Tom Lathrop

Chuck, There is always a way to do things. Here is one way. Get a dolly, or maybe two, from Harbor freight and place under the keel aft of where the keel runs level. These dollies are cheap and useful for moving many things. The keel is strong enough to take the load even if the support is concentrated in one spot. Chines are strong enough to take high loads also. As to getting on the trailer, sawhorses, hydraulic jacks, timbers and ingenuity can prevail. I have taken 4500# sailboats on and off trailers in like fashion singlehanded. If there are a pair of trees or other strong supports around, a nylon lift sling (also Harbor Freight) plus a couple come-a-longs is ideal. That, plus a pair of sawhorses under the stern is how I take LIZ on and off the trailer for bottom painting in my boathouse. I'll be glad to discuss details on the phone if you like.

Jim, You may find that you want ventilation most of the time, especially when sleeping. Hinges are available that can accommodate the curvature and it is easy to mount regular hinges on wedge bases to allow the curved hatch to open all the way back. Ours does on homemade glass/epoxy hinges I made.

If you are concerned about abrasion from dragging over shells and other beach shingle, some external sacrificial keel strips may be a better idea than just adding more glass at the seams. Woven glass is not all that good for abrasion anyway and biax non-woven is much better. Canoe and kayak shops sell Kevlar tape and/or paste for ruggedizing wear points that works very well.

How great it is!! A testament to commitment Jim. In spite of distractions and roadblocks, you have her launched. May need a forehatch and a few things but she floats beautifully. A boat is never really finished anyway so ....Congratulations

I guess I don't understand why anyone would not route the mast tube drain overboard instead of into the boat. Its above the waterline, easy to do and foolproof if done right. A tube exiting the hull only goes a distance of a couple inches and should be encapsulated in glass and epoxy, making it virtually impregnable and you can just forget about it. A drain tube routed through the bow compartment is subject to damage and could be a nuisance. Draining into the bow compartment itself has obvious issues including making anything in there wet. One of the main reasons I made a drain in the first place was to allow drainage when the boat is not in use. This came about when a mast tube in a Sunfish got wet and froze, rupturing the tube and causing much work.

The design location of the waterline in all Bluejackets is intended to coincide with the level of the pilothouse sole. In all but the BJ28, this means that the waterline is approximately 9" above the outside of the hull bottom on centerline, not including any keel The plans show this as the pilothouse sole being 8" above the inside of the hull bottom centerline. This assumes a plywood and filet thickness of approximately 1". It also assumes that the hull is trimmed to be level on both hull bottom (centerline) and pilothouse sole. Actual waterline will be very dependent on how heavy the boat is built and loaded. If you build it lightly per the plans with reasonable fore and aft location of added weights, the above estimate should be accurate enough. The above numbers for draft should be increased by 2" for the BJ28. This is primarily because of the 2 degrees greater deadrise of the BJ28 hull which naturally results in a deeper hull in the water. I advise making the actual bottom paint waterline at least 1 1/2" to 2" higher for a couple reasons. First is that it should be well above the at rest water level to avoid too much dirtying of the topsides paint due to wave action at a dock. Second is that I do not see any negative aesthetic issue to having it higher. In fact, I prefer to see the bottom paint well above the actual water level. Perhaps some builders of launched Bluejackets will chime in of their actual experiences with waterlines measurements. If the painted waterline is not actually parallel to the water level, I prefer that the bow be the higher end and might bias the line to insure this. If your boat sits a bit lower than the design intends, you are probably in the majority as most boats of any design tend to turn out this way. If not at the first launch, then afterwards as people begin adding stuff and more stuff. OK, I'm ranting a bit but it takes constant awareness of the overloading syndrome that infects most boat owners in order to maintain best performance.

If it counts against our quota, I'm fine with it.

I prefer having as much of the through cabintop paths figured out ahead of time so the interior can be blocked with solid wood. Then it is not hard to waterproof the hole with epoxy or your favorite gunk. I like electrical paths through PVC extending past the top like Egbert suggests and mine have an elbow on the top turned aft and stuffed with foam around the wires. The main thing with any sealing of fitting screws/bolts is that there should be chamfer at the entry so that a doughnut of flexible caulk can handle any flexing or loosening of the fastenings. Way too many people try to seal with good caulk and then over tighten the fittings. This squeezes out the sealant into a thin film which cannot withstand any flexing or loosening at all and therefore leaks. The answer depends a lot on what the fitting is used for. If there will be no stress on it, a fairly thick caulk and not over tightened will usually suffice. If there will be stress, as with stanchions, it is important to allow for some movement and the chamfer and doughnut of caulk around the hole will be best. Belt and suspenders method will have an oversize hole, filled with epoxy and re-drilled for fastenings.

The converts come one by one. Take that Graham

Where away Don?

Yah, Mr Moon. The downlead block on the boom probably works fine also and down pressure at this point is not an issue like it would be further aft. I have had enough problems with clam cleats being hard to release in a hard chance and dislike them for sheet leads that are loaded. The fact is though that we tend to like whatever we have found to suit our personal sailing style. Fer instance, I also dislike having the sheet led to the tiller for several reasons but Chick likes that method for some unfathomable reason. We need a little controversy, Chick. Chick.

This is the mizzen sheet rig I prefer. The blocks should be of non swivel type to prevent twisting of the sheet. A simple U strap to the rope traveler is adequate. The down led sheet does not foul when the mast rotates, at least not enough to be a bother. Both main and mizzen sheets are run to the same area on the thwart so they are always where you expect them to be and always in front of you, no matter where you are in the boat. I don't think a head knocker on the sprit will work well since it will foul on the sail foot on one tack. I have used headknockers on several larger boats with booms on the foot but don't think one is appropriate here. Edited: Just read Don's post. If you like or need to row, how about attaching you sheet blocks to a separate board that you can mount over the thwart with thumb screws. When you want to row, which is never for me, you could remove it and drop it in a locker. I carry a paddle for the times when there is a need to move the boat short distances in no wind or around docks. I do have the PVC tubes in the forward bulkhead and a pair of oars but only use then in events like the Small Reach Regatta and my slave son is aboard to do the work. Then he sits on the CB trunk and rows while trying to avoid busting his knuckles on the mizzen mast. Works for me!

This is the basic mizzen system that I like because I like to have all the sheets always available ahead of me and be able to trim and cleat from any position in the boat for both helmsman and crew. Its a sailboat first for me and rowing is secondary. I never row if there is any wind. The mid sprit fairlead is just section of PVC pipe shaped to suit. The block on the mas should be in line with the sprit to avoid pulling down on the sprit. Probably should rethink a headbanger on the sprit since the lead would be unfair to the helm on one tack or the other and it also pulls down on the sprit, which should be avoided. Have noticed no problem with trimming the sheet when the mizzen mast is rotated for a run. I had the sheeting system shown on the plans on LOON and found it much inferior to this one. I much dislike clam cleats on running sheets and having them behind me in a small boat where control often need to be immediate is important to me. Once nearly capsized because the crew was pushing their body back against the windward mainsheet cleat and I could not release it. This plan is similar to what I used on various racing boats for many years and has saved my cookies many times. Graham may not agree and we agree to disagree on this issue,

Glad to hear someone else say so Howard. My testing shows that multiple layers of glass tape rarely provide greater strength to a fileted joint. The failure mode is almost always braking of the wood or sheer failure of the tape to wood interface. In a side load on a "T" joint, failure is usually a hinging about one edge of a filet and ripping of the opposite layer of glass from the wood in sheer. These failures will seldom be prevented by adding more glass layers. Still, most people have been taught to use and expect to see multiple layers and so most designers will specify that. I'm being a bit uncertain because there are instances where thickness of the glass adds strength. In many cases a filet alone is perfectly adequate. Motor mounting joints get multiple layers for me. Can't be too careful there. I have found that wood flour is often thixotropic also.

I built BRS15 LOON fairly heavy with 3/8 luan ply so she was probably near 300# hull only. BRS is a lot smaller and less commodious than CS17. Nevertheless LOON carried two people with all they needed for two and three week cruises along the east coast of Baja in The Sea of Cortez. That coast is unpopulated with few if any chances for resupply and the wind and water conditions can be boisterous and navigation charts marginally adequate. I thought the BRS too small for that service but the owners obviously made it in good form. Read their story on the B&B website http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/Baja/Baja%20adventure.htm . LOON has sailed from North Carolina to Maine to Great Salt Lake to Mexico and is apparently still going. My point is that the CS17 is quite capable of such cruising under good seamanship and supply management.

Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Just to confuse things a bit, MASCF is at the CBMM and both are in St Michaels, MD. .

Once more.

This is my trailer before I added a sheet of 1/2" treated ply to the frame. Roller is on the aft cross bar and CB rests on the plywood. My fenders look lower and I have 8" wheels with the larger 540 tires instead of 12" wheels. Worked well on trips to Maine and many other shorter jaunts. I like the gains forward but not at the transom. Narrower strakes forward would look awkward without gains. Picture did not post so I must have forgotten how to do it.

Probably a lot of the height on the trailer is high due to 12" wheels. Not a lot to be done unless you get a trailer with a longer axle.

I do not insure any of my boats and consider small boat insurance a waste of money. That is based on the idea that I will fix anything that happens and carry liability up to a 26' boat on home owners policy. I carry a liability rider on the larger ones to protect anyone who is on the boat and bump the coverage up to the same as the house. About $20/ year.

Advice above is good. I used 101 sealant because it was on hand and worked OK. Silicone is fine but I don't use much of it because of its ability to get into and on everything. I'm one of the hold outs who have never used CPES. It may be wonderful but have not felt the need to buy it.

The only issue with venting during filling usually comes about from loops/dips in the hose that can cause burping which might blow some liquid back out. If dips in the line are avoided, I don't see how a burp could reasonably happen.

Egbert, Just saw your post. Water tanks may need a vent only if the inlet does not allow air to vent back into the tank while filling. This is not usually a problem, much like your car gas tank. Usually the volume of the tank is large enough to handle the small amount of water being taken out and systems are not so well sealed that air cannot leak back in. If a vent is wanted, I would consider making a small hole just under the fill cap and protect it from insects and stuff by covering with a small block of open cell foam. This should take care of any issue without having to add anything to the tank. There may be something wrong with this idea but I don't see it at the moment.

Good show. This job is always much less traumatic than the fear that comes before. A bit of planning and preparation, plus beer and pizza will make it go smoothly. I might suggest a bit more spacer support on the hull sides than I see in the photo though. Plywood fitted to the topsides is easy and works well.

Canoe and kayak shops carry a paste containing Kevlar they use for this purpose. I think there is also a Kevlar tape available. Probably easier toe apply that a sheath. I don't use Dynel for anything anymore since Xynole is superior material. I would not use anything that needs screws to mount a keel band on a dinghy that is to be towed and in the water all the time. Makes water entry points at the screws which are hard to permanently seal.