Facts of the boat
10 March 2007 | Pukavik
A few facts on my little ship.
s/v Rode Orm (swedish for Red Snake; after the hero in a novel by Frans G. Bengtsson named �Rode Orm�
Laurin 32 designed by Arvid Laurin Rode Orm is a double-ender (koster design) with a full keel and rudder attached to the rear end of the keel. The design was a modernization of the old work boats and pilot cutters of western Sweden and Denmark
LOA: 9,81 Beam: 2,88 draught: 1,50 ballast: 2,5 tonnes displacement: 5 tonnes (ready to cruise with all gear 7-7,5 tonnes
This yacht was bult 1965 at Malm� Aviation Industry. She has a cored deck and hull(Airex) which makes her very stiff, minimizes flexing of the hull, but also makes her silent and practically free of condensation below decks. Important in colder climes. She was first named �Antonia� and then �Ark Sar III� before the previous owner named her �Rode Orm�. I am the fifth owner of this sturdy little ship, and I bought her a year and a half ago.
Ketch rig: 49 square meters Engine: Yanmar 3HM 3-cyl. diesel 27 hp tankage: 60+60 liter of diesel 60 liter fresh-water tank all in the bilge. Fresh water in various jerry cans ranging from 2 liters to 25 liters
She has an Aries wind vane steering system that keeps her on course 95% of the time. Basically I take her in and out of harbours and then �Helmer � does a very good job.
Main anchor is 35"# CQR on the bow with 45 meters of chain rode. A manual Simpson Lawrence windlass makes anchoring safe and easy. As stern anchor she is equipped with a Danforth 30# on 14 mm nylon rode and 4 meters of chain. As a spare/storm anchor a foldable Fisherman type 40# normally lives it�s life at the bottom of a cockpit locker. A conical canvas type sea anchor is also on board.
The galley is equipped with a Taylor kerosene stove with oven. A piece of art. Brass and black enamel. Efficient and bullet proof too. A Refleks diesel heater keeps the cabin warm and snug even in temperatures well below zero degrees Celsius. The Refleks (a danish design used on many fishing vessels) is simple. No fans or electrical fuzz, fed from a gravity tank of 5 liters that is placed in the head.
The cabin is lit by three Stelton kerosene lamps made in SS. They also provide some 1000W warmth in a chilly evening.
I will equip the boat with a Lavac head before the summer(it sits in my garage right now). It fits into the same category of equipment as the stove and the Refleks heater. Easy-to-use low maintenance kind of bullet-proof stuff. The old Jabsco unit needs a new set of gaskets, and it feels like the time to up-grade that department.
An inflatable dinghy is stowed in the quarter berth when out on the sea.
The boat will have a new mainsail (w 2 reefs) jib (1 reef) and mizzen /also 1 reef point)l this year. Boy, will I enjoy that!!! The old ones are really worn out and baggy. A spinnaker, a 150% genua for light winds, a storm jib, a mizzen staysail and a trysail makes it possible to keep Rode Orm moving in winds from Force 1 to when nobody wants to be out on there on the water anymore.
The trysail is set on a dedicated mast track, parallell to the mainsail track and is sheeted to the quarters. This makes the change from a reefed main to the trysail in heavy weather as easy as possible. The boom will then be safely lashed to a permanent boom gallows.
Navigation equipment: A compass in the cockpit and 2 handheld ones in the cabin. Two handheld GPS units. A Garmin 12 lives it�s life at the nav table, permanently plugged in on the 12 V system. A Garmin 72 is a back-up and is used, upon need, in the cockpit kept in a pocket. Paper Charts (always! wouldn�t trust electronics on a boat) and pilots. I do have a laptop and nav.programs and c-map covering the world. I do consider this more of a convenience than a prime nav .system though. Very nice as long as it works. A depth sounder is also a part of the nav table gear together with an Icom VHF unit with a masthead antenna. I carry a handheld Icom VHF as a backup and convenience to communicate with crew ashore for instance.
Future projects is a solar panel, probably before this years cruise. Before taking off on an ocean passage I would like to have a water generator and a new drogue too. I am not certain as to the drogue. Either a parachute type sea anchor or a series drogue.
This was kinda technical; for those of you interested in it.
Next posting will be more poetical for sure!