John Bell 4460 Dunmovin Drive Kennesaw, GA 30144 (770) 592-2165 jmbell@mindspring.

com Blondie Duckworks Design Contest 2001 Entry

Blondie came out my desire to build a boat for my 5 year old daughter Alison. Were you to see a picture of Alison, youd also see where the name came from. At a recent messabout she was quite infatuated with another boat about this size. While the pram at the messabout certainly was a nice boat, I thought Id like something a little different, a little prettier. I drew Blondie to incorporate the features I wanted in a very small boat and to be an attractive addition to the waterfront scene. Blondie is intended as a sail trainer and yacht tender. Blondies hull shape and hydrostatics were worked out with Gregg Carlsons excellent Hull Designer freeware. The Hulls output was imported into TurboCad to produce these drawings. I have constructed a cardboard model which shows the developed shape fits together without any problems. Hull She is sized to hold an adult and a child comfortably and safely, and still offer enough sail carrying ability for a child to handle alone (with adult supervision). She has enough reserve buoyancy to sail two adults or row three. The interior of the hull reflects my preference for open, uncluttered spaces. Pram hulls are most popular for boats of this size, but I find them to be a bit homely. Blondies sharp-bowed shape is a lot prettier to my eye. I dont like boats that drag one corner of their transom; it slows you down. The tucked up stern quarters prevent the dragging-corner problem and should help prevent the beamy hull from becoming hard-nosed when heeled. Getting a hull this size to plane isnt easy, so I have not even tried. The fairly deep rocker instead gives good load carrying ability. This is a deep and beamy hull for its length of only 100 giving her power to stand up to her rig and depth enough to inspire confidence when heavily laden. She is designed for about up to 425 lbs maximum displacement, but is probably best sailed at no more than 330 lbs. The daggerboard trunk is admittedly an experiment, supported only by its bedlogs and a plywood gusset filleted and taped to the bottom at the forward end. Even so, I think it is plenty strong enough for the job. South Georgia boat builder and raconteur Robb White builds the daggerboard trunks in his boats in much the same way, observing that the daggerboard is what usually breaks instead of the trunk, even without robust reinforcement. If someone wanted to stretch a thwart across the top of the daggerboard

trunk, I wouldnt argue too much, but it is my observation that most small homebuilt boats are overbuilt at the expense of excessive weight. For use as a yacht tender, Id suggest a moveable box about 14x 12x 6 high made out of scrap lumber instead of a fixed rowing thwart that would spoil the boat for sailing. The plans show three temporary forms, but Im not sure we need to use that many. I suspect the only one that is really needed is the center one. The shape of the side panels is such that when they are stitched together they only need to be held at the stem, the midsection and the transom to insure the proper shape. Never the less, the builder should measure across the top at the locations of the other forms once the hull is stitched to see if a temporary spreader is needed. The hull is stitch and glue construction with 6-9 oz. 3 tape on the insides and sheathed on the outside with 6 oz. cloth. The bilge panels do have a small amount of twist in them towards the stern. I would advise the builder to go slowly and deliberately when stitching the hull lest in his enthusiasm he rupture a strake in his rush to see the hull in three dimensions for the first time. The Rig I like balanced lugs. They are easy to handle due to their self-vanging nature and the fact that they dont need a lot of rigging. Short spars for a given sail area are another virtue. With one of her intended uses as a tender, Blondies rig is designed so all the spars will fit completely inside the boat making for uncluttered stowage while being towed behind a larger boat. Her 40 sq. ft. sail area is maybe a little smaller than Id want just for myself; but since Im planning on turning my daughter and son loose with it, its big enough to offer them enough danger to make them good sailors and small enough that it wont be too overwhelming in their first (supervised) solo forays. Ive not made any attempt to use the second polytarp allowed in the contest rules on the boat it self, so Ill suggest it be used as a cover for storage. Materials Ive not endeavored to use all the lumber allotted in the contest rules. I drew the boat first, making small compromises only to get the panels nested on the plywood in a reasonable manner. But my vision of the boat came first. The other bits come out of the pile of parts with lots left over. Trying to use the rest of the material just makes the boat heavier with little added strength or functionality. I think of the extra material as a get out of jail free card for the inevitable beginning boat builders mistake of measuring twice and cutting it wrong anyway. If the builder thought theyd be doing a lot of rowing, one good use of the extra wood would be a skeg about 24 long by 3 deep. To build this boat, you will need the materials specified in the design contest rules plus the following. Epoxy resin and hardener 2 to 2.5 gallons. Fiberglass tape (6 oz, prefer 9 oz biaxial) - ~ 40 yards Fiberglass cloth, 6 oz. - ~ 6 yards of 48-60 width

Microballoons or wood flour - ~ 1 quart Colloidal silica - ~1 pint Bronze or SS ring nails #12 x - ~ 1 lb. Bronze or SS wood screws #8 x - ~100 ea. Bronze or SS woodscrews #8 x 1 1/2 a couple dozen for screwing the daggerboard trunk and mast step and partner to the hull. Gudgeons and pintles 1 pr. (May substitute Payson Eyes if these are too expensive.) One SS x 4 carriage bolt and nylon insert nut to bolt the tiller to the rudder head. One Harken bullet block for the mainsheet, mounted loose on a rope horse across the width of the transom. Two fairleads, mounted on either side of the mast the partner. Two 4 nylon cleats mounted on either side of the partner outboard of the fairleads.

Rigging specifics including how to use the line in Duckworks box. 6 mts. Mainsheet Dacron line, about twenty feet long. Tied to end of boom, through block on sheet horse to helmsman. 6 mts. Halyard Dacron line about twenty feet long tied to yard as specified with a double clove hitch to keep it from slipping, lead through a half-inch hole in the top of the mast down to on of the fairleads on the partner and the cleated.
1.5 mts.

Downhaul Dacron line about five feet long tied to the boom as specified with a double clove hitch to prevent slipping, lead through the other fairlead on the partner and cleated. 7.4 mts. (3.6 c/u) Sail laced at head to yard and foot to boom with line about 12 each.
21 mts cuerda de dacrn de 6mm.

Polytarp sail edge reinforcements from double sided fiberglass carpet tape, about 50 ft. Luff is double reinforced. 8.5 mts para refuerzo de la vela 20 cms. Grommets at peak, throat, tack, and clew, and every 8 along the head and foot: about two dozen. See Dave Gray and Jim Michalaks essays on polytarp sail construction for construction details.

All in all, I think Blondie is a pretty little boat that will ably serve my family and others as a sailing tender a bigger boat, and as a trainer and water toy for my kids.

JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 0: Profile and Sail Plan

10

"Blondie" by John M. Bell 0 Station Half Heights from Baseline Sheer 24 Chine Keel Half Breadths from Centerline Sheer 0 Chine Keel Stem 1 5/16 4 Transom BH 1 BH2 BH3 27 14/16 55 15/16 80 8/16 90 5/16 98 14/16 100 19 10/16 17 1/16 17 2/16 11 7/16 7 12/16 8 2/16 2 7/16 0 1 10/16 17 2/16 24 21 4/16 17 2/16 24 21 4/16 12 14/16 19 2/16 15 5/16 19 10/16 10 3/16 4 14/16 15 8/16 15 8/16 7 4/16

18 1/16 5 15/16

0 0

All dimensions in inches to inside of planking

Hull from 1/4" (6mm) plywood. Assembly follows normal wood_epoxy composite taped seam procedures.
JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 1: Lines

Approx WL 300# Disp.

10

Yard o pico

JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 2: Construction details

Boom o Botavara

10

Section at BH2 looking forward. (Daggerboard case omitted for clarity)

Section at BH2 looking aft stock. 2" square hole to accept mast. Partner from 3/4" x 7" Stiffen partners with 3/4" x 1 1/12". Partner attached to 3/4" x 1 1/2" cleats glued and screwed to outer gunwale. Mast step 7" square plywood top, attached to 1 1/2" cleats saround edges, glued and screwed to bottom. Gunwales from 3/4" x 1", glued and screwed to outside of hull. No inwales needed. Transom stiffeners from 3/4" x 3 1/2" as shown across top and in the way of rudder gudgeons.

JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 3: Sections

12

24

36

JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 4: Daggerboard case, daggerboard, and rudder details

All dimensional lumber shown on daggerboard case is 3/4" by 1". Sides and gusset from 1/4" plywood.

Gusset from 1/4" ply. filleted and taped to bottom and front of case. May

7.9
3 1/8

83.2
32 3/4
10.2 10.2
4 4

3.8
1 1/2

10.2 5.1
4 2

6.4
2 1/2

21.9
8 5/8

Rudder from 3/4" thick solid stock. Fair edges to Foil shape.
35 7/8

8 3/8

8 1/2

21.3
1.9

21.6 22.5 22.9

1.6
2 1/4

8 7/8

9 1/8

29.2
11 1/2" 75

23.2

Layout for gusset

15.2

0.7

0.3

5.7

91.1

Layout for sides of daggerboard case

76.2 39.1
15 3/8

Daggerboard from 3/4" thick solid stock. Fair edges to Foil shape. Cleats on top from 3/4" x 1".

29.2 11 1/2
70

30 3/4 Tiller from 3/4" x 2 3/4"

1.9 X 7.0

2 3/4
7.0

1.9

2.2

7/8

7.6

12

24

36

0
0.3 1/8
2 1/4

12 (typ.)

30.5

1
2
1 5/8 7/8

9.2

3
3/8

4
1/8

5
3/8 10 1/4

6
26.0
7/8

7
1 3/4 9 5/8

8
24.4 7.3
2 7/8

9
24.8
9 3/4 3 7/8

3 5/8

5.7

4.1

2.2

1.0

0.3

1.0

2.2

4.4

9.8

BH. 2 26.0 8.6 10 1/4 7.0 30.8

13 7/8

34.3
5 1/2 13 1/2

12 5/8

32.1

11 1/4

28.6

9 5/8

24.4

24.4 25.4
10

26.4
10 3/8 9 1/2

9 5/8

9 7/8

25.1 25.7
10 1/8

3 3/8

10 1/2

26.7
10 7/8

23.8
9 3/8 12 30.5 12 1/2 8 7/8

25.7

10 1/8 13 5/8 10 3/8

2 3/4 12 1/8

10 3/4

27.3 BH. 2

24.1

27.6

34.6
14 1/8

22.5

14.0 40.6 45.4

17 7/8 16

31.8

35.2
1 3/8

26.4 49.5 51.8 25.1

19 1/4 9 7/8

35.9

48.9
191/4

3.5

54.6
22 5/8

20 3/8 3 1/8

19 1/2

50.8
20

48.9

23.5
9 1/4 21 5/8

57.5

21 1/2

54.9

27.9
11

7.9

60.0
23 5/8

0.3

1/8

23 3/4

60.3

Side panel layout. Need two each, mirror images. (see nesting sheet). All measurements inches from edge on 12" centers unless otherwise noted.

47.9 42.9
12 7/8 16 7/8

18 7/8

48.6 BH. 2

18 7/8

47.9 42.5
16 3/4 12 5/8 4 7/8

32.7
1/8

11.1
4 3/8

32.1

18.4 27.9
11 7 1/4

17.8

0.3
24.2

8.2

1 1/8

2.9

12.4

1.3

1/2

32.4
12 3/4

JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 5: Hull Panel Layout
Daggerboard Slot: 12 3/4" x 1"

32.4 X 2.5

17 1/8

61.0
24 21 1/4 Temp BH 3 (Possibly optional) 6 1/2 15 1/4 Transom 21 1/4 15 1/2

39.4
15 1/2

17 1/4

Temp BH1 (Possibly optional) 9

17 1/8

Temp. BH2 (Req.)

61.0
24

43.2
17

19.7
7 3/4 12 7/8

39.4
15 1/2

37.8
14 7/8 5 3/8

48.6
19 1/8

18.4
7 1/4

13.7

12.4
Mast Step (7 x 7)

21.0

Port Bilge

Daggerboard Case

Starboard Sheer 4 Butt Blocks (optional)

Forward Bottom

Port Sheer

Aft Bottom Transom Gusset

Starboard Bilge

Daggerboard Case

12

24

36

76.1

JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 6: Nesting

90.5

Rudder Mast Partner 30"x7"

304.8 Gunwales 120" x 1"

Daggerboard

76.2 X 17.8

1" framing for daggerboard trunk 1 1/2" framing for partner and mast step

7.0

Transom top stiffener

Tiller

Transom stiffener 8.9

78.8

76.2

30.8
JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 7: Dimensional lumber cutting guide

12

24

36

Mast

1 1/4

Yard Boom

1/2" dia hole for halyard

5.1

94 3/4

1 1/2" Hollow on Leach

3.8 hundido

240.7

243.8

248.9

Grommets in each corner and along head and foot approximately every 8" . 20.3 40 sq. ft. 3.7 m2

2 1/2

100.6
39 5/8 Straight cut Luff

Mast tapered f o

230.8
90 7/8

66.0

43.2

26

17

35.6

14 2 1/2

220.3

86 3/4 2" round on Foot JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 8: Sail and Spars

5.1

Downhaul Attachment

275.6

108 1/2

96

98

238.8

94

12

24

36

from

laminated

Vela cangreja

Boom and Yard from 1 1/2" diameter D. Fir Closet rod.

2" round on Head

Halyard attachement

2.44 X 3.05 mts

8' x 10' polytarp f
Radius in inches from node Node a b a 0 86 3/4 220.3 86 3/4 b 0 80.2 31 9/16 59 1/8 c d 116.5 45 7/8 92 3/4 144.8 57 e 72 3/16 339.4 133 5/8 f 108 1/2 17.9 7 1/16 a* 89 1/16 d* 121.0 47 5/8 93 11/16 a-a* d-d*
275.6

220.3 150.2 235.6 183.4 275.6 226.2 238.0

3.8

1/

r 2"

d un

e tc

nt

ro

e fh

ad

94 3/4

240.7

194.8

76 11/16

o 11 / 2 "h o ll wa tc e n te
108 1/2

3.8

7 1/16 1 13/16

17.9 4.6

d*
4.6

66.7

26 1/4 26 1/4

66.7

12

24

36

ro fle a c h

JMB-002 'Blondie' (8'4" x 4'3") 2001- John Bell, Kennesaw, GA Sheet 9: Sail Cutting Diagram

100.3
39 1/2

134.1
52 13/16

87.9
72 3/16

34 5/8

183.4

a*
17.9

80.2
31 9/16 31 9/16

c
220.3
86 3/4

150.2
59 1/8

80.2
3.81

1/2" round at center of foot

To plot sail: plot intersections at the radius from from nodes a & b given in the chart above. Leave enough on edges for seams. Reinforce edges with fiberglass tape or boltrope to suit.

Duckworks

vvvv
The Online Magazine For Amateur Boat Builders

Login Logout Subscription info

new home indexes classified database newsletter contests archives contact forum store links
design by John Bell I got an email with these photos of one of my "Blondie" dinghies this weekend. I've been jazzed about these since I got them. This is the second one of these that I'm aware of having been completed. Some of your readers might recall this design as one of the also-rans in one of your design competitions a couple years ago. (I still think the judges placed me too low in the final rankings, but hey, it was fun!)

Blondie

plans media supplies sailmaking hardware tools gear sails

The builder, Peter Simmons, made one minor change that I wholeheartedly endorse. He moved the daggerboard case off to the side, clearing the best part of the boat for people and stuff. My old Windsprint had a similar arrangement that I thought was wonderful. Most people have an aversion to asymmetry. Only until people sail a boat so equipped they realize it doesn't really make a difference. I've got 13' sharpie on my board right now that if I can talk the builder into it that will get the same treatment. Peter also fabbed a nifty removable rowing thwart. The idea of this boat was to get the most boat out of two sheets of ply and an 8x10 piece of tarp. Looking at it now, I think my obsession with freeboard may have gotten a bit out of hand and cutting it down a couple of inches might be more pleasing to the eye. But all in all, I still think she's a pretty neat boat. The builder is enthusiastic, and that's what matters most to me.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/designs/bell/blondie/free.cfm (1 of 3) [06/12/2008 06:40:22 p.m.]

Duckworks

Here's what he had to say about her: "Here are a few pics of the Blondie I built this past summer. I don't have any shots of her sailing, but I am very impressed with her sailing qualities. She tends to stay almost straight up and down, even in stiff 12-18 mph - winds, and would be even faster with something superior to my first ever sailmaking effort. I offset the dagger board case as we discussed, and this created a lot more interior volume. I made a removable rowing thwart which has a tab that fits into the dagger board case and rests on a narrow sill on the opposite side. All very satisfactory. Great design! No surprises in the build, but a boat of surprising ability in the water!" Plans for Blondie are still free and on my website, URL below. John Bell <>< Kennesaw, GA http://jmbell.home.mindspring.com

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/designs/bell/blondie/free.cfm (2 of 3) [06/12/2008 06:40:22 p.m.]

Duckworks

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/designs/bell/blondie/free.cfm (3 of 3) [06/12/2008 06:40:22 p.m.]

MORE POLYTARP SAILS

RECAP... The last several issues showed how to make a 59 square foot sharpie sprit sail from common polytarp. There is enough info there to show you how to figure your own patterns for other sails but here are two new ones I've recently figured out for two customers. The first is a 74 square foot balanced lug sail for my designs Woobo and Cubit. I've also used this size sail on my Piccup Pram. The second is a 113 square foot balanced lug for my Frolic2 design. It is the same size as a Bolger Windsprint sail.The nitty gritty details about making a four sided sail (instead of a three sided sharpie sprit sail) can be found in the 15October1998 issue of this web site. You will find it down in the index at the bottom of this issue. A last word of caution is that neither of these patterns have been tried for real yet, although both should be within the next few months. 74 SQ.FT BALANCED LUGSAIL PATTERN... Here is the basic shape of the 74 square foot balanced lug sail used for my Woobo and Cubit designs:

The next picture shows the flat panel layout for this lugsail. Remember the red numbers are the true lenghts of the triangles that form the flat pattern. (These drawings aredone on the standard "paint" program and are not to scale). So to lay this one out you would first lay out triangle ADC, then BCE, then ECA2, then EDA2, then BEF, and finally EFD2.

I've also shown the locations of the points with respect to points A and B. Thus you can pivot a measuring tape at point A, another at point B, swing the radii shown in the chart to find the location of all the other points without moving the tape pivots from A or B. For example point D is 60.7" from point A and 126.0" from point B. (To find these radii involves laying out the triangles one at a time with a spread sheet with formulas I couldn't begin to explain.) Here is a photo of Cubit being sailed with a polytarp version of this sail, but not with the seaming described above. Instead it has multiple vertical darts. In the photo you see a girt, or tension fold, in the cloth running from the clew to the throat. That is usally bad for the set of a lugsail and the sail shown could probably use more tension in the tack line. (Nowadays I would design this rig with the mast crossing the yard further aft. Usually that would mean a longer mast with more rake.)

THE 113 SQ. FT. BALANCED LUGSAIL PATTERN...

Here is the basic shape of the 113 square foot lugsail I used on my Frolic2 design. It's basically the same as the Bolger Windsprint sail.

Here are the numbers for the 113 square foot lugsail flat pattern.

The pattern layout sequence is as with the 74 square foot sail and the radii from A and B are supplied. I don't have a photo of the Frolic2 sail in polytarp yet. I think there is one building in Colorado scheduled to use a polytarp sail at least at the start. In the meantime here is a file photo of the prototype Frolic2 with its lugsail done in real sailcloth.

But I do have a photo of the same sail on a Bolger Windsprint, this one belongs to Steve Howe. Again it does not use the shaping method shown above but uses vertical dart shaping. Steve's sail sets very well indeed and will impress anyone who thinks polytarp sails don't work.

SCALING THE PATTERNS... You could easily scale the patterns up or down to get a different size sail with the same shape. Remember that the new sail area will go as the square of the scale factor. For example, double the pattern dimensions and you get four times the sail area. If you scaled it large enough and placed it on a heavy boat you would eventually find polytarp isn't strong enough to handle the forces. I don't know where that point is just yet. But the next photo shows a 250 pound Jinni trailer sailer rigged with a 116 square foot poly sail that is a straight 29% linear increase of the Piccup poly sail that was presented here last year. It was cut out of a 12' x 16' polytarp and behaves and sails very well. It eventually got three reef lines and a mast that was 5' shorter. (This Jinni was the prototype Bolger Jinni but modified as the years went by. It actually formed the basis of my AF3 design. I stuck with the orignal sharpie sprit sail for the AF3. The 116 square foot sail proved a bit too much for the boat for solo sailing and was sailed reefed most of the time.

THOUGHTS ABOUT CONSTRUCTION... I would use the techniques described in the sharpie sprit sail essay with stiff cloth corner patches and fiberglass tape (or nylon webbing) around the entire perimeter. The one change I would make in construction would be to double the reinforcing tape down the luff edge, that is to use two strips sewn over each other instead of one. The luff on a balanced lug sail is very highly loaded and you can't overdo it. NEXT TIME... I'll present some construction photos and some interesting tests results for my AF3 design.