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  • Decals and final details

    24 hr distance record (water)
    2nd September 2008 - By adventuresofgreg

    CP2 is now finally finished and ready to set a world record! I leave for Whitefish, Montana tomorrow and if the weather cooperates, the record attempt will start at 9:00 am on Monday morning. Make sure you tune into this web page for up to the minute reports on my progress.

    I had some decals made for CP2:

    The course and some last minute changes


    The map above shows my probable course on Whitefish Lake that measures about 6 km around. Skip – my right hand man in Whitefish has a house on the lake and is out most mornings in his row boat. He really knows the lake and has made an excellent suggestion for a very protected route along the west shore. The prevailing winds over the lake are usually from the South and West, so the mountain along the south and west shore shelters the water. The photo below was taken from Skips house a few minutes ago. Note the strip of glass water along the far shore. That will be my lane.


    I ran some tests on Glenmore with my small rudder compared to the large rudder and the smaller rudder was definitely faster (about 0.1 kph faster, or 2.4 km over 24 hours). The problem with the small rudder is my turn radius is very large, and if I were to get into some wind at some point during the day, I have a very hard time controlling CP2 with the minuscule 1″ x 4″ rudder.

    The new mid-sized rudder. The brown stuff is bondo

    I also tested out the flip-down kayak rudder. The idea is that I use the small rudder to maintain my course, then flip down the large bolt-on rudder for turns. This doesn’t work as well as it needs to. Because both rudders are in the water at the same time during turns, the turns are very draggy and slow.

    So, I decided the best solution would be to use a permanent rudder that is half-way between my tiny knife blade rudder and the large one. So, I cut the big one down to about 1/2 the size and polished it up to a shine.

    I tested the new rudder, and my new prop that Manny kindly made for me after my other one broke off and fell into Glenmore reservoir. The test was in exact RACE-DAY configuration and the results were VERY good. The water was very calm and I was able to record 10.7 kph on 120 watts which is the highest speed so far (for 120 watts).

    Manny’s sweet CNC propeller

    The new rudder is VERY sensitive, and as a result, I found that I had to make tiny course corrections very often. I found this a bit annoying, so when I got home I decided to change my steering handle from the bottom side to the GPS mount. Because I am so used to steering the M5 recumbent with my arms out and in front, I find that on long CP2 training rides, I like to place my hands on top of the GPS which is mounted on an aluminum tube that places the GPS in front of my face so that I can see my course and track at night.

    I added two handle bars to the GPS mount, then added a lever to turn the steering cable. It seems to work great and I can steer just like the M5 without having to constantly lower my right hand down to the old lever. The bolt that secures the steering line to the lever is secured with a thumbscrew and it can easily be removed and the cable moved back to the old handle if need be.

  • No Responses to “Decals and final details”

    • Russell on September 3, 2008

      Looks great, lets hope the weather Gods smile upon you and CP2 for the attempt, will keep a watch on you during the record pedal
      Russell

    • Anonymous on September 3, 2008

      Sweet! Your all set. Good luck Greg in your attempt. Will be watching and cheering you from afar. – Dennis and Dafna

    • Anonymous on September 3, 2008

      May the force be with you! It's clear you have put your heart and soul into that enterprise, I hope you to succeed.

      Cheers from Monterrey, Mexico.

    • Ron on September 3, 2008

      Good Luck Greg… We will be watching… Ron

    • Bruce on September 4, 2008

      Hi Greg:

      You might gain a bit of turning efficiency, and less drag, by using a "balanced rudder" which pivots near the midpoint of the foil, instead of the forward end.

      Bruce Bolster

    • Rick @ Calgary Science School on September 5, 2008

      Best of luck to you Greg. Thanks for taking the time to talk about your quest with the students the other week. We will be sure to monitor your progress.

    • Al Krause on September 8, 2008

      GO GREG!

      Sorry I couldn't be there for this one!

      Good luck and best wishes

      Al Krause
      EVP IHPVA

    • Anonymous on September 9, 2008

      Thanks for letting us be a part of your impressive attempt – you are an inspiration for us!
      Barry and Dave @ MeritComp Industries

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