Dave Ruedel

May 4th in Kentucky, and we have had frost the last three mornings!! It is supposed to warm up, otherwise the horses will be running in snow shows for the Kentucky Derby.

Arrgh! The plan crutch for the weekender is in figure #25. The dimension for the chain plates is in figure #24. If you are going to do actual deadeyes and not turnbuckles, the plans are on the Stevenson website. Go to "other stevenson pages", then to "free plans", then "deadeyes" Hope that helps a bit. Don't have my old PC plans handy, so I can't help you there. Actually recommend making a bigger boom crutch. Did the original, and it had a habit of slipping at the wrong moment. This is what I am using now, made from the left over from cutting the cabin beam.

I remember reading this account in a Reader's Digest, believe it was in the "all in a day's work" section, probably 15 or 20 years ago, possibly longer. Can't comment if it is true or not, but considering some of the things I have seen go on at construction sites, it is certainly plausable.

There are always things that chnge plans. When I laid the keel of my vacationer in Nov of 2001, the plans were for a launch in early summer 2002. It finally hit the water in June 2003. The big thing is to just do something on it whenever you have the time. Eventually it gets done. Welcom aboard.

Actually, I'm a "damn" Yankee - originally from Connecticut, who moved to Dixie, be it the northern part, and decided I liked it here, and stayed. Down here they just don't get big snows often enough to deal with it. Across the river one town started with 28 snow removal vehicles, and are now down to 4 due to wrecking them, or getting them stuck. They just can't drive in this stuff. Usually it will warm up and melt in a day or two, but that doesn't happen when you have a foot or more, and the temp heads down below zero. We may finally see it go above freezing today. I can only imagine what Houston was like Christmas - they can't even drive on dry roads down there. Glad I don't have any jobs down there til next month. Anyhow, they are supposed to have the main roads finally open, so I am heading to a job west of here in Owensboro today to see if it is true. The flip side is, no place as pretty as Kentucky the rest of the year, except possibly NC, plus they have the ocean, too. 35 years away from the ocean now, and I still miss it. But I do enjoy our normally mild winters here, and the lakes and the Ohio make for good sailing. Lots of lakes, plus that long river. We actually have more shoreline here than any state but Alaska, so plenty of coves to explore and overnight in, and we probably won't see another snow this bad for 6 or 8 years.

Yes, we are. I was working down in Evansville, Ind yesterday, and we had a foot of snow there by noon, when I left. They were expecting another 12 to 18 inches last night. The 140 mile drive home took me 5 hrs, the last part in freezing rain and sleet coming into Louisville, which only had about 2 inches of actual snow on the ground. This morning woke up to about 6 or 7 inches of new white on the patio and drive. Streets here are iced with snow on top, 18 degrees, so salt doesn't work well. Expect to go below zero tonight, high tomorrow only supposed to be 12. Don't think this one got into Georgia - Indiana really took the hit. Just glad I left when I did, or I probably would have been spending Christmas in a motel. Anyhow, home safe and warm, with lots of coffee, cookies, and rum, if it really gets bad. (I know, what is someone in Bourban Land doing with rum - it makes better toddies ). Thanks for the white Christmas! And a very merry Christmas to all.

All good advice. Cut the keel, sole, and bulkheads as close to the plans as possible, also the deck. After that, you will find little deviations from the plans, probably not much, but enough you actually want to measure on the boat itself. You can always make a part smaller, but it is murder trying to stretch them bigger. good luck, and have fun building!

There was a server problem at BYYB. Happily, it is ironed out now, and back up.

Can't get down there Thursday, unfortunately. Will be going down to a craftshow there this weekend. That new trailer parts, Archery shop and boat storage on 61 near the park entrance are my inlaws.

Things are pretty quiet all over. Just covered the boat for the winter - only got to take it out 4 times this year. Never did get to hook up with you this past season. BTW, I was one of the ones actually lucky enough to actually get a set of sails from that ex-sailmaker. Not much happening over on the other forum, either. I know there is a completed weekender now out in Mt Washington, and another starting here in town, so maybe things will pick up again. Booger would look real cool in the side car if you could get one of those old WWI leather pilot's caps and googles on him, not that he doesn't look cool already.

I've burned up a few sanders and a craftsman drill along the way, but somehow my old (and much maligned) B&D circular saw has made it through a PC, a two car garage, a house addition, a vacationer, and numerous projects. My also much maligned B&D 14. volt drill has probably installed upwards of 10,000 screws, and drilled an equal number of holes, and is still going, though the batteries are finally starting to go dead faster now, and will have to be replaced. I know the Makita and Ryobi people make odd faces when I pull them out, but they have served me well.

I used a mildew resistant primer on the interior, then exterior semigloss latex. I glassed the cockpit, but only painted inside the storage areas. We do use the cabin area quite a bit, so we will probably repaint inside again in a few years. No extensive checking over 3 years now on the inside.

Don't hard cleat off the main. I have cam cleats I use on the sheet line, but still keep the line in hand for a quick release to spill air in case of a sudden gust. Tying the sheet off will result in swimming exercises sooner or later - usually sooner.

Hang in there, we are all pulling for you. I went through a bunch of them in Conn. back in the 50's and 60's, including 2 in a week one year, 16 days with no power, a big hickory tree on the house, and a two-man hand saw to remove it. (the "good" old days - give me a Husquvarna any time.) Left Lake Charles yesterday morning in heavy rain from Ivan, and be darned if what is still left is not up here in the Ohio valley today! Passed a lot of power company trucks from Indiana on their way home yesterday. Hope they don't have to turn around Monday and go back down there. My in-laws are down in Orlando for a wedding Sunday, and it looks like they are probably going to see Jeanne first hand.