Scamp Build in Kansas!
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Hey, thanks! I’m gonna try that.
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Hello SCAMP-thusiasts!
Last week, I took a short, solo trip to Lake Ouachita in Arkansas, a seven hour drive from my home in Lawrence, Kansas. So I thought I’d share a report of my adventures sailing, rowing, and sleeping aboard SCAMP for four days and three nights.
It’s hard to find watery places near my home that feel wild and remote. Most, if not all of the places to sail in Kansas are reservoirs engineered by people. Lake Ouachita is a dammed up river too, but it feels different. First, it’s bigger than anything around here. Second, it’s in a mountainous part of Arkansas. Third, very little development is allowed along the shoreline; it’s a conserved area within a national forest so not much going on in the surrounding area either...With an hour left toward my destination, I loose cell signal all together.
The lake is approximately 36 miles long, with around 200 islands and parts that are over 200 feet deep. It’s one of the cleaner lakes in America too. Here’s an aerial photo from my internet machine:
And my short path on the lake (days are color coded):
Last week, I took a short, solo trip to Lake Ouachita in Arkansas, a seven hour drive from my home in Lawrence, Kansas. So I thought I’d share a report of my adventures sailing, rowing, and sleeping aboard SCAMP for four days and three nights.
It’s hard to find watery places near my home that feel wild and remote. Most, if not all of the places to sail in Kansas are reservoirs engineered by people. Lake Ouachita is a dammed up river too, but it feels different. First, it’s bigger than anything around here. Second, it’s in a mountainous part of Arkansas. Third, very little development is allowed along the shoreline; it’s a conserved area within a national forest so not much going on in the surrounding area either...With an hour left toward my destination, I loose cell signal all together.
The lake is approximately 36 miles long, with around 200 islands and parts that are over 200 feet deep. It’s one of the cleaner lakes in America too. Here’s an aerial photo from my internet machine:
And my short path on the lake (days are color coded):
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
I arrived in the evening and ghosted into the night on a whiff.
Just after leaving the Mountain Harbor Marina:
I found a cove on the map that looked good, and bumbled my way there in the dark relying heavily (OK, entirely) on my phone GPS.
I get stubborn about not wanting to break out the oars. I’ll sit in the middle of a lake for hours waiting for a little breeze, but it was getting late, and the wind died to nothing I could feel. So I compromised with myself and used my stand-up paddle board paddle to pull myself the last 1/3 mile.
My flashlight barely illuminated the shore from any distance, but from what I could see, the cove seemed tight, so I set two anchors off the stern in opposing directions to keep me from swinging too big an arc, and got on to eating and sleeping.
The next morning:
I awoke to this view:
Just after leaving the Mountain Harbor Marina:
I found a cove on the map that looked good, and bumbled my way there in the dark relying heavily (OK, entirely) on my phone GPS.
I get stubborn about not wanting to break out the oars. I’ll sit in the middle of a lake for hours waiting for a little breeze, but it was getting late, and the wind died to nothing I could feel. So I compromised with myself and used my stand-up paddle board paddle to pull myself the last 1/3 mile.
My flashlight barely illuminated the shore from any distance, but from what I could see, the cove seemed tight, so I set two anchors off the stern in opposing directions to keep me from swinging too big an arc, and got on to eating and sleeping.
The next morning:
I awoke to this view:
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Then set sail in light air to explore an upper arm of the lake:
Skies clear:
Slipping past one little island after another, riling up some geese along the way:
Skies clear:
Slipping past one little island after another, riling up some geese along the way:
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
It’s a bit unnerving but magical too, sailing among mountain tops and maybe even some trees from the original forest:
Picking up just a bit of wind...wait...nope...just a tease:
This area is not known I think for being windy, and that’s been my experience here too...I finally put the oars together (which takes maybe a minute or two at most) and rowed into a comfy cove for a my second night:
Picking up just a bit of wind...wait...nope...just a tease:
This area is not known I think for being windy, and that’s been my experience here too...I finally put the oars together (which takes maybe a minute or two at most) and rowed into a comfy cove for a my second night:
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
I only went briefly ashore twice (I slept at anchor every night). Here you can see some of the crystal that runs through the area in veins, and chunks dot many of the islands like litter:
Day three was scary. After a satisfying series of tacks with perfect wind velocity, I navigated around islands to get out of my cove and into a main arm. The wind abruptly died and a group of storms very quickly rolled over the still air. Light drizzle, turned to heavy driving rain. The water surface began dancing in a spectacular fashion. Thunder cracked.
At that point a good number of camouflage painted bass boats came out of the woodwork, evacuating their fishing holes and racing for home. It reminded me of disturbing an old rotten log and watching ants, once hidden, stream out from every crack.
I quickly became the last boat visible on the water. That situation struck me as good IQ test - that I was failing. At one point I saw 4 strikes at once licking the landscape around me. I rowed hard into the nearest small cove.
In the thick of the rain:
Here’s that same view, post-rain.
After 20 minutes, it passed, I raced to the next cove and waited out the next storm that rolled in, and so on. I couldn’t make it all the way back to my car that day, but by the afternoon, all the storms had passed and I sailed into my final anchorage of the trip, took a hesitant but rejuvenating dip in the 55-60 degree water, and hunkered down with an audiobook after a hot meal.
It stormed that night too with rain and thunder that echoed all over the place, rumbling on and on. It was strange to get a spacial impression of the landscape just through the sensation of sound.
A lonely, sweet sail back to the marina the next morning wrapped things up.
That’s it for trip No. 2.
Day three was scary. After a satisfying series of tacks with perfect wind velocity, I navigated around islands to get out of my cove and into a main arm. The wind abruptly died and a group of storms very quickly rolled over the still air. Light drizzle, turned to heavy driving rain. The water surface began dancing in a spectacular fashion. Thunder cracked.
At that point a good number of camouflage painted bass boats came out of the woodwork, evacuating their fishing holes and racing for home. It reminded me of disturbing an old rotten log and watching ants, once hidden, stream out from every crack.
I quickly became the last boat visible on the water. That situation struck me as good IQ test - that I was failing. At one point I saw 4 strikes at once licking the landscape around me. I rowed hard into the nearest small cove.
In the thick of the rain:
Here’s that same view, post-rain.
After 20 minutes, it passed, I raced to the next cove and waited out the next storm that rolled in, and so on. I couldn’t make it all the way back to my car that day, but by the afternoon, all the storms had passed and I sailed into my final anchorage of the trip, took a hesitant but rejuvenating dip in the 55-60 degree water, and hunkered down with an audiobook after a hot meal.
It stormed that night too with rain and thunder that echoed all over the place, rumbling on and on. It was strange to get a spacial impression of the landscape just through the sensation of sound.
A lonely, sweet sail back to the marina the next morning wrapped things up.
That’s it for trip No. 2.
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Eric, that looks like an excellent trip. Peaceful, lonely, scenic and a touch spooky. That what makes these trips so unique and memorable. Glad you were safe and all ended well. How do you like the sail tending bungies (can't remember their name) on the bottom of your boom? Also, how about the Howard Rice re-entry slings? Looks like you've got your Scamp well sorted.
Brent Butikofer
Scamp: Hagoth
https://buildinghagoth.wordpress.com
Scamp: Shackleton
https://buildingshackelton.wordpress.com
Pocketship:
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Never Stop Learning or Exploring
Scamp: Hagoth
https://buildinghagoth.wordpress.com
Scamp: Shackleton
https://buildingshackelton.wordpress.com
Pocketship:
https://idahopocketship.wordpress.com
Never Stop Learning or Exploring
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Hi Brent,
Yep, it was all those things!...A good trip.
Boom bungees - I use them all the time - every time the sail is lowered. It takes just a few seconds and everything is tidied up- 3 sections/3 hooks. When I am trailering and moving the sail bundle from the mast to the trailering crutches, the bungees keep the boom, yard and sail all together. They keep the sail tended while driving too.
Something related that I love: a little thumb cleat towards the aft end of the boom. When at anchor or rowing, I unhook the aft lazy jack and hook it into the thumb cleat farther back which lifts the whole sail bundle up and away from my head.
The H.R. slings seem like maybe the most important addition to the boat. I like the way I installed them too - which I can’t take credit for - someone, somewhere mentioned having a bungee inside the slings to keep them tidy and I wouldn’t do it differently. They are always ready to go, instantly tended after use without a thought. The second night I took some quick breaths and then swam off the boat. Getting back in is a breeze. The last night, I just couldn’t go all the way, so I stood on the sling, and lowered myself into the water - just enough to bathe, then stood up and dripped dry before getting back in the boat
Yep, it was all those things!...A good trip.
Boom bungees - I use them all the time - every time the sail is lowered. It takes just a few seconds and everything is tidied up- 3 sections/3 hooks. When I am trailering and moving the sail bundle from the mast to the trailering crutches, the bungees keep the boom, yard and sail all together. They keep the sail tended while driving too.
Something related that I love: a little thumb cleat towards the aft end of the boom. When at anchor or rowing, I unhook the aft lazy jack and hook it into the thumb cleat farther back which lifts the whole sail bundle up and away from my head.
The H.R. slings seem like maybe the most important addition to the boat. I like the way I installed them too - which I can’t take credit for - someone, somewhere mentioned having a bungee inside the slings to keep them tidy and I wouldn’t do it differently. They are always ready to go, instantly tended after use without a thought. The second night I took some quick breaths and then swam off the boat. Getting back in is a breeze. The last night, I just couldn’t go all the way, so I stood on the sling, and lowered myself into the water - just enough to bathe, then stood up and dripped dry before getting back in the boat
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Reefing system tweaks:
The reefing set-up on my SCAMP worked great and was pretty much as specified on the plans sheet 8. But, when it was windy, with the boat parked and sail flagging off the starboard side of the boat, I have found it just a bit difficult and fiddly to reach the aft reef cleats on the boom and cleat off the lines. One can just lower the whole sail down into lazy jacks in that case, pull the boom in and then reef, but I tweaked the system a little to make reefing easier and faster without having to do that. Here’s the new set up:
I took off all the 3” horn cleats, and replaced them with Clamcleats (“V” cleats) with Clamcleat Keepers — two for the aft reefing lines which I moved a bit forward on the boom and two for the forward reefing lines. It’s easier to reach the aft cleats now, and so much easier to cleat off - just pull and done. The keepers keep the lines from accidentally uncleating.
I added two 4” horn cleats in between for holding the excess lines, and two loops of bungees can be pulled over the horn cleats to keep the wrapped bundle of lines from coming undone.
Here’s a pic with the first reef in (I only have two reef points set up — the first and third). The excess line is quickly wrapped around the horn cleats and secured with the bungees. So far I like it a lot better:
Reefing steps:
Drop the sail a bit (enough)
Loosen downhaul
Pull on the fore reefing line
Pull on the aft reefing line
Raise the sail back up a bit (enough)
Re-tension downhaul
Pull slack out of unused reefing lines if needed
Wrap all the reefing lines a few turns abound horn cleats and pull bungee loop over cleat
Tie up reef nettles
The reefing set-up on my SCAMP worked great and was pretty much as specified on the plans sheet 8. But, when it was windy, with the boat parked and sail flagging off the starboard side of the boat, I have found it just a bit difficult and fiddly to reach the aft reef cleats on the boom and cleat off the lines. One can just lower the whole sail down into lazy jacks in that case, pull the boom in and then reef, but I tweaked the system a little to make reefing easier and faster without having to do that. Here’s the new set up:
I took off all the 3” horn cleats, and replaced them with Clamcleats (“V” cleats) with Clamcleat Keepers — two for the aft reefing lines which I moved a bit forward on the boom and two for the forward reefing lines. It’s easier to reach the aft cleats now, and so much easier to cleat off - just pull and done. The keepers keep the lines from accidentally uncleating.
I added two 4” horn cleats in between for holding the excess lines, and two loops of bungees can be pulled over the horn cleats to keep the wrapped bundle of lines from coming undone.
Here’s a pic with the first reef in (I only have two reef points set up — the first and third). The excess line is quickly wrapped around the horn cleats and secured with the bungees. So far I like it a lot better:
Reefing steps:
Drop the sail a bit (enough)
Loosen downhaul
Pull on the fore reefing line
Pull on the aft reefing line
Raise the sail back up a bit (enough)
Re-tension downhaul
Pull slack out of unused reefing lines if needed
Wrap all the reefing lines a few turns abound horn cleats and pull bungee loop over cleat
Tie up reef nettles
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
It’s May, 2019, and the outside temps finally warmed up enough to make some small repairs and modifications inside the unheated, dirt floor garage where my SCAMP was born. After almost a year of sailing, I’m seeing where parts wear and chafe, and what things could be improved. It feels good to give SCAMP some love before potentially taking a trip this summer up north (Maybe Georgian Bay/North Channel in July). Here are a few things done so far:
I moved the reef blocks further aft on the boom, especially the third reef block. I had initially placed them so there would be around 10% belly at the boom when reefed. But the heeling force in winds above 25 knots is too much to sail close hauled efficiently, so I’m thinking that flattening the sail a bit will help with that:
When hiked out sitting on the rail, I rely on the tiller extension and with a bit of weather helm, I end up pulling on the foam ball glued on the end. I was slowly ripping the foam ball off, so I epoxied on a plastic ring (leftover Delrin) that stops my hand from slipping without having to grip the extension so hard, and made a new foam ball too with my drill as a lathe:
One thing that really didn’t need improving, but was just a little irritating...the tiller always felt sloppy and clunky to me. I cut some plastic washers from the leftovers of a previous IKEA hack (I’ve found so many uses for that plastic IKEA waste basket) to fill the gaps between the rudder and the head:
Then scraped the varnish off of the tiller in little patches and epoxied a few layers of Dynel to take up some space there too (can be seen in the tiller pic above).
The result: steering is tight!
I moved the reef blocks further aft on the boom, especially the third reef block. I had initially placed them so there would be around 10% belly at the boom when reefed. But the heeling force in winds above 25 knots is too much to sail close hauled efficiently, so I’m thinking that flattening the sail a bit will help with that:
When hiked out sitting on the rail, I rely on the tiller extension and with a bit of weather helm, I end up pulling on the foam ball glued on the end. I was slowly ripping the foam ball off, so I epoxied on a plastic ring (leftover Delrin) that stops my hand from slipping without having to grip the extension so hard, and made a new foam ball too with my drill as a lathe:
One thing that really didn’t need improving, but was just a little irritating...the tiller always felt sloppy and clunky to me. I cut some plastic washers from the leftovers of a previous IKEA hack (I’ve found so many uses for that plastic IKEA waste basket) to fill the gaps between the rudder and the head:
Then scraped the varnish off of the tiller in little patches and epoxied a few layers of Dynel to take up some space there too (can be seen in the tiller pic above).
The result: steering is tight!
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