Why can the integrated tender under the ww
hull not do this? Please detail the concerns you have or see. I
can't see them.
I just don't see the geometry working out if the tender is going
to remain attached to the main boat and the outboard lifted clear of
the water, while the tender is under the on-water collapsed proa.
If the tender's bow is fastened to the forward beam in "sled
mode", the top of the tender will have to clear the sunken cockpit
and stairwell on the windward hull when the stern is in the water.
Also, at that angle, I'm not sure how the outboard could be kept
high and dry when not being used.
Depending upon the beam setup, that might mean detaching the
tender completely and hooking it up to a new connection point when
collapsing for a marina. That would be enough hassle to where I'd
eventually find excuses not to do it.
(This laziness is a personal limitation. I enjoy exerting large
amounts of effort in the pursuit of specific goals. However, little
things like a few extra tasks when putting the boat to sleep at the
end of the day, inevitably when the wind has died and the mosquitoes
and midges are feasting, become obstacles for me. I also wouldn't
want to have to detach and reattach the tender's bow in a 25-knot
breeze with 2' chop. Maybe that's fun once or twice, but after a
few times, it would become a reason to not use the boat any time the
weather's not perfect)
I'd also worry about being able to work on the motor when the
tender is underneath the windward hull. Working on the motor when
the tender is hauled up to deck level would be a dream compared to a
normal outboard setup. But squeezing under the hull and doing
maintenance when it's breezy out could be a challenge.
Again, the Ex40's tender options can't be looked upon as a design
flaw. -- there's only so much one can ask of a 1,760 pound 40 foot
trailerable. Integrating a 14' tender with a 25 hp motor that also
serves as main propulsion is already a big deal.
It's possible the integrated tender could work out, in which case
I'll be pleasantly surprised. There's more than one time Rob and
Steinar have done the impossible, including with the Ex40, but that
said, at some point there's a limit.
I dont know how a 12' boat with 2' hulls
fits on a 8' trailer.
Ha! Yes, it would have to be a 12' trailer.
I've struggled so much with our current expanding/collapsing
trailer that I just want a simple dual or triple axle 12' trailer
that doesn't change size or shape. Part of it is emotional, part is
practical.
Any mechanism that has to support a boat's weight on land while
expanding/collapsing, and also be able to endure immersion in salt
water, is destined to fail, or at least jam. If the boat can stably
be collapsed on the water, it can probably be hauled even without
its custom trailer. Say, at a marina with a smaller travelift, or
even on a big flatbed (probably have to lift with a crane, but still
an option).
So being able to drive up onto the trailer in the water, secure
the bow, and tow the boat over to a prep area is a fixed requirement
for me.
But you still need a motor, and a way to get
on the boat when swimming or load/unload.
True. If I waffle long enough, even more things will get solved
in the meantime, possibly the variety of seemingly-conflicting
tender requirements.
But until that time, a solution could be a permanent narrow sled
for the motor under the cabin/cockpit, and perhaps another removable
drop-down sled/steps next to the leeward hull. The boarding steps
could even fasten to the side of the a flip-up toybox that will live
on top of the leeward hull when the boat is collapsed.
| -- I want to be able to just drive onto
a single trailer and then haul the boat over the the prep
area to deal with the masts.
Why can the integrated tender under the ww hull not do
this? Please detail the concerns you have or see. I can't
see them, and you have way more sailing experience than
me.
| We'd use the tender so infrequently (once every few
years?) that simplifying the main boat and going with an
inflatable tender with a roll-up floor makes more sense
than fiddling with the integrated tender.
If you dont think you gonna use it, then you not gonna use
it. But you still need a motor, and a way to get on the
boat when swimming or load/unload.
Looking at the renderings, it looks like it fits under the
current Ex40.
If designed right it could make the trailer work, as it
could hold the underside of the ww hull while on the
skinny trailer, but that's a guess.
I dont know how a 12' boat with 2' hulls fits on a 8'
trailer.