The Active Drift

MOVING TO A NEW SITE!

2010-11-03T11:02:00.005-04:00

Cory is moving to a new site!

Click HERE to follow Cory's latest adventures.

Or type http://coryrcraft.blogspot.com/ into your browser.

I Present: Valkyrie

2010-10-30T08:27:00.003-04:00

Here it is! This is how the Valkyrie looks with all of it's parts in place (except mast). This test was a great success, except for a pinhole leak that let one of the amas fill with water making the boat too heavy to take off. Soon I will have some pictures of it flying!

Success and Some Mistakes

2010-10-30T08:21:00.002-04:00

Finally! The steering system works perfect! The Valkyrie can now be turned and controlled with the rudder pedals easily. In fact, it turns a little better than expected. It even handles being towed well now. However, I did mount the AOA beam a few inches too far forward on the rudder board so, as you can see in the pictures, as soon as the boat hits about four or five knots the board takes a sudden nose dive. I should be able to fix this by simply sliding the attachment point aft.

Valkyrie Floating

2010-10-30T08:16:00.001-04:00

The boat is in the water complete (except for mast)! Now for some tests of the new steering system...

The Rudderboard --> Shoe Connection

2010-10-24T09:40:00.005-04:00

I had to come up with a way to connect the existing shoe to the new windsurfer rudderboard. The connection had to be strong yet able to pivot, and had to be made with parts at hand. The result seems like it will work well and I can remove the whole assembly in less than a minute by removing three nuts so that the board can still be used as a windsurfer! I also added some new leads and attachment points for the rudder cables.

The Rogue Ama

2010-10-24T09:33:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, while the Valkyrie was tied alongside for the night, something hit the port ama and broke it off. The ama undertook a voyage all by itself during the night and it took me quite a while to find it half buried on a beach on the other side of the bay. It must have had quite a trip as there is a fair bit of damage. Along with fixing the damage I added some drain plugs and inspection port to make accessing the inside possible.

The New Rudder Board

2010-10-24T09:26:00.002-04:00

I bought this windsurfer for $75 ec (about $30 us). It will replace the wood board that I built. That one ended up being too heavy and didn't plane quickly enough, but I believe this new board will work MUCH better.

A Couple More Pictures

2010-07-20T07:30:00.000-04:00

Floating

2010-07-19T15:31:00.001-04:00

The Valkyrie floats! The hull is now complete. You can see the view from the cockpit as the rudder board turns from side to side.

MoreTow Testing

2010-07-19T15:27:00.001-04:00

Everything working nicely!

Putting it All Together Part 1

2010-07-18T15:43:00.004-04:00

I've made a lot of progress today. All that is left is to attach the rudder board and rudder cables and then launch! Still no mast of course... but hopefull we will have a boat that is able to go in a straight line, turn, and fly under control while being towed. In these pictures you can see the Valkyrie with the wing attached, the amas in place, the sprit and the AOA beam connected, and almost all of the rigging and controls are in place.

Putting it All Together Part 2

2010-07-18T15:37:00.003-04:00

The first picture shows the AOA control line coming out of the dashboard and through a jam cleat. You can also see the line that releases the wing (for beaching) so that it can swing up. This line is on the traditional horn cleat so as not to be accidentally released in flight. In the next picture you can see the new turnbuckles on the aileron control lines for precise fine tuning. I also included some more (clearer) pictures of the rudder pedals.

Putting it All Together Part 3

2010-07-18T15:33:00.002-04:00

Here is the bungee-assisted-lift mechanism for the AOA beam. Also, you can see the new rudder control lines with turnbuckles and new holes in the hull to pass through.

State of the Hydrofoil Sailboat "Valkyrie"

2010-07-17T08:27:00.002-04:00

Well, pretty much all the parts are built now. It seems that all that's left is to put everything together, do a bit of rigging and adjustments, then put her in the water! Of course, I don't have the mast or sails ready yet but that is being taken care of and I can do tow testing in the meantime. Coming soon I'll have some photos of the boat put together.

Painted

2010-07-17T08:20:00.002-04:00

The amas, sprit, AOA beam, and rudder-board are painted black now. I mounted the amas on the wing assembly and had to do some work to get the hinging action just right but I'm happy with it now.

Rudder Pedals

2010-07-17T08:11:00.002-04:00

I apologize for the quality of the pictures but my camera is broken so I have to take screen shots off footage from a video camera. Here are the rudder pedals installed, but not sanded painted and finished. These pictures show the range of travel on the left side and one image of the right pedal. It's hard to tell what you are looking at so I will try and get some better pictures in the future.

Almost Ready

2010-07-09T11:42:00.003-04:00

Finally, here are the floats, I mean outriggers, no I mean amas. All right, they are really "turbo rocket thruster pods."

More Parts and Fixes

2010-07-09T11:09:00.002-04:00

Here you can see the results of the work that I've been doing. The rudder has a new and stronger "quadrant". The surfboard has all of it's leaks sealed up now. Also, I shortened the AOA beam by 18 inches to the design specs. The new end of the AOA beam is all sealed with epoxy. I had to cut out the stainless sleeve from the old end and drill a new hole and glue the sleeve into the shortened beam.

The Control Sticks

2010-05-22T15:23:00.002-04:00

Rudder Test

2010-05-22T15:15:00.002-04:00

The good news is that all the hard work that went into the ailerons has payed off. During the recent test, roll control was effective and powerful even at low speeds. The bad news is that the new rudder board and AOA beam still need a lot of work. I'll update more soon.

Progress Report

2010-05-14T16:38:00.002-04:00

The Board is Watertight!

2010-05-13T16:17:00.002-04:00

The board is all sealed up and ready to have the rudder bolted in place. In the pictures you can see the shoe being tested while the rudder is temporarily in place.

Fiberglassing Chaos!

2010-05-13T16:11:00.001-04:00

Literally.

Gluing Pintles and Gudgeons to the Shoe

2010-05-13T16:07:00.002-04:00

Setting the hardware into the shoe using West System epoxy thickened with colloidal silica.

Adding Pintles and Gudgeons to the Shoe

2010-05-13T16:01:00.001-04:00

This part of the boat will hold the rudder and board while allowing them to pivot. Pintles and Gudgeons allow easy removal.

Terminology

2010-05-11T05:42:00.003-04:00

When building a boat that is as unconventional as this one it seems that there are all sorts of boat parts that don't have appropriate names. For example, the rudder/surfboard combination at the bow is a real struggle to name. It's not technically a canard, even though the boat is in a canard configuration. "Ama" doesn't really work either. "Float" sounds like a pontoon boat and doesn't do it justice. Maybe "rudder board"? Anybody got any ideas?

The Canard

2010-05-05T05:58:00.003-04:00

We have finally worked out the bearings and hinges for the front end of the hydrofoil. Now it's just a matter of putting in the hours to finish it.

How hard can it be?

2010-05-05T05:49:00.002-04:00

"I'll just give it a rudder attached to a surfboard at the bow on an articulating arm on the end of a 12 foot sprit." Simple! In the end, there are dozens of tiny parts that need to be fabricated. From bearings to spars to bulkheads it all adds up. Every day progress is visible!

Foilboarding

2010-05-02T07:22:00.002-04:00

Here is the current state of the foilboard that I designed and built. I don't jump it anymore since the t-bar has broken twice now when landing. It's still insane amounts of fun!

10 Years in 10 Minutes

2010-05-02T07:18:00.002-04:00

I managed to capture some of my adventures from the past decade on film. I edited the footage into this short video with good music.

The New Look

2010-04-19T08:16:00.001-04:00

I spent the last week fiberglassing and painting Valkyrie. Then I did some more flight testing with some friends. Enjoy the video!

Painting and Fiberglassing

2010-04-13T06:58:00.003-04:00

Ride of the Valkyrie

2010-04-02T07:46:00.005-04:00

Here it is! The highly anticipated video of the first test flights of the hydrofoil sailboat that I designed and built. This video doesn't show the boat under sail. It is being towed by an inflatable dinghy in order to test the wing. Also, the boat has been named "Valkyrie". Enjoy!

Surfing in Grenada

2010-04-02T07:42:00.003-04:00

This is a little video I made of a couple of my friends surfing at the best secret spot in Grenada. Special introduction by King Botu.

More Water Testing

2010-02-17T05:43:00.003-05:00

Progress has been fairly steady every day. I put the boat in the water yesterday and we towed it around for a while (without the wing on) and I was surprised at the low drag of the hull. I was expecting the big flat transom to be more of a problem than it is. At six or seven knots I was able to hold onto the boat with just two fingers. Stability without the floats is slightly better than expected. Overall, all the results have been very promising and I feel encouraged that the design isn't too far out there!

Deck Construction

2010-02-17T05:32:00.002-05:00

It took a little time, but I finally got the deck on. Now that I have a belt sander work on all parts of the boat should go faster. A little bit of fiberglassing and the painting process will begin soon!

Single Person Load Test

2009-12-15T09:54:00.004-05:00

As expected, I was unable to lean back fully without being in danger of tipping over. This should not be an issue once the rest of the boats components are attached. A pleasant surprise is that the hull floated two inches higher than expected.

The Float Test!

2009-12-15T09:49:00.002-05:00

Yay! The boat is watertight and able to float. It sits unexpectedly high in the water which helped to sway some of my concerns about load carrying ability.

A Watertight Hull

2009-12-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

Some Perspective of Size

2009-12-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

Cockpit View

2009-12-15T09:06:00.002-05:00

Front View

2009-12-15T08:51:00.002-05:00

Some Different Views of the Hydrofoil Sailboat

2009-11-26T08:41:00.002-05:00

Finishing Fiberglassing the Bottom

2009-11-26T08:31:00.001-05:00

Hydrofoil Sailboat - Fiberglassing

2009-11-25T05:02:00.001-05:00

Hydrofoil Sailboat - The Bottom Is On!

2009-11-22T03:51:00.003-05:00

Now the bottom is completely on and I'm in the process of trimming off the overhanging scraps and sealing the small gaps and holes. Then I will sand it all down until it is fair and ready for fiberglassing.

Hydrofoil Sailboat Photos

2009-11-22T03:49:00.001-05:00

In these pictures you can see the cinder blocks being used as weights to hold the plywood in place while the epoxy dries.

Hydrofoil Sailboat

2009-11-22T03:46:00.000-05:00

Hydrofoil Sailboat Progress Report Photos

2009-11-18T15:01:00.004-05:00

The Hydrofoil Sailboat - Photos

2009-11-13T07:06:00.002-05:00

Some more pictures of the boat.

The Hydrofoil Sailboat

2009-11-13T07:01:00.000-05:00

These are some more photos of the boat under construction.

Building Limin' - My Home Made Catamaran

2009-03-19T12:45:00.002-04:00

This is a two (but short) part video showing how I designed and built a power catamaran.

The Foilboard Movie

2009-03-19T12:42:00.001-04:00

Here is a short video showing the design, construction, testing, and flying of a foilboard.

Bequia

2008-12-20T04:23:00.002-05:00

I left Grenada a few weeks ago and sailed with my parents on Te Natura up the west side of the island and then crossed to Carriacou. The next day we sailed up to Union to clear through customs and immigration into St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A few days later sailed over to the Tobago Cays, and then finally sailed at over 7 knots up here to Bequia. 7 knots seemed like quite a good speed considering the large dinghy Te Natura was towing and also that the rigging is broken so we had to reef the sails. During the last few weeks I have been videotaping a large number of hilarious boating accidents and mistakes that the charterers and newbie cruisers are making. I will eventually edit them into a nice compilation. That's something to look forward to. Also, I will post some pictures of the recent sailing soon!

My Homemade Videos

2008-11-27T11:02:00.005-05:00

On this page you will find links to all of my own videos.

Building Limin' - My Home Made Catamaran

Catamaran Video

The Foilboard Movie

Hydrofoil

Hydrofoil 2

Hang Gliding

Te Natura

Mountains and Mines

Enjoy!

Funny and Interesting Boating Videos

2008-11-27T10:51:00.003-05:00

On this page you will find links to many funny and interesting boating videos. Sit back, take your time, and enjoy!

A large compilation of good videos.

Another large compilation of good videos.

Of course, Limin's page has some good videos and info.

Enjoy!

Flying Videos and Info

2008-11-27T10:39:00.003-05:00

On this page you will find links to flying videos and info.

Learning to Hang Glide

The Big Foilboard Page

2008-11-27T10:14:00.004-05:00

On this page you will find links to information and videos about the foilboard that I designed and built, plus lots of other hydrofoil info.

Video - The Foilboard Movie

The Homebuilt Hydrofoil

The Homebuilt Hydrofoil Photos

Video - First Flights of the Homebuilt Hydrofoil

Video - Getting Better at the Hydrofoil

Enjoy!

Limin's Big Page

2008-11-27T05:58:00.003-05:00

Here you will find all the information about Limin, the power catamaran that I designed and built.

(Scroll down to see latest entries.)

*NEW VIDEO* - Building Limin' - My Home Made Catamaran

The Boatbuilding Adventure

Update January '08

Fiberglassing

Fiberglassed

Trailer Almost Finished

Gelcoating

Boat Flipping

First Road Trip

Test Float Part 1

Test Float Part 2

Test Float Part 3

Test Float Part 4

Video of First Float

Video of First Float 2

Quick Trip With the Neighbor

Boatbuilding Continues

Gelcoating and Sanding

A Complete Boat

Video - Quick Tour

Video - Decelerating

Video - GPS Speed

Video - Accelerating

Limin's Saltwater Launch

Blowout

Garage and Back Yard

Boat Slideshow

Boat Pictures 1

Boat Pictures 2

Catamaran Video

Enjoy!

The Active Drift Directory Page

2008-11-27T05:43:00.010-05:00

On this page you will find all of the best videos I have found, including videos about boating, flying, humor, and my own adventures and inventions. I hope you enjoy! Email me at:

tiller98@gmail.com

LIMIN', the power catamaran I designed and built. Videos and info.

HYDROFOIL wakeboard (foilboard) that I built. Videos and info.

FLYING videos and info.

BOATING videos and info.

TE NATURA videos and info.

MY own videos.

Enjoy!
- Cory

Getting Better at the Hydrofoil

2008-11-27T04:23:00.003-05:00

This hydrofoil is actually working! It broke once, but I've repaired it and it's stronger than ever.

Video of Te Natura

2008-11-27T04:21:00.001-05:00

Here's a little video of my parent's boat sailing around the Caribbean.

Catamaran Video

2008-11-17T05:17:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone. I found some footage of the power catamaran that I built. It shows me doing a demonstration of the boats maneuverability during it's first few sea trials. The boat was not finished at the time, as you will see in the video. The pictures at the end show the completed boat, without it's green stripes painted on the side yet. I put the whole thing to some music, so I hope you enjoy!

Learning to Hang Glide

2008-11-15T12:38:00.002-05:00

This video was shot a couple of years ago when I lived in Marina Del Rey. The flying takes place at Dockweiler Beach, just South of LAX. Enjoy!

Videos From Summer '08 in Colorado

2008-11-14T13:10:00.002-05:00

First Flights of the Homemade Hydrofoil Wakeboard!

2008-11-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

Homebuilt Hydrofoil Wakeboard Photos

2008-11-11T09:42:00.001-05:00

The Homebuilt Hydrofoil

2008-11-11T09:18:00.002-05:00

Dad and I saw some videos on YouTube of people using Air Chairs and Sky Skis, but only a couple of videos of people standing up on any sort of hydrofoil. We looked at hydrofoils carefully on several websites, and then designed our own. We built the main strut out of two threaded stainless steel rods that we wrapped in fiberglass. The rest is built out of plywood and epoxy and a few bolts. I will post more pictures of the final result soon. We have used it and it works great! In my next post I will link to a video that I'm posting on YouTube right now.

-Cory

Back in Grenada

2008-09-25T14:06:00.002-04:00

Hi everybody. I have left North Carolina and am now staying on board my parents boat "Te Natura". Here is a link their website. Soon I'll post some pictures of the stuff I've been doing down here but in the meantime I can tell you that I've been surfing, swimming, wakeboarding, freediving, and playing in the water every day!

Boat Pictures

2008-08-12T10:44:00.003-04:00

These pictures show the white hull paint and the black bottom paint but I am still waiting for the green paint for the stripes. I also have the running lights deployed and turned on.

Boat PIctures

2008-08-12T10:24:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of the boat with the bimini and the ski pole up.

Tomatoes No. 1 and 2

2008-07-18T17:28:00.001-04:00

Well folks, here they are...farming isn't always pretty. Below is tomato #1, the first harvested tomato of the season. It unfortunately tried to grow a bit too fast and split its skin. Despite being an ugly duckling, however, its salvageable parts were delicious!

And here we have tomato #2, on its way to becoming the tomato of my dreams...or at least, a tomato that doesn't have an enormous gash down its side! It's already looking a little rough, but I believe it will pull through! (Note that the stripes are supposed to be there, that's why it's called a "Tigerella" tomato). Stay tuned...

Boat Slideshow

2008-07-16T12:42:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm trying something new with this post. Hopefully, you should see a slideshow of boat pictures appear below. Let me or Noëlle know how it works for you. If this works, the slideshow should start off with some of the most recent pictures. In them you can see the new ski post that I added. You can see the straps running to the front of the boat to support the pole. We tested it out last weekend and it worked pretty good. You can also the the wood rails that I'm building. These will sit on top of the gunwales and should make the boat look a little classier. I hope you enjoy the show!

July garden update!

2008-07-12T12:58:00.000-04:00

Lots of exciting things happening in the garden this month! Below are some photos of the veggies and flowers I've been growing.
Here are two of my jalapeno peppers. I have 11 jalapenos growing now on just two potted pepper plants!

I love marigolds! Mine have finally recovered from their two transplantings and are now blooming like crazy!

Probably the most exciting though...the Tigerella tomatoes! These are the first two that have started growing. If you look closely, you can see the one of the left is starting to turn red near the bottom. Mmmm...I can't wait!

And here's another update on my favorite pot, the herb mix! There is licorice mint at the back, cinnamon basil and lemon basil in the middle, english thyme on the left, some chives on the right, and a few lobelias thrown in for color in the front.

Noëlle's Office

2008-07-10T09:22:00.002-04:00

Noëlle's office is one of the most bright and cheerful rooms in the house. It is also the only one with carpet. She has a nice view out the window of the front yard and lots of space for her books and things.

"I've Been Cut"

2008-07-10T09:16:00.003-04:00

"I've been cut." That's what I announced to Noëlle as I was assembling the new electric lawn mower. A rubber grip on the height adjustment lever slipped off and the jagged metal edges underneath tore into my fingers. The picture shows my hand after a couple of days of healing. The lawn mower itself is awesome! It is like vacuuming the yard. It is a mulching electric mower so there is no gas, no oil, no maintenance, no bags of clippings to collect and throw away, no priming, no pull starting, nothing. Just sqeeze the handle and go, and fifteen minutes later you're done!

Living Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen

2008-07-10T09:02:00.002-04:00

The pictures pretty much speak for themselves. Noëlle's office is through the doorway that's partially blocked by the couch, but you can still get through. I like the nice big windows behind the sofa. Notice the fish tank in the dining room where the noise from the pumps isn't so irritating. We didn't lose a single fish during the move despite the four hour drive and then leaving the fish in a cooler overnight! The kitchen is relatively small, but it works really well with some high-end modern appliances, including a gigantic fridge and a stove/oven that is great.

Garage and Back Yard

2008-07-10T08:57:00.002-04:00

In these pictures you can see how the boat fits in the garage, along with tons of other stuff! The white bench that parallels Limin' is my work bench and over on the other side of the boat (near the bicycles) is Noëlle's gardening bench. Ital is standing on top of Ia Ora in the back yard.

Cory's Office

2008-07-10T08:52:00.004-04:00

My office is at the back of the house, so I don't have any windows or views like Noëlle does. I do, however, have lots of space, book shelves, desk space, and a view out the door to the garage so I can look at Limin' any time I want. I think it's a fair deal!

Blowout

2008-07-10T08:44:00.002-04:00

In order to move from Durham to Beaufort, we had to make many trips back and forth (4 hours each way!) towing the trailer. On one of these trips I was heading back to Durham by myself when just as it was getting dark, near the booming metropolis of Kinston, NC, the bearings on one of the wheels siezed up and the tire tire stopped turning. These pictures show the results. Fortunately, I had a spare tire, some tools, some grease, and was able to jury rig something that allowed me to get up to about 40mph. I finally made it home and then a few days later bought new bearings from Overton's!

Limin's salt water launch

2008-06-15T14:27:00.000-04:00

Just a few shots of Limin's first salt water launch here! The actual launching we captured on video, so I can't post the champagne bath, but here are a few fun shots of our first cruise along the beaufort waterfront.

Here are the wild horses of Carrot Island, which is located directly across a little channel from Beaufort.

Here I am trying to remember how to drive the boat- what's this thing for again?! Behind me are boats at anchor near Carrot Island on the left, and the Beaufort waterfront on the right.

Just limin' along the waterfront!

N's Herb Garden Update

2008-06-15T14:17:00.002-04:00

My mini-herb garden is coming along nicely and I thought it was time for an update. If you'll recall, in mid-May my herb garden looked like this:

By late May, the licorice mint had taken off, and the lemon basil wasn't doing half bad:

Now, everything has exploded! I am harvesting mint and basil like mad, and it just keeps coming! The thyme is also doing great!

Another view, where you can see the chives also at work!

Check out the dewdrops on my mint plant!

Airshow

2008-06-11T15:19:00.005-04:00

Noëlle and I went to the airshow at Cherry Point (about half an hour from Beaufort) on Saturday and it was a lot of fun. The weather was very hot but the show was worth it. We got to see some amazing acrobatics, neat planes, and a good show by the Blue Angels. I hope you enjoy the pictures! [Edit by N here: Can you imagine the two of US on a military base?? It was downright frightening. But the planes were interesting.]

The Beaufort House

2008-05-26T17:58:00.005-04:00

Here are some preliminary shots of the place we're about to rent in Beaufort. This place is very cute and a bit funky inside (pretty much every room is a different color!). We'll get some better photos on move-in day!

This is the front of the house (complete with white picket fence, ha!). Across the street is...another house. And beyond that the water!

Here is a shot of the "workshop" section of the garage. As you can see, the previous people have left a bunch of junk that we'll probably have to clear out. It will then be a useful space!

This is a photo of one end of the living room (the fireplace is to the left and the door and windows are to the right), which opens onto the room that will be my office.

This last picture is of the backyard, looking towards the back shed. As you can see, there is lots of greenery!

Bicycle

2008-05-26T16:03:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of my bicycle. Over the last couple of years I have been slowly customizing my relatively inexpensive bike. I've only added a bit of weight to the bike but the comfort level, especially on long rides is well worth it. Overall, I really love this bike! So far I've added: spring loaded seat post, big wide cushy seat, seat-mounted rack, headlight, tail light, under-seat bag, under-frame bag, speed gauge, inward turned handlebar extensions, fenders. Check it out!

At long last, finals are finished and I am playing in the dirt!

2008-05-23T12:48:00.001-04:00

Well, finals are over for this year and I finally have a few days to relax before we move out to the coast. I have been packing and playing in the dirt! This is the first year I've ever had even semi-healthy looking tomato plants- very exciting! I am going to use this post to show off my plant pics!
First- a couple months ago, the seeds arrived! They started me dreaming of a summer full of delicious vegetables and herbs:

Then came planting time:

Yay Seedlings!!

Transplanted tomatoes:

Check out the tomatoes now!!

And finally, the herb garden! Licorice mint is on the left, thyme in the front, lemon basil in the middle, and some chives mixed in with a mystery plant on the right.

Music Post and Updates

2008-05-13T17:33:00.000-04:00

Noëlle is out in Beaufort today checking out the house that we're going to be moving into in a few weeks. We are both very excited since the house is larger than the one we are in now, it has a front and back yard, it has a garage with a workshop, and it is right across the street from the ocean. We can't wait! While Noëlle's been out there, I found some more music videos that I think are fun and interesting. I hope y'all (do you hear the NC accent?) enjoy!

The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
This band has a bunch of other good music too. Check them out on Youtube.

Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
This is still a good song.

The Dixie Chicks - Long Time gone
The Dixie Chicks are fun and I like the energy in this song and video.

The Fifth Element
This is a fun fantasy movie. In this video someone took the opera-like song and put a montage of scenes from the movie together.

Simon and Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence
Old black and white video of Simon and Garfunkel.

Jimmy Buffett - Take Another Road
What music collection would be complete without a little Jimmy?

U2 - Beautiful Day
This is a good U2 song.

Walking in Memphis
There's no special reason that I put this video in here, it's just good music.

The Life Aquatic
The song is by Sigur Ros and is part of the soundtrack to the movie The Life Aquatic.

The Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice
This is an excellent song. I like the way the Dixie Chicks hit back when people threatened them. This is a very good live performance.

Pink - Dear Mr. President
And another song venting frustration with the president.

The Time Machine - Stone Language
There isn't any video to go along with this one, and the beginning is really slow, but it gets better.

Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It
Holy cow! Check out the hair and the outfits from the 80's!

Billy Joel - Piano Man
I like it when the video closely matches the lyrics in the song, as this one does.

Jimmy Buffett - Bama Breeze
And I'll close with one of Jimmy's newer videos.

I hope everybody enjoys these!
-Cory

Random Fun Boating Videos

2008-04-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

YouTube - Hoverwing
I want one!

YouTube - Supermaxi Maximus Breaking Mast
This sucks when this happens.

YouTube - Hobie 18 wave jumping
This is an old but pretty cool shot.

YouTube - Worrell 1000 Yacht Racing
Extreme beach catamaran racing. 1000 miles including crazy beach starts/finishes.

YouTube - 29er Wakeboard
I always wondered if it was possible.

YouTube - Hydrofoil Windsurfing
This looks cool.

YouTube - strait pilot rough seas
This is a gnarly job.

YouTube - Iceberg Collision - the real thing!
How did this happen?

YouTube - war ship at full speed
Check out the wake!

YouTube - GIANT WAVE VS. BOAT
It's a good thing everybody made it through this alright.

YouTube - Rough Weather - Corentin Douguet Sailing crazy Figaro
Good helicopter footage of a singlehanded sailor sailing a very fast boat in rough conditions. Why did he think the spinnaker was a good idea?

YouTube - Proteus Boat and HP get Personal
I like seeing crazy new technology.

YouTube - Hydroptère
Speaking of new technology, how about a ridiculously-fast giant hydrofoil trimaran?

YouTube - The Amazing Boats of Kotaro Horiuchi
And some more cool technology.

YouTube - "ENZA - Jules Verne Trophy"
Good documentary showing Enza, Peter Blake, and the round the world race.

YouTube - Xtreme Thundercat Racing
This looks like fun, except when they roll on top of you.

Boat Videos

2008-04-24T09:41:00.000-04:00

Here is some footage of the boat starting at idle and quickly getting on to a plane when I floor the throttle.

Boat Videos

2008-04-24T08:47:00.000-04:00

This video shows the cool new GPS that I got from work. You can see the speed in the upper left corner as I floor the throttle.

Boat Videos

2008-04-22T17:08:00.000-04:00

In this video you can see the boat decelerate from full throttle to idle quickly. When I was designing and building the boat I was very concerned that when the wake caught up to the boat it would wash over the open transom. As you can see, it turned out to not be a problem at all!

Boat Videos

2008-04-22T16:47:00.000-04:00

This video shows a quick tour of the boat.

Noëlle the Gardener!

2008-04-22T09:39:00.001-04:00

Since Noëlle has been too busy getting ready for finals I will have to do a post for her. So, here are some pictures of her working on her plants. She only has time to take quick breaks inbetween studying, but she has been using her time to plant seeds, transplant plants as they grow, and get all sorts of planting done. I can't remember all the plants she is growing but I'll try to remember as many as I can. Let's see, there's tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, borage, foxglove, squash, and lots more I can't think of.

A Complete Boat

2008-04-22T09:25:00.000-04:00

Well, it's complete but far from finished. There is still a LOT of work to do, but it is good enough that it can be taken out and used. Noëlle and I took it out on Sunday and had a blast! We cruised down falls lake, found a quiet cove, dropped the anchor and ate a relaxing lunch while watching fish jump and Noëlle even saw some turtles! By the time we got back to the launching ramp we had run well over twenty miles and only burned 3 gallons of fuel. I don't know if it is the design of the boat or if there is something supernatural about this 15 hp engine. It seems to have the power of a 25 hp but only burns the fuel of a 5 hp. Amazing! Next I have to see if it's got enough oomph to pull a wakeboarder. First I have to install some cleats to tie a ski rope to. By the way, now that it is a real boat, I've got to come up with a name for it. Noëlle has said that I can't name it after her and the best that I've come up with so far is "Starship", but I feel that there has to be something a lot better. Anybody have any ideas? Let me know!

Gelcoating and sanding

2008-04-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

I posted some pictures here to show how exciting it is to watch the boat transform as I apply coats of gelcoat. What these pictures don't capture, though, is what an extremely laborious and time consuming process this is! The amount of sanding required is mind boggling... Perhaps if I was a better woodworker I wouldn't have to sand as much?

Boatbuilding Continues

2008-04-22T08:20:00.001-04:00

In the first picture here you can see the transoms well. It shows the engine "pod" and the "hydrofoil" clearly. You can also see how much sanding I still have to do! The rest of the pictures show more of the seats and foredeck under construction. Notice the large drain holes cut into the bottom of the seats so that if a wave comes aboard it should drain out quickly. Also check out the fuel tank braces that end up creating small storage compartments outboard of the fuel tank spaces. Then the finished product! It's finally starting to look like a real boat. Yay!

A quick trip with Nick the neighbor and some construction photos.

2008-04-22T08:10:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Noëlle and I took our neighbor from across the street out on the boat for a few hours at Falls Lake. He is only 10 but he comes over and helps me work on the boat most days that I'm out there. It was fun to take the boat out even though it is far from finished. There still aren't any seats in it so we have to sit on the deck and dodge the gas tank and coolers as we move around.
I also added a couple of pictures showing the beginning of construction of the foredeck and the seats. It took longer than I thought it would to put together. The generator is there just to add weight to the deck while the epoxy dries and the seat is temporarily there for sizing purposes.

Video of the First Float!

2008-03-18T22:41:00.000-04:00

Noëlle actually took the first step onto the boat, then she filmed me. Sorry about the video being sideways.

Video of the First Float!

2008-03-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

This video shows one of the planing runs. The boat has a nice, smooth, light feeling ride.

Test Float Part 1 200% Success!

2008-03-18T21:06:00.001-04:00

Here it is, March 18th 2008 and we put the boat that I built into the water for the very first time! The whole process went as smooth as it possibly could. The car and the boat and trailer all seem to be good match for each other on the road. It's easy to tow. This first picture shows me preparing the boat at the Fall's Lake launching ramp.

Here I am removing the lights from the trailer before putting them in the water. I wired them a little bit different from the norm so I don't think submerging them would be a good idea.

It's going in!

Getting ready to push the boat off the trailer.