Tom Williams

I used one layer of 3" wide 10oz tape on my CS17 bulkheads.

White oak can be tricky to epoxy... it can resist bonding. Where I used it on my boat, I roughened the bonding surface with 60 -80 grit paper on my belt sander. I tried to sand across the grain to roughen the surface and create lots of crevices for mechanical bonds. I've had no debonds so far. You might want to bond some test pieces to satisfy yourself you've got a good technique before diving into the boat. I bonded some scrap to plywood panels and broke them apart. I was happy when I had the plywood failing and not the epoxy joint. Good luck Tom

Beautiful work Scott. Who's motor mount did you buy? I'm going to put one on my CS17 this fall as a replacement for my electric drive for my 3-4 day camping trips. I'm been thinking about building my own but ... I like the looks of yours. My Dad gave a 1960-something 3 HP Johnson outboard that needs some TLC (another winter project). By the way, the 30 Lb thrust Minkota electric is working out great for my daysails. It pushes the boat to about 3-4 knots. It's just the ticket for getting out of the launches and getting in when the wind gives up. I recommend that option for other builders. Thanks for the pics!! Tom

Looks beautiful Mike. It looks like you selected the Sloop rig instead of the Cat. If so, I'd like to know the reasons for the selection. (yea ... I'm giving it some thought (don't tell my wife!!) :shock: ) Tom

Congratulations Marty. Now the fun part starts! Here's the best tip I can give you ... take your time and don't rush it. You'll enjoy the build as much as the sails. From a fellow Williams ... Tom (CS17 #129 TEFIA) PS: Try posting the pics again.

Lookin good Dave. Just a little more epoxy, some sanding ... Keep at it. You'll be done before you know it! Tom BTW, what's your hull number?

Wow John. Unbelievable workmanship. You are a craftsman! Congratulations. Tom

CS17 "TEFIA" to mine. Great idea. I'm hoping to get an idea of how many B&B boats are out ther sailing!

Congratulations Scott. She really looks great in the water. I had my CS17 out again today. Every time seems to be better than the sail before. Enjoy! Tom

Wow Scott... unbelievable. The workmanship is first class! I'm sure she'll sail as good as she looks! Congratulations on getting this far! Tom

WOW Garry --- It's beautiful! Makes me want to build a stripper now that my shop is boatless. Keep the pictures coming. Tom

One last input on folding the boat. I had read cases of the plywood fracturing during the fold. To help prevent this, I sponged water on the forward panels where a lot of bending was going to occur. I sponged the water on only the outside where the panel was going to be in tension. After about 5 hours (water every 1/2 hour or so) the forward panel had warped partially into its bent shape. I don't know if this helped but, the fold went well. Tom

Hi Larry, Here's what I did on my CS17: - I layed the butterflys on top of each other and drilled the 1/8" stitch holes on just the centerline joint. I used 6" spacing and later on wished I had used 4" (You need to climb aboard to epoxy the CL). - I predrilled the sides only at the chine. After folding, it's easy to eyeball the mate and drill a hole. The side and bottom wrap with slightly different curvatures so predilling both will develop an offset as you go back (I think anyway) - Sandwich the butterfly between two pieces of plastic covered plywood (Packing tape works well) with glass on both inside and out. Don't worry about running screws through the hull pieces. Those small screw holes are easy to patch up later. Getting a good fitting, flat butterflys is key to a balanced hull. Make sure you shoot some dimensions at the aft end of the hull & make sure the starbord & port sides are the same. I would plan on leaving the flat Graham designed in with this method. I think it really makes the bow of the boat! Good luck, Tom

Congratulations Kidd. It floats ... You can finally say it's a boat!. I had my CS17 out again today with my Mom and Dad. All went well despite finding my trolling motor battery was dead after launching. I found the oars work well. I've had the boat out four times now and I'll still making tweaks. Your experience is not unique. Keep at it ... getting to know the boat is part of the experience. Best of luck! Tom

Looks good Ken. With regards to the deck clamping. I used #4 X 1/2 inch pan head scews to hold the deck to the framing during build & the epoxy cure. I used #6 washers under the heads to minimize the imprint. I was envisioning a painted deck when I started but ended up finishing bright (& I'm glad I did). The small screws work out well because you can remove the decking and reinstall in exactly the same spot. If I could do it all overagain, I would have made some larger washers out of formica (or something similar) to better distribute the load. I was able to sand out most of the washer imprints but, a few were too deep. Keep plugging away. The season is still young! Tom

Thanks for the comments guys. I've been dialing in the boat and trailer. The rain and rotten weather we've been having has limited the sailing. I almost went today but gusts were 15Kn+. I was tempted but "walk before you run" kept running though my head. There still a lot of summer ahead. Tom

Looking great Kidd. I can see where the name came from (Bright yellow) Wait till you get it in the water! It's an experiance like no other. I'm hoping to get out again tomorrow. Tom

Hi everyone. I haven't posted for a while so I thought I'd fill the forum in on #129. It's now a boat! I had a crew over on the last Sunday in April and we got her out of the shop and onto the trailer. It was a quick task for the 6 or 7 guys that came over (probably something to do with the beverages I bribed them with). The following weekend, a good friend and I took our kids to a local lake and sailed! The wind was light and variable but on one puff I registered 5.5 MPH on a hand held GPS. I was really impressed with how fast the boat accelerated and how stable it was. It's really a great design! Thanks Graham! Here's a couple of shots with boat on trailer and a shot of captain & crew. We had a great time and are looking forward to a summer full of sailing adventures. (Maybe this weekend if the rain ever stops). I want to thank everyone on the forum for the advice and the inspiration you pictures and stories provided. It's a long haul building a boat and I think one of the biggest benefits the forum provides is motivation. PS: My wife gets credit for the name: TEFIA (Tom's Escape From It All). Tom

I'm been thinking on it as well and have concluded the roller is the best solution. The stresses on the pivot bushing are reduced by 2 to 3 X with the board supported on the trailer. This should reduce fretting and wear while trailering. I'm going to try to find something to bolt to the trailer. Thanks for the inputs! Tom

I'm going to move my CS17 out of the shop and onto its trailer in a couple of weeks. Yep ... I can hardly wait! I've started thinking about my trailer set up. What do other do with the centerboard when trailering? Allow the CB to sit on a cradle/roller or, leave it supported by the uphaul? I have a frame at about the right location but, I'd have to add a roller or cradle to keep the CB from fretting. I'm guessing someone on this forum has an opinion. Tom

On my CS17 I filleted and glassed the chines first. When that was fully cured, I went over the transom and filleted the CL for about 6 feet. At that point I was worried about the stress I was putting on the copper ties. I allowed that to dry overnight which really stiffened the boat. The next day I was able to work my way to the forward bulkhead. If I could do it again, I probably would have tied it every 4 inches instead of 6. Good luck! Tom

Looks great. I like the cradle! Hint: I bought some of that foam pipe insulation and glued it to the cradle supports. It helps distribute the load and minimizes the dents te cradle can generate in the plywood.

Hi Dale, Glad to hear your making progress. Here's a couple of shots of my thwart. I started thinking a mini bulkhead was the ticket for a compass mount. It grew into a mount for a radio (my wife's requirement) and a "glovebox" which contains my switch panel for the electrical. It was a challenge to build this (I put in a mini mast drain tube) but, It looks nice and will be handy for the 3-4 day cruises I'm planning. Tom

I've got CS17 Hull #129 getting close. Masts and spirt booms are complete, varnish is done (almost), hardware is mounted. I'm building floor boards for the forward cockpit this weekend. After that, mast cradles for trailering, a boarding step on the transom and ??? (I'm sure there's more :roll: ). I'll be ready to transfer from the building cradle to the trailer in April! Here's a couple of pics.

Wow Scott ... looking great! That hatch makes the boat. Summer is right around the corner. Keep on truckin! I'm working the final details on my CS17. We got to get together this summer and compare boats. Tom