TI Bulkhead

Keith (Chekika) asked me how I installed a watertight bulkhead in my TI.

I made it out of 3" foam block available at my local kayak store. It is mini cell foam used to install bulkheads, make thigh pads, seats, etc. in kayaks. The location I picked is just aft of the mast, where the cockpit well starts. The Mirage well acts as a support for the back of the center piece.

The bulkhead is made from three sections. For each section I made a cardboard template. The center piece fits exactly between the keel groves. I had to slightly notch the middle for the Mirage well. First you dry fit the piece. Using a belt sander I shape the foam to a final tight fit.

The glue that I use is GOOP Plumbing Cement available at Home Depot. I used about three tubes. First I mark the dry position of the bulkhead inside the boat. Then I remove the foam and put ample amount of GOOP in the marked area and sides of the foam. This is messy. Don't worry, the Goop  can be pealed off once dry. Insert the foam and let it dry.

After the bulkhead piece is in, go back into the boat and work extra GOOP around the edges filling any gaps. GOOP smells like airplane cement. Use plenty of ventilation. Repeat several times until you get a nice fillet of glue all the way around. Reach behind the bulkhead and fill as much as you can before inserting the next foam piece.

The sides are made the same way. The back of the top needs to be profiled. Glue the three sections together.

Once you have all three parts in and glued from the front, the hard part is to reach through the round hatch and apply glue to the back. Long hands needed. This is a Hudini trick.

After I was satisfied that the bulkhead was watertight, I filled the front with water. Make sure you support the boat. You can spray with a hose also.

Hobie Tandem Island Bow Modifications

What do you do if you can not change the shape of your bow???

I have been playing with that idea on my TI:

1) I welded small strips of plastic at the bow. They were mainly there to control the spray coming off the nose. Added benefit is that they push the bow wave down and out adding some lift.

 

2) Once a bow completely submerges it has lost all of its reverse buoyancy. The water pressure on top act to push the bow down further. Second mod is a small hurricane bow in front of the hatch. The shape is pitched forward to throw the the water out to the side.

Both design changes depend on the boat having forward motion. If the boat starts to stall, turn up wind. That always pops the boat back up. Then turn right back and the boat takes off like a bat out of hell. During the EC, I noticed that the new rudder is very responsive for this move.

My 2011 Everglades Challenge

I have had a few questions about why I dropped out of the EC. The first day went great considering the head winds. At one time I was considering camping overnight at Manasota Beach. I considered against it since the next day was forecasting more high headwinds in the morning. I ducked into Stump Pass to take advantage of the incoming tide and continued on to CP#1 arriving at 2AM. CP#1 looked too noisy as a good rest place. The islands all looked battered by the winds blowing across Gasparilla Sound. I continued on to my original destination, Cayo Costa. Through the night I started to cough from the sea water that I took on over the bow.

I woke up in the morning with a fever and a cough. The wind was blowing from the south. I tried sailing against it but decided to turn around after poor progress. My fever continued to rise.  I pitched my hammock on Cayo Costa to get some more rest.  I slept until 3:30PM and felt even worse. My urine started to turn red. I have a Kidney Disease called IGA  Nephritis. Usually not a problem but stay away from Strep and other pulmonary infections. Without antibiotics I can get into a problem very quickly. I called my daughter to arrange a pickup at the Punta Rasa public boat ramp at the Sannibel Island Bridge. My EC Race was over. My real Challenge just started.

I went to the Ft Myers Lee Memorial Hospital where I spent 2.5 days taking Antibiotics and IV. My temperature was running 102-104 Deg F for almost two days. Diagnosis was Aspiratory Pneumonia compounded by my IGA.

The boat worked great and nothing broke. I did not feel tired. I had all the supplies to last the whole week. It was the fever and kidney that did me in. A silent enemy from within…

Ready for the Everglades Challenge

I have spent the weekend changing the oil on my car and doing all the necessary maintenance. The GPS is programmed and it looks like it will be a 14 hour driving time to get to Fort DeSoto. I will leave sometime Thursday, grab a few hour nap on the road and arrive early Friday morning.

You can follow the race on the Watertribe map. Apple and Google Browsers have a problem pulling down the map link if you try to access it from the main Watertribe Home Page. The default view shows only the last waypoint for all the racers. To see the full track select "Show Track and All Waypoints". You have to push "Regenerate View" to re-draw the map. To only see my progress select my Tribe Name "DogsLife".

I am disappointed in the Weather Predictions for the week. It will be warm and the winds will be light and on the nose. No high speed sailing for me. Based on past races, I have brought a lot of gear for cold weather.

Wish me luck. I hope to take some good video...

February Everglades Challenge Practice Run



Yesterday I did 28 nm in the Chesapeake Bay. There were very lite winds and I spent a lot of time fighting the current. A lot of close haul sailing accross the bay. From the above zig-zag on the picture you can get a good idea how well the Hobie TI points. The wind died as I finally reached the second crossing of the Chaesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The run along the tunnel road was long. In the afternoon the wind veered to NE and the temperature dropped 10 degrees.

As usual I shot some video. It takes time to produce these videos. I will update as soon as it is on You-Tube...

Hobie Tandem Island training for the 2011 Watertribe Challenge

This weekend I took my Hobie Tandem Island out on to the Chesapeake for some more practice for the Watertribe EC. There are only 31 days left before the race. For a January sail, it was very nice. The surface of the Chesapeake was like glass. Bellow is my latest video...

And, these are my other January practice videos...

Watertribe EC Practice

I have been practicing for the Watertribe Everglades Challenge with my Hobie Tandem Island. Initially I bought the boat to do the race with my teenage son. He decided that it would be more fun to go on his Senior Trip with his friends. I have created several videos on my YouTube Channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dogslife23452

There are several Videos of a 100 mile November James River Trip that I did with another Watertriber.