Paul356

I like the series of telltales up the leaches of the sails. If they're all flowing, upwind or on a reach, I feel the sails are well-trimmed. I put a windex on the main mast for longer trips. The mast swivels, so it's not necessarily reliable to use the arrow against the tabs for relative wind, but at least it gives some usable info on changes in direction.

Crazy, eh? Glad you're watching out for us.

Looks like lots of spam for the moderator to delete.

Yes, I had the tripod mount and could tip the engine up. I reinforced the transom with an extra piece of ply epoxied on the inside, above the rear deck. I fitted the extra piece in between the pine framing. I think it was half inch, maybe 5/8.

I put my short shaft Suzi on the mount shown in the picture above. this is on my 17 Mark i. It just fits. The plastic motor cover snugs up against the top of the transom when up. It lies at an angle and I have to give it a good tug in order to engage the lock. The motor's plates (anti-cavitation plates?) are just under the water line when it's down. if they had offered the long-shaft when I bought mine, i would have bought that so that the plates would be well down. because the motor has to turn when pulled up in order to lock, i can't lock the motor in a straight forward position with the bolt/nut provided. on the other hand, if i did that, i wouldn't have reverse, either. caution, from experience, on using that duckworks mount. it works great, but mine bent and ultimately pulled loose on a choppy lake. solution: use the heavy duty gudgeons to mount the pins. and drill a whole through the pins (the stainless drilled amazingly easy) and put a cotter pine through the whole so the unit can't lift up and come loose while motoring. i am attaching a photo showing the motor in the up position.

Thanks. Yep, sitting headroom under the dodger and tent. I can sail with the dodger up, also with the main reefed. It might drag a hair, but not enough to cause a problem.

Mine is the CS 17 MkI. Cranked up with no particular wind and wave, I get close to 7 mph with a boatload of gear, I think. I seldom find I need to travel that fast. I was able to make fine headway and maybe 5 mph into a 20+ mph headwind and 2-foot or so waves on Rainy Lake a couple years back when sailing didn't seem like such a great idea. I use the little prop that came with it. While you're discussing shelters: I bent some bows I got from SailRite into a dodger shape and took the canvas to a shop for a dodger that pulls up and fastens in less than 30 seconds. Then I went back to the shop a couple years later and got a tent that fastens to the back of the dodger and makes a complete enclosure. I didn't try to cover the back of the cockpit. I have a sleeping platform to keep me up out of the bilge, and I can just pump out the water when the need arises if it rains in the cockpit. The picture attached is from the canvas shop parking lot, using stub mast instead of mizzen. It works great. I just fold the whole thing up forward with the dodger when I'm out sailing and unfold it to camp.

Quirks of the Suzi, in no particular order: --Do not overfill the oil. Go up to the line in the glass when the motor is vertical, no more. Othewise you risk oil in the cylinder, which results in hydrolock, which is a mess. You pull the cord and the engine won't spin, or if you pull really hard, you break the cord or the conrod. The only way to fix it is to take off the cowl, take out the sparkplug, stand back, pull the plug and watch the oil fly sevdral feet out of the cylinder. And then hope you can get the plug and cylinder clean. --Run the motor dry after each use, if you remember. Let it idle, but turn off the gas until the engine stops. This isn't so important if you're going back out the same day or the next day. --Whether you remember to run it dry or not, once you're through for the trip, before you take the motor off the transom, reach inside the hole on the motor on the lower right side with a long phillips screwdriver and loosen the screw there, which will drain the gas from the carb. If you've run it dry, a little gas will flow out and fill the paper towel or rag you're holding under the cowling toward the bottom front. If you forgot to run it dry, a lot of gas will run out and fill the two or three towels you're holding. Tighten the screw back up before you walk away. --Do not believe the sign on the side of the motor that says, "Store this side up." You'll get hydrolock (or at least I did.) Transport it "face down," by which I mean carry it in the car or boat with the front of the motor (where the pull cord comes out) down. I swivel the transom bracket to one side or the other and it stays upright pretty easily balanced on that, maybe propped up with some gear. --When you go to start it, just pull out the choke knob but don't worry about fussing to get the twist throttle to "start." Just leave the throttle all the way in the closed position. The choke knob automatically opens the throttle the right amount. Check this visually by taking off the cowl and pulling the choke knob, just to be sure you see the throttle lever moving a tad. This takes the guesswork out of trying to find the "start" position. --As soon as you put the motor on your transom (or as soon as you get to the ramp, if you're trailering with the motor mounted), open the fuel lever and the fuel cap vent, to let the gas start filtering down into the carb. This will sort of prime it for an easy start when you get around to starting. --But in colder weather, or if it's otherwise not starting right away, "apply positive pressure to the fuel system." That is, unscrew the fuel cap, put your mouth in the big hole, and blow in there. It really works. Thanks to Alan from B&B for that tip. --I use non-ethanol gas if I can find it, but 10% ethanol with the Sta-Bil outboard motor product added per spec seems to work just as well. I have not had any issues in years of service. I think that's it! --pb

Keep me posted...

I have the 2.5 4-stroke Suzi, aka Ms. Q. It has been more than reliable, once I figured out a couple quirks. It offers reverse if you sping it around backwards, which I often do. You just need to figure that out when mounting it. Let me know if you want the lowdown on theg quirks. It comes in a long-shaft now, 20", which I wish I had and may be helpful for mounting. I see it online for $700 to $800.

I think I posted this before, but I do like it (photo credit Diane Gallo):

I gotta say, for me, pulling the mast is harder than stepping it. I built a little fiberglas lip around the front of the mast hole. I put the heel of the mast against that and it lets me raise the mast up pretty easily. But pulling it out of the hole and balancing it back down is another matter.

I squared off the coaming and used 3/8" douglas fir that I ripped out of a long board. I liked the look next to the darker epoxied ply decks. Thelower part of the attached photo gives a flavor of it. Straight across the front of the cockpit, then follow the curved sides back to the transom.

Amos, wish I could join you in the extra little trip at the messabout this year, but it won't happen. Sail happy.

Our group was up in the Apostle Islands at the northern tip of Wisconsin in Lake Superior this past week. We had amazingly good weather and amazingly light breeze. Altogether I sailed about 71 miles over 6 days, which includes about 10 motoring miles in the light air. I was the only Core Sound, and, um, I was speedy. Slept on the boat every night. I ended up sailing along with buddy John in his Scamp (thus his appearance in the sunset photo), although our group started out with 13 boats and 15 folks. A couple pix follow.