Paul356

I hope the Suzuki stowage works for you. I and others have had problems with the lube oil creating hydraulic lock when the motor is in that position for a long time, even tho the "this side up" sticker suggests there shouldn't be a problem. Others have written on this. Precautions include using only the minimum amount of lube oil instead of the max-fill that likely comes with the engine from the dealer, and trying to keep the motor upright as much as poss. This is an unfortunate and unanticipated drawback to us folks who planned to tuck away the engine for use only as needed. I'm planning to try storing mine "nose down" when horizontal, i.e., with the control panel or front of the power head down and the back of the cowling up. I think that will fit under the forward cockpit seat in the 17, but I'm not sure how much room you have in your locker if you tip the motor head 90 degrees. We'll see. If the hydraulic lock develops, it is a major major pain, just when you're counting on the engine the most.

Alternate method is to save photos into Paint, and then post those saved images. Someone else here invented that method, and it seems to work every time.

I painted the comparable area on my 17, figuring there will be enough chafe, etc., that I'd like the extra protection. Others may say the paint doesn't protect that much, I suppose. It feels odd to leave any area uncoated; that's probably just me.

Nice story. Just the thing for you and Summer Breeze. http://messing-about.com/forums/topic/10076-2016-b-and-b-meaasabout-mini-cruise/

Thanks for the pix! Much envy. Next year....

Any more pictures of the messabout? Dyin' to know up here in the land of 40s and rain.

Give Sailrite a buzz. They may put together a kit for you.

I like the coaming.

Did not paint the inside of the trunk. Reached/will reach inside from top and bottom with brush or roller as far as I could when painting bottom and cockpit.

And one more photo: I did get out for a couple of weeks on the big boat. I like this shot, anchored in Detroit Harbor, Washington Island, at the tip of Door County, Wis., in Lake Michigan. A cold front was moving in. With two anchors out, we weathered the ensuing blow just fine. The next time I'm there, I hope it's in the 17.

Progress on CarrieB over the past few weeks: First the carlins, which were fun to bend and fit. Then I was able to complete the framing and to paint the locker and air chamber interiors. The seat panels followed. It's such a pleasure to feel the hull become more solid and sturdy with each new panel added. And I loved curving in the fore decks. Side decks were last. Talk about adding rigidity to the hull. Finally came trimming the side decks back to the carlins, to get ready to add the coamings. I used a flush cut router bit, touched up with a spokeshave to match the bevel. It didn't take long. I still need to trim the outside edges to match the hull. I went with squared corners at the front of the cockpit. I wanted sturdy coamings and, unlike the rest of you craftspeople, couldn't figure out a good and easy way to make the curves, at least not in this lifetime. Plus I like the extra room and places to sit up front. The side coamings will be the same material you see up front, fir from the local yard (although apparently harvested out west somewhere), finished bright. The fore and side decks will be finished bright. The remainder of the interior, or most of it, will be white. The transom will be bright, too. You may recall I finished the outside of the hull last year. Backwards, I guess, but sometimes it just comes out that way, prompted in part with an urge to see some progress and the availability of hull-flippers. In the water this year? Not sure, and I'll be on break for two weeks now.

How did the peel-ply and glassing marathon go? I think we have your weather this week.

Good design on the ladder.

Excellent sailing. Great to see what a 17 can do in good hands.

I'll just hope for fair winds and rowable calms. So, now to get to work on the craft...

Has anyone tried storing the Suzuki "nose down" in a horizontal position, rather than on it's side? This would be with the carrying handle (and thus the piston) up. I've had two bouts of the oil lock problem as well. Very frustrating. I've also noticed there are two ways to store it on the proper side. The throttle handle makes kind of a fulcrum, and it can either rock forward or rock back, so to speak. I had been putting it rocked "back," which is the way the dealer put it in my trunk. That led to another bout of hydro lock. I'm going to try rocked "forward", which raises the rear higher, see if that helps. Keeping the oil level low is a good suggestion. I was ready to put a rope on it and use it for an anchor the other day and resurrect the 1940s oil-spewing antique from the corner of my garage....

Some days and weeks, it seems like nothing happens. And then a day like yesterday comes along, and I think that, yes, someday there may be a cat-ketch in my future after all. I got the center thwart finally fitted and positioned. I cut a hole in it (scary), popped the mizzen in the fore step and put the stub main in the mizzen hole, fiddled and measured and got everything lined up, and now the step and tube are positioned and all is ready to be goopepd glued. It was great to see the spars in place, even tho one spar is still stumpy. And I can't complain too much, since I just got back from taking the big boat to Door County for two weeks, and had a very nice trip. As we here in Wisconsin like to say, Cape Cod is the Door County of the East.

this one is pretty neat http://ptwatercraft.com/ptwatercraft/PT11Home.html

Gosh you are fast.

I also have the nrs oarlocks

So is that cedar? ALC? Great to find blanks like that.

see if this attaches. one of the articles i mentioned.pete_culler_oars.pdf

I made my cs 17 oars 10.5 feet. I did calculations based on Pete Culler articles I found, using the beam width you mentioned.. I rounded up where there was an option, resulting in adding about 6", because my personal preference is to have my hands overlap as I pull in for the stroke, rather than side by side. Plus I hate oars that are too short. And, finally, I went longer rather than shorter with the idea it would be useful to have a little added length for sculling over the stern. All this remains, alas, academic until launching. But that was my thought process.

That would be Lucy, the Adventure Cat (in name only), belongs to the boat's namesake, daughter Carrie B. But Ms Paint is a pretty good handle, too.

trying a new photo method suggested by a member, see if that darn cat will stay upright. Otherwise I will need to keep sending pictures to Australia so they turn rightside up down under. edit: Success! Meester suggested saving the photo into MS Paint first, which I did as a jpeg. At least this time it's standing on its own four paws.