SIBing with the Local Lockdown Rules

[The Gurnard]

Recent Local lockdown rules in Scotland have landlocked me from the sea .. so Im stuck with adventures around my council area.

I cant complain as Im still getting out in the boat ..and getting fit into the deal too. I live near many beautiful fresh water lochs ..but you cant use outboards on them...so I have to improvise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoAYcPH8a58

My latest video is not for petrol heads ..but it illustrates small inflatable’s can be rowed reasonably well..however as the Guppy goes green .. Im in the process of making a sail and lee boards to assist too .. so I can cover 8 to 10 miles .. row upwind then get blown home :-D

[smallribber]

Hello Donny another lovely video. Have a look at the very good Inflatable Kayaks from Itiwit. They are very stable and durable. This is ours on the river nene earlier this year

https://www.amazon.co.uk/photos/shar...Z01dsVCryzM9yo

[The Gurnard]

Hi smallribber thanks for the link and they look good. However as I already have an F Rib decided just to use it to access the lochs as its easy transported in the car and I can carry it on my shoulders down bankings etc.

Im also keen to make it even more versatile than my usual power boat and rowing adventures by hopefully making it sail..not only down wind but also on a close reach ..hence why Im making lee boards for it. A Normal dinghy will have a centre board but my challenge is not to alter the basic boat ...hence using lee boards.

I have the basic idea finished and they are under construction as I type this..and yup..they are being made from recycled materials..mostly from the scrapped “Gurnard” SIB. I should manage getting a prototype sailing without it costing me a penny...and will post some photos then a video of its maiden sail in case anyone else is interested.

Incidentally there used to be a commercial sailing version of the F Rib 275 ..and it sailed very well. Mine wont head as close into wind without a centre board..but the challenge will keep me amused over the lockdown period.



Come the better weather and when lockdown eases again ..I will put the 6HP outboard back on the boat and have more powered adventures like this one I did at the start of the month. The Fribs are very versatile boats if you push them :-D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2jhlYNvuBE&t

[Maximus]

Nice progect Mate....Good Luck!..
Can't keep a Good Man Down eh!
Enjoyed the video too..

[smallribber]

You are certainly making good use of the old Gurnard which is lovely to see.

On a different note I was wondering what video editing software you use to make your excellent videos

[Limecc]

Are electric trolling motors allowed on those lochs?

[The Gurnard]

The leeboards prevent sideways drift and help small SIBs stay on course even when rowing in a strong wind. I wanted two, one either side of the F Rib but also wanted them to be independent of each other so I can put the windward board down and keep the other up to assist reducing drag..or have both down when sailing towards the wind.

Mine are made from the paddles of a retired SIB and an old broom handle which is a good fit inside the aluminium paddle shaft. This allows the paddle to rotate up and down. I will attach the leeboard cross piece to the seat so I can also slide the seat fore and aft until I find the sweet spot when the leeboard’s position are balanced with the sail ...so I don’t get lee helm when under full sail. That covers the lee board construction.

They are out the way for rowing in both up and down position. I will hold them in the down position with elastic shock cord in case I hit shallow water. This will allow them to come up. The photos should show what my words fail to do

The lee board assembly dismantled for transport


The lee boards in the raised position


The windward lee board half way down ..vertical will be full down


Next on the workbench will be the mast, rudder and sail ........




Thanks Maximus .. and yup..Im perfectly healthy so Im not sitting around moping that I cant go outside for fear of the virus or because its cold outside. IMO Not much chance of catching or spreading it out alone in a boat so it is the best place for me.

Once I get the virus ..then I will sit around for a while until I can shake it off or it shakes me off .. but until then its life as normal for me except for wearing a nose bag in the supermarket or following travel restrictions when enforced by law. I was always an unsocial bugger anyhoo..so well used to social distancing..even before the pandemic and the fact others want to stay at least 2 meters away is like a dream come true for me.


Thanks Smallribber ..I use Cyberlink Powerdirector ..IMO its good value and most important ..there are great youtube tutorials on how to use it. Cameras I use are Gopro Hero 5 and a Sony AX53 camcorder. However the best tip I can give is not about editing software or cameras ..it is making a video that tells a story. However Im still learning techniques and presentation myself.


Thanks Limecc. Im no expert but I don’t think electric outboards are allowed unless the loch owner gives permission ?

Quotes from Access Code with section number in bracket.

Access rights cover “canoeing, swimming, rowing, windsurfing, sailing, diving” (2.7)

Access right don’t cover “the use of any powered craft on water” (2.14)

You will find the full access code at this link https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.s...ess%20Code.pdf

I can confirm the owners of some lochs have no problem with petrol or electric outboards etc while some owners do. However no owner can refuse as long as you follow the access code. It is not about pollution by petrol although many owners will use that as an excuse to throw you off.

If in doubt contact the owner or body who looks after the water ..in my case it is the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park authority.

Hope that helps some

[Steve509926]

Nice video Mr G. What are you going to use as a mast foot and how are you going to secure it to the F-Ribs deck?

[jeffstevens763@g]

Interesting this looking forward to the build Donny lovely wild camping spot on that island too

[The Gurnard]

Hi Steve ..the mast assembly was very easy. The mast itself is the pole from the TV aerial on my house. I eventually got round to taking it off the gable end as I don’t own a TV and stream TV through the internet and watch on my IPad. The mast is in two sections so it splits for easy transport.

When I first got the F Rib..I didn’t get on with its sloping floor so made a duck board from the slats of a recycled Seago slat floor inflatable which the F Rib replaced. Its easy enough to fix a mast foot to the duck board as shown.



This shows the mast in position held secure with two back stays and a fore stay



The stays are attached to the tubes using the existing safety rope fixtures. So no boat alterations made.



The rudder is even simpler..a wooded skulling point bolted to the transom using the existing holes that bolt the OB to the transom. The rudder itself is my F Rib oar..as I wont need it for rowing when under sail..or I can still row normally with both oars to assist the sail in light winds ..and use the oars to stear as when rowing. This type of rudder brought the Vikings across the north sea to rape and pillage my ancestors ..so it will be good enough for the Guppy too.



Incidentally..this video is very much worth watching..it illustrates an oar being used in anger and it was this video that inspired me to start making my own videos..so well worth a watch..its on Loch Lomond ..just round the corner from me so I will visit it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Irpy7S9iQ

I will report back assuming the mountain rescue don’t lock me up in the ever tightening covid lockdown

Hi Jeff ..Im like you and just like creating things for the boat when its too bad weather to use it..Im enjoying making the bits ..and if the prototype doesn’t worth..I have not lost a penny :-D


Tomorrow Im on a tight timescale as its to be another very wet and windy day. I hope to make the sail then..its going to be made from the boat cover off the old “Gurnard” Then hopefully..Thursday is forecast sunny and winds 10 to 20mph and as such..I will be trying out the new green Guppy to see how she fairs.

[Steve509926]

Really impressed with that Donny, it should move at a reasonable speed being hard hulled. Look forward to seeing/hearing how it goes.
On a different subject I'll be in touch early next year to pick your brains for a wild camping spot on or around Lochcarron.

[The Gurnard]

Hi again Steve.. hopefully you wont have a problem around that area as there are a lot of places out the way to park up. So saying..I didn’t go north this last year as there were that many campervans everywhere I didn’t want the bother of fighting for spaces to park up. A lot of the campsites and facilities were shut because of Covid. I hope lessons have been learned for this coming summer and they open more facilities. However I had no problem camping by using the boat.. the normal staycationers wont walk the length of themselves so plenty remote beaches with no one around.

It wont be a fast boat as it will be sailing at displacement speeds ..which are calculated by

Speed in knots = 1.34 x (Square route of its waterline in feet)
Therefore top speed will be around 5 or 6 mph.

So no point in having a huge sail area which will just make it very tippy. Im starting off with an 18 square foot sail as the last thing I want is a tippy boat with expensive camera gear on board. However the lochs I will be using it on will be around 10 miles long max so between rowing and sailing will take around 6 hours to go round them .. a perfect time for boating in a lockdown November day.

I see we are now in complete lockdown in the west of Scotland..but I am allowed out to exercise..and rowing the boat is my exercise . ..so will give my report at the weekend

[Steve509926]

Good luck at the weekend and I hope it's great weather.
Sent you a PM so as not to hijack your thread.

[smallribber]

Very good Donny and looking forward to seeing how it goes.

Strange not having a TV though as watching your videos for me is far better done sitting on a sofa watching on a large smart TV with the youtube App. I have a few tablets and Ipads but for me they are far too small to really enjoy.

Once again nice to see you using and repurposing things you have around you.

I like to repurpose lemonade bottles but that seems to inflame some people

[The Gurnard]

Hi smallribber .. You would not believe the bullying letters I got once a month from the TV licensing lot . They knew I didn’t have a licence. I kept telling them I don’t watch or even own a TV..but still the threatening letters came. Once every 6 months someone would arrive at my door and asked why I didn’t have a licence.. I told them I don’t watch TV ..come on in and have a look around and you will not find a TV . They would apologise then assure me they wont pester me any more. A couple months later the threatening letters would start again and after awhile another person would arrive on my doorstep. This bullying behaviour went on for 6 years until I finally bought a licence. Believe it or not I don’t watch the frigging BBC programs. I read the internet for my entertainment and read the news there too. I still pay the licence fee but in the past couple of years downloaded the Iplayer app and on a blue moon will watch an hours worth of TV. Now we are forced into lockdown yet again .. because the science tells us its the only way.. yet the science tells us its not spread by schools or workers. I fear we no longer live in a free society..but I am delighted I did for most my life ..rant over.

As for bottles..I have cut the bottom off a plastic lemonade bottle to use as a funnel to fill the petrol tank. Here are a couple of bottles I also use on a regular basis.

The two stroke mix was used for many years mixing the two stroke fuel. Then one day I wanted a small size water bottle for overnight camping trips..it took well over a week rinsing it with both vinegar and bicarb of soda to get rid of the petrol flavour..but now its perfect with no flavour whatsoever and I no longer run for the first crap after my morning coffee.

The coffee jar is indispensable on wild camps. There is nothing worse than going out the tent for a pish in the pishing rain or midge infested scenery..so the coffee jar is worth its weight in liquid gold. Even after a gallon of Guinness .. I have never overfilled it in the tent during the night...although I did spill it once

So I see no issue in using a lemonade bottle for fuel.. as long as you label it and don’t fill the outboard with urine ... no one can laugh ... can they ?

[smallribber]

Sorry about your hassle with the TV Police it must be because you look so much like a Criminal.

Her indoors is being made redundant in 4 weeks and I am semi retired so once we have all had an armful of the magic potion and when we are allowed we are coming up your way with the rib or sib or both and having a poodle around some of the haunts in your videos.... She keeps winging about the Midges but I recon it is worth it for the beauty and isolation of it all

[The Gurnard]

Just a quick update as I managed out in the Green Guppy today

It was typical Scottish weather ..when you want a calm day .. it blows a gale .. when you want a bit of wind .. it turns flat calm.

This morning was the first time I have been able to assemble all the bits on the boat as it poured rain all week. Here is a photo of it all together for the first time and all parts fitted.. no wind so I took the sail for a row.



A breeze did get up so I got to try her out ...



A few things need adjusted and I need a bigger sail than 2 square meters as Im well underpowered. The boat didn’t heal one single degree. The sail needs a reshape too as the leech was very inefficient .. hopefully a couple darts sewn in will sort that out ..and perhaps a batton or two



I rowed 3 miles and sailed 5 miles and had a great day..so at least there was some success and I know what I have to work on to hopefully improve things for next time.

A complete report will be in the video which will take me a few days to put together.. so untill then.. thanks for reading .

[Steve509926]

Its looking good Donny and makes the Guppy very versatile. Years ago, when my kids were young, we were given a bare Optimist which we rigged with a type of Open Skiff half battened sail (used old fiberglass tent poles for the battens). We went for that design because a/ We had a mast & windsurf boom b/ Cheap c/ Easy to make. We found the shape to be very efficient for a small sail.
Look forward to seeing the video.

[smallribber]

Yes looking forward to the video

[The Gurnard]

Thanks for the continued interest Steve and Smallribber.

Here is the promised video .. in it .. you will see the green Guppy is not perfect but she is a work in progress. I will adjust a few home built parts to get best performance ..then once happy it is a worthwhile project ..I might just buy an Optimist sail ..but as a basic sale costs around £200 ..I will make sure it is worth it first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSjexS5nEyM

A passing thought to some SIB’ers

Most inflatable boat owners will rely on their oars if the outboard breaks down..yet I see many boat seats decorated in fish finders, batteries, rod holders etc which would make rowing their boats impossible in event of a breakdown. If you one of those guys ... have you considered how you will row if it is required ?

Of course..I know you will never break down..so it is a silly observation on my part.