Ready to strike

We are as ready as we will ever be. The beach is full of wild and wonderful craft.

Mosquito Arrives

Made it to Fort Desoto. Getting here really is half the battle as they say.

Light Air Practice

We have been tuning and practicing on Mosquito at the Lake Keowee Sailing Club in SC. Here is a video of some light air conditions we had that gave us a chance to test out the code zero.

The boat is ready to race. Florida Bound!!!

4 Dudes in a Canoe

A long time ago (ok not sooo long)... I started this blog.

Shortly thereafter 4 guys rented a canoe from NCSU 

turned it into something awesome, and made it across a lake. 

The rest was history.... (takes about 14min to watch them all)

Preparing for Takeoff

Took the newly painted Mosquito down to Lake Keowee, SC to meet up with Jake this past weekend and put the boat together and go sailing.

New graphics on the sail in support of our sponsors this year. drainplugmagnets.com.

All Graphics thanks to Jake's home business greenroomgraphics.com they came out great!

New Sponsor for the 2014 EC

This year Team B & B's racing division is proud to be sponsored by Dimple motor oil Magnets of Charlotte, NC in the 2014 Everglades Challenge. 

Owner Richard Jodoin generously offered to sponsor our team in the 2014 Everglades Challenge this year. His company produces exactly what it sounds like, magnetic oil plugs to collect and remove ferrous particles and extend the life of any engine. They also produce oil filter magnet systems and even a magnet plug for the hydraulic system on the M777, 155 Howitzer!!! Check their website for a video. 

Offered in hundreds of shapes and sizes to fit any engine these drain plug magnets are MADE IN THE USA. Make sure you check out his website to see their innovative products. 

DRIAINPLUGMAGNETS.COM

                

The Mosquito Rides Again

The trimaran I built in 2012 for the Watertribe UFC is coming out of hiding this year. She has patiently waited in storage at B & B Yacht Designs for the past 2 years.  Here is a recap...

Mosquito at the start (albeit a bit late) of the 2012 UFC

On Picnic Island State Park in Miami

23 Days 5 Hours and 7 min later at Fort Desoto

Other than a brief appearance in Beaufort, NC at the wooden boat show where she was awarded the "Kids Choice Award" (voted on as best boat at the show by the kids) she has sat untouched...until now.

The Mosquito is undergoing a complete overhaul in Wilmington, NC in preparation for her trip to Key Largo in this years Everglades Challenge.

Sailing on the Mosquito with me this year is veteran Tybee 500 sailor and friend Jake Kohl. Jake is an experienced multihull sailor and looking to tackle the overnight adventures offered by the unique Everglades Challenge.

Custom Kayak Build Complete

Here she is the finished product. 143 man hours of design and construction and a few nuts and bolts later.

The kayak weighed in right at 50lbs with everything.  Not too shabby for a plywood kayak with 4 hatches, 3 watertight bulkheads and a built in rudder.

She has a carbon fiber foot brace with integrated rudder pedals, Sea-Lect hatches and a glove compartment on the fore deck. According to her new owner she is agile, fast, well balanced and a delight to paddle. Here are some pictures of the final assembly.

Kayak Testing

I had a chance to paddle the new kayak this week briefly and get an idea of her speed. We had done some basic model testing and drag prediction of this hull so we were curious to get some data from the "full size model".

I was able to achieve 5.4 knots (6.2 mph)  flat out. This corresponds to around 11.5 lbs of force applied. At this speed wave making resistance accounts for just slightly over half of the total resistance of the hull. Note the clearly visible bow and stern waves when she is at speed indicating that we are very close to hull speed.

The as seen weight here is 38 lbs. With paint, hatches and deck rigging the finished boat should come in right around 45 lbs. More to come. I will look forward to hearing Floatsome's comments on maneuverability of the boat after he gets her broken in.

A kayak in your Future

Started working on a new Kayak for a friend and fellow Watertriber Floatsome after kicking around design ideas for a few months in our spare time. She is very similar to the Mirage 530 and will utilize an old Mirage rudder. Converted into stitch-and-glue construction with recessed deck hatches and bent plywood cockpit ring the aim is to have a stiff light kayak for expedition and surf play.

 Floatsome plans to have her on the beach in March for the Ultra Marathon.