Toto in progess | Page 3 | SouthernPaddler.com

Toto in progess

kc4zvw

Well-Known Member
Oct 26, 2003
149
2
64
Chuluota, Florida
www.billsbrough.org
aub77 said:
I don't think Larsboat would be much more stable. It is still the same width and multi-chined.

The bilge panels are the ones in the middle. They are the ones that have the big curves and the slight twist in them to form the bow. They are the most important in terms of looks since the sweep of the bow is what everyone sees first.

For stability it seems like something like this would be needed:
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/store/ ... tm#Trilars


for sailing how about a tri-pirogue? On a lake with no PWCs making a wake
it should move along quite well.

regards,

David
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
kc4zvw said:
(SNIP) for sailing how about a tri-pirogue? (SNIP)
I can just see it now. Sparkey (short for Spare Key) in his central hull of a tri-pirogue. Two smaller sparkeys (of lower voltage and amperage, of course) sitting up smartly in the port and starboard hulls.

"Avast - me hearties!" zaPPP ZAP (blue electricity fills the air around his commands) "Look lively there now!" (pausing to turn pages in his Horatio Hornblower novel, and thinking to himself, "What the hell did he say about those tops'ls? Ahh here it is.")

"Ahem - look lively there, fellows. Get the jib all boomed out. Raise the cannon ports and run out the deck guns. Fill'em with chain-gritz; we'll teach those lubbers a lesson they won't soon forget!"

SSCCRRAATTCCHH "Oh oh, run aground again."

(From a nearby room) "Chuckie, are you about done in the bathtub? Don't piddle in the bathwater again, honey."
 

aub77

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2003
193
0
Birmingham, Alabama
Added three photos to my webshots folder entitled Toto 2:

http://community.webshots.com/user/aub77

I have one more coat on the inside and one more coat on the rubrails and I should be finished. The last two pictures reflect the current status. I should finish these coats tonight and then I plan on letting the paint cure for at least a week before putting it in the water. I will put up some final pictures of the completed Toto in a few days.
 

aub77

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2003
193
0
Birmingham, Alabama
Thanks. I put a couple more pictures up but really you can't see much difference from the last two. I completed all of the coats of paint. Now I just need some warm weather and maybe I can get some water shots.

http://community.webshots.com/user/aub77

The shot from the transom is a bit misleading. That rear deck is not as big as it looks and the paint is actually the dark green that it appears to be in the other pictures.
 

andrewp

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
140
0
Orlando, FL
aub77 said:
Thanks. I put a couple more pictures up but really you can't see much difference from the last two. I completed all of the coats of paint. Now I just need some warm weather and maybe I can get some water shots.

http://community.websots.com/user/aub77


Err, better check that web site ..... think it's supposed to be webshots. Websots are like old camper-dudes in hammocks that drink too much ..... :lol:
 

BEARS BUDDY

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
1,492
6
76
BAY CITY MI
TOTO STERN

According to the plans, the transom is above the water line with a load of 240 lbs, so there is no drag from the square stern.
 

aub77

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2003
193
0
Birmingham, Alabama
A database of boat design reviews by builders is being built over at www.duckworksmagazine.com. I think the database is accessible even by non-subscribers but just in case I attached a cut and paste of the text from that database of one review of a Toto. Just thought someone might want to read what someone else has said about this boat.

Reviewer Barry Johnson
available to show? Yes
test drive? Yes
Name of Design Toto
Designer Michalak
Length (feet) 13
Beam appox 30 inches
Draft 3 inches
Type paddle
Horsepower
Sail Area
Material 5mm Luan
Dollars spent $100.00
Cost of plans $20.00
Weight (lbs) 45
Hours to build
Click Here for Website
Opinion

Why Toto was chosen
This was my first attempt at building a boat. I wanted something that would be relatively cheap to build that would keep pace with recreational kayaks.
Met expectations excellent
Competeness of plans good
Number of boats I have built: 3
Comments
She performs way better that I expected! She is as fast, stable, tracks as well as, and is almost as comfortable as my Wilderness Systems Pungo recreational production Kayak.
Performance

ratings are: 0 = poor, 5 = perfect, NA = no answer
Smoothness (no pounding) na
Ease of setup na
Windward ability na
Stability 4
Speed 4
Economy na
Seaworthyness na
Ease of building 5
Ergonomics 4
When it comes to boating, I am somewhat experienced
I feel this boat will safely carry 1 .
If you are going to build Toto, please consider this:
Be really careful with laying out the lines for the bilge panels. Make sure your lines are as fair as possible within reason. It'll make your life easier when it comes to stiching it all up and filling the gaps with thickened epoxy
 

andrewp

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
140
0
Orlando, FL
thanks Wayne .....

p.s. I am anxiously awaiting your thoughts on how the Toto paddles. I'm curious on a couple of fronts ...

1) Is it faster than a comparable canoe or kayak or pirogue? Any comparisons you can make, please!

2) Does it get blown around in a cross-wind? Better or worse than a canoe/kayak?

3) How does it take a chop -- does it want to ride "on top" of the wave, or does the "V" bow want to slice through the wave? I'm curious if this type of bow design is any better that a pirogue design .....

4) Stability -- how high do you think you can place seating arrangements, or do you have to sit flat on the bottom in order for it not to feel "tippy"

Anyway, looking forward to your report ....
 

aub77

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2003
193
0
Birmingham, Alabama
Took the Toto out today for a couple of hours on a local lake of about 130 acres or so. Windy. some drizzle of rain, and a heavy ripple on the water. Smooth ride. You can hear a definite gurgle around where the deep V bow meets the flat spot of the bottom. Speeds seems good. I was not blown about but at times it seemed more difficult to turn when the wind kicked up the most. That would be normal I would think. Unfortunately, I just don't have any significant paddle experience to be able to compare this to other paddle craft. It does seem more stable than the Merten's Cheap Canoe design which is a simpler boat to build. The multi-chine. once you get aft of the deep V bow, seems to inspire confidence. I don't think much of the bow or the transom area is in the water. I think the V bow will help in rough waters and might make it more "seaworthy" in those conditions than most canoes or pirouges.
 

aub77

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2003
193
0
Birmingham, Alabama
A few more observations about Toto:

If I were building it again I would use the 4mm marine meranti/occume or, if going cheap, the 5.2mm exterior lauan. I used 6mm bs1088 marine meranti which is 5 ply and nice stuff but weighs about 25 pounds a sheet. Since toto uses about 2 1/2 sheets the boat probably weighs about 70-75 pounds with the epoxy, fiberglass, and paint. Not a problem for what I will normally use it for but it might be one if I need to portage it any distance. Eurolite would be another choice.

Andrew, you asked about seating in regards to how high up one could go. I sat upon a two or maybe three inch or so thick boat cushion and it was not tippy in the least bit. Not sure how much higher one could go. My guess is that no more than 4-5 inches from the bottom before stability would become an issue.

By the way, you don't sit at the rear bulkhead...you are supposed to sit about 10-12 inches in front of it. I need to get a stadium seat or build something like the Chucky/Uncle John's seat for back support. Oldtimer was inquiring about suitability for knee problems. I have a somewhat bum knee as well and that was never a problem. Getting in is not too bad. Getting out of the boat is probably the hardest part for someone with knee problems but I think that would be true for all of these paddle boats.
 

Oldtimer

Well-Known Member
Jan 21, 2004
143
0
Mis'sipy Delta--Temporarily
Wayne,

I looked at the Toto Website and they looked pretty good. Thanks for the observations on "knee comfort". I think the lowest the wife can sit is about 6" but don't know for how long. One thing I wondered about after seeing it, how does it "cartop"?

Oldtimer
 

aub77

Well-Known Member
Nov 15, 2003
193
0
Birmingham, Alabama
I don't cartop so I don't really know. I would imagine it would be an easy car topper though given its shape and length. I use a truck bed extender (from harbor freight--about 30 dollars).