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Core Sound 20 Mk 3 -- #4 "Chessie" . .


Pete McCrary

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Main mast raised and mizzen stepped for the first time at the canvas shop.  No hitches.  And they look very close to being pararllel.

 

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"Chessie" will be there for about a week while she's measured and fitted for cabin cushions and a [no] boom tent.  I'll be able to do family tax returns, earn some $$, read a book, dream of cruising with "Chessie," lightly tackle the honey-do list, etc.

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Finishing the sides "bright"?  Very labor intensive!  In 2001 I built a cedar-strip canoe, finished bright.  Every little flaw shows up.  Like hundreds of scares caused by the staples used to hold the cedar strips together during construction.  There were articles on how to hold the strips together without using staples -- all much more trouble.  I opted to use the staples anyway.  She still looks great at "twenty feet."  But it wouldn't do for a cabinetmaker or restorer of antiques, furniture or boats.

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The no escaping the difficulties of any bright finish. The prep is doubled or more, stock selection is much more intense, color uniformity, fastener options are limited, etc. On strip builds I use the fishing line approuch, along with well placed wedge blocks into the molds, above any offending strips. Leaves no marks, but increases an already tedious process, quite a bit.

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I'm finishing my decks and cockpit seats bright. There are filled holes and other imperfections. To me, they're character.  To my family, the finish is beautiful.  To anyone 6 feet away (other boaters), no dings can be seen, and people seem amazed to see real wood grain and the warm varnish glow.  4 coats of varnish to start is the same as two coats of primer and two of finish paint, and I don't have to worry about fainting while I apply.  I will need to varnish in the future, but it's a couple of hours/yr.  And I like to varnish. 

 

The picture is just the first coat of varnish on the decks. I got one more coat on, then I had to put it away for the winter.  Cockpit not quite ready to be varnished yet.  And it doesn't have to be perfect, at least mine doesn't.  See the filled screw holes?  Me either. 

 

But I like navy, too.

 

 

first coat varnish.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Last weekend (Mar 11) we recovered "Chessie" from the canvas shop, attended the annual luncheon of the Chesapeake CatBoat Association, and visited our son's family in Lusby, Maryland.  We went by the nearby Cove Point Light House.  The grounds and light keeper's house is maintained by the [Calbert County?] maritime museum.  At the end of a quarter-mile narrow road we found It was closed for the season [no turnaround]!  Lucidly, the maintenance-man and gate-keeper was repairing the gate -- and he graciously let us in so that I could turn pickup & "Chessie" around.  He consented to be photographed:

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He showed me where I could get a good photo of the lighthouse and the keepers cottage:

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The lightkeeper's cottage has three rental units.

 

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And there is another small stand-alone unit.

 

During the open season the museum rents the units out to the public for several days or more.  The point is very exposed to wind and waves.  There're beaches and places to launch kyacks and such -- but it's no place to launch larger boats.  However, there's a public launch ramp at nearby Solomons Island.

 

On the way home early Sunday morning at a Bob Evans restaurant, Annie and I were planning a mini-vacation at the light house.  She was very happy with the idea.

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Now "Chessie" is home for good (having been away from my shop almost 4 weeks -- two at the paint shop and [later] two at the canvas shop.  So,.. now it's back to [fun] work.  Maybe she'll be on the water in April.  Hope so.

 

Recent progress will be described in the next posting.

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A Bow Roller!  I purchased one on the internet having dimensions I thought appropriate for "Chessie."  However, in reality, it was far too heavy and appeared large enough for a 40 foot boat.  So I kept the rollers and discarded it's monster SS framework.  My re-design concept was a simple as I could get it.  Here's the proof-of-concept:

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Keeping the anchor away from stem while being raised.

 

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Anchor being "rolled over" ...  Spade about 6" from stem.

 

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In the full-up position ...  Stowed for sailing.  For trailering, my plan is to stow the anchor in the anchor well to avoid any chance of it coming loose on the highway.

 

The concept was finalized with side cheeks (1/2" marine ply).  Here a few photos showing the rough assembly.

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The exposed edges will (of course) be rounded over and the cheeks epoxied to the centerline frame.  And I will fit a filler-block between the cheeks and under the frame -- right up to the stem.  The assembly will be removable and held in place with six 2" SS lag bolts (just 3 shown) well bedded.  I think I'll epoxy the whole works and UV protect it with paint.

 

BTW, I think I could make use the roller during solo mast-raising.  A topping lift could be reeved thru the aft roller -- then raise the mast -- tighten the topping lift and belay it (thereby holding the mast upright) -- while I release the mast and go below to thread the nut on the mast bolt.

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Looks good Pete!  Like the anchor roller. 

 

I have found raising the main mast a non-event.  Once it goes up I lightly lean on it while I reach through the forward hatch and thread the " one legged" wing nut on.  Easy!  The mizzen now.....  might r&d Chick's mizzen tabernacle at SAM.   I have removed it several times in the water but if there is any movement it might be a "problem ". 

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Jay,...

Your fwd hatch is just aft of the mainmast and over the fwd locker.  Right?  But mine (and others) is between Blk 2 and the first cabin knee.  We can't hold the mast upright and also thread the nut on the bolt.  Arms aren't long enough -- so we look for other solutions.  Most opt for the bolt to be fastened to Blk 1 with the nut being threaded on the fwd side of the mast in the anchor locker.  But that requires a pair of slots to be cut into the mast's heel.  I like mine better, but it can be a nuisance raising the mast solo.  Seems like there are endless compromises in small-boat design & construction.

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Alex,...

Probably, because of a combination of (a) the c.g. of the anchor being below the curvature of its shank and (b) the tilt of the rollers.  The fluke down motion probably begins as the shank passes the first roller and the [roller] frame begins to tilt itself and the anchor shaft.  But I'll watch its entry [several times] into the pair of tilting rollers -- and post my observations.

 

With these rollers I won't need any chocks.  The anchor rode will be belayed directly to a cleat at the stbd-side edge of the anchor well [deck] opening.  If I'm tied up at a dock or slip -- the forward lines will be protected against chafing with SS half-ovals (instead of chocks) on the deck edges (P & S) running from the toe-rails forward to the anchor roller bracket.  Got that idea from Graham's "Carlita."

 

When I have the time I'll make my cleats from wood.  I think they're very attractive and fun to make when the boat's put away for the winter.  They might even be "easier" on the lines.

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Super cool anchor roller! Summer Breeze is kinda jealous. One note on trailer launching. As the boat rolls off the trailer, the bow drops and the bow sprit/anchor hits the top of the trailer winch stand. Breeze's trailer didn't have a cross bar/roller toward the forward end of the trailer. I added a cross bar to "catch" the forward end of the keel as Breeze slides aft. It's only a 2 x 4 held to the side frames of the trailer with u-bolts, but it does the job.

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Thanks Chick,...

I hadn't thought of that potential problem.  But I think I'm OK.  "Chessie's" trailer has a 2 x 6 cross member supporting a third roller.  It's placed a few inches forward of the fwd-cabin knees.  I've tried to position [the height of] the roller to carry a load of several hundred pounds -- attempting to ease the load on the central roller.  I'll pay close attention on her first launch.  My guess is that the anchor roller won't foul the winch stand.  Thanks for the "heads up."

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