Al Stead

My browser keeps asking me if I want to allow the website to open a program on my computer. the program is from mefvkbnmmcp.com. What the heck is this? Al

I used ACX from Menards. It is very inexpensive. So inexpensive that I used 4 whole sheets to make up my hull sides. This allowed me to cut the shear to suit me and not worry about fitting the piece over the joints either top or bottom. Don't worry about the apparent strength of the plywood. Once it is on the boat it will take a pretty fair amount of force. I dropped my weekender on her side in the shop with no ill effect. I glassed the outside but painted the interior without a base of epoxy. That was probably a mistake, but unless she sinks, I don't expect any problems. As far as the zebra mussles go, mount some kind of skid plate to the bottom of your keel and don't worry too much about the bottom of the hull. If you run her up on a beach, the keel will be about all that will touch down. Al Stead Weekender Jumping Duck

Okay, gottcha. Thanks for the explanation. I might try that lee board idea sometime along with a GPS. Al

Okay. But I'm a scientific minded kind of guy. I want to be able to measure and manipulate the things I don't understand. Just assuming that something is happening doesn't satisfy me. How do I go about measuring the amount of leeway I'm making on a broad reach in a stiff wind like the time I made a straight course down the harbor? Also, what is the problem with making leeway if you get where you want to go easily? The worst thing I can think of off hand is the tendency to yaw as a result of correcting for the slippage and maintaining a straight line. I think there must be a way to measure the phenomenon. Maybe a GPS. Al

I've been sailing in the harbor where there is a whole lot more room for the wind to get going and have noticed that what Paul says is true. If I get hit with a strong gust I sheet out right away and work to keep her as upright as possible. I noticed that the rudder gets pretty tough to hold on to if she is heeling a lot. The biggest problem I am having with the gusts these days is they don't last long enough to give me a chance to adjust and balance everything before they are gone. If I get a chance, I can get some pretty good speed out of my weekender. I have a question though. How do you tell whether you are side slipping or not. I have been able to set a course and hold it for 3 or 4 miles, and with the normal handling gusts and regular sailing stuff, I have not had any trouble holding a straight course. I look behind me to see if the flat water of my wake is curved, but with steady wind it is straight as an arrow. Are there any other clues I should be looking at? Al Stead

A lot of people have discussed the idea of ballasting a Weekender on these forumns. It is an attractive suggestion on its face. Speaking as a rank novice sailing my weekender, I wouldn't bother. One of the things that I like about my boat is the fact that when she gets hit by a gust, she steps out instead of building up tension in the rigging before moving. Sailing a Weekender in gusty shifty winds is going to keep you busy, but isn't all that risky. Yeah she will heel over pretty fast, but she won't go all the way before you have ample chance to do something about it. Currently I am practicing spilling wind and readjusting the sails as a response. You can also let her round up into the wind some to take the tension off the sails. If you really get spooked, just let everything go and she will take care of herself and you. Boy, I did that a lot, and still will if I have to. I have seen many people on these forums advise to keep her to the stock plans and learn to handle her before moving to making adjustments. I think given her numbers on the water and longevity as a design she has earned that. Also, it will save you a lot of time spent working before hitting the water. Al

thank you gentlemen, The main reason I'm going this route is with the way the summer winds are around here, I won't go out too much if I'm not prepared for a heavy blow. Last summer I went out on a mild day and soon found myself listening to my mainsail leach buzzing like the reed on an oboe, and the waves splashing over the rub rail. That was kind of cool, but boy I sure would have reefed if I could have. I had to cut my day short which I don't want to do this year when I'm trying so hard to learn boat handling skills. Al

Hello All, I want to put reef points in my tarp main sail. I bought a heavy duty white tarp on the net that is quite a bit heavier than any I have used before. However, I'm not too sure about stresses on the reef points, especially the one on the leach. My plan it to build up the areas around where I will set the grommets with white duct tape, and maybe a line along the reef line as an extra reinforcemnet. I'm going to do a jiffy reef system. My question is: can I put reef points in a tarp sail, and if I can, will it work very well and last for a while? Al Stead Weekender Jumping Duck

Nice boat John, Maybe someday we could see a pic of her under sail. Al

hello John, One of the things that appeals to me most about boat building is the need to figure out things that you have never encountered before. When I started my weekender, I thought I was a fair woodworker, having done quite a few different things with wood, but boat building really made me step up my game and use all the skills I had learned jut to get by. I particularly enjoyed screwing up the simple lofting. One day I hope to build a glued lapstrake boat just for the problems it will present. Should be a gas. Al

I'll try to get a pic of what I have done so far so that I can show how the paint gave way to a pretty fair surface without having to fight with the underlying epoxy. I was a little surprised that my nice smooth deck wasn't so much. When I first decided to bite the bullet and go sailing, I resolved that even if I had to take a whack at it each winter for a few years, I would be happy to do that. From what I can tell today, I don't think I will have to come back to it again until the paint starts to fail. Al

Hello John, Last year when I was fairing out the hull, I realized that with the bad lighting in my shop, I would be at it until the water got hard again if I wanted a perfectly fair hull to paint. So I said "good enough" even though it wasn't, slapped paint on her and went sailing. The imperfections that I left for later were for the most part shallow enough that I could probably just sand them smooth by simply taking down the paint to the epoxy. But some of them were a bit deeper than that. I was just wondering to the list if I could glob primer in there and sand them fair, or if I should strip it to the epoxy and put thickened goo in them. So far, the plan is to apply primer to all but the deepest ones and fair and paint. I have already taken most of the bad ones down to a point that I think I can get away with just rollering out a couple new coats. I'm only going to paint the hull sides and topsides. The bottom is in great shape if a little bumpy. I plan to paint that copper next winter, so unless it wears down, I will mess with that later. I have done quite a few outdoor projects in my time, and have painted all of them with rustoleum. I think it is pretty good paint. The topside rustoleum seems to have more solids in it and flows better than the regular paint. It bonded with the epoxy just fantastic. Like I said before, it sands down to a nice smooth toothy and very hard surface that should end up looking as good as anything I have done to date. And the fact that it is eleven dollars a quart doesn't hurt either. Al

I'm pretty happy with the Rustoleum topside paint. I don't want a perfect mirror finish on my boat, so just rolling it out and letting it flow seemed to give me the gloss I was looking for. It reflects okay without showing every little oops. When I tried sanding it down preping for the new paint, it gave me a perfectly smooth hard toothy surface that should take new paint like a charm. Last summer, my wife hit my boat with a rock that she threw with her riding lawn mower. It was a pretty solid hit, but it only took a little rubbing to make it disappear. Right now my goal is to do a complete once over including the bright work. However, as with last year I want to get on the water as soon as possible, no later than the Lake Pepin messabout. That being the case, I likely won't get to the bright parts. Still, I am having as much fun as I had when I first built her. This seems like a perfect situation. I can sail her while the water is soft, and fiddle with her when it isn't. Either way I'm having fun. Al

Thanks Frank, I guess I should have mentioned that I painted it with Rustoleum topside paint. I didn't use any primer with the first painting, because I have never seen an advantage to it on all my other outdoor projects that I've painted. So, if I use a product like Zip Strip, will it react with the epoxy? I'm not afraid to scratch down the epoxy if I have to, but stripping seems like it will do a better job easier. Al Stead

Hello all, I have pulled my Weekender into my heated shop to start the spring upgrades. I would have waited, but she-who-must-be-obeyed reminded me that we will be gone for a couple weeks during prime fix up time, so I have to get going now. Last summer I left the fine finishing on my glass work and just rolled out paint over the blemishes so I could go sailing. Now I want to clean those up in preparation for a new coat of paint. These blemishes aren't very deep, but some of them might be too deep for a couple coats of primer to fill. My question is this: do I need to strip the paint down to the epoxy, and with what should I strip it? Al Stead weekender Jumping Duck