Job List

If you spend time on boats (particularly race boats), it won't be long before you come across a "job list". These lists are a way to prioritise and keep track of the little (or sometimes less little) jobs that need doing aboard.

An entry could be really simple: "Buy split pins" or it could be slightly more open-ended "Design system for jib-reefing". Some items fit more into the wish list category but some are essential to avoid problems later: "Tape VHF antenna to wind instrument rod".

This last one is a good example of the ambiance in Classe Mini since it was a tip from other Mini sailors who saw my VHF whip antenna bolt upright and unrestrained and warned me that the whip can move violently enough to damage the wind instrument and so despite the loss in VHF range and reception, it is better to restrict the movement of the whip somewhat to prevent it from coming into contact with the wind instrument. I duly added it to my job list!

I keep my job list on my phone using "Keep Notes" and find this simple and practical. It's not perfect because it's not easy to re-order the jobs when the list gets longer and I would like to be able to colour-code jobs but at the end of the day, what I need is something simple and "Keep Notes" gives me that.

When I'm sailing, I often keep a note of jobs on paper and then transfer onto my phone later - typing with wet fingers on a touch sensitive screen never seems to work very well! And especially not when my phone is in its waterproof pouch!

Bricolage

Job lists very often lead to "bricolage", French for DIY, this is a favourite activity of Classe Mini sailors when they aren't sailing! And there is always something needing doing.

After my first sail on Mini Skippy, the priority on my job list was to build an outboard bracket so I would be able to maneuver safely in the marina and so that if I got becalmed again, I'd be able to get home.

Minis aren't really built with outboards in mind and the transom hung rudders mean that the tiller bars stand proud of the transom by over 200mm which means that any outboard bracket must extend far enough out from the transom so that the outboard clears these bars when tilted for stowage. You can see the problem in the photo below.

Looking for inspiration, I visited a mythical quarter tonner, Odd Job. Odd Job has a custom mount for her outboard because of her extended transom which doesn't provide anywhere for a commercially available outboard mount.

Odd Job's bracket seemed to fit quite well on Mini Skippy but I had two further problems: (1) the height of the bracket above the water and (2) the strength of the surface I would mount the bracket to.

Problem 1 - Height of bracket above water

For an outboard to work at all, the prop blade must be submerged in the water (stands to reason right?!). However, it cannot sit just under the water's surface because the movement of the propeller will disturb the surface and the prop will suck air down which will displace the water and then the prop will be effectively spinning in air and not water any more. This is bad for the outboard because air provides less resistance to the prop and so it spins too fast but it's also bad because while the prop is spinning in air, it's not driving the boat forwards.

Manufacturers produce outboards in short and long shaft versions - for a Mini, the long shaft version is ESSENTIAL and even the long shaft versions aren't really long enough. Because even with my long shaft Honda 2.3hp, the very top of the outboard bracket cannot be further than 420mm from the water's surface.

Odd Job's mount, although beautiful, placed the outboard higher than the 420mm max and so a rethink was in order.

Problem 2 - Strength of mounting surface

Minis are high-performance boats and the hull construction is optimised to save weight. This means that the hull is strong where it needs to be and along the path of anticipated loads. Elsewhere, the hull is relatively much weaker.

The requirement to extend the outboard out from the back of the transom increases the moment that the outboard exerts on the hull when in action. Luckily, Idbmarine had thought of this and had included a 250mm wide wooden panel in the laminate on the starboard side of the transom.

My outboard bracket therefore had to be mounted through the transom and through this vertical panel and not through the deck as in Odd Job's bracket.

Strength not Beauty

My absolute priority for the outboard was to have a strong, reliable bracket that could be dis-assembled and remounted with relative ease.

Having been recommended them by a good friend, I called Ace Engineering to help design and build the bracket. After an inspection of the boat and the outboard, we decided on a very simple but strong design using a length of Aluminium tubing and two chunky flanges.

The custom bracket would be more of a spacer and then I had sourced a nifty bracket on the internet with a removable plate to allow me to mount and dismount the outboard without undoing the outboard's mounting bolts.