Tim

Hi Pete, Cropped the picture so as not to show too much and steal your 3D thunder but inquiring minds want to know...

B&B's look good flying along at the bottom of Texas or sitting still at the top of Texas. A couple pictures from BOOTS at Texoma.,,, Merry Christmas

Its a question I have wondered about a few times. The Belhaven Design does not seem to be so popular. Maybe many have been built but they are not so public about it, but the only one I've heard of is Scott's. With so may CS being built why don't we see more Belhavens? I love my Cs-17 but the belhaven is on my list to build. Is it because the the CS 20 with a cabin has replaced the need for this design? I see a couple advantages of the Belhaven over the CS 20 with a cabin. First there is safety. I like that Graham really thought about safety in this design. I don't see the Belhaven going turtle very easily. The extra width has to give a little extra room too I see you can get a kitchen sink in there. I probably would not do this and mainly use it instead of a tent. The other thing is it looks better than the Cs20 with a lid in my opinion. Maybe not as traditional looking as the Princess Sharpie or even the weekender. But much easier to build than the Princess Sharpie and a much bigger boat than the weekender. What I think are drawbacks are the 7ft beam not sure if towing something that wide is any problem. The ballast, what are the options here how much lead is required? It looks like there is alot of freeboard also compared with the CS. I guess that is part of the safety in this design and required to have the head room and self draining cockpit. Any other thoughts on the Pros and Cons of this design?

Yeah I tried the vinegar without any luck. I had a fairly large area so I scrapped as much goo off as possible with a paint scrapper. It was impossible for me to get it all up. So then went back with another coat of epoxy with a little extra part B in it since I figured that was what was short on the gooey batch. Hard as a rock now.

I agree with Gordy on almost everything. In fact I built my boat based on his reports. But on this one I think I agree with Ray. The big chop hitting up high on the hull seems to give the most spray or more like buckets of water flying up and coming down in the front area of the cockpit. I got to watch this for several hours as we beat across two bays in the Texas 200. I sat up front most the way as the dinghy racer, Pete, drove it hard. But who needs foulies? I never once felt cold. We docked just behind the EC22 and I immediately told Graham "That's a wet design" ( even though the hot air had already dried my clothes). He replied that at least its a fast design as we were the third boat in behind only the EC-22 and a Hobie 18. Some boats including some production boats never made it across and decided to stay in the protection of the ICW. I only brag because I was not at helm; if I were we would have had a more cautious and slower trip across. One thing I need is the Anderson balers and better hatches in the seats because I had to bale for long time after we arrived even though we baled during the trip. I think Graham mentioned something about a record amount of water in a CS.

Here's a picture of Traveler heading up the channel and another one of Southern Skimmer cruising in the ICW having just passed a barge that was going 8 mph. We had some boat problems too as we bent the mizzen mast at a speed of 10.6 mph on the first day with the stay sail in use while trying to catch the CS20. Don't worry guys it is not a design issue; mine is not the specified material and we didn't have the best angle on the back stay nor did we have the halyard pulled up to the stop knot. Nevertheless Graham bent it back into shape for me and gave us some instruction on how to use it better. If your going cruising, it's always good to cruise with the boat designer. Cheers, Tim

My grandfather built a plywood boat in Grand Rapids many years ago before we had such good design and material choices. You want to sail in some wind and with 4 people on board so the CS15 sounds like the way to go. Its just a little larger, with a few inches more beam, a newer design, and designed primarily for sailing. You might want to look at the CS-17 again if your going for the big water. Everyone always thinks they should have gotten just a little larger boat. But I think the 17 is not too large for most. One person can handle the 17's masts and it can fit in a standard garage or carport. A little harder to row and more cost of materials to build- thats true. Enjoy the journey- Tim

It's so nice looking that it's tempting to me and I already have one. If I bought it then no one would come up to me at the boat ramp and say "Did you build that yourself?" or "Is that a Bolger instant boat?". Nice work Charlie. It's fun to follow your work pieces around. My first boat was really rough and someone was able to hold it together for a trailer ride all the way to Colorado where he sailed it. My kayak was given away and well used in the rivers of central Texas for few years and then came back to my home again when the family I gave it to moved back to Plano.

I would really like to go but have no experience in this type of sailing. When we get together with the BOOTS crew I consider it a major feat to sail to a point 5 miles away in a lake and make it back without a tow. I've sailed farther in better winds but all of my sailing has been daysailing normally for 3-4 hours at a time. I think I need to study the requirements some more and maybe try sailing for 10-12 hours straight before signing on for such a trip. The salt water would be good though because Travis told me I need to get some more rust on my trailer.

Hi Ken, It is not a good idea to keep the sails rolled on the mast because if you lose a mast on the highway you will lose the sail also. . One time I took my boat to show someone, it was the inspector for the title, I took the mast off the boat but I forgot that the mast helps to hold the hatch in place at highway speed. In the rear view mirror I saw it going flying into tall grass on the side of the road but never could find it. I do keep mine rolled up on the mast never wory about padding and never have seen marks from the PVC crutch. Tim

Hej Rune, How's the weather in Sk

Hi Tom, Will you write instructions of your combined method for those who follow behind or do you suggest we buy both books? Thanks, Tim

Can the scooter tow it?

Terry, glad your Ok. I'm sure if I sail enough it could happen to me. Jeff, sometimes if your on a broad or even beam reach it seems like its best to release both sheets in a strong gust because you don't want to try to make a 90 degree or more turn into the wind when you already riding near the rail. Also something I learned by letting someone more experienced at the helm in wind. He always held the opposite side sheet. Then he never had to reach behind another passenger (sitting near the twart) and always had the sheet in hand.

What Charlie said -I'll only add one thing don't forget to put the board down. If you launch from shallow water, sometimes you don't have enough hands fast enough and suddenly you forget the board, try to steer into the wind and you can't. I've beat myself up over this before. :oops: Enjoy your launch; It's a real high to pull in the sheets the first time on a hand made boat.

Welcome aboard John. You can also build the boat without a cradle if you don't need to move it in and out of the shop to work. The process of stitch & glue brings it into the proper shape. Just be sure to do the alignment and twist checks after stitching it. After stitching it I just put the aft end corners up on blocks (actually some sturdy buckets) to keep it from rocking. The hull is still light enough to move it a few feet if you need to get it away from the wall to work. I occasionally had to slide it away from the wall to get to the transom.

I've used the main in middle step when the wind is above 10 mph and didn't notice a drop in pointing ability. I never measured it but I know I've gone many miles into the wind in this configuration with a long ride back downwind. The boat is balanced and there's less to think about with just one sail but also less control - that is you can't do some of the tricks you can do with two sails. A few things about your experiment I noticed or thought about: 1. Maybe not enough wind or fighting river current, waves, tides 2. Mizzen looks like it is in the main step I always take mine out and leave on shore or tie it down to deck to minimize wind resistance. 3. I leave my sheet to clew -your way is probably better. 4. Keep the kids on those juice boxes that's my living. 5. Always have to relearn to duck on a jibe because spirit does come close to head.

I was in Geneva this week for work and took some shots of Lac Leman or Lake Geneva. Its a huge, very blue, lake with mountain backdrops. The area of the lake near Geneva was full of sailboats. Even as I traveled by train around the lake you would see a sail boat or two every time a view of the lake opened up. Too bad I didn't have time to get out on a boat; it looks like a good time to be sailing in Geneva.

That's a better place then an unairconditioned garage. The wind will keep it cooler and less wood dust control needed. The only problem might be painting. You might need tarps then to keep the dust and bugs off. No worries with rain as that seems to be a once or twice a year event here. If you need a hand with the boat, I'm nearby and would gladly lend one though it looks like your doing fine on your own.

Travis, Good looking photos. The dinghy seems to be a big hit. Any plans for sailing it? Any Boots pictures? Where is Pilgram's builder in the maiden voyage shots? Hope to see you at Texoma again this year. I would like to do the Beer cruise but no time for that now. Tim

I used Rust Oleum with no problems so far except a small amount of paint has been worn away at the top of the mast tube and thwart contact areas. I didn't use primer just sanded it before using basic spray can type. From their web site FAQ page.... Can your products be applied to aluminum? Yes. Providing a profile (roughing the surface) can be achieved, any of our products are suitable for aluminum. The water-based acrylic Painter's Touch brush products are our best recommendation. You can also use 8781 Aluminum Primer.

I used to rebel against that saying. Someone else's right and mine where not always the same. Sometimes I was looking for an improved way of doing things. Maybe a different look, less work, or cost. When you follow this path most of the time it means doing it over but sometimes you find a better way at least for you. Now I prefer the saying "If you want standard results use standard methods". After much fusing over something the other day I told my daughter "if you want this than here's the best way I know to get it". She said "that's just it, I don't want that. As for the mast was it done wrong the first time? Maybe they applied the best standard method of the day and the standard result of years in the weather is delamination. Some would say its say its wrong to finish bright because you will have to do it again some day. Others think its worth it. Fortunately some one believes with this boat its important enough to find the time to do it over.

:x-mas: Merry Christmas to you and yours, Scott. And may the new year bring you a Belhaven sailing and bring us the pleasure of living it with you through this wonderful forum. Tim

You can have a little of each- a seat higher than the other seats. The helmsman can see over taller passengers. Getting over the transom is no problem I've found it the best way to launch. Set the sails push and jump in. I took the idea from the Haven 12 1/2 -not a bad design to steal from.

Speaking of West Wights Potters this link is interesting reading on the subject of floatation, near death, and such.... http://potter-yachters.org/stories/sosmall/ After reading it I raised the center board slot another inch on my CS probably not needed or even enough to make a difference. Even with center of the CS completely floaded I think the air chambers under the seat and at the bow plus stearn will keep it floating above the slot height. I also divided the floatation under the seat into 3 chambers each side to reduce the chance of filling the whole thing with water in case of a hull breach or capsize. The cover on the seat chamber will surely leak in a capsize unless your as good a builder as Charlie or you buy plastic sealing hatches. I noticed even Graham duct taped his cover for the capsize test. My largest chamber each side is barely long enough to hold a small fishing rod. Then there are two small ones on each end of each of the main long ones. These 4 smaller chambers do not have easy leak covers. I don't trust air bags in a wooden boat just because if you can breach a plywood hull whats to keep the wood splinters from breaching the air bags? They are also kind of pricy. So I added 2.5 gallon sealed plastic containers in the air spaces. These are empty HDPE plastic containers that originally can be found filled with drinking water at most stores. I pool tested them for air tightness after resealing the original spout. They fit very nicely in most under seat spaces. 1 gallon empty orange juice jugs also fill in other spaces. The bow is probably the most likely breach area so I added a bunch in the air chamber there also. Considering the sailing I do I kind of went overboard with this stuff and will probably pull a few plastic containters out to get the fishing poles in easier under the seats.