Microship Status 09/15/93

Ah yes, this is another one of those "daily" reports... thought I'd better bring you up to date now, since this weekend I'm leaving for a one-week road trip via the Mothership, hauling BEHEMOTH to San Jose for a speaking gig (Mobile World Expo). Given the expected overload of email, paper mail, and new people upon my return, this series of postings may be quiet for a while!

Tomorrow (Thursday) is the meeting with Robb Walker of Nelson/Marek -- he's coming to the lab to see my cockpit mockup and models, and to brainstorm the actual boat design. This should be a significant event, and will hopefully start the process of defining the hull shape and getting us moving toward construction of the physical substrate. I've been preparing for this for the past week, and my lab is now dominated by a 10-foot-long, 4-foot-wide, 3-foot-tall cardboard mockup, built onto the wood frame I told you about in the last issue (but shortened a foot in height -- what sounded good on paper was too big in reality). I can now sit in it, go below to crawl through the access tunnel to all the electronics and equipment stowage areas, flip up the keyboard desk, and otherwise have fun pretending I'm on the high seas (which is even more fun than playing with the mini-Steve doll). With all the developments lately, I want to summarize the current state of the design for you.

There are now three hull segments, not four:

V1, the 10' bow module, is only accessible through a deck hatch. Since this is the region most likely to suffer a hull breach, I want it well-sealed from the rest of the boat. This is the place for wet things and long-term storage, and includes: sail stowage chain locker for the anchor through-hull water intake for desalinator and processing environmental data collection flotation compartments many antennas on deck bowsprit with front rudder and trailer hitch mast-supported shower head (over hatch) (not compatible with roller-furling; details unclear) folding bicycle stowage (Attila Dahon) Long-term supply storage

V2 is the 10' cockpit module, and the region of greatest complexity (the mast is at the boundary between V1 and V2). The center section of this module from cockpit forward is about a foot higher than deck level, providing headroom below in the access tunnel -- a 6-foot-long, 2-foot-wide space that is walled by sealed equipment and storage bays on both sides and terminated forward by a fold-down chart table and fold-up stool (a secure workspace for electronics, foul-weather writing, etc). This cuddy cabin, of sorts, carries windows and lights, and topsides provides a surface for sail control lines that don't impede the walkways.

The cockpit itself is an interesting place -- the seat bottom folds up to provide access to the head (most sensibly located here, given all the possible usage patterns), and the back folds down to allow passage through the V2-V3 bulkhead to the crew module. A hinged desktop flips up and carries waterproof keyboard and pointing device, and a variety of panels and storage hatches satisfies all the needs for manual bilge pump and valves, comm gear, system monitor panel, rudder controls, PFD and emergency gear, and so on. For security and foul-weather protection, a hard top matching the cuddy dimensions slides forward from its stowage atop the V3 cuddy, locking into place above the console. Somehow, I'll fit a retractible bimini to this for sun/weather protection while underway. (You should wander by the lab and see the mockup to make sense of this -- reducing it to text is a bit difficult.) I won't list all the items in the cockpit module, since they comprise virtually all of the Microship's on-board systems and personal gear stowage.

V3 is the 10' crew module, the aft-most segment of the main hull. Access is via either bulkhead hatch or crew cockpit -- which can be locked via a relatively planar sliding cover that retracts sternward into a slightly elevated deck envelope as on the J-24. When open, this provides comfortable seating for my companion (with a bimini as above); when closed, this is a 4x7 foot bed with adequate storage below and behind. Also, the aftmost part of this will be the cooking area (think "camping," not "shipboard galley" -- remember, this started out as a kayak...). In bed mode, the seat folds down and its cushions join the plane of the sleeping surface (this is demonstrated in the quarter-scale model). Other parts of this surface fold up for access to a 1-foot deep storage well under the entire bed, and along the stern are wall lockers.

It occurs to me that a worthwhile safety feature is a place to cower out of the weather if the boat is inverted (see below for thoughts on that) -- PERHAPS the underside of the bed can serve this purpose if I'm willing to forego segmentation for stowage convenience.

The cockpit module (V2) cannot accommodate much in the way of deck clutter like antennas -- the boom/foot will sweep across fairly low. That leaves all remaining skyhooks, the radar tower, and stern pulpit to populate the deck of V3, with a no-skid walkway bounded by safety lines on stanchions running the full length of the boat. Note that the solar panels match the V2 segment perfectly, and will join seamlessly with fenders that cover the still-mysterious wheels to yield a very wide and comfortable deck space when underway.

I've been in contact with Current Designs and a local designer about the kayak choices, and we're leaning toward Libra doubles (1570-pound displacement) on both sides for bouyancy and space. An interesting twist is that I might be able to pedal-power them (notice no mention of the bike in the center hull description above). I'll keep you posted as this develops.

The issue of capsize is one that concerns every multihuller, and this is no exception as it grows to the point where I can't easily flip it with my body weight. I concocted the following scenario, which admittedly depends on a few key working components but could save me in a life-threatening capsize:

1. Microship is flipped by rogue wave. Pilot panics, recovers, and clings to inverted craft fighting off grim visions of sinking, sharks, and breakup on nearby rocky lee shore.

2. Pilot recovers composure and begins recovery process by jettisoning the highly bouyant solar panels (tied to lines) and flooding one of the kayaks by opening valves. Microship begins to tilt.

3. Crew labors at a manual air pump that inflates a bladder attached to masthead. Boat continues to rotate, and is now stable on its side in the water with one kayak straight down and the other up in the air.

4. Pilot and crew remove and stow sails to minimize weight and water-catching, then clamber up to airborne kayak, attach something like a hiking strap, and lean far out over water. Hopefully, boat rights itself, dumping both people in the drink unless they're quick.

5. Pilot closes flooding valves of other kayak and starts bilge pumps (manual and electric). Solar panels are recovered and reattached.

A couple of things complicate this: First, we must assume that the conditions that caused the capsize in the first place are still in effect, making the whole exercise extremely difficult or even impossible. Also, it depends upon pumps, hoses, bladders, and other high-tech gizmos that could fail and may be difficult to operate when hypothermia, fear, and even injury are involved. This is one of the costs of increasing the size of the Microship to support more technology and enhanced liveability... there are ways to call for help, and ways to right it with power-boat assistance, but if I'm ever crazy enough to be alone Out There this is one of the risks I will face. Hence the two special safety measures -- detachable seaworthy kayaks to serve as liferafts, and a dry place to pass the hours out of the weather with the boat inverted.

In happier news, Ron Fellman came by the lab yesterday and we fell to talking about the pointing device for the Mac (I guess you know from my message to this group Friday that Apple is sponsoring two machines, and has offered the assistance of Mike Clark -- designer of ADB and the gorilla-proof Mac used by Koko). I pulled out an XY Force-Sensing Resistor array donated to the bike project by Interlink and we started discussing using it as a waterproof mouse. I observed that since it measures applied force as well as X-Y position, we could translate force into cursor velocity, and with that he grew quite enthusiastic and took the unit with him to begin interfacing it with a 68HC11. This could be an ideal solution to the boat's mouse, and certainly has product potential... I'm looking forward to seeing how intuitive it can be as a pointer. Torque joysticks, which are the only waterproof pointing devices I know of, have an incredibly uncomfortable feel -- this would provide the twin pleasures of tactile displacement and intuitive velocity control.

OK, this is a long one and I should get back to the design... I'll try to report on the Nelson/Marek meeting before heading north for the speaking gig. Cheers from the lab!

-- Steve

LITERATURE RECEIVED

GeoQuery Beta 4.0B1

Tons o' magazines from the base office; too many to list (73, Mobile Product News, QST, catalogs, etc.)

SEA Inmarsat terminal literature -- only $7,000 for Standard-C; small antenna.

Colby demo video for video transmission over cellular phone, POTS, or 56K links.

Angelwing sail literature (inflatable sails with improved airfoil shape).

Landfall Navigation, extensive catalog of nav gear and charts (more pricey than Celestaire but large selection and good reference value).

Navlink brochure computer-assisted DOS navigation software.

A pile of material from the San Diego computer show, again too much to list and not all that relevant. One new sponsor there, by the way -- Nada-Chair, an excellent lower-back support via straps to the knees. TJ saw it today and wants one too.

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