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LUTRA
30ft x 5.75/4ft x 1ft
...a Sampanic Shorpie? |
LUTRA -- Genus name of otters, order carnivora, family mustelidae.
Sampanic -- Having a bow resembling a sampan.
Shorpei -- Sharpie / Dory / Shorey (as distinct from any one of those?).
Meso-Cruiser -- Bigger than a micro-cruiser, smaller than a full-sized cruiser?
LUTRA: One More @%! Boat
Well, here we go again.
A quick recap of our so-called 'retirement plan'... WAYWARD, our home of the last decade is capable and comfortable, but requires a deal of physical input to sail and maintain. As we age, we expect that it would become our less mobile live-aboard. To stay mobile for longer, we added MUSTELID to the mix as an easily handled camper-cruising forager.
MUSTELID's sea trials showed us that she is more than a fair weather sailor, and quite comfortable for longer term life aboard. We feel that we could, in a pinch, make her our sole live-aboard, though in spartan fashion. By nature, however, we lean more to hedonism than asceticism.
Got us thinkin'; always a dangerous activity.
Easy handling is optimal in the smaller vessel, but maintenance on the two vessels is more than WAYWARD's alone (duh). M's lack of insulation and light build puts her at the wrong end of the comfort spectrum... for about six months of the Alaskan, rainforested year, it's cool to cold living. Stowage is minimal (only enough for about four months if depending on food stores). Tools are limited to band-aid level repairs (not reconstruction). No copper plate.
Hmm.
We decided that an enlarged version of MUSTELID would meet our needs in one package. Easy handling, less maintenance, comfortable (and better organized) living aboard with enough displacement to carry longer term gear and outfit. When we're out cruising, with all eggs in one basket we won't worry about the boat left behind.
LUTRA vs MUSTELID
LUTRA is designed on the same general plan, but 6ft longer than M and twice as deep (1ft vs 6in for nearly 2x displacement). We've raised the cockpit sheer by a foot to allow self-bailing decks, wider footing and more storage in the T-locker. The resulting, higher (and widened bow) yields more lift over seas... this might be necessary to counter the increased momentum of a heavier boat.
- 9ft rowing cockpit (vs 8ft) relaxes our spacing.
- 3ft aft locker (vs 2ft) adds 'deep' stowage area and extends the aft deck.
- 12ft cabin (vs 8ft)
- Adds room for a small 'chest of drawers' each (more efficient storage).
- Allows bedding to be moved forward, clearing a space for cook and fire while one of us slugs abed (we call the doubled bedding 'Cloud-Nine' 😴 ).
- Double displacement floats thicker walls and double windows (improved insulation), copper plate, extra stores and gear, and a thermal-mass rocket stove (design in the works).
A longer, deeper hull, heavy bottom and copper plate will increase form stability and add considerable ballast stability for an even stiffer boat. This allows a more powerful rig, though we'll keep it snug against the sudden williwaws to which our area is prone. Dimensions shown are about the max we might be comfortable with. Reefing is (supposed to be) a snap and sheets are very easy to release, so we'll see.
In particular, we're trying another possibly hare-brained idea:
The mid-sail is drawn quadrilateral, spread by a sprit and boom inspired by
Holopuni Quick Rig. First reef is to brail the sprit vertical (leaving a Leg O' Mutton, triangular sail standing) and rotate the mast one turn to wrap sprit and bunt. From that point, reefing is all roll-furling around the mast as .we've been doing. With luck, this will retain the easy handling of the simpler, LOM (Leg O' Mutton) sails from M.
This increases sail area and drive while moving the CE aft a ways. This will decrease lee helm from the forward sails and hopefully enhance windward performance. With luck, we'll get away with hanging the off-centerboards (which double as filler planks for a cockpit platform) from the forward end of the cabin in the blindspot at the chest-of-drawers.
We've widened the sampan bow which will allow us to use a foremast case. We'll be able to drop it without lifting it clear of the partners (a spooky operation when wind and water 'get up'!). It will be self-bailing and drain clear of the water.
Another departure is eliminating the cabin tumblehome in favor of one-piece sides. This simplifies construction, adds knockdown buoyancy in the
BIRDWATCHER style cabin and helps reduce rain on the windows for better visibility.
Other than that, we'll be keeping most of M's features, only adapting as necessary.
The as yet open question is whether we'll be able to row LUTRA at speeds approaching 3kts. On the one hand, her longer waterline length affords about 7kts of Hullspeed (vs M's 6 1/3kts). On the other, we are doubling the underwater cross-sectional area and increasing wetted surface, both of which increase resistance. We'll be thrilled if we gain speed under oars; content to match speed; mildly disappointed to lose a little; chagrined to lose a lot.
Time will tell!
Getting Going
We were all set to build in a beautiful, remote location near Tenakee, but not too near (allowing us to concentrate on the build). Unfortunately, some friends suffered a series of misfortunes and we stepped in. We were glad to help out, but summer and a chunk of fall evaporated with no sure end in sight. We were offered a site in town, so moved back in and got started in late September of 2024.
It's cold and slow going. We're not as resilient as we used to be. Town life is lovely as always, but full of attractions and distractions. But we're chipping away at it.
At present, the hull is complete and we are about to copper the bottom with plate stripped from WW. It's well below freezing, at present, so we're prepping the plate and hoping for a few days of higher 30ºFs/low 40ºFs to render a waxy tape (sealant for the copper) more pliable.
Here's from a few days ago:
