styge

Thanks for the explanation. That makes perfect sense. I still need to figure out how far out from from the rudder cheek to set the pintle. I'm sure it it position will effect how much or how little weather helm the rudder will have. I have Schaefer pintles from West Marine. Graham, any comments on this? Thanks

I've had more time to think about this and I am more concerned about the spacing of the pintle from the rudder than the distance of the rudder from the transom as this is what sets the pivot point and therefore the deciding factor regarding how the rudder will perform, I think, in relation to wether / lee helm. I'm a bit of a green horn! Jeff, not sure what you mean by the rudder stalling, can you explain. My rudder is indeed rather flat, but the CB has a nice foil shape to it thanks to a 1/2" rod running down the center top to bottom before being welded shut. Thanks.

After nearly three years of no progress on Tin Bin, I am finally able to spare the odd minute here and there to start making headway toward one day having an aluminum CS17 that actually sails! I have been putting together the rudder, out of aluminum, of course - I'm trying to stick with a theme, plus I have so much of the stuff left over! Anyway, I am trying to figure out the correct spacing from the front edge of what would be the rudder cheek to the transom. As I don't have the same construction as a wooden one, there aren't too many clues from the plans. Some general consensus on this must exist already, so I would love to hear the feedback from everyone. I have cut the whole rudder from one piece of 3/8" sheet 5052. It looks pretty nice, I think! Thanks

Help! I thought I had a great source for sail track for my CS17 in Sailnet.com. They had a great price on the stuff, but it turns out, that was because they didn't have any! Can anyone point me in the right direction for some 5/8" sail track?

I suppose all those folks with big, pointless SUV's will be cheering!

Just a brief update for anyone that's interested! The masts are ordered, finally. Since my last posting, We've had a baby boy, Christmas, moved house, and am now renovating it! So, got my hands a little full, I do! Still, must press on. I'm going with .125 wall 2.5" aluminum. I'll let everyone know how they look and feel when I have fitted them in. Because I WAS going to do mast extrusion, back when I was raking it in, from all the mortgage refinancing boom last year, that has now been shelved in favor of the economical alternative. So, I have a smaller diameter mast foot welded in, which I have no intension of grinding back out, so to address the transition from 1 7/8 to 2 1/4" ID tubing, I determined the most effective way to join the two was to use a two foot piece of 2 1/4" round aluminum bar and turn it down to fit the mast foot. I thought about just using wood, but this way, it will be pretty indestructable! Besides, there's not a splinter of wood on this thing yet, why start now! Anyway, I'll keep you all posted. Styge Smith Juneau, Alaska

That's what I was looking for, thanks Brad!

I realize 6061 T6 is okay, but this tubng is 6063 T6. Does this make a difference? ie. softer, less tensile stifness, more prone to corrosion, etc...

Hey Guys, Does anyone know if T6 tubing would be suitable for masts? Juneau AK is amazingly barren, when it comes to raw materials! So, it's impossible for me to view any, physically, prior to purchasing. I found a Co. in Missouri that has .083" for $1.68 / foot! I haven't found anywhere cheaper that would ship to Juneau! Why .083"? I'm going for bigger sails!

I love digging up old subjects! It looks like the closest size I can get to ideal, is 2.5" Dia. with .124" wall thickness. This is still going requiring some effort on my part to ship, given my location. To ship the exact size pushes the price up significantly. Online Metals in Seattle to Juneau, AK is relatively straightforward! My question therefore would be, can any think of any really bad reason for not using .125" thick tubing. It's going to be one piece. I do also intend to fly more canvas than usuall. Grahame is willing to order me up a custom set, with roach and battens. This should be a fun set up when done, considering my Tin Bin weights in right now at 700lbs! and has an extra 5" of beam! I'm also thinking I'l build a clip on seat, so I can hang out over the side, just to get wet! Styge Smith (rapidly cooling) Juneau, AK

Very nicely done! Good Job! Am I correct in thinking those battened sails with a roach? Or is it just the angle we looking at it from? Styge Smith "Tin Bin"

Regarding UPS, on their website, when you enter the dimensions of the package you intend to ship, the limit they state is 108", which to my little brain equates to 9ft! Just my ten cents! Styge Smith Tin Bin boy!

If anyone wants to see more pics, just let me know, I'll be more than happy to! [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

Hi All, It's taken me my third trip out in the Tin Bin to remember to take the bloody camera with me! I get so jazzed that I'm heading out, that I forget it, til I'm out in the middle of the channel! Anyway, the boat sits beautifully, and perfectly level. I was a little worried about that! It's not nose or tail heavy and clips along at half throttle with it's brand new 4HP four stroke Suzuki at 7mph! Going over half throttle doesn't yield much more speed than that, so I guess I've found "hull speed" I am hoping it will sail on the plain faster than that. I will end up getting slightly bigger sails through Graham, when I'm ready. I do hope this picute attachments works, this is my first attempt with it. Regards Styge Smith Juneau, Ak Tin Bin's Papa [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

I addressed that potential headache by build out of aluminum, and using an eighteen inch length of schedule 80 aluminum tubing welded at the floor and at the thwart! Just kidding! I wish I could help ya! Happy Trails Styge

I'm showing my lack of this rig type now, Graham, but doesn't the anchor point become lower down on the mast when the sail is reefed. If so, I would want two loops, right? So, as to move it down to the lower position when reefed. I just need some clarification on this! Thanks in advance Styge

I meant to say "info is what I'm craving", not inot! Can't type worth a damn! Styge

This should be easy for those that have already experimented. I'm curious as to the best material to use for the mast strap used to anchor the sprits. Also, I'm concerned about whether this strap slips on the mast during tacks as the load is lessened as one comes about! I have run through various alternatives in my head that all consist of something more solid and substantail, (hardly suprising given my choice of construction material!) But the strap seems ludicrously simple! So inot is what I'm craving, guys! Help me out! Styge Tin Bin's daddy.

Yep, with regards to the paint process, Sterling has a similar shopping list of THEIR products, as well as your wallet, to work your way through too! I guess if you have less than brand spanking new, and clean metal to work with it probably not a bad idea. I'm going to take the advice of the guy who's been working with this material for half his life. That is, wipe it down with acetone, to remove any residual WD40 that was used when cutting. Sand all surfaces to be painted with a random ordital, tack cloth the dust off. and paint! He's pretty darn sure this will be sufficient prep. I guess I'll find out won't I! I'll take my camera with me this weekend when I take her for a dip! We'll see if it floats!

Well, not quite sure what you meant by tape and tack, Pat, it was tacked as the hull came together, then weld stritched inside and out alternately, so as to eliminate any air pockets or voids. I did approach Graham about the idea before starting to get his input on the suitability of the design for this material. As it turned out, there is one already in existance, down in Costa Rica! Hull #1 in fact owned by Russell Swider. I hope he doesn't mind my name dropping! Once I'd spoke with Graham and emailed russ a couple of times, I felt really comfortable about moving ahead with this CRAZY plan! As for paint, I've ordered up Sterling catalyzing polypropelyne topcoat. Staright onto the bare metal, after I acetone clean it and rough it up a little first. Should key in well, and set up as hard as nails as well as mirror smooth, even from a brush. Ain't cheap stuff though! I'm probably only going to have it ready to use as a picnic boat this year. I'll get the sail stuff done through this winter I think. This is due more to finances and priorities than anything else. (we have a second kid due in October!) So sailing pics will be a while I'm afraid! I will, however, be putting in this weekend to see if it floats! A little pre shake down, prior to getting the outboard next week. I'm going with a Suzuki 4HP four stroke. Styge (hull #88)

Oops, guess you don't even need to cut and paste! Just click! Styge

Okay, I guess I'm going to have to put in a little time on this! Things are a little busy at work lately but here is the address for my album. you may need to log in, in which case username is: styge@gci.net, and password is: bollocks The ofoto site has great tools for playing around with you photos, but doesn't have very good sharing features! I might find a btter site when I have time. anyway, without further ado: http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=329429595674_12376413405&collid=14748932405&page=1&sort_order=0 cut and paste that in and you should get the album. To address those first questions: The centerboard is aluminum as is the entire boat. No wood whatsoever! I was going to just do the hull in aluminum and fit out the seats and decks in wood, but it was easier once I got under way to continue in aluminum. Also, I favored aluminum, given the typical rock based shoreline that dominates in Southeast AK, and most boat here are Aluminum. For good reason. My desire was to sail the damn thing not add to my yearly list of maintenance chores, which in our climate and coastline would be extensive for a wooden hull. As beaching the boat was to be practical capability for the boat, aluminum was the only way to go! As for weight, it currently stomps into the ring at a heafty 697lbs! as per the commercial fishing scale we lifted it off the ground with. Well, that's it for now. If you have questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Styge

Hi Everyone. I'm not sure who, if anyone is interested, as this is something of a departure from the usual building material of choice, but, I have completed, at least the major work, a CS17 in Aluminum. It really didn't take too long. Build time so far is 12hrs of measuring, marking and cutting panels, and about 50hrs of welding, grinding, and cutting even more panels. I did take a few snaps during the process, so if anyone is interested, let me know and I'll post the URL for ofoto where the album of pics is. The project was started mid May, and it was loaded onto the trailer and put to bed in the garage, awaiting paint on July 5th. Anyways, just thought I'd see if there was any interest prior to going into full detail about the construction, or justification for aluminum. Have a great day. Styge Smith. Juneau Alaska.