The conservative viewpoint is that traditional rigs are not very efficient. However allied to efficient hulls and set up correctly, lug and sprit rigs can be very efficient indeed – not too much slower than “modern” rigs, particularly when the same lessons are applied to trad sails and way cheaper.

This is a WIKI drawn from the group on the Storerboats forum discussions on setting up lug and sprit rigs for best performance building on the information in my webpage.

Winter has been really harsh in North America.

It has even been snowing in Texas – and not just a little bit.

Kenny and family (more north than Texas) are really active on the PDRacer front but like many others are getting cabin fever from being icebound inside their houses.

So during one of the better days … there was boating to be done – but not boating as we know it, Jim.

The discussion on this topic went on.

Dave asked if people would laugh if they saw a PDR sailing in company with something more conventionally shaped.

Luckily I had a video clip to hand.

A little bit of writing how form in boat design seldom follows function in terms of what “looks good”. It was prompted by a discussion about whether the PDR is good looking or not.

My Podcasts on design also cover this idea to a greater depth – they are in the menu at the top of each page.

OZ Racer plan information The PDRacers have a saga published at Duckworks about the Texas 200 (the 200 mile sailing event up the Texas Coast). It is not by a Ducker but by one impressed by them. Extract The Mighty Ducks clung to the port, with all manner and various sort of other craft abeam [...]

A nice little article by Jackie Monies who is turning into the writer in residence for the PDRacers.

It posits the idea that because of its cheapness, ease of building and the creativity in the group that it qualifies as the “All American Boat”.

Actually I think it is the perfect boat for places that are water rich and cash poor. Anyone can afford to go sailing in these cool little sailing boats. The options of material and design solutions allow the boats to be built of local material just about anywhere. Very cheaply.

Peter Hyndman has made some PDRacer wallpapers that you can download for your iPhone and some other devices.

This talk is the first hour of my exposition on boat building and design. There are two more parts to come. This covers some of the background and design issues. The second is more on the building side and the last is a bit more about why the Australian (and New Zealand) wooden boat tradition is different from the Northern Hemisphere.

You can stream the talks over your internet connection or download them as a podcast.

The pics in this post are just a hint – many more on flickr – you can see them at the bottom of this page. So … What a Weekend! It is the highest I have ever sailed by far – about 2500 to 3000ft above sea level. A very nice bunch of folks. And [...]

From Rick The Canadian Nationals took place today at Summerland B.C.  with 7 boats competing for the coveted title of ‘Canadian Champion’. Pictures are posted. We had a beach start over a triangular course that was 4.2 kms long, and, well, I won. A testiment to the fine design of Michael Storer. Canadian National Puddle [...]

But here is the set calledGoolwa, sailing with AJ, Andrea, Ted, Mike, Mike and Mike First a mood Photo from the Murray Mouth where Ted’s shack is. OK Saturday about 10am Rigging The three Ducks … one with the lug rig … in light winds it was the fastest by a long way. It has [...]

It is a bit hard finding information on my forum as the list is not very ordered, so I have attempted to fix this.There is a general building section then each boat is in alphabetical order.To see all the images you may need to become a member, however, they are a good bunch and will [...]

Howdy, Towing behind another boat can be one of the highest loads that a small dinghy can face. Imagine if it fills with water and the mother ship is surging ahead in bad weather. So how to distribute the load into a lightweight skinned structure like the OZ PDR. OK … here is how. It [...]

A new local (Adelaide) PDRacer has been on its way for a few months now and is getting very close to being ready. The picture right is what it looked like a few weeks ago. however things have changed. You can click on the pic for a closer look Mike wrote: Bit more progress this [...]

Gyula Ferencz (hope I have remembered his family name correctly) has launched the second OZ PDR with the lug sail. The boat sails very nicely and seems to pass the other boat easily. Gyula should be proud. (he does look proud in the close up!) That is one great looking boat!!!! The sail looks fantastic [...]

Just got an email from Dan Taylor in Washington State, USA. He is the first to provide pics of the OZ PDR with the lug rig option. The sail looks very nice indeed and the light wind and a perfect sunny day were the other necessary ingredients. Here are his email and the pictures – [...]

The OZ hollow mast is the bee’s knees – the nicest mast we can come up with at this stage. A simple long box with the faces made of 4 planks 12mm (1/2″) thick with a taper. Easy enough to build about 35% to 40% lighter than a solid mast. Making the mast out of [...]

I’ll admit it – I am a luddite. I really think that racing boats have lost the plot – so I focus very much on simple affordable boats that go fast – rather than the flashy state of the art. I keep an eye on the State of the Art for anything that is useful [...]