Ragnarok

Here is a little Norse mythology:

At the end of time, all the forces in the nine worlds will meet in Asgard for Ragnarok: the Twilight of the Gods.  Lots will go down, and it will all be bad.  The wolf Skol will catch and devour the sun.  Fire will rage over Migard and pretty much everything will be wrecked.   And Fenrir will break his fetters and devour Odin the Allfather.  Even Thor will die after killing the serpent which surrounds the world.  As it says, "That was the end; and this is the beginning."

After a few years of though, I have decided to name my racing boat Fenrir.  The reason is that it fits.

In my esteem for the racers who can finish 340 miles in under fifty hours (and some under forty), I envision them as the mighty men and women of Norse myth. So, to follow the metaphor, I would be Fenrir, trying  to defeat what are the champions.  This of course is not an attempt to lower them or their accomplishment, but rather to advance a new idea and see how far it can all go.  And, if I do, then it will be as it says: the end and the beginning.

Correction

Well, last night I made a mistake.  It turns out there is a record for the solo pedal boat in the 340.  The admin had mistakenly omitted it in the recent roster and it was only after I got into researching previous performance (when did people drop, etc. so I could form a correlation) that I discovered the slip.

It turns out that Mr. Carl Philips finished the 2009 (same year I raced it with my cousin in the Men's Tandem division) with a time of 74:47:00.  Hats off to Mr. Philips and sorry for the mistake folks.  As always the target remains and it was never my goal to prove it could be done, but to prove it could be one.  I need to beat that time by forty hours and some change.

Carry on. 

Deadline delivered

Well, it's happened: I have my deadline.  
As of a day ago, I registered for the MR340 and am on the list for the race.  I spoke to my Mom, and she will be handling the ground operations for the whole race.  This amounts to two things:


1) I need to get back on the boat


2) I am in a position to set a record.


The second part is about the history of this race. 
First off, the people at Rivermiles- specifically Scott Mansker- have made this race an open one.  There are no boat classes really, so you can take anything that is human powered.  Last year someone did the full 340 miles on a stand-up paddle board (SUP).  It wasn't sure that a person could do this, but it was done.  This matters because some races don't allow non-traditional boats.  It's not far from cycle racing, where tradition wins over innovation in the rules (look up the history of recumbent bikes or Graeme Obree to see what I mean).  As a result, I will be limited in what I can achieve.


Let's say I am right.  Let's say I make the fastest boat in the race and do it in some phenomenal 34hrs.  I won't be making the racing circuit in my fast boat, winning everything and blowing everyone's mind.  I won't be allowed.  The big races will not allow my boat in those races, no matter what the efficiency or speed.  I know this.  I am indifferent.  This is about one race.


I am focused on the singular goal of winning the 340.  I don't care about making my living as a boat racer.  What everything comes to is the validation of my own effort, both in design and in the craft of building.  If there was anything to come from this, beyond my own goals, it would be to make the design available to other people on the open market.  I could see this (assuming I am right) going into a long distance craft which anyone could use.  That would make me happy: a host of people out on the water, enjoying nature and ease of travel and all of them there because there is a design which makes it possible.  I would like to see this as the bicycle for the water: democratic, personal, accessible.  


For now, I just want to get back to the Armadillo Works and into the crucible of creation.  Onward: forward with a purpose.

Wanted: Deadlines

Hey everyone, hope you are still around.  My traffic stats tell me some people are still checking in, so good for you.

Well, I dusted off the project board and have been researching and noodling (not the hand fishing for catfish, but the mulling of ideas and taking apart the project in my head) so things are getting under control.   Here is where everything stands:

I think I qualify for early registration in the 340 this year.  I used some of (or maybe all) of the entrance fee to get Meers, The Curve, and I into the Kawnivore, but I believe I still qualify for the early registration.  If so, I will register as soon as I can, which means before Christmas.  This is good, cause it will put a deadline on me.

For the moment, I am working for two clients and that is also good.  I am going to need the funds for this- especially with some of my newer modifications- and that comes from work.  So, while I can't devote myself fully, I am going to be funding the project (I guess my corporate sponsorship didn't go as far as I thought).

Also, the Armadillo Works is in good shape.  The hardware section is closer to being sorted and I have a plan for a good work table (prototable with added table saw and router).  I am also going to start shooting video and getting that posted, so that will be cool.

As a final note, many of you may know that my personal life went into a tail spin sometime in September, but I am back on track now.  I am a bit more busy, but my head is in the game.  In addition to the Velocidillo, I will be working on some furniture, an old Argo, and a few other odds and ends maybe another boat).  The advantage to this will be that I can talk more design as these things are coming along.  The problem will be staying on track.  In addition to all of this, I have started running again (no more marathons though, half-marathons only) and this is to help me quit smoking.  That is a serious mind altering experience (I've done it before) so I will have to keep it from interfering.   I'm just going to have to work it out.

Let us proceed.

The night before my return to running.
I need a shave, but I kept my pre-race scotch out of the picture.

As I Work This Out

So I haven't been adding content lately, which of course is bad in blogger-land, but I think it makes sense.
At the moment, my boat plans are the same (record breaking design of pedal powered craft, much praise and critical acclaim followed by an extreme bender and bikini-clad admirers) the process is recessed into my head.  I spend a lot of time up there, and many of my projects work themselves out internally.  It's the way I work when I am without a client or deadline.

Rest assured, work is being done.

I am also very busy trying to earn money to pay for the supplies to make these ideas real.  In the mean time, I thought I would put up a photo from the race.

Meers and I waiting for the starting gun.

I recall feeling pretty good at this point, and for the first leg.  But all of that would fade as the river took it's toll.  I can't wait until I can run a good race with a chance of a victory.  Meers too, I think, is getting excited about racing.  With the Curve waiting for repair, I am tied to shore and want very much to paddle a bit in the autumn.  I read Canoeing with the Cree the other night (couldn't sleep due to my own internal relationship demons and such).  Didn't satisfy me as make me long for the pull of the river's bend.  While you wait for me to write, you ought to give this a read.

Back to the Drawing Board

It's been a while since I've been on here.  While I haven't been idle in this time, I have been working out some important process issues and getting some of my technology on line.  Here's what I've come up with, and what you can expect.

The MR 340 for 2012 is a little under a year away.  I chose to compete in the Kawnivore for the experience (brutal as it was) and use the additional time to perfect a design rather than run a prototype on short notice.  I have some time now, and I want to go back over my progress to improve what is there.

As a part of this, I will create computer models of what I am building.  Over the last month I got some help from my friends and have put together a computer devoted to Solidworks.  I also have a legit copy of the software and am in the process of refreshing my knowledge by doing tutorials.

In the physical world, I am going through and improving my shop.  There is a lot of work to be done around the Armadillo Works and I can't delay on it any more.  Principally, I need a decent prototable (a work surface away from the bench), better drawing area, an organized hardware section, and some improved storage.  There is a lot of stuff in there, and without organization I tend to let it got out of hand.  Keeping a clean area will not only improve the work, it will make you want to work.

This is the Prototable I built for Scott Padiak & Assoc.

The major problems I am facing now are a lack of deadline and a fast approaching hunting season.  I guess I could add to this a lack of funds and a need to work, but those seem to be ever-present.  In any case, I am going to continue progress and continue to use this blog to follow as well as to motivate me.

Hope you stick around.

24:20

Alright.

I've been analyzing the official time for the race and I think that an explanation is fairly clear in the first two check points.
Manhattan to Wamego: 19 miles in 3 hours, 45 min. = 5.5 mph

Wamego to Maple Hill: 21 miles in 5 hours, 30 min. = 3.8 mph

From here on, the times just hovered around 4 mph.  So slow compared to our training and the first 20 miles.  The reason for this is pretty simple: no water.

Let me explain.

The Kansas river is a fairly wide, sandy river.  It drains the eastern side of Kansas eventually emptying into the Missouri River at Kansas City.  Like most of the central part of the U.S. there have been extremely high temperatures and little rain in that part of the country.  As a result, the Kansas has become very shallow.  There is current, but in many places it is ankle deep across almost all of the bed.  The Learning Curve needs a bit more water than that.
Now this is not to say that there isn't a channel.  I was able to find and follow the channel through the first part of the race pretty well.  Unfortunately, after Wamego it was dark.  I can read large features in the dark, but the subtleties of the Kansas were beyond me.  I can't read what I can't see.  What it boiled down to is that I couldn't make the crossovers.  Let me explain.
The channel of a river flows in a meander within the banks of the river.  Water may be all the way across, and it might even be deep, but the majority current has it's own path.  For example, in a curve, the flow goes to the outside.  This is why the outside of a curve has a steep bank while the inside is typically shallow.  However, you can't just stay to the outside and be good.  The channel will cross the river at points and you have to follow along.  As long as you hold the channel, you can get good speed and you will gain from the river... a sort of teamwork where you paddle and ride the current.
Now, when the crossover is hard to find, you end up grounding out on the bottom and looking for the channel.  How?  Well, I got out of the boat and walked around until I got to water about knee deep.  Mid -calf would float us, but knee meant there was good flow.  A few times I slipped down through the sand or off the edge and went up to my hip, but mostly it worked out.  It is, however, no way to be fast.
The problem with this system is that you stop and get out of the boat.  This is not only slower but it breaks your momentum.  It's disheartening.
Now here is some good news.  I learned to see it in the day.  Not always, but enough that I could tell where it was.  It turns out there is a very subtle riffle on the surface where the deeper water is going by the shallows, and I learned to see that.  It wasn't as pronounced as I'm used to, but if the wind was down and the sun was not in my eyes, I could make it out at least three fifths of the time.

With all of that, it was about overcoming the difficulty.

In the end, all races are about pushing yourself across the line.  It always comes down to how hard you can go.  Everything else- the speed, the time, the strategy, and where you place- is a product of how hard you work.  For Meers and I, I can say we were all in.  I don't think we ever stopped working.  There were obstacles in the river, and the hull was never meant for this, but we pushed it as hard as we could.  I won't offer that as an excuse for a poor showing or make excuses to justify a long trip.  The fact is, we took it across the line, and at the end of the day, that's all you can do.
We didn't win, but we will be back.  I don't know if the Kawnivore will be a go or not.  But, as I said, the target remains.  I am determined to design and build a boat that I will use to win the MR340.  As for other races, well,  we will have to see.
The Learning Curve is now retired from racing and I will need to spend a lot of time with her to get her back in shape for even a gentle float.  I like that I was able to build a boat, use it for trips, camping, training, and racing.  She's tough, but I'm learning a lot.  I will post as I get those parts done.  From here on, I will go back to the design of the Velocidillo and try to keep the pace up.

Here we go.

I went for a walk

Well, the race has been run.

In this case, it was almost literal.  I will have a complete debrief on what happened out there in Kansas later, but for now I will keep it to a few choice phrases.

We finished.  More than a few people didn't, and that is an accomplishment.  We weren't as fast as I'd hoped, but there were complications with the river.  Here are the facts:

It was a hundred degrees.  The river was shallow.  We worked as hard as we could.  We finished the race and were not last.

This is the hardest river race I have ever tried, and while the MR 340 takes longer and left me with more lasting pain, it was easier than the Kawnivore.  What happened out there tested my abilities more than any other race, period.   The Leaning Curve was at her best, and is suffering from serious damage.  Meers and I will at least get better.  Of the hundred miles, we walked ten: canoe in tow.  Many of the people I talked to were worn out, and some gave up.  I have to thank every volunteer at Rivermiles and the Friends of the Kaw for their support and help along the way.  Thanks to Scott for giving me a race this year, even if it wasn't my goal.  Thanks and love to my support crew for putting up with me being grumpy and driven as I am in these things.  Thanks to my partner, the Meers-Cat, for helping me paddle and pull that hunk of wood down an impossible river.  Thanks to the good people of Kansas for the hospitality.  Thanks to you, dear reader, for paying attention to an idiot and his friend while they strive for something intangible.  I hope you will stay with me while I continue.  And thanks to God for letting me be that idiot: able to do it, survive it, and learn to do it better.  

This blog was not about the Kawnivore, so it is not over.  There is a boat to build and a race to win.  The target remains.  Let us proceed.

Starting Line

T Minus 1

The Armadillo rolls on.

Next stop: Lawerence Kansas.

T Minus 2

Alright.
Everything that I can do has been done.  Today is about getting my gear together and watching The Life Aquatic.  I have read all the scouting reports and dispatches.  I have studied the river through Google, and read all the info.  I am as ready as I can be I guess.

This is a new concept for me.  I usually don't like to prepare for these sporting events.  I like to just go.  But, and this is important, I have also never won a sporting event either.  There may be a correlation.  Regardless: I'm ready.

From what I can tell, this is going to be a tough go at first.
Shallow water.  Little current.  Hard to read.  Lot's of boats.  The first 20 miles will determine the line up as the pack thins to a line.  I predict a lot of grounding and so on.  The first checkpoint, then, will be important.  Here's my plan:

No weight in the beginning.  Meers and I have canoed the shallowest stream I can find and kept it going in less than a foot of water because we were light.  The Curve rides on top of the water pretty well, so I will not carry any extra water and only one battery until Wamego.  Once there, I will get my water jugs and extra battery.  I will try not to rig anything so having it set for fast retrieval will be key.

From then on we are on our own.  Won't see the crew again until the dam, but the river will be getting deeper as we go.  I hope I can read it well. This race is going to have a lot to do with the ability of racers to read the river correctly.  Like Cash said: muscle, guts, and luck.
I don't believe in luck, so I will have to make up for it in the other two.

The cut-off times seem to be generous, and if Meers and I keep our pace with a sense of urgency we should have a nice place toward the front. To get out front, we will have to see.  There are a lot of good paddlers in this with some really nice hulls.  I have a secret plan in the back of my head that we could attempt a sort of gambit:  Meers and I switch places half-way through.  I become the engine and I am fresh compared to him, so he gets a rest while I refresh our speed.

Not sure if that will work.  As with just about everything I do, I will adapt to what comes and just keep working.  One thing should remain at the front of all thought: I intend to win.

Talk to you after the race.

T Minus 3

Race Day looms.

Last night I got the lights working and today I will get the hull's final finish done.  It's brutally hot right now (well over 100 degrees in the barn), which is good.  That should make the resin cure fast.  I don't have any glass to repair, so it will be a quick wash, coat, and finish coat.

I am considering a few final additions, like a faster stem in the front, and moving the Chief's recliner forward.  The stem would make it plow water a little less, and with the recliner moved forward, Meers would not have to paddle to the outside as much.  Might ease up on his shoulders a bit.

As far as the rest, I am going to get some hydration tubing and an extra light.  I want maximum forward light so I will use the constant on system from bicycles.  Meers will be here Wed. night, so everything will need to be done tomorrow afternoon.

Also, I need to prepare the resupply bags.
I have designed a plan for resupply during the race.  To make it easy for my crew (also known as my Mom and friend Laurel) I will pre-package the gear to be dropped.  At the first stop we will pick up water and the power supplies.  I will add to that some snacks, drinks, and bug repellent.  From there, we will be running at dark and we will only have one other chance at resupply.

In the second stop, we will drop the power and change water.  This is going to be our chance to stretch and apply medication.  We will try to keep it short, but it will be our longest stop.  From then on we are in the home stretch so we will be as light as possible.  Probably drop all the food-type stuff and go straight water.  It's possible that we will need to keep the lights and batteries, but it's hard to tell.  Depends on our speed which depends on the river and the wind.

In any case, that is the plan.  I still need to spend a few bucks on the supplements and some other odds and ends.  Here is the link if you want to spend a little of your Friday night checking on our position.  It's an old fashioned system of manual input and upload, so be patient.  We intend to move fast, but you should know that seven miles per hour is fast.  Follow the coverage here.

I'm off to get some work done.
More pictures and less words tomorrow.

Recliner for the Chief

Let's talk design.

Any one of us could anticipate problems with design.  If you were asked to design a boat for a race, you would no doubt put seats in it.  But, making those seats work well could only come out of a process.  The seats on the Learning Curve were a sort of inspired moment with some kydex and a thermal forming machine. They were really quite brilliant, except they didn't work.
On my very first test of the Curve, my friend Alex and I couldn't use the seats.  They were too high and made the boat want to tip.  So they sat in my fiend Dave's garage for a long time.  Eventually, I adapted them with some lacing and they worked very well.  That testing of a design is what prototyping is about, and it is the reason I want to build everything right away.  I guess a quick map of the process looks like this:
1) identify problem/opportunity
2) consider solutions
3) mock it up
4) evaluate the solution and refine
5) build prototype/functional model/proof of concept
6) test
7) refine
and so on.

The drawings happen throughout, but I normally don't worry too much about styling until I know what it has to be.  Once there, I can decide what it wants to look like, or what I want it to look like.

The seats in the Curve are functional, and they work really well.  But in an endurance race, comfort is king.  If you are going to spend fifteen hours in a seat, it is a good idea to make sure it is comfortable.  So, recently (and this is after sixty miles of practice) Meers wanted a back on his seat.  His back hurt from the paddling and maintaining an upright posture.  Also, I noticed he couldn't stretch his legs out.  I asked about that and he said he didn't feel like he was in contact with the canoe in the same way when his legs were extended.  Excellent.
Now if I was to formalize this (say, for a client) I would create a brief around designing a seat for endurance racing.  I would verbalize these opportunities as the objectives of the goal and probably include things like weight and material (light, water proof, maybe floating).  For my own purpose, I just started sketching ideas one night while waiting for the hull to dry.

They aren't particularly detailed drawings and I didn't feel like shading was all that important.  What I did was wait for Meers to come back and we talked about how they could go.  Then we mocked them up and discussed the merits.  Then we built something we could test.

Ugly as it was, it worked really well.  What this tells me, is that I have a model to build on for future iterations.   Since the Curve is not a racing boat, I am not going to keep this in place.  After Kansas, I am going to disassemble it and put the thing back the way it was.  But what I will gain is some valuable knowledge about what seats like this would need, and how I can integrate them into the next boat I build.

Meers-Cat and I staring at the barn... but you can see our personalized PFDs

T Minus 4

Well, we are into the last few days before the race.
I am ready... mostly anyway.

This weekend Meers and I did one more fourteen mile run on the spoon: Elmore to Dahinda.

I wanted to runt the hull and test out the changes to Meers' seat and my paddle.  I am running out of test runs, so hydration and food will have to be solved without a test.  Anyway, here is the Baptism of the Meers-Cat:

Initially we were quite a bit faster taking around twelve minutes off our five mile time, but things changed.  At the seven mile mark we were headed west under a bridge.  We were ahead in our time which meant we were moving pretty fast (Joe estimates it around six-and-a-half miles an hour) and just as we passed below the bridge something was in front of us.  We couldn't see with the sun in our eyes and off the water, but it didn't matter.  The canoe struck something and between that and our speed Meers-cat and I went over.  Meers' sandal broke and I took control of the swamped boat.  We got it to the bank and took stock: no injuries, dry bags were dry, and my inflatable kneeling pad was floating away.  Pretty good.
All we really had to say was, "Well it was going to happen eventually."
We caught up with my pad in the next quarter mile and finished out the run in the same time as our night run.  Meers and I have put about a hundred miles of river under the Learning Curve's hull and until Saturday afternoon we had never capsized.  I am not sure it's an inevitability, but I wouldn't worry about it.

Well, now I need to put the final touches on the Curve.
In the design arena, I need to solve hydration and illumination.  The hull should get one more quick go over for scrapes and some quick coats of urethane.  And then I will need to put together the supply packs for the support team.  I am going with a system of pre-packed bags.  All they will have to do is give us the correctly numbered bag and have the water jugs filled.  I will put up some images for this soon.
Anyway, my next post will be a look at how we designed and built the Meers-cat recliner and then I will continue posts in the T Minus until Thursday.

Stay tuned.

Fresh Coat

So, while the hull repairs are curing, I started on the styling.
I sketched in the lines with some vine charcoal, using the digital sketches for reference.

The lines are initially very rough, but I will clean them up as I begin to paint.  Fortunately I had that color of paint lying around from the refinish on a picnic table.  Two coats and I will be able to clear over it with urethane.  

Some of the charcoal picked up in the paint, but after everything dries I will wipe that off and apply the second coat of paint.   The real trick to it will be getting a symmetrical job out of it.  I will probably use a chalk line stretched around the hull for the lateral lines and the planks for vertical alignment.  I am still not sure if I will do the lettering by hand, but probably.  I may do them by hand to make templates and then paint from that.

With one more training run to go, we will have to take care not to destroy the graphics or cause any further damage.  That should be no problem if we stick to the Spoon River and run during the day.

Down Side

Walnut Creek in the heart of Illinois was one of my favorite places as a kid.    A little over a mile from my house, it joins the spoon river which makes its way to the Illinois River and then onward.  I always enjoyed playing in the creek because of the rocky shallows which allowed me to explore up-stream from my access point.  I never had a boat to use back then, though I did once build a log raft inspired by Tom and Huck.  I never got to try it because a nine year old boy doesn't always consider the logistics of building a raft over a mile from the water.  Still: the creek was great.
Now that I have a boat, it is only natural that I would return to that water and use it for training.  The tight turns have helped me learn control and the debris makes my partner and I work together without hating each other's guts.  But those rocky shallows that were the joy of my youth have a down side: they eat my hull.
After the training run on the spoon, I put the canoe up on horses to refinish the scratches and discovered some serious damage.  While scraping down the creek, we took off a bunch of the fiberglass and water soaked into the wood.  This actually caused two of the planks/strips to separate.  Also, up and down the hull I was missing glass.

Those patches are where I had to affix new glass.  Of course it looks really horrible when it's dry, but those become clear when saturated with resin.  The worst part was repairing the wood.  The section where the boards cracked is right in the bilge area (where the bottom of the hull becomes the side) and is under the most pressure.
I got it, though.  And, after a lot of sanding and such, I have her back together.
What this really requires is to be totally stripped on the outside and re-glassed.  The budget however is not there, so it is getting some patches of really heavy glass.
Once the evening was upon me, I poured myself a nice tumbler of sour mash and sat down to watch the fireflies.  A nice peaceful evening with lots of work behind me... and then I got back to it.
Raccoons have always come into the yard for the mulberries and it was never a problem.  Recently though, two of the dogs have been injured.  So, to protect the dogs (which I don't like, but they are part of the yard) I outfitted one of my paint ball guns with a light and did a little "active defense" of the perimeter.  

Note the addition of an adapted bicycle light.  This not only allows me to see the critters' eyes, but also means I can do this one handed while holding a drink.

I sometimes wonder if I am spending too much time alone in a barn.  Isn't this how urban folk stereotype the more rural types?  I have an education you know, and I read a lot.
I guess what matters is this: fun is fun.

Anyway, before anyone begins a blog about cruelty to raccoons let me say that they don't like being shot, but it doesn't hurt them.  The tend to growl and hiss at me and run off muttering curses and obscenities.  I used to have a pet raccoon and it was indestructible.  Those are tough animals.  Also, though, you should know that they are ill-tempered and you should never touch one unless it is a hat.
Just sayin'.

So, now I need to smooth everything out and put the graphics on.  From here out, the Meers-cat and I will be training on the spoon and then it will be race day.  Hope this is the last time I do this for a while.
Stay tuned.

The Train

Hey everyone.
It's almost 130 am here and I just got back from a long day of training with the Meers-cat.  Went well.
I spent the last week smoothing the hull of the Curve and today we got out and did some mid-day paddling.  Ran our usual route on Walnut Creek and found we were in excellent form.  Then we went for some supplies in Kewanee.
The evening paddle started at dusk.  I wanted to get Meers into some night paddling.  We did a section of the spoon and my brother in law B- came along in his kayak.  Gave us a chance to see how it all went after dark and we got to test our lights.  Here is a map:

We did the first seven miles in the morning, and then picked up the last fourteen in the evening.  We averaged 5 mph over the last part in the dark.  Not too shabby.

From the North Country

So I am back from a week in Canada at the family cabin.  Once a year I take a group of guys up to do some fishing.  Gives me a chance to play guide and get work done on the old rough-cut shack.  This year was pretty good, though for the first time we had some accidents.  Everyone made it out alright, and I am pretty sure they had a good time.

Now the fourth is over and I am back at the Curve.
Race day is quickly approaching and I need to have it finalized for the race.  My brothers are here with their families but I am not letting that distract me too much.  I did get in some fishing and a bit of paint ball fighting in the woods.  Mostly I have been enjoying the company of my girl, A., but the holiday is over and it's back to work.  I expect to be painting the graphics tomorrow and building all the little changes into her by the end of the week.

As usual I will keep you posted.

Tale of the Armadillo: origins

Years ago...

... small grey claws scratch the asphalt of north Texas.  The small form watches as a storm passes over the savanna miles away and disappears over the horizon.  The brief flashes of lightning reflect off of his dark eyes.  His ears twitch to the sound of a passing scissor tail, and when silence settles he takes his first tentative steps across the road.  At the edge, he turns left and aims himself toward the growing dark.

I was in good company in those days.  Smith, Zimmerman, Meeks, and Falzarano were a new family under the stripes and thunderclap of the U.S. Air Force.  We were an inseparable group of adventurers brought together without our will, but thankful all the same.  In those days, we worked and then we ranged the Texas we found ourselves a part of.  Like Edward Abbey, I wanted to see the country I had sworn to defend.  And like Abbey, I wanted to see it up close, warts and all.

We made a list.  In the back of class, during the down time, we set down on paper the things we wanted.  A list of demands if you will.  In the course of our time there, we achieved everything... almost.  We never did get our hands on a stuffed armadillo.  

We could have bought one.  Anyone can.  There seem to be quite a few taxidermists who will mount an armadillo, and if you have a few hundred bucks, you can own one.  But that is no way to hunt armadillos.  Not for us:  we needed a story to go with everything.  

Cowboy hats from our first rodeo.  Compact discs which had become the soundtrack to our road trips.  A poster from the Buddy Holly Symposium.  Pint glasses from benders and ash trays from cheap hotels.  All of it the evidence of our travels, and all of it loaded with the legend of our time in Texas.  The armadillo, though, escaped our grasp.  

In the years since, I made it a symbol.  It became the mark of how I look at the world: a place of immense possibility.  A place where the adventurer will always come away with a treasure, if not the one they seek.  Because everyone has a story, it only needs to be told. 

Doin it in Style: PART 2

So I have been going back and forth with my partner Meers-cat on this.  He pronounced a couple of the designs, "badass" and, for those of you who don't know, that means they are aesthetically pleasing in a way which brings to mind a certain strength or powerful character.

Badass.

Anyway, here are the designs in one page.

Some of them are not even race related in the slightest.  Still, when the idea came to me I put it down, so there they are.   I did eliminate some designs which were just not working for me at all, but for the most part I kept everything.  After discussing it, we came to a decision.  And here it is (drum roll, etc.):

The majority of the lines are based on Maori tattoos.  Since the skull was supposed to be "tribal" in the tattoo sense, I decided to research authentic tribal tattoos.  The Pacific is filled with great work done in the traditional style, and since they are all islanders, the style translates to boats really well.  It isn't a stretch to see water in the lines, and since the islanders have a long history of being badass (Hawaiians remember ate Captain Cook, and he couldn't even land on New Zealand) I figure it works.  Doubtful that we will get into the theme so far as to become cannibals, but the lines are nice.

I am going to try to get the graphics printed and then I will apply them to the refinished hull.  If not that, then I will probably just freehand the curves and mask the text and details.  

NEXT POST: the Tale of the Armadillo.

Doin it in Style

Alright

So, I have been working over the hull of the Curve, and giving some thought into styling.
I know that this doesn't make the boat all that much quicker, but like Mies Van Der Rohe said to a student: if you're going to make something, why not make it beautiful?

In design, function is my ultimate aim.  However, it should still be pleasing to be successful.  Granted that could lead to all sorts of semantic arguments about aesthetics and taste, but I won't bother with that.  I am just going to design the graphics for a boat.
I have to incorporate the race number (1679) and I want our names on the hull.  Also, the boat's name across the transom and both my armadillo symbol and Meers-cat's skull.

So far this is where I am, but there are many changes to make.  These are quick designs done in Adobe Illustrator.  That is the easiest way to make graphics and it makes it really fast when changing parts or colors.

It started with a real conservative military style tail flash.  Then I added color and some breaks in the field.
As it goes, I have added more curve and then tried to resolve the tattoo lines with that of the armadillo.
It's coming along, but I am getting close to being real hard to paint.  I have no desire to do multi-color masking and such, but like Dave says, "Design it, and figure out how to build it later."

The Target Remains

Well, we are going to have to change gears a bit.  I just go word that I can change class and the Meers-Cat and I are going to take on the Kaw-nivore 150.  I don't know if that is the official name.  I liked Kaw-nibal 150.  Seemed more appropriate.  But here is what will happen.

The Learning Curve is no racer.  It needs a refinish on the hull, some better decking, and seats that will be comfortable in a long haul.  It needs to be outfitted with good lights because of the nature of the river.  It needs to be worked on.   So, while I will not continue with the pedal powered boat for a while, I will continue to run this blog with the changes I am making on the Curve.

Of course, I will still put up witty banter and clever pictures.  In the future, I hope to update this from the race in real time.  But let's not get excited: we've got a lot of work to do.

Let's get started.

Never Mind That

Upon further exploration, I am not sure that my earlier ideas will work.

My designs are all based on a very fast hull with little wetted surface.  The Learning Curve will not work with what I have built.  The only hope now is that I can re-class as a tandem team and race the Learning Curve (never thought I would say that) with a partner.
Joe Meers (the Meers-cat) is onboard for the race, so now it is up to Scott.  If he green lights the changes, I will be back on the water.

Of course, the Missouri could suddenly change it's mind and return to it's normal course, as the water up-river evaporates and people get their homes back, but I am going to bet on Scott.

Let's Just Think About This

Okay.
Sorry about the last post.  Some people thought it was a bit vague, so I will clarify the situation and propose something different.

The MR340 will not be held this year due to flooding.  The Coast Guard won't let us run normal, and it is doubtful that a delay will solve the problem.  It is bad news, but we can't do anything about the river (for proof of this, just look at a broken levee).  As they say: river is as river does.

In it's place, we will be racing 150 miles on the Kansas or Kaw River.  It will be a shorter race, but will require much skill.  Unlike the Missouri, it is not very deep and has a lot of turns.  In short, the boat I am building will not take it at speed.  Furthermore, there will be portages.

Now, let's examine this for a second.
The thesis here is that a boat designed with the proper mechanics can compete with excellent paddlers in ultra-marathon river racing.  This being the case, I can use this change of venue as an opportunity to prove my thesis.
When I was in college, I build a wood strip canoe.  It is called the Learning Curve because I had no idea what I was doing and decided to build a boat so I could learn to build a boat.  I still have it and use it often.
It's ugly and slow for racing, but it's tough and it was built to teach me.

So, I could take my mechanics and install them on the learning curve.  It would be easy enough.  The hull is done, and it has a transom for the prop.  It can take a lot of weight, and I have run that across sand and gravel and steel and concrete, and it is tough enough to take it.

It would prove my mechanics and it would mean I could compete solo in the pedal class.
In the end, it could go back to being my first canoe without much modification.

I'm warming to the idea... quick.

Go with the Flow

"There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die."
- Hunter S. Thompson


My friend Will sent that to me cause it reminded him of me.  Very cool.  My ego needed that.
However, as I approach a big milestone, I got this on the forum today from Scott, founder and Mastermind of several races:


"Back in 2005 when planning for the first race was underway, the original vision was for it to be held on the Kansas River.  A much shorter race, but equally as grueling of an adventure because of the challenges of a sandy, braided river.  The race was reconsidered for the Missouri because of some portages and other logistical issues.  It all turned out well and we've had wonderful success with the MR340.  But this year that door is closed, locked and under water.  So, we've dusted off the notes from 2005 on how to put on an ultra marathon on the Kansas or "Kaw" River.  That's where the race will be held this year, scheduled for the exact same time frame as the MR340, July 19th-22nd."


That's right folks: MR340 is done for 2011.
There will still be a race, but it will be on the Kaw (Kansas) River in Kansas.  
Different water, different conditions, so the Veloci-Dillo will not do.  


Shit. 

Back On

Alright.

So, Dad is back from the hospital and aside from helping out as normal, I am back in the barn.
Between last night and this morning, I managed to fix the ratcheting problem, assemble the flywheel carrier bearing assembly, and bandage one of the dogs (nasty laceration from one of the other dogs I think).

I am going out tonight.  I feel like a little howling downtown will do me good.  Should assemble everything tomorrow and be able to post video of the working mechanics all the way to the prop.  I'm still concerned about a deadline, but the river seems to be set on a delayed start, so I may have extra time.  I can't count on it, but since I don't miss deadlines, I expect to be assembled and ready to roll on race day.
If there is a delay, I will use the interim to test and train.

I will still loose nine days to a fishing trip in June, but that was factored in.  This is a lot.  I still have to construct the hull and figure out the controls as well as build/refine the prop assembly.  Lots to do, lots to do.  Things to do, things to get done.
I won't bother with the details, but tell you when they are done.

Carry on.

Development

So, fast on the heels of my last post, here are the latest developments.

There is a decent chance that the MR340 might be delayed by the rising waters.  From what I am gathering on the forum, there is rain everywhere up river and the Army Corps of Engineers will be letting water out of the dams.  This could mean a delay of the start by about a month.
In some ways this is good.  My boat is nowhere near completion and I could use the extra time.  Also, while this is an adventure race and carries with it a certain amount of danger (a healthy amount), the safety of the racers is important.
The bad news is that my ground support may not be able to make the change.  So, I have set up a second crew of the Meers-cat.  Joe Meers is a mechanical engineer/adventurer who helps me out with adventures and various math problems.  Should it be necessary, he will jump in and act as my support team.  He should be excellent for the job since he has canoeing experience with me and has his own car.

I do want to say I hope everyone in the affected areas of the country are safe and that my prayers are with them.  I don't want anyone to think that I place the race over the importance of their safety or that of their family.  To help out, try the Salvation Army, or go to the Red Cross website.

In Limbo

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  Things around the house have been complicated of late.
A few days ago, my dad got sick, and as all of it evolved, I needed to get him to the hospital.  Looks like pneumonia and such (won't get into details) but we got him there before it got too terrible.  Still, it is taking more than a visit to the doctor to recover.  As you would expect, I have been spending my days at the hospital teasing him about the good-looking nurses and helping out when I can, so the boat is in a state of limbo.  I expect he will be home soon, and I will resume work when he is.

Being in the hospital is not something I enjoy.  It's the environment I think.  I don't relish the controlled feel of it.  It has certainly set my designer senses tingling as I watch the way the staff uses machines and interacts with a host of devices.  It's all very clever, but it seems that there is a lack of compatibility between the machines themselves.  Also, the interfaces are cumbersome.  Charting is all electronic now, but data input seems to take even longer and lack any sort of graphic interpretation which makes the whole thing look antiquated.  There is a lot of data taken and it it needs interpretation and monitoring.  There is a meaningful opportunity for a standardized data system and a more user-friendly interface.  Hats off to the nurses et al. who manage to work through all of that mass to get what they need for the proper care.

Anyway, this is just my take.  The staff doesn't usually have time to interview with me, so much is speculation through observation.  I will return this blog to it's regularly scheduled programing soon as I can.

Please Stand By.

Oxygen

Someone once said, "Sex is like air.  It doesn't mean much until you aren't getting any."

I ran out of oxygen in my oxyacetylene tanks, which has again ground my progress to a halt.  Plus Dad has been feeling bad and I had to get the hedges under control (those pesky hedges). Of course this would happen just before a holiday weekend when I can't get resupplied until Tuesday.  Ah well.
I will follow the advice I got off a coffee mug: remain calm and cary on.
Plus I took advantage of the time and repaired my fist canoe, the Learning Curve.  It's still ugly, but it's still tough and working.  I should be back on track by the end of the day.

Setback

Well, this morning I can report a series of setbacks.  Not exactly good news, but I am taking it in stride.

The goal for Wendsday was to have the mechanicals mocked-up.  Unfortunately, while I was on track, I failed to get it done.  The chain kept coming off.  The temporary universal twisted itself out.  Then, the fly wheel broke. Then it broke again.  After about the fifth time, I decided I was after it the wrong way.  I could go on rebuilding the mock-ups or I could just solve the problem.  Or, more accurately, the problems.

So, the problem offered an opportunity and a lesson.  Mock-ups are about sketching ideas with function.  Whether they work is unimportant compared to what we learn from them.  In this case, the problems I encountered during the mock-up phase were not only telling me what was wrong with my mock-up, they were informing the design process.  Everything that went wrong can be fixed, and those changes will become the final design.  

It's hard to say if this is a big time saver.  On the one hand, I only lost a day in finding out what was wrong and what I would need.  On the other, it is possible that if I had attempted to build the whole thing out at its highest fidelity, I may or may not have gotten it right.  There is no way to tell since I can't go back and try it the other way.  However, there is the fact that this couldn't be solved with drawings.  Granted, I have done sketches along the way, but not to solve problems as much as much as crystalize the ideas and solutions along the way.  Drawing is important as well, but the mock-up is making it happen.

Anyway, I was hit by a feeling of anxiety today which I have previously only felt in school.  You know that feeling when you have procrastinated a bit only to realize that the project or test is the next day and you haven't gotten anywhere?  That's the feeling.  Ah, procrastination. It's like masturbation: feels good at first, but you're only screwing yourself.  Luckily for me there has been a lot of rain and the river is swollen, so there is no opportunity to spend time fishing and canoeing instead of working.  

Oh, and as insult to injury, I also had a comical moment of stupidity just before bed.  I left the barn to get a few extra logs for the stove.  Since we live in the country it's normally dark, but with dark skies swollen with rain clouds, it was really dark.  I know the yard pretty well, so I moved along through the dark until I struck my face on the light pole (recently unplugged for whatever reason).  Good way to end the night, but I did one better: a hearty laugh at the irony and a cup of sour mash by the fire.

Break Time

So, I got a bunch done on the free wheel portion, so I took a break.... and went fishing.

This bass is a symbol of the High Life.  Enjoy responsibly..... the beer, not the bass.... no, wait: both.

Me and Monty

And so, I have retuned.

Chicago kept me longer than I intended, but it was good to work and see my old friends.  Gregarious as I am, I feel pleased to be back in the shop (tentatively going by the title Armadillo Design Werks).  There is something to the ballance between solitude and congregation which I find hard to manage.  Still, I am back and I have a new companion.  

Meet Monty.  Monty Ward.  He's the lathe, the skull lamp is unexplained.

Yesterday I got the bench built, making use of some old 4X4 posts and a rejected countertop I have had since my days in apartment maintenance (ten years at least).  It needed a good cleaning, and all the wiring was shot, but I have gotten it going.  There are parts missing, but I have managed to manufacture or adapt other equipment to serve.  

It's all making me anxious though.  I seem to be spending a lot of time in the ancillary tasks and it is not forward progress on what is the true task.  I have little time, so I need to push harder and move faster.  This will require a greater sense of organization.

During the last two weeks I was working with some very talented designers on a project which had a solid deadline and was moving forward.  However, as is often the case on big projects, we were beset by problems.  The details are unimportant, but we moved through and got it done (there were no other options which helps keep things moving).  What I remembered from this experience was that one deadline is not enough.

The tasks involved in making require multiple deadlines.  Parts need subdivision from the whole.  The boat, in this example, is a hull and the mechanicals.  But each part of the mechanicals is a collection of more parts.  Follow this thinking too far and you are faced with a classical paradox which will cripple you.  In the proper perspective, each deadline is a milestone for the ultimate goal.  If you focus on the milestones, you will eventually reach the goal.  

An example:

My friend Joe and I were once headed up to my family's cabin in Northwestern Ontario.  It was the first time we had been there, and in our particular style, we had agreed to go early and cary half the gear in addition to an eighteen foot open bow boat.  We misjudged our ability slightly, and aided by one of the worst maps ever drawn (lovingly penned by my brother Sam over coffee at the Chicken Shack) we got lost and were pretty screwed.  However, as things would turn out we made our goal (again, there was no other option).  We did this by carrying the boat down a trail in short sections: get to that tree by the rock and then rest, and then on to the next goal.  Eventually we got there.  And so did the boat.  

It's time to implement that thinking on this boat.  I drew my own map, have my deadline, and now all I have to do is progress.  

Me and Monty have work to do.

What choice is there?

  

Got the Tools, Got the Talent

Well, the last part of that statement is still in question.  But, I did finally get the lathe I need to continue putting this thing together.

It's old, and hasn't been used in a while, but it should do nicely.
I will have to make some tooling for it, and a special bench to mount it to, but everything seems to be in order.  I would hope some of you had the same reactions I did.
"That's awesome!"
"It's so old!"
"Why did they let it rust like that?"
"Does it still work?"
"Is that a cloth belt?"

No worries.  I am being called away for some work in Chicago, but I will be back in a week to finish the job.  If I can keep myself on track, I will be done by June.  And, this work, while it takes me away from the boat, is going to alleviate money concerns for supplies.  Besides, I love it when I am working.  Maybe a bit of a break will give me the perspective and motivation to really tear through the remainder.
Who can say.

While I was in gridlock waiting for tools, I did get out on a small local river.
Remember Kitty from the previous post?  Turns out she has a bit of hydrophobia, so I got her to go canoeing with me in the learning curve.
It was really fun.  We did tip over, but it was actually my fault with the steering, and after a short time, we were pulling off some pretty slick maneuvers.   At one point, we rode the current around a couple of tight turns and put her through a gap between two fallen trees only wide enough for the canoe.  Dead on.  Very cool, and not bad at all for her first time.
There is something to this sport.  There is a greater value in the water than people can quantify.  We spent a couple of hours on a small local river and it cost little to nothing in gas (drop off and pick up, sure) and we had a blast.  We saw deer, a coyote, geese, fish (and not the bad kind), and beavers or muskrats.  As the Great Recession continues, it's nice to know that the finer things in life are still available to even the lowliest of Americans (I mean me, not her).  And, as I get my nieces and nephews into this, they will become the future of the sport and hopefully carry a respect for the rivers and lakes in their own back yard.

Kinda sounds like a Travel Illinois brochure, but it's no less true.

And never mind the time/date thing.... stupid camera.

The Big Slow Down

Seventy-three days.

That's what I've got to finish this thing.  The trouble is, I am in the big slow down while I wait on supplies and tools.  For the most part it's tools.  The other night I solved my freewheel problem, but it's all on paper until I can get a lathe to make it.  The good news is that I should have one tonight.  My niece Katie is engaged to a guy named Chad, and Chad has a lathe I can borrow.
Of course, there is something odd about borrowing a machinists lathe since they weigh a lot and are typically stationary, but it is still going down.  I will no doubt have to come up with tooling and wire up an outlet for it, but it's the direction I have to go.
Also, I have a friend who does back yard sand casting, and he has tentatively agreed to make some parts for me.  This is a big turning point.

I remember explaining this to a couple of attractive women one night, not long ago.

We were having drinks and talking about generalities, and one of them (who I will call Doc) said, "That's great that you can just think of an idea and then make it."
"Yeah, it is pretty great," I said, looking up through the smoke filled room and flashing my hero's smile.
"And you're so good-looking," Kitty said next to me while she rubbed my arm.
I turned my smile on her, catching, as I turned the flash of passion in her eyes.
"It's not as easy as all that, though," I said, "the easy part is the idea.  That's the sex.  The rest of it, the parts where you turn an idea into a product: that's the relationship.  Nobody thinks about the relationship until after they have the sex.  Then all of a sudden they have to realize it's going to take work and commitment to make it work."
"You're just being modest," Doc said.
"Isn't he cute," said Kitty?
I may have blushed.

Ninjas may have attacked the bar at this point, in some nefarious attempt to stop me and destroy the city and I probably fought them off in a Jack Burton style.

I will leave that for a different blog.  The point is, I am knee deep in the relationship part.  And this is going to take hard work, long nights, and a lot of commitment.
I'm thinking of Blue Collar Man by Styx.    Maybe a montage of me working and that plays in the background blending in to Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.

Saboteur

Having gone away for a day or so, I returned with evidence of a saboteur in the midst of my shop.
It appears to be a sort of boat-hating raccoon with utter contempt for what I am attempting to do.  This, of course evidenced by his defecating on my work bench.
Gross?  You bet.
But, I am prepared for such subterfuge.  While I cannot hunt him down easily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.  Or, rather, I have a large sack of leg traps and a bag of Oreo cookies.
We shall see who comes up on top.

Workflow

The progress is continuing.
I have secured my oxyacetylene supplies and I think I have a solution for the universal joint (it was mocked up with a piece of rubber hose).  I am in a small stand still until I get a lathe and some other supplies, so I took the time to do what I should have done before I started: organize my work.
This starts with organizing my space.
Anyone who has built anything knows that a clean shop gives rise to a desire to work.  Further it facilitates the tasks at hand by stopping us from endless searches ("I saw that wrench over next to the coffee pot....I think") and distracting tasks of immediate organization.  The former is most common, but the latter will kill hours at a time.
It always seems to begin with some sort of rooting around in a box of parts or tools.  You're in there, and you can't find exactly what you want cause it's just a mass of things.  You find stuff you needed yesterday and a part you replaced cause you couldn't find it.  Then, having reached the point of utter frustration which is bordering on anger, you dump it all out and reorganize it.  Good work, but you just lost two hours of your project because it needed to be done.  We had a word for this when I worked at Scott Padiak and Associates: protocol.
Keep your stuff where it goes.  If you use hammers at the vice, the hammers should live together near the vice.  It's simple, but why walk across the shop to get a hammer when you really use it at the vice most of the time?  Goes for every tool.  Drill bits lived at the drill press, saw blades with the saw, and so on.
I set mine up that way last spring.  It's not done (my hardware section is a mess) but I know where my tools are and don't look for them.  What I did organize is of a similar nature: my workflow.
When I run a big job, I like to keep a running list of what needs to happen.  I envision all the tasks by type- in this case hull and mechanicals -and I break those down further into components or tasks.
The mechanicals are broken into drive and prop.
Under drive are the gears, the shafts, the universal, and so on.
It doesn't matter how you do it.  What matters is that you do it.   This time I am using an antique mirror that was in the loft.   I cleaned the bird stuff off it and wrote on the glass with a sharpie.  I like to be able to add and erase entires, so I use something like a white board or glass.  Some people prefer big pads of paper.  It's a preference.   I do recommend using something big enough to see it all there at one time.  If you have to flip pages it will not serve the same purpose.
Anyway, I need to get back at it.  Today I need to do some digital modeling and some drawings.  I got some feedback on the blog, and it seems people would like to see the big picture a little better.  So, next post will contain some images of where this is going.   Seventy-seven days till show time. Need this thing in the water soon.

Two Things

Alright, let's talk seriously about all this business.
First, I want to say that there is an immense satisfaction in building anything.  To make is to tap into a deeper sense of ourselves.  That we use tools is what sets us in a higher order of nature.  That we use tools to make boats might be evidence that we take things too far sometimes.  Still, it is satisfying to make anything which we can then use.
Second, if at all possible, anyone attempting to make anything should find someone else to finance it.  Which I did... sort of.
Miller High Life is doing some sort of promotion where they will sponsor anyone living the high life.  If you go to their site, you can sign up for sponsorship and they will send you a contract and a check.
The details are on their site here.

I did it, and they fulfilled their end, so I guess I'm sponsored.
                                      

So, from now on I will try to include a can of High Life in my images.  A small price to pay for a corporate sponsor, I think.  I would also have more publicity if I would get on Facebook and do that business, but I won't.   I don't mind selling out to a beer company, but I draw the line at social networking.  A guy's got to have some standards.

Anyway, the other thing I wanted to post today was my rudder.
My pictures looked bad, but here are the images from the post that got my attention:

I found Ryan on the rivermiles.com forum in the buy/sell/trade section.  He was making these for a little over a hundred bucks, and to me that was a deal.  It's expensive in some respects, but considering how much of my time and money it would take to make one myself, I think it makes sense to go this route (besides now that I'm sponsored I can splurge).

In any case, that is one less thing on the list.  Today I am sorting out the gearing between the two shafts and should have a pretty good solution by the end of the day.  I will lose a couple of days for a reunion and travel, but will be back on it soon.
Stay tuned.