Paul356

Glad it worked out.

Oars on my Core Sound 17 are 10.5 feet. Blades are about the same as the photo above.

On my 17, I used the system shown in Alan's video. Works swell.

How can you tell the good ones from the bad ones on Amazon?

Find a canvas shop that caters to sailing dinghies. They are used to making full coverage "mooring covers" that have a wrap fitting for the mast.

Oops. All I meant to show was the sprit tied up. I think this is it.

Note that on the shelter shown above in PPs post, on the Sea Pearl, the main boom is removed to allow room for the tent. They tie the boom to either the mizzen boom or the main mast with velcro straps. On my Core Sound, I tie the main sprit up to the mizzen to keep most of it off the dodger. (Even though I'm just motoring in the picture below, that's how I tie up the main sprit in order to raise the dodger and crawl under for sleeping.) I was giving some thought to some sort of dodger extension that would run out to the mizen mast and then drape down over the top sides, probably with some sort of horizontal pole at the mizzen to hold it open. My dream tent would also have netting in the back, with canvas storm closures. But it would be hard to justify all that for one or two rainy nights a year. Right now I just sleep under the dodger with a waterproof tarp over the foot end of my bag to keep the dew off. If it looks like rain, I put up a tarp tent off the back of the dodger to complete the enclosure, either alone or with some tent poles for extra space. It does the job, but if it's dewy, it gets pretty damp inside anyway.

Looks very nice. Good work.

Make the sprits longer than the plans call for. As specked, they are likely to come up short when you hump them tight. Someone else here had noted short sprits, so I made mine longer. In fact, they're still just barely long enough when I pull the sails flat. If I recall correctly, I made the mizzen sprit the length shown for the main, and the main correspondingly longer. I should go measure them for you, I guess. Alan or Graham may have updated measurements for you. Just occurred to me that this could be because I ordered the full leech sails rather than the pure triangles. Not sure at all. In any event, you can always cut them shorter. Just don't let the main sprit pull back so far it catches on the mizzen mast.

Can you make it to the messabout in October? You'll have advice from all the best sources there?

Looks very nice. I've enjoyed working with B&B, too. Also Duckworks, as needed.

Yup, that's Moby Turtle in your foto. Worked well. Details one of these days.

I thought I would like to assure Graham, Alan and all CS sailors that the masthead float works as intended. That is, with 'Moby Turtle' the streamlined turtle ball in place atop the mizzen mast of my CS17 yesterday, there was no turtling, just a capsize. The masts lay flat on the surface. This was not planned, unfortunately, but I'm not up to relating the details yet. Nothing injured but my ego.

"physical damage" is the term they used, i see.

Well, whatever the term, if my boat gets dinged, it's on me.

I just got coverage on a "kit"/composite thru progressive, but liability and rescue only, not property damage. I.e., no payment for loss if the boat is damaged. Not sure if that helps you. It was all on line.

1. Definitely keep the outside bottom flat, taper goes on the inside. 2. I dont think there is a precise measurement needed. You take the front together, make sure the stem is fair, and the rest takes care of itself as you pull it togrther.

not sure on ice out. we're not true "up nort". late april, maybe?

Water 60s maybe? So was the air. Brian W organized. This is the group that has sailed together in FL, Rainy Lake, MN, and Turtle Flambeau Flowage, WI.

One of the "Legends" up here organized "The Big Blow Sailing Extravaganza." There were 6 sailboats and a whole bunch of friends, food and refreshments. Lac Le Belle, at Oconomowoc, Wis.

Good work and good news, Graham. Will be following, for sure.

Here are a couple of pictures. The boat is in a bit of shambles now, recovering from the trip, but I'll try to make it clear. The mizzen sheet leads aft from the cam/swivel in the foreground of the first picture to a large single block in the back, just in front of the transom. That block is held upright by a spring. The cam/swivel is, if I recall correctly, from Ronstan. The single block in the back is from Garhauer. The sheet comes out of the cam/swivel at a convenient location where I can set it from the usual helm seat just aft of the main thwart. Then the sheet goes up to another single Garhauer block, also on a spring, mounted on the top rail of the transom, then up to a single block with a snap hook that attaches to the sprit. In this photo, the snap hook is just latched onto one of the mast halyards, for illustration only, since the masts were lying on the boat and the sprit was elsewhere. Normally that block with the snap hook would be a few feet up in the air, along with the end of the sprit, instead of drooping down as it is in this picture. As you can see, the snap hook is on a little dynema tail I made, simply because the snap hook itself wouldn't fit into the sheet block shackle. From there, the sheet goes back down through a mirror-image set of blocks on the port side so that I have double-ended sheeting. I've seen other systems, include one that Alan uses on his 17 that is probably a bit simpler. This works for me. I like having the heavier braid for the sheets, just to have something to hold on to, and I like having the cleat close to where I sit. I usually sail with the mizzen cleated and hold the main sheet in my hand, uncleated, ready for quick dumping if needed, especially beating into the wind. Let me know if you have any questions!

We relied heavily on info from that video. Recommended for anyone traipsing that way.

One more, a video of the "fleet." I was in back...but not for long sailing in FL.mp4

Here are a few photos of my recent trip in CarrieB to the 10,000 Islands along the Florida Gulf Coast. Also in the fleet were a Sea Pearl 21, with two aboard, and another solo sailor on a Scamp. The Scamp sailor and I slept on our boats all 11 nights; the two on the Sea Pearl camped shoreside a few nights. We launched and recovered at the Rod & Gun Club in Everglades City, highly recommended; $20 to launch and $10/night for parking, plus a great "Old Florida" feel at the lodge and in the town. CS 17 is a great boat.