I've been watching the bow of our new TI dip under the waves, and soaking my wife up front ( NO that's not
why she's riding in the front!!.)
My thoughts on it have been revolving around how I could make one that did not require me to drill holes in the boat at all. I was thinking of popping a fiberglass mold off the boat, and then making a mockup of the actual bow from the mold. THEN laying up more of a bow 'boot' that slides over the entire bow, and has diagonally slanted strakes or fins on both sides. I envision this bow boot thingy ( not a great name for it) actually performing three functions at once.
1.) It could have lifting planes, fins, strakes whatever the term is to lift the bow by translating forward motion through the hydrodynamic forces on the strakes.
2.) It would strengthen the upper deck part of the bow and be a place to screw fittings for a jib, or other foresails, even a bow sprit, without drilling holes in the original boat. A decent anchor bale could be here, too.
3.) It would put a tough 'skid plate' layer under the bow, to help protect the boat when beaching, etc.
URL=http://img806.imageshack.us/i/tibow.jpg/]
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This entire "nose cone" thing could be fitted over the TI nose and held in place with something like RTV (silicon) or Marine Goop. No holes in the plastic hull at all. The forces imparted to it by the jib, lifting, and grounding actions would all be forces that help hold it on the boat, without any forces trying to pull it off.
I was thinking someone with Hobie's resources could make a roto mold that was two of these things end to end ( like an ama) which could then be vertically cut in half, into two 'bow shoes", getting two pieces from each casting.
Or it could be two pieces, with bolt-together flanges that let you squeeze the bow between them, and the flanges also being the now-doubled material of the lifting strakes.
But then I dream a lot while sailing..
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Island life in the Devil's Triangle:
http://2gringos.blogspot.com/