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Ken_Potts

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Everything posted by Ken_Potts

  1. I think Egbert got it right. I think you'll probably save more fuel by using less ice in the cooler than by sharpening the transom edges. I didn't do the math on that, though, so if someone else knows better I hope they'll add to the conversation. "Simplicate and add more lightness" (William Stout or one of his employees)
  2. After reading all this good advice all I should probably add is - Don't Panic! Take it one step at a time and remember that if you mess anything up (like I frequently do) you can likely undo it with the judicious application of a sharp tool. If you look at it as a big overhaul of a boat hull it may seem intimidating but if you think of it as cutting out a flat piece of wood and replacing it (and then doing it again until you're done) it might be less daunting. Don't forget to come back here with pictures and questions. And you thought nobody was listening
  3. I hear ya! It's all looking good. Soon you'll be on the water - Or at least working on the next boat...
  4. I also agree - A friend of mine singlehanded his S&S 34 well into his eighties. And that includes lowering and raising the mast while underway (to clear bridges. It's about working smarter rather than harder. I used to have extra long docklines on my CS17 so I could steer the boat onto the trailer in a crosswind or current. Once the boat was in position to haul up onto the trailer I would sometimes have the extra long stern line run through a cleat on the dock and then to me standing at the winch on the trailer. The line kept the stern from swinging until the boat was up on the trailer far enough for the guides to counteract the wind and/or current. I don't think I'd have handled a CS20 any differently.
  5. If you get within 100 yards of a car factory (where they are painting car bodies) with a tube of silicone you'll be sleeping with the fishes...
  6. I would buy or build a smaller sail before I'd add ballast to a Core Sound. I think you'll get more bang for the buck by reducing sail and finding a comfortable way to sit on the rail. That way your ballast (crew) is always where it is doing the most good and you're not reducing freeboard unnecessarily.
  7. Very nice! It looks like you don't need help after all.
  8. Lotus - If you give me the dimensions shown here as X and Y I'll see what I can come up with for a Boston Whaler style linkage.
  9. You're hired! It looks great. I better not let my wife see that color. I'm still hoping for yellow on our boat but I think she's partial to orange.
  10. Congratulations Pete! It seems like only yesterday you were 80% done with 80% to go and now here you are 99% done with 99% left to go!
  11. Ah! I get it now. All of the balloons are in holes. Like Don, I got the impression from an earlier photo that there were some spots where the balloons were just stuffed into the corners of a compartment. That's a really cool idea.
  12. Actually, the historically correct term for this design is "Dorothy". (running for cover) That's beautiful work.
  13. My guess is they are still class 4 but the drop-down list makes it easier to search some popular designs.
  14. It's worse than that. I'm not just a Merkin, I lived in the SF Bay Area for 10 years so Robert and I are practically brothers. I bet I've cut him off in a Sacramento traffic jam at one time or another.
  15. Robert - Thanks for continuing to contribute here. I've been slack lately because I always read and enjoy your posts but lately I haven't chimed in (sorry for that). I like all the projects you've shared here mostly because you're willing to go your own way and you're not shy about sharing the ups and downs of it all. That kind of attitude is both interesting and educational. Your enthusiasm for other people's projects (including mine) is infectious and I'm looking forward to catching up with you next time I get to CA and going for a paddle (though that is probably pretty far in the future). If you decide you'd rather concentrate on actually building a boat than playing around on the internet you'll still be my hero but I'll be extra happy if you can spare a little time to share and let me and the rest of the forum go along for the ride. I'll try to remember in the future that an occasional atta-boy from me might be helpful. Keep up the good work - You're exactly what this community needs.
  16. When you posted the picture of Chessie returning from the paint shop I was so busy looking at the boat that I missed the truck - Nice job on the truck, too!
  17. You should be able to get dacron line at West Marine or any similar store.
  18. In my day we didn't even HAVE zeroes - We had to write a one and then erase it!
  19. B and B may still be selling marine ply and they are quite reputable. It's a longer drive than Gibsonville, though. And (to echo PAR) I believe the standard calls for equal thickness veneers throughout before sanding so the outer veneers will often be thinner.
  20. Since we're trying to out-old each other, my first computer was an Apple II+ with 64k of ram and a cassette tape recorder. I was certain I could never write a program that would take up that much memory. We upgraded to a floppy drive and it was really nice not to have to adjust the tone and volume of the tape player in an effort to get it to work. I also remember the agony of having my painstakingly-typed program for the Imsai 8080a destroyed when the paper tape it was stored on got frayed. My Grandma used to end all the "I remember before" conversations by saying "I remember before there were zippers."
  21. Having successfully navigated the bridges we were in Fremantle harbour. I get nervous around bridges because of the way the wind and current swirl around at exactly the wrong time when I'm trying to get through, so I normally motor through like I did this time even if I've already been sailing. There were some ships being unloaded but there were none moving in the harbour. We had the VHF on channel 12 so we'd be able to hear if there was any big traffic to steer clear of but there was only a Rottnest Island ferry requesting clearance out of Rous Head Harbour. We transited the harbour uneventfully and set sail just after passing the lighthouse on the South Mole. Once the sails were up I made a mental note for the future: I need to put the sails up before passing that lighthouse because there are usually some waves rolling in from the South or Southeast and reflecting off the North mole, making for a lumpy and unpredictable ride (as there were this time). I expected the confused, reflected wave pattern but I didn't expect a dozen large powerboats and a ferry to pass us in both directions in only a minute or two. The outboard is mounted on a swing-down bracket that hangs off the transom so it is a little vulnerable to big, steep wakes and we suddenly had plenty of those. Witchcraft is a pretty nimble boat and can turn quite quickly so I turned towards the worst of the wakes and tried to keep the short-shaft motor from going under. My wife got the main up and I killed the motor and swung it up out of harm's way. Suddenly we were sailing along in a gentle breeze on a beautiful quiet day. The contrary current was gone and the traffic was more distant. It was time for snacks (9:15am) and a little music on the radio. The crossing to Rottnest was pleasant if slow and we arrived in Thomson Bay at 12:00. More later...
  22. Wvines - Your advice to "keep the project small" and "avoid a kit" worked nicely for me. I started with something similar to a 6-hour canoe but I modified it so it took longer to build and didn't work as well. I had a great time with this simple, quick project and I moved on to other things. If I had started with a kit for a much bigger (and more expensive) boat kit I think I would have been intimidated - I'd have worried about messing up the beautiful puzzle-pieces and not being able to finish.
  23. Cool! I can't wait to tell my wife that somebody mistook me for a rock star!
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