ELROW LA ROWE'S MICRO NEWSLETTER
Call it NEWSLETTER #1,if you like, on the mini-cruiser MICRO. July, 1984
It has been great fun to talk on the phone to plan owners who have called in from all
over,
even several from the west coast. And, a pleasant surprise I hadn't foreseen has been the
interesting people one comes in contact with through MICRO! Plan owners include an
ex-marine
who builds wagons (for horses!) in Montana, an Anglican pastor and 16 year old son, a
banker
in Honduras, two professional boat builders in Mich., and Mass., a Porsche service center
owner in Ohio who is building a Micro and Elver side-by-side, Ramsey in Ft. Wayne, who
orig-
initially commissioned Bolger to design Featherwind and Cynthia J., and quite a group who
have already built one or more Bolger designs. Of course all MICRO builders are
interesting
people, but I don't have info on all of them.
Of interest to some, and since we did the flyer, Martti the Finn has now sailed his jewel
box MICRO in Force 5-6 breezes under mizzen and reefed main. Bolger was tickled about the
report, far Micro boiled along in heavy chop on a day no one else tried to use under sail,
and with the mizzen sheeted in tight was able to come about -- tack! Lots of good boats
are less than trustworthy in those conditions. Micro is also some faster than same of we
amateurs figured, for maximum hull speed is related to the considerably longer waterline
when she is heeled over on her sailing lines, rather than the shorter static waterline
when
she is at rest.
Some construction news of interest: One who has built before and is pretty far along with
his Micro figures the boat can be built in two weeks o& normal full working days,
which isn't
all that many .evenings or weekends for those who have to spread it out some. At present
count, two boats are being built entirely of 31/8" plywood. These will be heavier.
Micro
weighs right at 875 lbs. as per materia1 of plan -- under 890 with double or triple
bottoms.
The importance relates to trailering, weight of trailer, equipment and motor on boat,
etc.,
car used to tow, and regulations on all that on whether trailer brakes are needed or not.
Only two have asked about a tabernacle for the main mast. We beginners learn point by
point
that a boat design, like an aircraft or any other design ends up a unit of interrelated
design facets, so most any alterations can get into trouble in several places in the boat,
other than the one we are trying to modify. The answer to this one (Bolger agrees) is that
the 23' mast, cut away into the prescribed taper, isn't all that heavy to manhandle, the
procedure being to lay the mast on the forward sloping companionway hatch, insert heel of
mast under the partner, and walk it up. For those needing even more help, or just wanting
it, build a 3-sided vertical wood trough from the front edge of the partner down to the
mast step hole, for a sure guide for the heel of the mast -- no possibility of it getting
hung up on one of the ladder steps, etc. This approximates the purposes of a tabernacle
in a close way. The open side of the trough is toward the rear, of course.
I like the transom bow, and think the boarding ladder is a great idea. Small boats, and
even my 32' Sharpie, roomier on deck than most 32'ers, just don't have a right place for
a boarding ladder, and 1 can no longer or at least regularly hoist my 220 lbs., into a
high sided boat after a swim, and end up putting on one of those folding alum. steps on
the hull, down by the waterline somewhere. Besides, the last two boarding ladders I
bought went one season before breaking up under me so I now build my own out of plywood.
And anyway, Micro is supposed to be different, unique, beyond the norm. The boarding holes
could be cut to any shape, I suppose; don't know if I will paint a grinning shark on my
bow or not! We may have said in the plan somewhere that Adler is using his cockpit deck
hatch for his foot well rest, setting it on a frame of appropriate dimensions-which could
be a "fold-up" kind for those wanting to be able to get it out of the way at
times. He
also discovered for those using 3/8 ply for bottom and cockpit decks might best use pine
ply, as his had 3 plies of equal thickness in its makeup -- making it seem a better choice
than 3/8 fir, which had a thick center core and thin outer plies. I cart verify this as
I can't duplicate his experience locally here, and the 3/6 fir here seems to have a much
worse core than -" AC, and can't find pine at all in 3//8. Those using marine ply
avoid
all these considerations -- for a considerable price, of course. Ha.' Bronze nails break
in lead, and drills fill and break too; if drilling, use VARSOL from paint store. Or use
galvanized roofing nails or stainless nails for non-drilling effort. Lee Sails Chow's
Trading Co., 2 Capt. Richards Ln., Northport, NY 11768, are $308, plus $30 per reef point,
plus $10 shipping with order. Allow 2-3 months from Hong Kong. E. La Rowe