T. Nelson Surbrook

As a matter of fact tim I was thinking of heading up north, we will see how it goes and play it by ear.

Tim, when are you going to have that boat ready to sail? It is summer you know.

Paul Had designed a track system made of carbon fiber I don't think he completed the project but he would be the one to get ahold of for detailed information.

Barry I used a piece of 1/2" 316 ss rod bent and threaded with fender washers and nuts on each side of the deck for my horse and it makes a fine and very sturdy grab rail. When boarding a Weekender from the water you must enter over the transom.

Florin, When you finish you can always come down to Spokane and we will take our boats to Lake Ceour d' Alene! It's a lot closer to you and man would that be fun.

Frank, do you have a way to lock the mast in the "up" position? If you don't have you considered what would happen if the for-stay failed? BTW I do like the way it looks, very clean.

The key to survival is wearing your life jacket. The water temp. will effect how long you can stay alive. The 50-50 rule says, a fifty year old man in 50 degree water can swim 50 yards. In cold water you won't last very long at all. The more energy you use the faster hypothermia will set in. With the new inflatable life jackets like the Sospenders there is very little argument for not playing it smart and wearing the life jacket. The truth is that life jackets save lives. The Coast Guard's recommendation on this is based on real life experience.

I may be just a little too much. It's hard to say when the boat is on the trolly. If the rake to too extream you will know it in the ballance of the boat when going to wind. I would try it as it is and see how it performs. BTW, you are doing a fine job on your boat.

Well if you ask me what is wrong with that I have a good answer. The clubfoot concept is what is wrong with it. I used the clubfoot for a while and was not happy with the shape of the jib. I removed the clubfoot and went to the two jib sheet setup and then to larger jibs and at this time I am using a huge genoa with a roller/furler. I am pleased with the control and ballance afforded me by the current setup I am using. Sorry if I sound a little harsh, I don't mean to. Boating is a journey for me and I am still on the road.

Backing plates for cleats is a wonderful idea and should be done before the seat backs are on for sure.

I also have a very old shopsmith (ER-10) that works very well. Mine was made in the early '50's. I checked out the new ones and they are awesome but for now I will keep on using the old timer.

To provide lightning protection I would recomend running a 00 or better line from a shroud to the water. The best thing to do in a storm is to get off the water. This should be a no-brainer, if the weather is bad, the boat is not a good place to be.

Barry you are right about the wonderful weather here in the northwest. What a picture you paint with your account of the weekend. I was able to spend some time on Lake Coeur d' Alene and it was beautiful. I received the formal presentation of my coxswain qualification from the Lt. Cmdr. of District 13 Saturday night. It was indeed a good weekend.

I raised the mast by 14" and the chainplates are in the original position and it works just fine.

Chris is that a shopsmith in the background?

Very nice John, the eagle looks really good. You can tell your mom she has impressed a lot of boat builders.

IMHO you should forget the marconi and go with a gaff rig. You can make a lot of changes with the boat and get away with it. I personally don't think it's a good idea to change the sail plan as much as you suggest. Then on the other hand, she wore a glove!

Let me share my best lumber yard tip with you. When you are selecting lumber for the boat tell the yard-man what you are buildiing and show him some pictures of the project. After the lumber is loaded, tip the yardman a few dollars. The next time you are there to get lumber, the yardman will show you where the best lumber is and help you get it. The boys in the yard don't get tipped very often and when you do it they will be extra accomadating for you. It only takes a couple of dollars each time you go to the yard and it will be more than worth it in the quality of lumber you will get.

Wow, for some "old" guys you have some good memories!

I was once where you are with trying to save money with the sails. There are a whole bunch of reasons that you don't want to use the drop cloth material. In the long run you are better off getting some real sails. I know they are not cheap but there are some good suppliers who can help you out with this. This is just my opinion based on personal experience. If you want to experiment with sail design, try the poly tarp method. Good luck.

Well Frank I am glad you asked. The Auxiliary is the real CG. The CG has 3 areas of duty. The "regular" CG, comprised of about 35,000 coasties, the reserve at about 6,000 and the Auxiliary with about 37,000. The Auxiliary is engaged in all the activities and missions of the CG except law enforcement. We do search and rescue, safety patrols, environmental work and public education and work with the ATONs. That's the Aids TO Navigation, like the buoys and daymarkers etc. Because of limits on the number of hours a day that can be worked and the increased mission load due to the homeland defence issues we have been doing more safety patrols so the active side can focus their time with matters of security. All the units working together make up what is called "Team Coast Guard". For me it's a wonderful way to serve the nation and help out the community. It is all volunteer work and we even get to buy our own uniforms. I think we all do what we are able to and for me this is a good fit, and it's a lot of fun. I hope this helps clear things up for you. You know Frank, you might check out your local flotilla and see what they have to offer you. You have to go a long way to find a nicer bunch of folks and the training is the same as the regular CG gets and for some things the training is at CG stations or on cutters and the small boats.

While building is a very rewarding endevor, sailing is the best, congrats on a job well done, now the fun begins.

Well, after seem time away on business I hope to be around for a while. Boat is ready to go and on a related note I just got my Coxswain qualification with the USCG. Life is good!

Wait a minute, there were Arabs in Star Trek, haven't you seen the Ramulens?

We have had some rallies like that here in Spokane and they don't make the new either. When just 25 "protesters" met downtown there was lots of coverage on tv and the shots they used made it look like a big deal.