Melanesia in Open Water?

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Anonymous (not verified)
Melanesia in Open Water?
I'm curious what experience Melanesia sailors have had with her in semi-protected or unprotected waters. What about launching and landing through modest surf? Does anyone have any stories to share about coastal camping trips in their Melanesia? It'd be a nice change from the spam we've been getting lately ;^)
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: Melanesia in Open Water?
I'm building a Melanesia and intend to use it on the North Devon coast, where the sea conditions can be lively. I had thought of partially decking the canoe body, leaving enough room for a footwell, in addition to flotation. I also intend to fit a safety ama on the opposite side to the outrigger, about 1 metre out and clear of the water on extended outrigger arms, as shown in Gary Dierkings book "Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes" - ISBN978-0-07-148791-7, which I can recommend.
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: Melanesia in Open Water?
Yes, decking of some sort seems prudent. One idea I thought of was to build to the plans, but to make a fabric cover for part of the hull to keep the worst of the seas out of the canoe. I am also considering putting flotation & storage bulkheads in the bow & stern, rather than the netting and plastic bottles idea. I hadn't considered a second ama.... I'll be picking up the ply to start my build tomorrow, probably. How far along are you?
Anonymous (not verified)
Re: Melanesia in Open Water?
I'm about halfway through cutting out. Not hurrying as I need to wait for warmer weather to allow the epoxy to cure as I'm building under a car port. Flotation seems a must I think if there is any chance of shipping green water. Your idea of canvas decking sounds feasible, especially if you can support it possibly with some laminated cambered deck beams. I have also thought of self bailers as used in racing dinghies; one should fit in the bottom panel and I anticipate the boat will go fast enough to make them effective. Haven't found any problems cutting with an electric jigsaw; just ensure you cut clear of the line on the "waste" side and sand down after. I found a slight anomaly on sheet 2 - the position of the bow and stern deck seems to be reversed on the synoptic or layout guide at the bottom of the sheet compared with the exploded diagram at the top. I followed the top exploded diagram and it all seemed to come out ok. Good luck