Wa'apa build - a few questions

[Rantifarian]

I want to explore the north east coast of Australia. If I can pack enough supplies into a hobie for month long + trips, I'm all over that option.

I would buy an older nacra and do that. I have some friends, both older and not particularly good sailors, who took a nacra 5.0 from Brisbane to Yeppoon. You will be coming on and off beaches in waves, and need to make a decent bit of distance in some legs of the coast. I would not like to spend days on a super wet boat like a Hobie anywhere north of Yeppoon, box jellyfish and irukanji are shit. A friend's wife and kid got hit by irukanji on the weekend, fentanyl and ketamine didn't numb the pain.
Also consider how you will deal with the mud geckos in your plans.

I would look at this, and get the mainsail cut down a bit. Or wait around for 5.0, they still have decent hull volume and no centreboards.

Nacra 5.8 in a good condition! Looking for a new owner. | Sail Boats | Gumtree Australia Gold Coast City - Bundall | 1308831058

Good Afternoon Everyone Regretfully due to family commitments our beloved 58 Heatseeker requires a new owner Good condition, on galvanised trailer with gear ..., 1308831058

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[SkipJ]

No dramas with the advice, I asked some stupid questions (get used to that)

I should be ok with supplies, water / shelter is the main thing. Food is literally everywhere up here

Agreed, I've done a number of week long expedition canoe trips and backpacker tech is your friend. Water is the issue, if there's no fresh water you can comfortably filter, I don't have a clue. A month's worth of water would weigh as much as your boat.

 

[purvisgs]

I think these are very cool boats, and the design calls for a lee board which points well enough in most average conditions including some chop etc etc. Paddling one surely beats trying to make any progress on the typical monohull dinghy (or beachcat). If you need to keep to a schedule or something then a 30lb suzuki 2.5hp could reasonably be mounted off the side.

I understand the desire to use an existing rig, but that just depends on what you luck upon locally. Sail/insignia tape is great and sewing is not as intimidating as you think it will be, initially. Any old random dacron sails could be cut up for material so there is certainly a middle ground between $$$$ and the tarp route.

If there is enough sq ft in a "super snark" type lateen sail, that might be one decent starting point whether or not you modify it. (I don't recall sail area the as-drawn 16ft wa'apa should have). If you really want the rig to be more 'modern' 'looking' , and more or less plug n play, how about 2 windsurf rigs, perhaps?

 

[Kurtz]

Agreed, I've done a number of week long expedition canoe trips and backpacker tech is your friend. Water is the issue, if there's no fresh water you can comfortably filter, I don't have a clue. A month's worth of water would weigh as much as your boat.

Hi mate, there's a few communities / camps on the way I can get water. Pretty confident the waapa will handle 40 - 60 liters of water (weight) which is what i'm planning initially. if shit hits the fan i'll go the coconut option, I'm a bit of a pussy when it comes to climbing palms though.

I've done extensive hiking down south (mini mountains) I could pack enough food into a medium sized pack (25 sh kg) for a week. Water was everywhere. Food was hard, opposite to up here.

 

[Kurtz]

I think these are very cool boats, and the design calls for a lee board which points well enough in most average conditions including some chop etc etc. Paddling one surely beats trying to make any progress on the typical monohull dinghy (or beachcat). If you need to keep to a schedule or something then a 30lb suzuki 2.5hp could reasonably be mounted off the side.

I understand the desire to use an existing rig, but that just depends on what you luck upon locally. Sail/insignia tape is great and sewing is not as intimidating as you think it will be, initially. Any old random dacron sails could be cut up for material so there is certainly a middle ground between $$$$ and the tarp route.

If there is enough sq ft in a "super snark" type lateen sail, that might be one decent starting point whether or not you modify it. (I don't recall sail area the as-drawn 16ft wa'apa should have). If you really want the rig to be more 'modern' 'looking' , and more or less plug n play, how about 2 windsurf rigs, perhaps?

The missus was just talking about getting an industrial sewing machine. I might make that happen.

The modern looking thing is not an issue, If a woven palm frond crab claw would do the job I'd be all over it. The street cred alone would be worth it's weight in gold.

Reckon i'll finish the hull and amas and play around with mast and sail options 'till I find something that works for me / skill / conditions. The waapa platform seems incredibly adaptable.

 

[Kurtz]

I would buy an older nacra and do that. I have some friends, both older and not particularly good sailors, who took a nacra 5.0 from Brisbane to Yeppoon. You will be coming on and off beaches in waves, and need to make a decent bit of distance in some legs of the coast. I would not like to spend days on a super wet boat like a Hobie anywhere north of Yeppoon, box jellyfish and irukanji are shit. A friend's wife and kid got hit by irukanji on the weekend, fentanyl and ketamine didn't numb the pain.
Also consider how you will deal with the mud geckos in your plans.

I would look at this, and get the mainsail cut down a bit. Or wait around for 5.0, they still have decent hull volume and no centreboards.

Nacra 5.8 in a good condition! Looking for a new owner. | Sail Boats | Gumtree Australia Gold Coast City - Bundall | 1308831058

Good Afternoon Everyone Regretfully due to family commitments our beloved 58 Heatseeker requires a new owner Good condition, on galvanised trailer with gear ..., 1308831058

www.gumtree.com.au

The only thing I fear more than Irukandji are the crocs.

A Big question I have is - will crocs board a shitty little outrigger to get a feed?

I'll keep the camps clean and camp way up the beach , sleep on the boat in mangrove country.
fucken I dont know, worse ways to die.

A mate years ago had an old QB18 cat, sailed on it with him a few times in Melb, Scared the shit out of me. Those Nacras look same same

 

[dnlambler]

Try asking Anthony Turner, he now runs a charter cat "Liquid Desire" out of Port Douglas. He sailed that coast in (on) a Hobie. He wrote some articles in Multihull World. Early 2000s maybe.
Yeah wouldn't want to fall over board crossing a river bar. Too many crocs. (and sharks. and jellyfish. and spiders. and cassowaries. and monitor lizards........)

 

[Kurtz]

Try asking Anthony Turner, he now runs a charter cat "Liquid Desire" out of Port Douglas. He sailed that coast in (on) a Hobie. He wrote some articles in Multihull World. Early 2000s maybe.
Yeah wouldn't want to fall over board crossing a river bar. Too many crocs. (and sharks. and jellyfish. and spiders. and cassowaries. and monitor lizards........)

View attachment 581180

cracks me up the ACHTUNG warning. German backpackers are the best. They do stupid shit all the time.

I'll try and track him down, Do you know if it was a one way DW trip?

 

[Rantifarian]

The Crocs seem to be getting more comfortable around humans, a few of the residents around here are being seen out and about regularly whereas in the past you only knew they were there from the slides and occasional sightings. They definitely could get in a small boat if they wanted, plenty of videos from up north showing them climbing/swimming onto floating docks to have a sunbake.

I'm not saying it's impossible or too dangerous, just that you will need to have a really good look at where you can stay using Navionics and Queensland globe. There are some very long stretches of exposed beach with no shelter. If a bit of breeze or swell comes up, can you get in through the surf? Can you leave the next day, on your own? Can you make any headway against the current, how much will it slow you down? When the tide has a 5 or 6m range, how does that limit your options?
A few lunatics have paddled it in sea kayaks, but they did marathon paddles over some legs and have no issue with the surf.

 

[Kurtz]

The Crocs seem to be getting more comfortable around humans, a few of the residents around here are being seen out and about regularly whereas in the past you only knew they were there from the slides and occasional sightings. They definitely could get in a small boat if they wanted, plenty of videos from up north showing them climbing/swimming onto floating docks to have a sunbake.

I'm not saying it's impossible or too dangerous, just that you will need to have a really good look at where you can stay using Navionics and Queensland globe. There are some very long stretches of exposed beach with no shelter. If a bit of breeze or swell comes up, can you get in through the surf? Can you leave the next day, on your own? Can you make any headway against the current, how much will it slow you down? When the tide has a 5 or 6m range, how does that limit your options?
A few lunatics have paddled it in sea kayaks, but they did marathon paddles over some legs and have no issue with the surf.

Hi mate, I'm based in Cooktown - croc central up here. Got a lot of respect for them.

Cape Melvile to Lockhart River and the stretch south of the Jardine have me questioning my sanity re: exposed coastline. There's three 25 - 35 ft yachts washed up on beaches within 10k of town right now, a 30? footer was lost on the rocks just south of town a few months ago.
It's that sort of place and the trade winds haven't even started yet. The shit you find washed up on beaches around here is eye opening

but hey, If it's all too gnarly I'll wait until next wet season,

 

[purvisgs]

The missus was just talking about getting an industrial sewing machine. I might make that happen.

Be careful, before long you will want (or get kicked off & need) your own machine.. I personally found "sewing machines" to quite easily become a new obsession/hobby. For sails this size range you don't need anything fancy, almost any pre 1960-70s "all metal" machine will do the trick ($20 up), you do kind of need zig-zag stitch but not any other dials, electronics and features prominent on newer machines.

Walking foot or a true industrial tabletop type with a motor underneath- sure, can be handy once you start getting into webbing, leather or many layers of thicker sailcloth- BUT not needed at all for a ~20ft-er. Pfaff (ex 130 & others) get attention as the old-school sailor's preferred alternative to going sailrite, but I'm personally more of a fan of Necchi & Viking/husqvarna from the same era. I know my go-to vintage household type necchi has wider zigzag and more clearance under the foot than pfaff 130, for example- no sweat with upto 5-7 layers+ of sailcloth. And from the same era even generic brands (example Kenmore, anything made in Japan & rebranded) can be indestructible.

I've also had great luck (after tuneup & adding the sailrite flywheel) with "sailrite clones" , (the one I've got now is 'family sew' and has the longer throat/neck)--- So if you do decide on walking foot but want to keep it around half the price of lsz-1 - not a bad option!

 

[SkipJ]

Took me a while to remember this, might be of interest.

When Monkeys Poo.

Aqui estoy mis amigos. Here I am: “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. No…

grillabongquixotic.wordpress.com

 

[MultiThom]

I've also had great luck (after tuneup & adding the sailrite flywheel) with "sailrite clones" , (the one I've got now is 'family sew' and has the longer throat/neck)--- So if you do decide on walking foot but want to keep it around half the price of lsz-1 - not a bad option!

Yah, sewing becomes its own hobby after a while. I use one of those clones--likely made in the same Chinese factory as the sailrite. Bought on eBay, walking foot, zig zag. Wore one out and bought another. Learning to sew, though, can eat up many hours and be a source of real irritation when the darn thing isn't working right because you threaded it wrong, or the needle plate bent, or the bobbin is too tight, needle is bent...anyway, one of those machines that is wonderful when it works but can be a source of angst when not (like cars or washing machines or garage door openers or boats or outboards or ...).

 

[Kurtz]

Took me a while to remember this, might be of interest.

When Monkeys Poo.

Aqui estoy mis amigos. Here I am: “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. No…

grillabongquixotic.wordpress.com

Thanks heaps for sharing that. What an amazing trip and story.
That has to be one of the sexiest boats ever built. Again thanks.

 

[[email protected]]

Also worth looking into the rigs John Pizzey used, especially the one on "Flight" seemed to be well thought out. Articles are a bit hard to come by though. I'll get under the house one of these days for a dig through the archives

 

[Rantifarian]

Hi mate, I'm based in Cooktown - croc central up here. Got a lot of respect for them.

Cape Melvile to Lockhart River and the stretch south of the Jardine have me questioning my sanity re: exposed coastline. There's three 25 - 35 ft yachts washed up on beaches within 10k of town right now, a 30? footer was lost on the rocks just south of town a few months ago.
It's that sort of place and the trade winds haven't even started yet. The shit you find washed up on beaches around here is eye opening

but hey, If it's all too gnarly I'll wait until next wet season,

Red Baron 20 ft catamaran | Sail Boats | Gumtree Australia Redland Area - Redland Bay | 1308629639

A classic West Australian built Red Baron restored and ready to sail A great family catamaran ideal for the bay On a registered trailer with new antifoul it ..., 1308629639

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This looks a shitload easier than taking an outrigger canoe down the coast. If it has a serviceable rig and set of sails, working trailer, sound hull, an offer somewhere under 10k seems like a half decent buy.

 

[Russell Brown]

This guy is going to have more fun doing it his way. Just my opinion.

 

[Kurtz]

Red Baron 20 ft catamaran | Sail Boats | Gumtree Australia Redland Area - Redland Bay | 1308629639

A classic West Australian built Red Baron restored and ready to sail A great family catamaran ideal for the bay On a registered trailer with new antifoul it ..., 1308629639

www.gumtree.com.au

This looks a shitload easier than taking an outrigger canoe down the coast. If it has a serviceable rig and set of sails, working trailer, sound hull, an offer somewhere under 10k seems like a half decent buy.

Certainly looks a lot more luxurious, unfortunately 10K is way out of my price range.
Also I'm balls deep on the waapa build, I think she'll handle the trip fine, whether I do is another thing. Cheers mate

 

[Rantifarian]

Good luck with the build, I didn't realise you had started already.
Hopefully the weather improves by the time you finish, it's been shit house for months

 

[Dex Sawash]

Bought on eBay, walking foot, zig zag.

I'm shit at comparing things, does this look about "rite" ? US $420 shipped.
(motor, drive obvs smaller/less robust, or fuck maybe it is exactly the same. Like I said, shit at comparing things)