Category: naval architecture

STARLING BURGESS AND BUCKMINSTER FULLER

Dymaxion blueprints discovered in attic going up for auction

 May 20th, 2013 at 8am   |   24 comments 

Dymaxion_01_1500
Photos courtesy Wright Auctions.

Long hidden away in a New England attic, a set of blueprints for the futuristic Dymaxion automobile – allegedly the only privately held Dymaxion artifacts – are now seeing the light of day as they head to auction next month.

Collected in a three-ring binder, the set of 18 blueprints all appear to date to 1933 and cover chassis details, metal specifications, and wiring diagrams for the first and second Dymaxion cars, which Buckminster Fuller and Starling Burgess designed and built in the old Locomobile factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The blueprints turned up only recently in the attic of a house in Dudley, Massachusetts; the discoverer then donated the blueprints to filmmaker Noel Murphy, who will use the proceeds from the sale to help finish his documentary on the Dymaxion.

“We don’t know exactly how the blueprints got to that attic, but we can put two and two together,” Murphy said. “When Nannie Dale Biddle Else Foss (a financial backer of the 4D Company, which produced the Dymaxion) ended up with controlling interest in the company, Buckminster Fuller hid Dymaxions No. 2 and 3 at Waterhouse in Webster, Massachusetts. So the best I can figure is that when he hid the cars, he lived in a rooming house near there, and Dudley is just one town over from Webster.”

Dymaxion_03_1500 Dymaxion_02_1500

According to Murphy, the blueprints going up for auction are the only known set of original Dymaxion blueprints outside of Stanford University’s Dymaxion Chronofile archives, which includes the complementing body blueprints for Dymaxion No. 1. “Nothing [original related to the Dymaxion automobile] is in private hands,” Murphy said. “We spent plenty of time and a lot of searching looking for other Dymaxion materials.”

Fuller envisioned the Dymaxion automobile – a front-wheel-drive Ford flathead-powered rear-engine three-wheeler with rear-wheel steering and a teardrop-shaped body – as part of an overall philosophy that combined urban planning, architecture, and social criticism. He enlisted yacht builder Starling Burgess to design the unique vehicle and built three Dymaxions in total: The first became involved in the infamous fatal accident in Chicago, then later became a productmobile for a while before being destroyed by a fire; the second, the only Dymaxion extant, today resides in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, Nevada; and the third was reportedly scrapped during the Korean War in Wichita, Kansas. Crosthwaite and Gardiner recently completed a re-creation of Dymaxion No. 3 for British architect Lord Norman Foster, and Jeff Lane of the Lane Motor Museum has embarked on his own Dymaxion re-creation.

Murphy said that his film, The Last Dymaxion: Buckminster Fuller’s Dream Restored, should be finished in the fall.

The blueprints, which will appear in the Wright Auctions Important Design sale June 6 in Chicago, are estimated to sell for $20,000 to $30,000. For more information, visit Wright20.com.

Two people I have always found most interesting, Starling Burgess was a complicated man, who in my opinion has never been recognized adequately for his genius. His drawings, at Mystic Seaport are marvels. I attended several lectures by Buckminster Fuller when I was young.

THE SHAPE OF SPEED

Many years ago I wondered why the evolution of yacht design moved so slowly. In the last ten years I am amazed how quickly shapes have changed.  Perhaps the most notable thing about the images is the obvious displacement of the boats shown. It is hard to conceive today, but these were the fastest boats of their day. I will also note that we ate rather well racing, not the freeze dried of today either. All of these boats shown were also built of aluminum, with the exception of “Outlaw”.

The video below is in sharp contrast to the boats shown above.

OFFSETS FROM A HALF MODEL

Halsey spoke this evening at the Herreshoff Museum on the subject of his family. They were remarkably gifted, creative and exceedingly productive.  I had stated many times; had the Herreshoffs had modern materials available they would have been even more remarkable. There are many aspects to the story. One that never ceases to amaze me is that there were never any line drawings. Captain Nat carved half models and then took offsets from them. Un like most archive libraries, which consist of drawings on paper; here the archive is 500 half models. Not quite as easy to store. Once the offsets were taken and written down, construction drawings were produced for construction, Capt Nat was available for any questions on the projects.

I once asked Olin Stephens if he had ever carved a model or considered this method instead of line drawings. His answer was no.

BRITT CHANCE 1940-2012

Our paths crossed many times over the years. The obvious omission here is the disastrous design of the 12 meter “Mariner”. The second aluminum 12 meter ever built. I was working at Minneford’s lofting and building “Courageous”. A group of us drove in the evenings to Stevens Institute to take a course instructed by Peter Desaix. Peter was responsible for the analysis of the results of towing models in the tank. He would start each class rubbing his hands with glee stating that Britt had achieved a breakthrough. It turned out to be a huge mistake; on the part of an error of interpretation of the tank results. This almost finished Britt Chance’s career. Looking back, not his fault. The data led him down the wrong path.

“Resolute Salmon” winning the one ton world championship in 1976 held in Marseille, France. In my mind resurrected Britt’s career.


EIGHT BELLS – BRITTON CHANCE, JR.
Britton Chance Jr., lead designer for the successful 1987 and 1988 Stars &
Stripes America’s Cup campaigns, died October 12 at the age of 72 years.

Britt Chance grew up around boats – both sail and power – became seriously

interested in yacht design at 15, trained in the sciences at the University

of Rochester, worked at the towing tank at Stevens Institute, studied
mathematics at Columbia University, worked for Ray Hunt and Ted Hood, and
went on his own with Chance & Company in 1962.

Britt has a diverse design portfolio which ranges from racing shells to
dinghies to multihulls, fast cruisers and offshore racers to power boats,
including the high-tech Flarecraft, as well as Meter and America’s Cup
boats. Indeed, Chance is closely identified with Cup design; Britt was a
lead designer in both the ’87 & ’88 Stars & Stripes campaigns, played a
leading role in the formulation of the IACC Class, and, in the ’92 Defense,
led the joint PACT/Boeing appendage research project for all US Syndicates.

An active rower and sailor, with extensive dinghy, IOR, IMS and 5.5 & 12
Meter experience, Britt was alternate helmsman in the Olympics for the 5.5
Meter and Dragon Classes. He has crewed, or skippered, in major events
including the America’s Cup Trials, One Ton Cup, Admiral’s Cup, 5.5 Meter
Worlds, and offshore in the Bermuda, Fastnet, Middle Sea, and SORC Races.
For a change of pace, he rows competitively.

The Barnegat Bay Sailing Hall of Fame inducted Britt on October 6, 2012 as
one of eight inductees who have distinguished themselves in the sport.

HERRESHOFF MUSEUM DAY

The Herreshoff Museum is a gem. Many say it cannot stand alone and should merge with IYRS or Mystic. I have no idea what is best. What I do know is that the collection merits protecting for future generations. The breadth of experience is staggering. Dinghys, small centerboard boats, finn keels, telescoping masts, wishbone booms, roller furling, powerboats, steam engines, sewing machines, America’s Cup defenders, catamarans. I look forward to visiting again soon.

Amaryllis, the catamaran patented by Nathaniel Herreshoff  in 1877, has attracted new attention since the America’s Cup will be sailed in catamarans.

 

100 FOOT SCOW

 
On the heels of the Blue Chip regatta, and the success of the scow in the mini transat class here comes the 100 foot version.  Francois Chevalier might be better know to many for his collaboration with Jacques Talang for a number of outstanding books on yachting history.

WallyCento and MaxiScow – a new concept


The author thanks Donan Raven for the translation of his text.
Publishing naval architect François Chevalier’s original design for an out-and-out racer immediately reveals a great blend of today’s most generalised trends for breaking speed limits as well as displays the author’s great ability to look into the breadth of working concepts in yachting history and formalise a proposal that could establish herself as a capable prize winner, advocating the scow bow as tomorrow’s cornerstone in building racing yachts.
Donan Raven.
Mr. Chevalier writes:
I had had early etchings for these two 100ft projects, which I named MScow, laying on my draftboard since last summer, together with a Volvo Open 70 and an IMOCA Open 60.
The two MScow projects
When the Volvo Ocean Race announced that future editions would use a one-design, I decided to finalise the two 100ft sailing yachts: a Wally Cento and a Maxi Scow.
WallyCento, lines and half-deck
WallyCento, sailplan
WallyCento, interior layout
©François Chevalier 2012
The reason to design yet another Wally lays in the designation of the WallyCento rule itself: owners remain keen on the combination of comfort, performance, modern design and bleeding edge technology in a yacht. Even if the Wally Cento open box rule forbids canting keels and includes a minimum displacement figure, she remains true to the Wally essence which has begot its prestigious fleet: simple handling, automated sailing systems, utterly flush decks, light and minimalist interior spaces.
MaxiScow, lines and half-deck
MaxiScow, sailplan
MaxiScow, interior layout
©François Chevalier – 2012
The “Record” designation of the MaxiScow version, which features a more lightweight displacement and a canting keel, rid of all the modcons and automation usually presented in Wallys, targets ocean records and line honours in crewed races such as the Newport-Bermuda, the Fastnet or the Sydney-Hobart.
 As featured in the wetted surface diagrams comparing the MScow concept with conventional monohulls when heeling, the key advantage of the MScow is her stiffness, sailing at an angle which would be three times smaller than a conventional yacht. On the one hand, the righting moment is a lot more efficient, whether or not she is fitted with a canting keel, and on the other hand, the keel remains in the centerline under sail: The result is the MSow’s better ability in pointing to windward, by one or two degrees depending on configuration.
To improve the sailing platform’s performance, the bowsprit can be orientated and the clew of headsails can be adjusted in the lateral plane.
WallyCento and Maxi Scow compared with conventional 100-footer
On a level plane, the lines of the WallyCento and MaxiScow are reminiscent of a windsurfing board.
On a heel, the angle of the wetted line with the centerline is a third of that of a conventional racing 100-footer.
As far back as the 1970s, I made a concept for a crossoceanic windsurf designated for a double-handed Transatlantic race. As for many projects of this kind, the model is still hanging on my office wall. The idea remerged ten years ago when I wrote an article investigating the orgins of planing hulls. The craze which governed the American skimming dishes at the turn of the twentieth century, with waterline length as the only limitation, had given me the idea to develop an IMOCA Open 60 for the Vendée Globe single-handed circumnavigation race.
 I decided to develop a progressive chine-bilged scow, and instead of a pram bow, I proceeded to cut away the stem very significantly to avoid wave slamming as much as possible. By tapering the bow both in height and in width, shocks with head waves are dampened significantly and the scow skims the surface immediately and displacing as little water as possible.
François Chevalier, August 4th, 2012
specifications WallyCento MaxiScow
naval architecture Francois Chevalier YD Francois Chevalier YD
build carbonfiber, built to WallyCento open rule carbonfiber
Length Over All 100ft (30.48m) 100ft (30.48m)
Load Waterline Length 87ft 7 in (26.70m) 87ft 7 in (26.70m)
beam 23ft 7in (7.20m) 23ft 7in (7.20m)
draught maximum 20ft 4in (6.20m), minimum 14ft 9in (4.50m), dropkeel 18ft 4in (4.50m) canting keel
displacement 45 tonnes 38 tonnes
air draught 147ft 8in (45m) 150ft 11in (46m)
mainsail + jib area 6,370sqft (592m²) 6,760sqft (628m²)
mainsail + gennaker area 11,000sqft (1000m²) 11,900sqft (1110m²)

SO YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR BRIGHTWORK DONE

When I was young, the professionals aboard the various yachts would do the varnish during the winter in the Caribbean. They would go to a deserted island or the back side of an island, in the lee, where there was no dust or pollution in the air. They would never consider doing varnish in New England.

Other boats, it was a winter project in a shed. Over the last 25 years it is the Jamaicans who travel the circuit, coming north in the summer to work and returning home in the winter to work. Now is now completely commonplace. They work steadily with a smile and quick wit.

IT’S ABOUT THE RIGHT OWNER

I have always considered Yves Tanton a very good yacht designer with good original ideas. But it seems he suffered from having the wrong owners of his boats, because he never seemed to get the recognition he deserved.

He was designing light displacement boats long before it became fashionable. But he never seemed to have a boats in the hands of an owner who got good publicity.

Olin Stephens had very good fortune in that department. Olin had some boats that did not realize their potential but he had enough boats good boats in the hands of capable owners.

Juan K has had more than one keel fail, but again he has had enough successes to push the mistakes into the shadows.

 

YACHTING IN THE OLD KINGDOM

‘Egypt Model of Khufu’s graceful solar barque’    .

A Japanese University has provided a $10million grant to help see the reconstruction of one of the oldest known boats in the world, and the process has begun this week in Egypt, near the Giza Pyramid.

With the help of the grant from Waseda University archaeologists on Monday began restoration on the 4,500-year-old almost 140ft (43 metre) so-called ‘solar barque’, which has shown signs of being used during the life of its owner Khufu(King Cheops) but was apparently also meant to carry him into the afterlife.

Archeologists begin the excavation to retrieve the barque –  .. .

Its ‘sister’ boat has already been restored and is housed in a specially built museum at the Giza pyramid complex since 1982. Its discovery was described as one of the greatest Ancient Egyptian discoveries in Zahi Hawass’s documentary ‘Egypt’s Ten Greatest Discoveries’.

The boat was sealed into a pit in the Giza pyramid complex at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BC. The ship was almost certainly built for King Cheops, the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt.

King Cheops is credited with building the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest of the pyramids. Son of Snefru, he was the second ruler of the fourth Dynasty around 2680 B.C. and ruled Egypt for 23 years.

Both barques, made from Lebanese cedar and Egyptian acacia trees, were originally discovered in 1954.

The head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mustafa Amin, said Egyptologists began taking samples of the wood for restoration on Monday.

‘The boat was found in a complete shape, intact and in place,’ he said, adding that the focus now is on taking samples of the wood.

Previously, experts had initially thought the vessel would be safer left underground than exposed to pollution, but evidence showed that pollution, water and insects had invaded the boat’s chamber.

Now they said restoration would likely take about four years and that at its completion, the boat would be placed on display at the Solar Boat Museum near the pyramids, which routinely attract millions of tourists and boost one of Egypt’s most important industries.

I find it interesting how similar this boat is to a gondola Trade had been established between Venice and Egypt, so ideas were inevitably shared.

M SHIP AND TJ PERROTTI


 

I was very pleased to see this photo and the accompanying article about M ship in Sailing Anarchy. Longtime friend TJ Perrotti has worked for M ship for some years and I have listened with great interest as TJ explained their goals.

I will add that this method of testing is not new. Nat Herreshoff  used it. many years later Bob Derecktor used it. Both of these men built their own platforms as well as the models used in the testing with great success.