The Nomadness Archives This is a compilation of technical articles, how-to material, reverse engineering notes, ramblings, schematics, documentation, product reviews, tips 'n tricks, advice from the experts, scantlings, component specifications, gear inventory, and any other information related to Nomadness and related systems.  Material here is primarily technical; adventure tales and news updates are over on the blog, and there are separate photo archives (including some for my previous boat, a Corsair 36). One of the purposes of this site is to provide a collection point for useful information about this boat, and others like it.  If you have anything you would like to contribute to the archive, please contact me. Steven K. Roberts Nomadic Research Labs

"How To" Material

Tramp Tensioning Tips - The lashed-on nets (trampolines) filling the spaces between hulls are wonderful things, providing a place to hang out while sailing, dinghy stowage, and a sense of safety when going forward.  But the lashings can stretch, making them sag.  Here's a tip on re-tensioning them without pain.

Kayak Hacking

Kayaktopus - Discussion of the embedded controller, communication systems, and sensor suite being developed for the kayak aboard Nomadness.

Geeking Out the Hobie Revolution - An evolving article that will document the overall integration and packaging of the pedal/paddle/sail kayak that will be deployed from the mothership.

Simple Folding Stands for Kayaks and Dinghies - This is a cheap but effective design for keeping your boatlets off the ground, making them easier to clean, discourage critters from nesting, and saving your back.  They can also be used to hold a sailboat mast at a comfortable working height.

C-36 Documentation and Other Info

A Corsair 36 Directory - These are relatively scarce, so I thought it would be useful to try to locate them all and maintain a directory here (including ones for sale).  If you have any information to add, please do!

Mast Raising - My boat did not come with the hardware to raise and lower the mast, which is one of the most important features of these boats.  Apparently, the company got worried about the liability implications of user error in handling the 300-pound rig, and no longer supports it on this model... the largest in their product line.  Some of the earlier C36 boats did include it, however, and the following PDF file shows the process.  (I am indebted to Roberto Lopez, another C-36 owner, for compiling this from images and text provided by Windcraft, a Corsair dealer.)    Corsair-36-mast-raising (304K PDF)

Expedition Inventory

This section is being developed offline, with a level of detail similar to my Bubba & Wordplay touring inventory (128K PDF) but in the form of a "sidebar style" site generated by the Circus Ponies Notebook software that I use for all my management documents.  Where possible and/or appropriate, I'll include links to sources as well as little mini-reviews, requisite spares, and so on.  

Track Logs

I'll figure out what to do with all this data later, but for now, if you have Google Earth, the complete track log of the first 600 miles is available in these KML files.  The level of detail is amazing (you can even see what slip I was in, as well as the obtacles dodged); I created these with the GPS datalogger from Spark Fun Electronics.  The named segments in fixed-width font are the raw KML files with a GPS fix every second; the "MAP" and other named links are track images scaled to a reasonable size.

Camano Island -> Lopez Island home port to Lats & Atts party in Fisherman Bay - MAP
Lopez -> Tsehum Harbour for Canada customs then Tsehum -> Cowichan Bay to meet friends - MAP
Cowichan -> Nanaimo where I stayed for 3 days awaiting a weather window - MAP
Nanaimo -> Nanaimo turned back in heavy wind... that wasn't the window! - MAP
Nanaimo -> Pender Harbour including some amusing faffing about at the entrance - MAP
Pender -> Powell River Westview Harbour, where a boat sank overnight in heavy winds - MAP
Powell River -> Squirrel Cove including the Stacey Rock adventure - MAP
Squirrel Cove -> Donop Inlet on the other side of Cortez Island - MAP
Donop Inlet -> Gorge Harbour including Uganda Passage - MAP
Gorge Harbour -> Pender Harbour 52 miles down Strait of Georgia, longest day of the trip - MAP
Pender Day Sail with Dave Pritchard - MAP
Pender -> Bowen Island including the uncharted rock encounter - MAP
Bowen -> Vancouver (False Creek) - MAP
Vancouver -> Silva Bay crossing Strait of Georgia to Gulf Islands - MAP
Silva Bay -> Ganges Harbour on Salt Spring Island - MAP
Ganges -> Blaine - arriving in new home port - MAP

September trip from Blaine to Orcas Island - MAP
Overall travels (about 600 miles) in August and September - MAP

Links to Other Resources on Corsair & Farrier Trimarans

The F-Boats Yahoo Group, with almost 3000 members and very active discussion
Corsair Marine
Farrier Marine
Multi Marine (Mike Leneman)
Windcraft (Don Wigston)