ever gets done,besides drinking, with such cruel winter weather!"

If our winters were as tough as yours John, I dare say it would have taken me twice as long to build my present boat than it already did. Merciful is mother nature!



Cheers!



Peter




p.s. you'll note how I avoided the use of the word "envy". It would be terribly impolite if you knew the wonderful spell of weather we've been enjoying latey up here.

[gypsie]

Post #1058, thats one of those optical illusions. Have you noticed? If you stare at it long enough you begin to see there are people in the background.

[WX]

Post #1058, thats one of those optical illusions. Have you noticed? If you stare at it long enough you begin to see there are people in the background.

[johnno]

Borrowed two old mattresses from the neighbours,, will help to slide her off the deck I hope. I've got most of the deck fittings and hatches installed, final coats of varnish are on the spars, tiller, and centreboard cap, bronze restraining pin in the centreboard. Nearly there...work on the trailer this afternoon I guess.

[johnno]

and the Little Egret is not forgotten....

[WX]

Beautiful job Johnno.

[RodB]

Very very nice... Can't wait to see her sail...

RodB

[Tim Marchetti]

she's looking yachty

[RFNK]

Hi John, I sent you a PM - hope you don't mind. Let me know if it's a problem!

Rick

[PeterSibley]

she's looking yachty

and very, very white .

[P.L.Lenihan]

and the Little Egret is not forgotten....

I will confess that I've never seen an egret up close and personal, so the following may be suspect;

If she were mine, I'd be very tempted to paint the lower screw white so that no matter which way the boat is oriented or the skipper for that matter, the egret will still look like an egret and not a field mouse on a branch when viewed sideways.
But I'm sorta nuts like that John...............


Cheers!


Peter.




P.S. is your tomorrow (2 days ago my time) the big launch day?

[johnno]

Hi Peter, yes both screws are yet to be painted white..just put it on with some flex first, will let that go off, and then it's the alabaster look coming up! The mouse might keep the smaller vermin at bay though whilst she's in storage! Not launching tomorrow, but moving off the deck and onto the trailer. Then I can see if the masts fit, are at the right angle, and start on the rigging...just a little ways to go yet...

[johnno]

The poor Little Egret has been caged up for four months now..today is not the day which will see her launched into her natural element, but at least it was to be the day that she could at last be free of her shackles; that is, the urban redneck tarpaulin shed/deck that she's been squeezed into throughout her gestation. In all this time neither you nor I have been able to see her from the side to get any real appreciation of her true lines. We suspect she has Munroe's genes but let's see.

Yesterday afternoon I dismantled the building platform, rested her down on a borrowed junked mattress, and built the bunks for the trailer. I borrowed another junk mattress, and grabbed another of ours. Meanwhile, last night, one of the volunteers had to bail to attend a meeting, another two suddenly couldn't make it at the last minute, and a fourth came down with man flu. That left three of us, not quite enough I thought. Back up plan was to cancel, and instead use a number of the 15 or so musicians who are coming over for a barbecue and jam this Sunday. However, the thought of trying this logistical exercise with a bunch of musos always keen to improvise seemed like an accident waiting to happen to me. This morning dawned, the guy with the flu was okay again (sort of) so I commandeered a couple of people from work. Set to go.....

Building platform packed away, boat anxious to go, but had to sleep here...


and trailer bunks made and installed...


This afternoon, waiting and ready to go over the inner spring waterfall...


So to step one..onto her side, and successfully around the first post....


and onto the inner spring relay, preparing for a soft landing I hoped....



last chance team-bonding session, community consultation period, just making sure that everyone was up for what we were about to undertake, that they were happy within their inner-selves.....and me wishing they'd get on with it because I was holding the bloody boat on my own while they reached their inner nirvanas....




to be continued....will Little Egret make it over Lava Falls??????

[johnno]

Okay, now we've got some action, everyone's inner peace restored, up ..........



and overrrrrr...........


around the palm tree....


the egret has landed!!!!!!!...........................


next step, across the garden towards the awaiting boat limo..


and over one more navigational hazard....


getting closer, but it's dinner time, so I shall return shortly for the next episode!

[Larks]

Do I take it John, that by the presence of an otherwise non actively involved photographer that perhaps the means of your own inner nirvana may have returned home?

[johnno]

gingerly at first....


followed by a bit of secret men's business.....


backing into her new position for final finishing off..plus a bit more secret men's business by some of the lads...


whereupon it was time to bring out the pillars of the engine room....


and stick them in....fortunately they went in.... first the main mast...


followed by the mizzen...

[johnno]

and finally by a bit of satisfied 'job well done' general hanging around....



Mast alignment seems to be pretty spot on..I need to trim a millimetre off the main mast partner for a tiny bit of clearance, but otherwise all good.

I can't tell you what a feeling it was to see her sitting out there on the trailer, and to get a good look at her lines finally.

Here's a shot from above...



and one with the happy chappy who's been working away on her for the last four or five months...



and yep Larks, the project manager and keeper of Nirvana has indeed returned...

[Larks]

WOW!!!.........just............well, just bloody WOW!!!

[PeterSibley]

Bloody marvellous John !

[Duncan Gibbs]

Superb John! Well done mate!

[WX]

WOW!!!.........just............well, just bloody WOW!!!

I'm going to go with those sentiments as well, so, still up for Fraser next year Johnno?

[Tim Marchetti]

great milestone John. congratulations!

[RodB]

Oboy... lets go sailing... can't wait..

RodB

[johnw]

Nest stop: Pix under sail!

[BillyBudd]

Johnno--Looking very sweet, nice rake to masts. Two things: 1) If you scaled down Munroe's Egret hull in all regards, then there's been a bit of a question about performance differing from the original size -- hope it serves you perfectly! -- your critique to come, I'm sure; 2) I recall on one of Reuel Parker's (or was in someone else?) smaller boats that he said he could stand with feet on P&S gunwales and steer that way--body sway did it. Might be able to do that?

BillyBudd

[timo4352]

Lovely!
Looks great on the trailer.
Best wishes for a smooth launch & first sail.
Can't wait to hear how she does...
Tim

[johnno]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I must say she looks even sweeter in real life than those pics show, and colours are better too. I love it!

Won't be in the water too quickly though. This move was to get her out from under the roof to check the mast fit, and trailer fit. But I can't just roll her back into the garage as so many others can. Hence work will be much more weather dependant.

Today I have to make a decision about whether to trim a little more off the mast (maybe a millimetre or so, easy to do, but will require lots of repainting) or out of the partner and step (harder to do, much less repainting).

Then I have to fit the centreboard. That should be quick. At that point I might also erect a tent over her.

Once that's under control, I have to splice some rigging components, fit all the control lines, final fit the floors, pipework for bilge pump, final fit of outboard bracket, and so on. Won't be long but maybe a week or two's work in all that.

Billy, the first sail will be thrilling!

[Ross Lillistone]

John,

Little Egret seems to have answered our questions about whether the spirit of the original could be captured in a smaller boat. The last two photos (from above, and on the tailer with the worthy builder and the masts in) show everything that I could have wanted. Congratulations once again on the quality of the project from start to (nearly) finish!

Ross Lillistone

[Ross Lillistone]

Johnno--Looking very sweet, nice rake to masts. Two things: 1) If you scaled down Munroe's Egret hull in all regards, then there's been a bit of a question about performance differing from the original size -- hope it serves you perfectly! -- your critique to come, I'm sure; 2) I recall on one of Reuel Parker's (or was in someone else?) smaller boats that he said he could stand with feet on P&S gunwales and steer that way--body sway did it. Might be able to do that?

BillyBudd

BillyBudd,

This design is definitely not a scaled-down version of Ralph Munroe's Egret, even though she evokes the spirit of that wonderful design. When John asked me to design his new boat, I had Egret in my mind's eye, but I refused to look at a set of any of the lines which have been published. I drew the entire design, and did the calculations, all from scratch, and only after we had finished the initial hull-modelling process did I do a comparison with the original boat. However, I'm really pleased with the charater of this small design, and the simplicity of the boat disguises the large number of hours and head-scratching which went into the final drawings - it is sometimes very complicated making something look simple!

John has done a great job in taking the boat from ink and paper to a finished product, and his attention to detail has paid off.

Ross Lillistone

[ILikeRust]

Positively sweet-looking vessel! She looks like she's going to be a fast sailer...

[Larks]

Today I have to make a decision about whether to trim a little more off the mast (maybe a millimetre or so, easy to do, but will require lots of repainting) or out of the partner and step (harder to do, much less repainting).

Possibly an excuse to buy something like a Dremel??? Or a couple of these to use on your drill??

[johnno]

I've been using some rounded wood rasps, plus these little guys, which are really great at taking away wood. It's just that getting into the small forward mast step compartment is difficult with any tool, as it's very confined. With my hands through the hatch to hold the drill, I have to work by feel because it's hard to see down there with no light coming in. And the mast step is only 30mm or so deep so it's impossible to rasp a face that short.

The mast partner is a piece of cake to enlarge a bit, and I can double check the mast rake that way as well. So I think I'll just enlarge the partner slightly, and take a tiny bit off the foot of the mast to allow it to slide more easily into the step, including an allowance for the thickness of the mylar tape I'm using instead of leather as an anti-wear device. Then repaint the foot of the mast.

[Larks]

John, not sure if this would work or not or if you've already considered and resolved this, but considering that the mast itself will likely swell when wet (sitting in the step - even though it is drained) and possibly jam into the step, would it be worth (or even possible) perhaps fitting an acetal or seaboard/chopping board base to the mast that'd slide in and out of the step easily enough while not swelling? (Also saving you reshaping and painting it) My only concern would be how well it could be fastened to the mast and remain integral to it (i.e. not move or come loose from the mast itself when the mast is working).

Or have I missed the point of the mylar tape? Is that being epoxied on to provide that waterproof membrane to stop the mast swelling?

[RFNK]

Looks terrific John - I think Ross' proud endorsement of your part in this achievement says it all really! Congratulations to you both!

Rick

[johnno]

Ross, I couldn't agree more...isn't she the bees knees!!!

Billy, it's probably also worth mentioning for the record that when I went to Ross, I told him I had been searching for drawings, not of Monroe's 'Egret', but of a boat similar in length to Bill Schwicker's three fathom sharpie 'Sharpie' but with the canoe stern of Bill's 28' Monroe-inspired 'Egret'. It was Schwicker's 'Egret' which got me dreaming of something similar for Australian shallow waters back in 1984.

I had searched for months in vain, and it was a chance discovery of an article by Ross Lillistone comparing the lines of a recently designed skiff with Monroe's 'Egret' that led me to Ross. I was anticipating finding drawings for a Chesapeake Bay type sharpie in the States, little did I anticipate finding the appropriate designer here. What a find he was!

Ross is right, he sat to down to draw from deep inside his head, not with any other drawings in front of him. I was privileged to be part of the evolution of the design, and of course often offered my comments at each iteration, with my good knowledge of Schwicker's two hulls and rigs in my head. Ross graciously took these desires of mine on board, using them or rejecting them appropriately as the complexities of sharpie design evolved. It's been said before..they're easy to build, but hard to design. And part of this is exactly that characteristic of a good sharpie where the directness and simplicity is clearly evident, but the complexities which required resolution in order to achieve that simplicity take a huge amount of effort.

As an architect who's spent his whole life trying to achieve simplicity out of complexity, I know all too well how much harder that journey is than the one where a complex problem produces a complex solution.

I think at this stage Munroe, Schwicker and Parker would all approve of the outcome...so I'd just better get her bl**dy finished and onto the water!!!

[johnno]

Gary, definitely Fraser Island next year is still on, and this spring, I'll be doing a reconnoitre sail to check out the best routes, anchorages and so on. I think a few others are going to join me for that too.

[RFNK]

Gary, definitely Fraser Island next year is still on, and this spring, I'll be doing a reconnoitre sail to check out the best routes, anchorages and so on. I think a few others are going to join me for that too.

Isn't that cheating?

Rick