Finally I found it! I had everything sorted for my workshop when I came back from Holland, including my vision. But the rubber strips that were to keep the long upper pipes in the gutterettes refused to stick to the roof. Whatever glue I tested. Of course I considered drilling holes in the roof and screwing the strips on. The rubber would probably seal them off. But my roof is my top vital shelter against the Irish weather and I dare not mess with it.
In a slight sigh of wind I all of a sudden had a brainstorm. I tied hooks to both ends of a long strap and anchored them across the roof to the nearest hole within the rim of the rear wheels. When I move the bus a little the strap tightens and keeps the roof pipes in their proper conduits. The pipe frame is up in a sec and to fold out the sail it needs to have been doubled up right. I have to watch the water amassing on the tent roof. The tent can take more wind on its flank when the roof is heavy with water, but it has to be regularly emptied or else it will collapse. If I somehow manage to catch this, I will have plenty of water.
First I want to make a waterwing that is adjustable in width. To this effect I'm going to halve a pensioned wing in such a way that I can hinge both blades. First I will drill a number of small holes through the horizontal middle of the grip (fig. 1). Through these I slide the blade of a hacksaw and make a cut of one decimeter. These I saw in from alternate sides to half support faces. The ends I will round so they can swivel around a centre bolt with a butterfly nut (fig. 2). Thus I can adjust the hinge of both parts by hand. This way I can narrow or widen the wing.
If this works I will also apply it in my next project. I want to make a waterwing after the shape of the pectoral fins of a humpback whale (fig. 3). This is the only large whale that can make enough speed to breach above the surface. These fins are exceptionally long (a third of the body length) and have a knobbed leading edge. Now scientists have racked their minds on how these knobs precisely work and have drawn up frightfully bewildering equations, yet no one comprehends the heart of the matter. I think you can understand the knobbed lead as the serrated edge of a knife and as a swifter cut through the water. Because a humpback, apart from up and down, can also move his flippers backwards I want to find out if this can be mimicked by hingeing the waterwing.
This will hold my hands for a while. I hope to finish the humpback fin by the beginning of April. There must be a practical joke in there, but moreover then the water is at its clearest before the plankton will begin to bloom by the end of May. And clear water is such a fresh breath. You can spot Dusty from afar and this also accommodates the capture of underwater videos and photos. Not only am I intrigued by the performance of such a wing, but I am also eager for Dusty's response. Nice one, to do these handy things again.