Roxane & Romilly

Traditional Hi-Tech

Planning to build in foam core

Plans arrived, been reading night and day, had the smaller dwgs laminated and bound, black cover all very professional. I have some questions for Ed which I have forwarded to him what I have not encountered before is the rig, there is no definitive position for the boom or the yard on the mast, to me it seems they are floating in a self locating position, there may be nothing wrong with this but it would be good to get close first up, once the build is over I prefer to sail and not so much tweaking, another question is how do I know when the center board is down at the correct position.

My preferred build is in foam core, being a trained cabinet maker it would have been nice to get back to a wooden boat, I have not done a timber boat since the early seventies. At this stage I am deciding which way to build, vertical strip foam in a female mould or vertical over a male, if I do vertical in a female I will split the mould down the center line and lay up each half then join, this method makes it very easy to access the interior laminate without the need for walking on raw foam, laying down peel ply etc.

Reading feedback from your contributors convinced me to keep the boat light,
I would be disappointed to see her 100mm. down at the stern or down anywhere. With the exception of the lapstrake builder saying his floats just right, all others seem to suggest their boats are on the heavy side.

I am very keen to install electric propulsion, this should keep the weight out of the stern. Ad from Concord Beheer has been fantastic with his support with this and all other aspects of ROMILLY.

The cuddy will be lengthened, to what I have not decided, your writers seem to suggest 600mm. Having an open cockpit is definitely a concern, I will reduce the amount of floodable (is this a real word) volume as much as possible. As for the spars I will use all carbon and have the lightest sail material without compromising fair every day use.

Some thoughts before I start are: should I have the deadwood in solid foam and add it to the structure after the hull is moulded as per the planked version or have the deadwood hollow, dwgs for the latter are not so clear for this.

I have heard Ry, does have some weather helm, are you aware of this? If this is the case can I add a few cm fwd And take it from the aft edge. I enjoy sailing and I am a sailor rather a racer however I like to feel the boat could justify herself if asked.

Thanks

Wayno

Rinus Alberti   2 April 2010

Hi Wayno,
Read your new technique of building the Romilly-hull. I thought that Bart Jan Bats from Zaandam / Netherlands also imnplemented this technique when building his BJ23. Google his name for contact.
When I was building my woodcore Romilly I made the Iroko-deadwood hollow. I thought the deadwood aft-part weighed about 30 kg and after having hollowed it 18 kg.
Making the cabin even longer than the mentioned 600 mm could be interesting. I did it in my Romilly but still have a lot of space in the cockpit. You could make the cabinspace longer till frame F6, but I would advise you asking Ed Burnett’s opinion.
Not only the technical side of it but also the esthetical question. How far can you go?

regards,
Rinus Alberti
skipper of “de Scoonheijt van Oele”
Netherlands

Wayno   2 April 2010

Hi Rinus,
thanks for the mail, will xtend no more than 600mm with the cuddy, how did you use the extra space in your Ry?
Regards,
Wayno.

Rinus Alberti   3 April 2010

When the boat is in the water again, probably early may, I’ll take some pictures of the interior and send them to Phil, you and others.

Regards,
Rinus

Bill Buchholz   4 April 2010

Hi Wayno,

I’m the lapstrake guy, and I think the main reason my boat floats on her lines is not because the hull is 10mm plywood, but because I don’t load it up with lots of stuff and there is no engine. Also, the cockpit seats are open benches made from painted pine, not the plywood and fiberglass monsters called for in the plans. I know there is no floatation, but until the boat floods and sinks I have a very nice open and airy cockpit. We have been knocked down and filled the cockpit once (during a race) but she stood back up as soon as the sheet was eased and we pumped her out and kept on racing, having been passed by three boats in the meanwhile. The seats are also about three inches lower for comfort. Consider the added weight of the extended cabin. My wife and I sleep very comfortably in our cabin, with the exception of the frame at about the hip location, but you won’t have that problem with your composite hull. Maybe have a boom tent instead of the long cabin. You want weight down low, so I would suggest using a nice dense hardwood for the deadwood. As you are not installing an outboard, you should build the deadwood all the way to the rudder. This might help balance the helm. I converted the lug to a gaff rig and am much happier with it. We had a hard time getting ashore from the fore deck with the boom and yard up there forward of the mast. Yes, they just hang out and find there own place. It works well; the chafing gear is very important.
Regarding the centerboard, leave the pennant long when you install it, and after she’s launched let it all the way down and then pull it back up a bit and tie a nice knot that lands on your exit block. I have a problem with water shooting up through the exit block in the top of the trunk when loaded with lots of people or when crossing boat wakes. Any one else have this problem?
Good luck with the project, Bill.

Wayno   4 April 2010

Hi Bill,
Many thanks for the feedback and very interesting comments in particular the hardwood deadwood, see Rinus’s comment where he hollowed out his Iroko and reduced the weight by almost half, thinking a composite keel will be less than 10kg. I have had some thought of placing some lead in the lower end of board extending the steel plate this would help as you suggest to keep the weight down low, also considering going back to he boomless rig.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Regards,
Wayno.


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