Tom Lathrop

Howard, In case you have not read it, go to: http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/catketch.htm and read the reasons we like the cat-ketch rig. I have raced sailboats for many years, in sloops almost exclusively, so I understand them pretty well. As the article explains, sloop rigs have some advantages over cat-ketches primarily from the rating rule which does not tax overlapping jibs as highly as the other sails per square foot of area. Freestanding masts also fare poorly since they cannot support a tight jib luff as well as a stayed mast if one is installed. Nevertheless, I have occasionally raced in my BRS15 with the local Laser fleet and have beaten a few of them. For a daysailer, I have settled on the cat-ketch as a preferred rig for all the reasons given plus a couple more. I remember an instance following a round Carrot Island race at Beaufort with Carla Byrnes as crew. We were waiting to be lifted out at an overhead winch which was downwind. The wind was about 15kts or quite brisk. I rolled the main up on the mast as normal for docking. There was a problem on the lift and I had to get away. I found that the cat-ketch BRS would actually make ground upwind on the mizzen alone. Don't know if you are supprised, but I was. When the slip was clear, I unclipped the mizzen sheet, the sail weathercocked and we eased into the slip. I could rig, launch and get underway in that rig in a small fraction of the time taken by small sloops of similar size. When it comes down to it, the real reason I prefer the cat-ketch is far greater ease of handling and seamanship. The fact that it is hard to see any loss in performance, is just gravy. We are planing to sail Southern Skimmer in some local fun PHRF races and expect to kick some butt. 'Nuff said.

Think about it this way. The forward drive of the sail is transmitted to the boat through the boom and sheets. When beating, most of this driving force is through the spritboom. All the force is on the snotter at the mast. That should answer the question. I like the snotter to be strong and easily adjustable since it is a main control on sailshape and power. Well fastened eye straps will be plenty strong though. We used two eye straps (one on either side of the mast) as a two part snotter on the EC22. The mast does not rotate so we used the double anchoring points to allow the boom to swing without excess stress against the mast. My first one started with the snotter line led to a cleat on the boom. While very simple, this was not very effective and not only difficult to adjust but unseamanlike since it could lead to a capsize while trying to adjust it. At a minimum I suggest leading the snotter to a cleat on the lower mast and preferrably back far enough in the boat to allow quick and easy adjustment.

Joe, My Lapwing will definitely be glued lap. Wouldn't consider anything else at this point. I will build over a molded jig with ribands somewhat like Tom Hill's method but not exactly. The interior will be non traditional and will follow the one worked out for all Graham's boats. It's a great layout and I like it better than any other. It will not have an aft deck since I much prefer easy access to the transom. There will be no coaming on the side deck for comfort but will have a coaming/splash rail on the forward end of the cockpit.

Dale, This boat is intended as a daysailer for singlehanding. I built one of the first BRS15's and found it to be plenty large enough for me. When you read the accounts on Graham's website of what has been done with my boat after I sold it, you will see just what is possible in that size boat. The CS17 is a pretty large boat, much larger than I need at this point. With the enhancements Graham included in the CS15 (as optimized for sailing) relative to the BRS15, I though this would be plenty large enough. Why 15.5' instead of 15'? Well, I thought that with the lapstrake form, we could draw out the bow with a bit more rake and make it more attractive. I also wanted to use a tabernacle on the mainmast and the extra 6" gave more room forward inside the raked bow for that. We also included a curved transom and some tumblehome for the same reason. I was a little concerned about stability but the numbers look good relative to the CS. A bit less initial stabililty but gains more as the rounded sections become immersed. The only negative of the extra 6" is that an extra scarf will be needed for the upper strakes. By this time I hope all here have lost all fear of scarfing plywood. No big deal. Also, I am starting to think that I may be getting older and just maybe I need a less demanding boat. The rig is essentially identical to the CS15. It will take more set up and building effort but I intend to enjoy that also.

I think the Lapwing (named by birdwatcher mate Liz, of course) is going to be very handsome and a great addition to Graham's design portfolio. My main request was in the length of the boat, that it be a cat ketch and that it should sail as well and be as stable as the Core Sound series. I am very happy with how it is turning out and look forward to getting to work. It will be a few months to start serious work due to lots of jobs that have built up.

Gordy, I don't know youor schedule but if you want a passenge for a few hours after the start, I will be there. Tom

I have been stumbling about all day. One leg has definitely gotten longer than the other.

New photos from yesterday.

[quote="Hirilond

Sleeping space should not be an issue with either boat. Graham, myself and another local BRS 15 builder had very comfortable sleeping accomodations on our boats. See the website for mine on "Loon".

Charlie, Great minds work in the same directions. Sam Devlin describes this in his book. Does work great too.

I like my version better. Just for that, I'm going to sneak an extra teaspoon of epoxy into the mizzen mast top.

One of us remembered to bring a camera today,so here are some latest photos. Time flies but still planing to be at the start on time. Maybe some warmer weather next week.

Yes, John, Charlie does it the same way I do. Had not thought of 3 Am though. Maybe less wind then to stir up dust. I also use Z Spar although I bought the stuff with more UV and more money last time. Overspray? Well, you gotta treat it like any other spray job and mask and cover everything else to guard against that.

I think vacuum bagging is great when it is needed but would be an added complication here and might even be worse. The best kind of line? All the synthetics are very tough so the decision rests on which one is easiest to use. I would not use polypropylene though. Braided line is more symetrical and make a smooth edge. The soft kind soaks up resin quicker. We used a nubby line because that is what we had at the time and time is limited but it needed more fairing with thickened epoxy than braided would have. All the lines I have used have taken up the epoxy well enough. I have used this technique on the lead daggerboard of a 26' racing boat (larger line of course) and had the boat come to a complete stop after hitting an old engine block, or something like that, under power in our creek - no damage. Try an experiment. Soak a short length of line in epoxy and let it cure. Try pummeling it with a hammer to see the toughness of it.

I never use wax paper with epoxy. Poly sheeting is far better in all respects. Wax paper wil stick to epoxy if it gets warm during the cure phase and is not nearly strong enough for this job. A groove in the edge is not necessary. I make a flat that will allow the line selected to form the desired radius on the leading edge. I like soft braided dacron line best but nylon will work fine for the edge. We used 3/8" line here. After planing the edge, I drilled a hole on the upper end to fit the end of the line in. A notch was chiseled in the lower end of the board to allow the line to taper off. The line is then coiled in a cup of epoxy and worked with a paddle to get the air bubbles out. Stick the line in the upper hole and hamer in a temporary nail because the line is going to be stretched as much as possible to hold it straight along the edge with a nail driven in the other end. Cut a strip of plastic sheet and wrap it over the edge as shown. Fix one end with staples driven through duct tape for reinforcement. Stretch the plastic toward the other end and staple that. Now pull the plastic down evenly on both sides and staple. The plastic sheet will make the soaked line smooth because you dont want to have to sand it, which is almost impossible anyway. You will generally need to fill some gaps with fairing mix after the plastic is removed and then sand that smooth. This makes an almost indestructable edge on centerboards, rudders, paddles, stems and whatever. I don't think the Florida Bay flats will give it any trouble. I've been making these for about 20 years and never had one fail in any way.

After sitting in the cockpit today, I will modify my earlier statements a bit. I cannot see directly over the cabin but can see where I am going forward. Of course I am a bit taller than Graham. Vision would not be a problem.

Did not intend to shortchange builders, Ray. I can believe your figures.

I doubt that Alberg ever designed anything remotely like that. An Albin perhaps.

I am boat poor and the CS 20 is just too much boat for me as a day sailer now. I hope the boat does have the usual uptic at the end of the auction because the current bids are just way - way too low. It appears to have a few cosmetic issues in the interior (I may be seeing wrong) in the photos but the basic structure looks fine. A new CS 20 would probably cost over $10K to have built. This looks like a great opportunity for anyone contemplating such a build.

The cabin is permanent but that still leaves the largest cockpit you will find. It's huge. I don't think any sane person would ever want more people aboard than it will hold. After the race, it's still going to be a great fast daysailer and small cruising boat for those that don't require all the stuff from home.

BABYDECT? Took me a minute to figure that one out. Southern Skimmer is coming along nicely and it looks like we will be ready. One of us will bring a camera today and take a photo. Biggest problem now is that we are running out of dry wood for the stove. Temps in the 40's inside the shop is a drag. Looking forward to a sail in Skimmer. Working sail is the same area as my 22 footer and sailing displacement is less than a third.