I had several mast orders what were to go out this week. I got behind. They are done but I do need to walk through each again and verify. Next week.

Unlike this picture, I prefer not to paint boards.  It does save work to be able to leave the board(s) floating at neutral, but as I see it the trade-off is against you.

In my experience every board will get damaged.  Even a gravel bank will scuff it up some.  A reef will do even more.  Doing the sanding for repairs on a board can be poisonous.  I killed the lawn for several years where I sanded the tip of my rudder once.  Throw a halyard on the board(s) and pull up until its out.  You will be appreciated by your future self. 

I just got this picture of the newly repainted Rapscallion now on Big Island. Luscious paint. 36′ daycharter boat in a box.  Built with CM.

Even more that it looks so unusual. http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/01/revolutionary-new-science-fridge-coming-soon-kitchen-near/

Real life lithium users.  http://www.technomadia.com/2015/02/living-the-lithium-lifestyle-3-5-year-lithium-rv-battery-update/

John has set about it fairing his main hull to his 40′ tri.  Seems like a good choice many times to put in a little work to stave off ugly. Was just a few days ago he sent pics of it bare.  Beautiful.

I finally figured it out when I was looking at my Costco folding chair. It has the same pattern. Thats it. HH66 was built correctly and more robustly with e-glass and then they put the folding chair pattern over it. Fooled everybody.

It seems that catamarans have become the newest hot toys of the wealthy. Where they would once sport gold chains, they are now sporting carbon fiber.  I found the most amazing example of this recently.  A carbon fiber hull that is apparently to be kept “bright”, that is no paint.  It is a HH66.  The design goal apparently is to show everybody at any marina or mooring that they are the baddest alpha male sailor there is.  Forget UV degradation when you can be that cool.

I see several interesting engineering flaws in this peacocking.  In the tropics black surface temperatures of 160F (70 C) are not uncommon.  That surely rules out room temperature cure epoxy.  Typically high temperature epoxies have very little stretch to failure, like carbon fiber.  Combined, you have a very brittle laminate. 

Especially if foiling, light is cool.  The part that makes carbon so attractive is that it is so strong;  not much is needed.  Combine brittle laminate with very thin layups and you have a damage magnet. 

In the picture it looks like it is a balanced 0/90 layup.  As I have noted so many times, long slender hulls do not have such layups if being done efficiently.  From the pattern, it looks like it is woven.  If so, it looks far cooler than a knitted or uni stack, but is not as strong.  Clearly looking cool is more important than good engineering here.  Gold jewelry by any other name.  “I am bad, bitches, pay attention.”

Isn’t Alex supposed to take us all sailing sometime soon?

Dr. Rennie’s GoPro and drone caught this beautiful scenery.   My 64′ daycharter cat out of Kauai, at Niihau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=73&v=L2CskxutA-Y