Boom Tent Mad Science + sailing a Small Craft Advisory day in my bike-towed sailboat.

[@OkieBobby]

Heck yes! This video had everything (e.g. innovative design, building, boat camping, sailing, bike stowage & bike trailering...), including the brutal honesty of the clock. Very brave from a number of aspects. Inspiring!!!! That looked like some serious sailing as well. Particularly when you consider that the camera makes things look much more tame than they actual were. Mission accomplished.

[@michaelbeebe1616]

Hay Bobby, fancy meeting you here. Good stuff, eh?

[@fossilfool]

Thx a lot Bobby. I have since done another round of work and done away with the 'Elevator Boom' tension system, choosing instead to go with a more traditional cradle. Fewer pieces of string to manage, please! Reduces setup time to the 30 minute range. Not bad, but still a lot if you have been working hard on the sailing / rowing and need rest at the end of a long day. I have seen that action cameras from certain angles can make the boat look like it's moving a lot faster than it is.

[@scottastell9415]

Keep up the great content. Really like your innovation skillset/ lateral thinking. Cheers from Scamp Sailor #407, Canberra, Australia. Sailing cause I love it even though I'm 68 years young.

[@hurdurdur7rl696]

Although i have a microcruiser and not a dinghy - i often choose to turn a bit and do a tack instead of doing a gybe. I like comfort and a dry place to sit. Good luck with your reefing adventures :)

[@fossilfool]

Thx for watching. I am pushing to learn so they don't scare me any more. I recently got some education with a senior member of the Cal Sailing Club, using the black risers shown in the vid at 22:30. I was able to do 5-10 gybes in a row in 12-15 knots.

[@lukedogwalker]

Lazy jack's! Helps a lot with reefing. Keeps everything out of your lap while working.

[@fossilfool]

My hope is to have a lazy jacks system that works for reefing and also does the 'elevator boom' function shown for camping use in the video.

[@tomkabat8845]

@@fossilfool Would there be a way to alter the boom rigging connections a little to allow "roller reefing" the boom to wrap the sail around it and tie the sail strings to secure it while reefed? p.s. I loved the shop work section where you demystify carbon fiber build up process.

[@joshuamsika9705]

Hey, I love your videos. Thanks for putting them together and uploading them. I thought I'd offer a brief comment on gybing. I was always terrified of it when I was learning to sail as a teenager. Then one day, I was paired with a slightly older and more experienced guy who figured out what I was doing wrong. I was pulling in on the sail, slowly, but then once it had gone over, I wasn't letting it go of the sheet. This made the boat heel over hard, turn up into the wind on the new tack and generally made everything worse. This looks like it's exactly what's happening to you. Obviously, I'm not in the boat with you, but maybe try letting the sheet out faster once the sail has gone over. If it can't run freely, then try not pulling it all the way in before you gybe. If you do that, you have to make sure the main sheet doesn't foul on anything as the sail comes over. Hopefully that helps. Basically, by pulling your sail all the way in, you're telling your boat that you want to be close-hauled, so it heels over and turns in order to obey your instruction... Let the sail all the way out and it understands that you want to go down-wind. :)

[@fossilfool]

Thx for your feedback! On the gybes, that's exactly what was happening. Also my mental focus was on the lines fouling with the tiller, which has plagued me since rigging the boat. I showed my solution in this vid at 22:30. I don't know why I've had such issues with it, as I followed the plans to make my tiller. My solution looks a little bulky so I may try to make a more svelt version if it proves to be the solution. It has performed well on the only day I've tried it. I was able to let the boom swing without worrying about tiller tangle. I didn't get as much turning into the wind after the gybe. Obviously heeling and "Oh Crap!" feeling was better than what is showcased here.

[@taobot8]

Another point that took me a while to get the hang of was to make sure I was really flying downwind at the point of executing my gybe. It's possible to get so tense about preparing for the gybe and using yachting techniques like pulling a couple of armfuls of sheet first that your boatspeed drops and the apparent wind increases. That means there's more pressure on the sail when it gybes and things become a lot more of a handful when the boom comes across and a crazy amount of wind pressure presents itself to the sail because we're now traveling downwind a lot slower than the wind pushing us.

[@fossilfool]

@@taobot8 It's a leap of faith to gybe while going fast. I want to get out there and do 5 good ones in a row. Thx for watching.

[@recidivist11]

I like all the thought that has gone into it but 2 hour set up !! You not exactly working a kiss principal are you😁

[@fossilfool]

This whole experiment will be shortlived if I can't bring it down to 15-20 min, which is my goal. I did hit a 20 minute teardown this time, but then the process of really cleaning up and lashing everything to get wet and be ready for capsize took another 1 hour.

[@martinetkin2548]

Hi Fosilfool: I am in San Francisco and recently bought a Laser sailboat. I have been watching your cool videos.. Amazing you can use your pedals as my BMW Z3 can hardly pull the Laser! I wonder if we can chit chat on the phone for some sailing advise? Have you ever crossed Richardson Bay, between Sausalito and Belvedere? I have practice a few times on Lake Merced and Shoreline Lake, and would love to try the Bay, but cautiously. I wonder if Richardson could get choppy? Best, Martin

[@fossilfool]

Hi Martin, thx for watching. I don't sail in Richardson Bay but I know it has a lot less wind and chop than Berkeley because there's less 'fetch' ( less open water for wind to build up. ) Do you feel comfortable righting the Laser? That boat is designed to be capsized and recovered easily for sport sailing. Richardson Bay is big and shallow, which means that tidal currents will probably be pretty strong. Check tides so you know what you're getting into. Launching by car at Tierney St. is primitive and shallow so your car may end up in the water more than you're used to. Surprised your car can't tow the lightweight Laser easily. Do you live close enough to the water to try bike sailing? You can email me at my username @ gmail if you want more info.

[@lukedogwalker]

Do you need lumber holes from the bow compartment to drain into the bilge so it can be bailed? The water under the bike was trapped.

[@fossilfool]

Trapped water is worrisome and I have thought about doing what you're suggesting. That amount was after 4 hours on the water so not too scary. For multi-day trips where I want to leave my bike in there and not have it rust out, then the lumber hole is the ticket. Didn't know that term. Thx!

[@lukedogwalker]

@@fossilfool Wait! That was a typo! It's limber hole! Limber 😉👍 "Lumber" is what your boat is mostly not made of!

[@BerylBite]

Very cool! I’ll be making my own boom tent soon. Experienced cruisers tell me that the wind is a big issue for taller tents. The boat rocks and sways more at night. What are your thoughts?

[@fossilfool]

10 knots is no problem but I haven't tried it at anchor in 20 knots. I think it depends on your adventure goals and whether you'll be glamping in protected spots or anchoring in 15+ knots. Thx for watching.

[@leuvenisaplace]

When I am installed as dictator, shortly after the billionaire's against the wall are those who use the word glamping in a less than ironic manner.

[@fossilfool]

Very cryptic. Thx for watching tho :) When the tent setup starts to flow and I start do 2 and 3 days and longer on my boat then maybe it won't be glamping anymore.