12 replies to this topic

[TrailerSailor]

I did edit this. I will start a new fred if needed for asking more about building my Belhaven.

 

 

Regards, Gerrit

[Scott Dunsworth]

The Belhaven does have a little more headroom, but the interior of the P22 is a Lot larger. I could have lived on my Belhaven by myself short term if I was cruising, but never in a thousand years would I have ever entertained the idea for a family of four!

 

Ray and I got in this rigging discussion a while back and personaly for me all the extra rigging for every move to be made from the cockpit is over complicating things on a small trailer rigged boat tremendously.

[TrailerSailor]

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[Chick Ludwig]

I saw your post on the P22 thread about sailing the "Frisian Islands". I own and have read several times, the book "Riddle of the Sands" by Erskin Childers. Sounds like an interesting area.

[TrailerSailor]

Hi

 

Yes, I know Erskine Childers too. I love the book, took it out of the shelf several days ago to read it again...The book is very nice and shows a lot of the area. Of course many things changed thrue this book was written, but the sea doesnt. "Carruthers" did write impressively about that and its not fictive, just and still real!There are the rivers Ems (where I come from), Jade, Weser and Elbe (from west to east) and they have changed a lot. They made them deeper and more like channels what isnt positive for different things there. In the "Wattenmeer" they did put different offshore wind farms and you dont have the freedom to sail and stay where you want as it was when I was a young boy, but its still a very, very interistant area for sure. But you have to know what you do and weather comes very quick...

 

Maybe you should go there during german summers to make a nice trip...;-)

[TrailerSailor]

I take back my questions and wait until I got my plans......

[TrailerSailor]

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[Howard]

Actually, I thought your written English was pretty good. On the books, you mention "Riddle of the Sands". There was a sequel.......different author.......called "Shadow of the Sands". Picked up where the first left off and in many ways, a more entertaining book. Even though most of us have never been to the Friesen Islands, due to the detail and maps contained in those books, and the interest they create as we follow the stories, we feel like we are familiar with them.

 

Because of the time setting, both books mention and describe the type of boats used in those waters.........the Dutch leeboard boats or yachts. If you remember my comment about how form follows function, those Boier yachts were a perfect example. Heavy, stoutly built boats with low and powerful rigs, with flat bottoms to take the ground and leeboards to allow them to sail to weather. It may also be true that the folks who developed the centerboard type boats on this side of the pond.......the boats that eventually became the workboat Sharpies..........got the idea of building flat bottom boats with retracting keels from those Dutch leeboard boats. Apparently, leeboards never caught on over here as they did over there, but our centerboard boats may be descendants of the boats from those waters. Our sharpies would have sailed rings around those big, heavy leeboard boats.......if they lived to tell about it.

 

But that could be a wild place to go sailing. With the shallow water, large tidal range and high winds, it should not be taken lightly. Presumably, you can pick your moments and motors help, but in a lightly built plywood boat, a guy could get into trouble if he was not careful.

[TrailerSailor]

The book I spoke about is in german "Das Rätsel der Sandbank" from Erskine Childers. It is written in english original 1903 and named " The Riddle of the sands".....

 

I dont know anything about the sailing areas in america, so I only try to figure out what conditions here CAN be. Maybe you nearly have the same there. For me its important to sit on the right boat for this area. Of course there are a lot of unballasted boats sailing there too. So the boat must be selfrighting up to 90°, oder you must be able to set her upright yourself when she is going over..

 

That is/was the point where I sometimes are not sure if the Belhaven will be the boat...

[Chick Ludwig]

Thanks for posting the videos---I really enjoyed them.

[TrailerSailor]

Yesterday I ordered the plans for my Belhaven......

[Hirilonde]

Gerrit, I think you will find that the answers to a lot of your questions are in the plans.  The plans are very detailed.   You will find also that asking specific questions, based on information in the plans and your situations that occur during the build instead of broad ones that would take enormous effort to answer will get more responses.  A lot of the questions people ask can be answered by a lot of people here even if they  have not built the boat you are building.  The skills needed and methods used are similar to most of Graham's designs.   Virtually all measurement questions are answered in the plans.  The few specific ones you might come up with that aren't I will bet the other Belhaven builders will be glad to explain what they did.  You can even call or e-mail Graham if it is something you just can't find in the plans.  He really likes to see his boats completed.

[TrailerSailor]

Thank you for the answer.

 

I will wait for my plans and them maybe ask again if necessary.