16-foot Scow-Style Boat-What is It?

[philwsailz]

Found something....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970...120923400316?pt=Sailboats&hash=item1c2798a87c

Sears Surfwind?


Most I find now that I have a lead says the surfwind was shipped equipped with a Lateen rig, but check this out:
Here is the scow hull from a Sears parts direct site:

see the diagonal stripe across the front?

Now here is the rig my boat has:

I had a hungch that this hull should have a lateen rig, and this kinda proves it. It very well could be an interchangeable rig, as designed by the original builder!

I know that Sears always bought Sears-branded stuff from builders who made multiple brands, but I think this is a step closer to figuring it out....

 

[FourPoints]

If the boat was designed to have a lateen rig, it will probably have pretty bad weather helm with a sloop type rig without a jib. The lateen rig moves the CF of the main forward by having part of the sail infront of the mast, balancing the CLR to stop the vessel from rounding up.

 

[philwsailz]

If the boat was designed to have a lateen rig, it will probably have pretty bad weather helm with a sloop type rig without a jib. The lateen rig moves the CF of the main forward by having part of the sail infront of the mast, balancing the CLR to stop the vessel from rounding up.

I will check; that is a good point. I put the rig together the other night outside of the shop, and I can tell you that from inspection of things, there is a balanced appearance, when comparing fore/aft location of the rig above the daggerboard. I am not sure the more I study the two images above that these are exactly what I have. Closer but still no prize.



I will know more when I hit the water what it does performance - wise and if there is excessive weather helm.


Oddly enough, I have determined that one of the tweakers rigged to either side of the cockpit appears it could possibly adjust the vang, but the only other thing I see the second tweaker could have been for is the downhaul/cunningham, and there is no logical set of blocks or a load path to make that make any sense. Outhaul is set at the end of the boom, although adjusting the outhaul seems it would be a nice feature. If I cannot figure out what the other tweaker is for, I may add some micro blocks so that draft can be adjusted on the fly from below rather than having to reach to the outhaul cleat.

I will figure it out, some time before my boy is old enough to take posession of his boat.....

 

[RichH]

If you have an embossed HIN (hull ID number) go to this site to identify the manufacturer. The First three characters of the HIN indicate the manufacturer. http://www.uscgboating.org/recalls/mic1.aspx

Youll have to do a websearch for further details on how one reads such HIN numbers, serial number of boat, length, date constructed, etc.
example: http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.htm

 

[philwsailz]

If you have an embossed HIN (hull ID number) go to this site to identify the manufacturer. The First three characters of the HIN indicate the manufacturer. http://www.uscgboating.org/recalls/mic1.aspx

Youll have to do a websearch for further details on how one reads such HIN numbers, serial number of boat, length, date constructed, etc.
example: http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.htm

Express Glass Manufacturing..... ??????

Here is a pic of the rig assembled. I should have popped the dagger board in so you could see centers of effort but it should be balanced

 

[FourPoints]

After growing up sailing a starcraft skylark, your scow looks like it needs about 100% more sail area

My skylark had a ~25' mast on a 14' hull, boy did that thing move in good air!

on a serious note, guessing where the CB is, I think it looks reasonably well balanced... Get out on the water and sail it already!

 

[RichH]

..... the main 'problem' with a single ruddered scow form is 'sudden' loss of rudder control: the boat heels aggressively (normal heel angle is probably @ 25+° over) which exposes the top of the rudder and the speed of the boat/rudder allows air to be 'sucked' down along the rudder --- loss of control, quite suddenly. Thats why most scows have 2 rudders (and 2 tillers) and 2 bilge boards as it keeps at least one rudder (and one 'board') 'totally submerged' at all times.

If you heel this boat aggressively (~45° which is normal upper limit for a scow), expect to clearly understand why scows are called 'pirouetting inverted submarines'. Their most stable attitude on the water is with the mast pointing 'straight down' .... be sure the mast cant come out when the boat is 'inverted'. :-o

 

[FourPoints]

..... the main 'problem' with a single ruddered scow form is 'sudden' loss of rudder control: the boat heels aggressively (normal heel angle is probably @ 25+° over) which exposes the top of the rudder and the speed of the boat/rudder allows air to be 'sucked' down along the rudder --- loss of control, quite suddenly. Thats why most scows have 2 rudders (and 2 tillers) and 2 bilge boards as it keeps at least one rudder (and one 'board') 'totally submerged' at all times.

If you heel this boat aggressively (~45° which is normal upper limit for a scow), expect to clearly understand why scows are called 'pirouetting inverted submarines'. Their most stable attitude on the water is with the mast pointing 'straight down' .... be sure the mast cant come out when the boat is 'inverted'. :-o

Rich, thanks for reminding me of some good memories as a kid!

I found on my skylark growing up that if I put the rudder down at a 45deg angle instead of straight down it both increased the amount of air being "sucked" at high speed / heeling angles, but it also improved rudder control at a rate that more than balanced out the air problem.

There were times when a little over powered and with the windward board completly out of the water, the windward side of the rudder was almost completly dry while the leward side was still wet. It was enough to keep the boat on course and battle the weatherhelm, at least until about 45deg of heel when the centerline of the boat was a foot above the water and the rudder bairly touched anymore.

 

[philwsailz]

After growing up sailing a starcraft skylark, your scow looks like it needs about 100% more sail area

My skylark had a ~25' mast on a 14' hull, boy did that thing move in good air!

on a serious note, guessing where the CB is, I think it looks reasonably well balanced... Get out on the water and sail it already!

AARGH. You brought up that nasty Skylark name.... THAT is the little boat that is my Holy Grail at the moment. I have had two slip out from under me in the OKC area, both in usable shape under $300.00. I am intrigued by the tunnel hull and just want to put one under my butt and go sail it.
Still looking....

 

[FourPoints]

AARGH. You brought up that nasty Skylark name.... THAT is the little boat that is my Holy Grail at the moment. I have had two slip out from under me in the OKC area, both in usable shape under $300.00. I am intrigued by the tunnel hull and just want to put one under my butt and go sail it.
Still looking....

I stil have my skylark, But it's in Indiana and I'm in Connecticut... The deck to hull joint is shot and cannot be sailed until it is fixed as it only takes abuot 20 minutes before she's only floating from the foam inside the hull.

The best thing about the tunnel hull is that she is VERY stable, and doesn't heel like a traditional monohull, but like a catamaran and actually flys a hull. She also doesn't like light air too well, 15-25kts is what she performs best in. She'll do 15kts on a reach with the windward hull 3 feet above the water and the leward hull planing, and a small rooster tail coming off the rudder

After talking about sailing her, I want to get her shipped out here and fixed up!

 

[philwsailz]

Sailed the little boat yesterday. The winds were nice at 10-15 on the way out, but died to 4-7 after I got out on the water. The boat is an easy sail, and even at the wind speeds I got to play in, the thing seems like it wants to plane, so I am looking forward to getting her back out with a little more wind.

Stay tuned, but I finally got a quick sail in....