"Scout" -Really coming together now

Installing Yuloh Storage Bracket

Today was a good day. The weatherman, although he pounded most of the State with heavy thunderstorms, gave us a wonderful day.The temps felt more like late October, than August. I spent all last night and today working on "Scout". 

It would have been a sensational day on the water if the summer powerboat traffic wasn't so heavy. I bet the early morning was beautiful before they all got out there. Soon the lake will belong to us again! 

Making Aluminum Brackets for Mainsheet Camcleat

 This year will be different for me. I am planning on not putting Dauntless in the water for the season...at least not right away. I want to do some projects to her interior and also could really use to save the slip fee $. Plus...."Scout" will finally be ready! It's inevitable now! I am literally within  a couple afternoon's work on being ready to splash her for the first time.

Kiko snagged a pic of me working installing mainsheet system

Today was the first time she has seen her whole rig in place. I didn't actually raise the sail yet. I have a few more things to complete (a camcleat and a pulley or two) and it was pretty windy. But...I had the boom and sail suspended from the topping lift and have worked out how the furling gear, halyard, and topping lift will work. I also have the rudder lift system and steering line system completed. 

Some Paradox info:

When I first became aware of the Paradox, I knew I liked the concept..but I didn't fully understand some of the design until after I owned one!  The Vent Box was one concept I just had a hard time grasping and no-one seemed to have shown it much or explained how it worked or what is for. So, I thought I would give it a shot in cast a prospective builder might benefit from it. Here goes: 

Almost Completed Vent Box
4th side still not attached, baffle visible

The Paradox has a very unique system called a "Vent Box" that I have never seen before, but that is found in Matt Layden designs. The vent box solves numerous problems. 

1. Leaking Mast Partners - a common problem with keel stepped masts. 

The Paradox's mast is stepped through the deck and goes all the way to the floor of the boat where it sits in a socket. While this gives great strength, one issue always present with this system is leaking of water around the mast where it penetrates the deck. This is even more difficult to address in a boat where the mast is inserted and removed each time the boat is sailed. That prevents any of the normal solutions to leaks around the mast from being employed. How does the vent box solve this. Simple. It Allows the mast/deck socket to leak all it wants!  What??? you ask. Yep...let it rain! Picture the vent box as an upside down pyramid within the boat. The top/tip of the pyramid sits on the floor and is slightly squared off.  The base of the upside down pyramid is actually connected to the underside of the deck. The hole in the deck that the mast enters through is within the "base" of the pyramid. This means that any water that enters the mast partners drains directly into the pyramid. Hmmmmm.. "What happens when the pyramid fills up?" you ask. Good question....cause it can't. Why? Because Matt designed a 1 inch drain in the tip of the pyramid (remember it's upside down so this is the bottom of the boat) right out the bottom of the boat. Water can literally pour into the mast partners and the interior of the boat itself, never sees a drop! Ingenious! If you can't beat leaking mast partners...EMBRACE them! 

But wait!  We aren't done with the wonders of the Vent Box! 

2. Interior Airflow!!!! 

Square hole is for mast, round hole is an Air Vent. Both open
int the "inside" of the Vent Box

"WHAT??"  Yes!  Airflow!  If you look at the Paradox you will see a huge 6 inch circular hole in the deck right next to the square hole where the mast inserts. Did someone mis-measure? Nope!  That's the design. It's an air vent system!

Close-up of Mast hole and Vent Hole...small holes are for
Control lines and black think is the Boom Strop (more on that
in another post .)

 "But how can that not allow a ton of water into the boat?" Well....we are back to the Vent Box. Air can enter the vent box via the huge hole in the deck.....on the inside of the boat there is another huge 6 inch hole in the rear side of the vent box pyramid (see picture above). The inside hole faces the skipper. The hole is made very high in the vent box almost at deck level. Air can enter the big hole on deck and exit into the cabin through the hole on the rear inside of the vent box. "But what if a wave or rain comes in with big-time water???  Doesn't that allow water into the cabin?"  NOPE!!!  :-) 

 Matt thought of that too. There is a baffle inside the vent box. The air must travel in the hole on the deck and then down to the bottom of the Vent Box to get around the baffle that is hung from the top of the vent box on the inside. Once airflow enters the box at deck level in the front of the box (and in front of the baffle) it travels down to the bottom of the box, around the bottom of the baffle (which only goes 2/3rds of the way down the inside of the box)...and then back up the backside of the baffle to the large exit hole that allows it into the cabin.  Much like the principal of a dorade box.  Any water that comes into the vent hole is directed by the baffle downwards where it exits out the 1" drain. It cannot make the corner to travel all the way back up the vent box on the backside in order to get through the cabin vent hole. WALA!!  Nice dry ventilation.!!  (If you are up on ventilation of a closed area you realize that you must have an opening  for air to escape in order for air to enter.  Herein lies a second purpose for the baffle at the back of the boat where the tiller enters into the cabin. It does double duty as an exhaust air vent if the cabin is closed up.)

3. Leads Control lines to Interior.

The Paradox is designed so that it can be sailed and controlled completely from inside the boat with the hatch closed, if necessary, for inclement weather or temps. So...How do you get control lines for halyard, reef, and topping lift through the deck and into the cabin without allowing water to leak in? Anyone that knows small boats knows that ..... You DONT!!  Instead..the location that the control lines enter the deck is,,,,you guessed it....within the confines of the vent box! Let it Rain!!!  They are then routed around the internal baffle within the box before exiting the box on the dry side of the box through brass tubes led to cam-cleats on the backside of the vent box itself. Any water that enters the control line's entry points goes right to the 1" drain and out the bottom of the boat. 

I am new to this system and have not been able to use it just yet...but reports from other Paradox owners report it works brilliantly. 

During construction pulleys, electrical connections for the mast, control lines, eyestraps, and the lightning protection system contacts (yes, that's what I said ...more on that later) all have to be installed within the interior of the vent box. As such ...the boat is constructed with one side of the vent box left off to make access for installing all the gear. The last step...is to close the box up by epoxying the last side in place. Yes, you can still get access in there....but it's lots easier with the 4th side left off. That's about where I am at. I should finish installing the last of the equipment  inside the box tomorrow. After that,,,the 4th side will be epoxied on making the box watertight from the actual cabin of the boat. 

Of course...all this work requires a regular donation to West Marine....so Ensign and I went today. Guess we are there WAY too much as Crystal, the Store Manager...is happy to dog sit Ensign for me while I shop! He just turned 6 months old.... based on his current size ....I doubt he will be sailing "Scout" with me! LOL