JeffM

I prefer to challenge myself sailing rather than building! A cockpit tent is a good idea for prolonged wet weather, but doesn't solve a crucial problem: ever tried to use the head in 44" of vertical height? That's the absolute maximum I'll have under the hatch at the highest point. To make matters worse, my back does not put up with sustained bending over.

The foam is an idea, Charlie. I described the project to Graham when I ordered epoxy from him, so he knows about as much as I've put in these posts. I didn't ask for drawings, though. He it was who pointed out the importance of caulking if I wanted the top to have any value in a knockdown. As far as hatches go, Charlie, I recall that Southern Skimmer has no opening in the roof for the main hatch. I need to be able to stand in the hatchway--not least because the waters I sail can be crowded and privacy hard to come by. And I need not only to keep rain and spray out, but trailer on the highway, as well. I have a hard time imagining a soft top secure enough. And at my height of 6'2", the entire value of a cabin is much diminished if I can't ever sit upright.

Dave, keeping spray and rain out is pretty easy: the sides come down outside the coaming. (The cloth roof works this way now.) As far as keeping green water out, because I don't plan to take the cabin off, I will be caulking the coaming joint. Similarly, the aft cabin bulkheads will have a caulked connection to cleats inside the sides and on the seats. This leaves the companionway and hatch. For now I will close the companionway with cloth the same way I do now for privacy, warmth, bugs. (Are conventional washboards much impediment to water?) The hatch is a worry: because it is offset to port, a portside knockdown will at least put the hatch edge in reach of waves, and could even put it under. I am somewhat hopeful, given that in my capsize test (admittedly with an empty boat) the water never rose to the edge of the seats. Since the sole is continuous the whole length of the boat, any water that does enter through the cockpit would slosh end to end when I righted, but I don't see that as a big issue. In any event, it would be an improvement over the cloth sides: I began to fear that my kids could get trapped in there if it collapsed in a capsize. And I would like to make it to Nantucket this coming season!

I guess I'm kinda guessing here on strength. The cabin will be nominally removable (mainly because I fear making permanent drastic changes to Graham's design), but I intend on leaving it in place long-term. One of my biggest problems with my current wood-and-cloth top is the set-up time, so I want a top that can easily withstand highway winds. I would also like it not to collapse under my weight, but I don't picture myself climbing on it regularly. Finally, I'd like it to help me out in a knockdown: no water flooding into the cabin, bouyancy up high so it doesn't turtle and is maybe easier to right. Here's my plan have so far: the vertical cabin sides (laminated to 8mm) are bolted around the outside of the coaming. The roof stitches and glues to the sides. The back of the cabin slopes from the aft edge of the thwart up to its highest point just forward of the forward edge of the thwart. The main hatch coincides with the wide port floorboard, and extends over the cb trunk to give sitting headroom with the hatch open. (It also allows room for the mizzenmast.) All of this is very like my current wood-and-cloth top, but the new roof will be curved rather than flat--which should help in windage, visibility and strength. http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=5687.0 Instead of a slot top (which turned out to be a bit impractical to use), I will have a main hatch and forward hatch, separated by a 14

Thanks, all! Wonderful advice. The strip laminating idea that Ray described has gotten me thinking, though: I want the ply doubled for strength and stiffness, but wonder if I couldn't achieve this adequately (and more lightly and cheaply) by gluing thin ribs to the underside of the roof. I don't expect to walk on this roof, but it would be good if it could stand my weight in a pinch. The ply is going on with the grain and bend both athwartship, so I could lay in strips fore-and-aft, across the ply grain. Hmmm.... If I do go with doubled ply, I'll definitely do it in one piece, though, starting by laying the 2nd piece flat, and gradually screwing it down from centerline outwards as you recommend.

Any advice on laminating large pieces of ply? I am building a cabin for the Beatrice Ann (actually Mark 3 or 4), using the 4mm okume I have on hand. The cabin roof will be laminated mainly of 2 sheets, approx 4X6. They

Pretty cool that you've baptized her in the waters that named her!

Finding with my CS 20 that a wet crew eventually becomes an unhappy crew, I've done some pretty careful observing and thought through a few ideas for fixes. Spray is mainly a problem going to weather in open water with winds much above 5kts. I've found that spray comes most often over the windward side of the boat, but a significant minority comes over the lee rail. Some even comes over from abaft the beam. I considered stretching cloth a foot high around most of the coaming. But, although most spray comes in within a foot high over the coamings, quite a bit comes in higher. Experimenting with spray rails would be worthwhile, since it would be the smallest alteration, and have the least effect on use and handling. (I made one abortive and inconclusive attempt at this.) But I suspect that nothing short of a pretty substantial dodger or cabin would keep the cockpit dry. It's what I have now, and it keeps spray in the cockpit to a minimum. My crew and I are drier and happier--especially on weekend and longer trips.

Wes, I'd have endless stories like this, except for three things: 1. I don't have to post them if they're too embarrassing. 2. They happen when I'm alone, and the witnesses--if any--don't post here. 3. My crew--if any--ALSO don't post here!

I'll second Paul's opinion of the quarter-turn deckplates from Duckworks. They cover my new dry-clothing and electronics compartments, which have stayed dry in spray and rain. Meanwhile, my original So-Pac hatches (which leaked gallons in the brief capsize test Jeff mentioned) STILL leak like sieves. The only things I put in those lockers are items already in separate plastic boxes.

Those who've seen my boat know that I value function WAY more than form. -or artistry. -or craftsmanship. -or cleanliness. -or...

I might try Wes' little innovation, also. I'm betting it reduces the considerable wear & tear on the cordage, since the athwartship line slides over the metal eye and S-hook.

Ray, if you want to guest-lecture to my 9th grade physics students, I know they'd be fascinated by the concept of sailing by induced apparent wind! Coolest perpetual motion idea I've heard of yet... Wes, I don't leave home anymore without my tiller lock. Last trip out I sailed almost the entire width of Buzzards Bay while perched on the aft deck with my arms folded across my chest. (Okay, that's a bit rare, but it's still real handy.) I found it on Duckworks magazine: http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/07/howto/bits/index.htm A 1/4" line across the aft deck over the mizzen sheet and close to the cockpit (I secure it to my aft cleats). A large screw eye in the underside of the tiller, and a clam cleat near the end of the tiller. A short 1/4" line goes aft from the end of the tiller through the screw eye, around the athwartship line, back through the screw eye to the clam cleat. A good tug on the short line pulls a loop of the 1/4" through the screw eye, and then the tension can be very finely adjusted by further tugs on the short line. (Gary Blankenship put his on top of the tiller; for several reasons I like it better underneath.) I can set it so it seldom needs adjustment, and if I get it just right I don't bother to release it when steering manually. I find it nice to be able to put the tiller where I want it--even while tacking--and know it will still be there when I reach for it. (Coincidentally, it's a handy place to tuck the chart book that's both ready to hand and won't blow away.) The only down side? The boat would keep sailing a looong time even if I went overboard...

Thanks, Paul! I'll orient accordingly.

Paul, your set-up on Dawn Patrol has me curious: what sort of on-the-fly adjustment did you have in mind with that moveable tack loop?

Actually, Ray, I toyed with the idea. But a wood mast is pretty, 'specially on a traditional hull carrying a traditional rig. Besides, Online Metals won't ship tubing over 8' long except by common carrier--kinda silly expense for one piece of aluminum. Or even six (which is why my cs20 mast sections are all 8').

Broke the mast on my Michalak pram a few weeks ago. Was taking it into an open bay in 10-15kt winds to see whether (1) how it would handle the chop and (2) how dry I would be behind the dodger I made for it. Running along at up to 5kt (who said this hull can't plane?) my crewman heard a cracking sound. We hove to, jiffy-reefed, and continued. (Only because I had a little motor, mind you.) Maybe 10 minutes later the whole thing went into the water. We made it back okay under motor, the mast the only casualty. Now I am making a new one: 2" diam laminated from pretty-clear pine 1x3. I got the clearest I could, pretty muck kept the knots out of the lower end where the leverage would be greatest, and staggered the knots as best I could. Even so, the mast will be a bit stronger in some directions than others. Not wanting to loose another mast (especially since I don't usually carry a motor on this little boat), I am wondering what the orientation of the greatest stress will be. Is it likely to be greatest reaching? close-hauled when the sheet forces multiply the stress? Maybe it will be greatest downwind since I wouldn't feel the need to ease off? By the way, it's a balanced lug rig. PS: it also occurred to me to wonder if the mast wouldn't be improved by a layer of strips of 6oz glass running lengthwise. (It would mean thinning the mast a bit to make room for this in the step & partner.)

Beautiful, Wes! -the boat, too! Your choice of paint color is about perfect, I think. The simplest (abeit crudest) definition of planing is, I believe, sailing at a speed over that of hull speed for a displacement hull of the same wl. Hull speed for a displacement hull is 1.34 times the square root of the wl (water line length). So you were definitely planing when you hit 6kt. I agree it's almost anticlimatic: she behaves so docilely at such speeds. I'll be curious to know how your gps works out in practice. Following Ray's advice, I have a cheap hand-held (no chart), and am very happy with it. I like that I can use it facing any direction, and pass it among my crew. (Stephen loves to read off speed and heading changes, lat & long, etc.) My one worry is losing it overboard, and I get a little testy if anyone holds it anywhere near the coaming!

Me, too, Ray. But that leaves nothing securing the mast in the step in the case of a capsize. (I don't worry, since I lock the butt end in the step when reefed so it won't rotate. --though come to think of it, nothing at all but gravity keeps the mizzen in the third step when I reduce sail that way... But of course going from foredeck to keel strip gives it a very deep bury.)

Mike, I noticed you didn't mention how you got back aboard after your capsize--often the hardest part, and an issue near and dear to me. That is a pretty little trailer! I gather you are comfortable with metal-working. I am at the point of being fed up with my roof-top scheme for my little 11' 112lb pram, and have about convinced myself to get a Harbor Freight trailer, though I don't like the thought of finding storage space for it (even though it is supposed to fold up). Car-topping alone is just too hard and slow and is taking a toll on the car roof and boat.

I often single-hand, so tricks for anchoring and raising anchor interest me, too. I generally do both from the foredeck. I have several times kept the anchor and rode in the cockpit, and then (while still under way) taken a loop of rode foreward in a carabiner thingy, and clipped it to the bow eye. Dropping the anchor over, letting it run out through the carabiner, and cleating off on the stern works well enough in anchoring, but I couldn't easily retrieve that way, and anyway I usually end up with a loop of rode in the water, and the whole thing tends to get fouled up too easily. A better solution if you can give yourself some leeway is to heave-to and handle the anchor on the foredeck at leisure. This works pretty well both coming and going. I only still get into trouble if I'm anchoring in close quarters.

Dunno. If your snotter is run to the side deck, it is long, indeed. (Mine is even a bit longer since it's also routed around my mast stepper.) I've never felt the need to ease it. I chiefly work to get it in about as tight as I'm able. When I'm reefed (since it's around the mast), my sprits go WAY forward. Again, no pressing need to ease.

They look fine to me! What is "rotational leverage," and why should it be worse on longer sprits?

Chart shows it as rocky; lot of weeds came up on the rode, too.

Wes, the mainmast drain works famously, so you needn't worry about spray or whatnot getting in the step. I've never touched mine, except to squirt a little water into it when it occurs to me, to make sure nothing is clogging it. But it always runs freely. On the subject of anchors, my Danforth-style dragged twice in Cuttyhunk Pond a week ago. Fortunately the trolling motor was already rigged and I was able to get out of shoal water and try to re-anchor both times. The anchor had held all night, but dragged when the wind rose in the morning. (I've learned to mark the anchor position on gps just as I drop, then I get it to read distance from that point to so I'll know it it has grabbed, and if it lets go.) Does anyone have a favorite anchor for bottoms a Danforth doesn't like? There don't seem to be many other options in the low-cost category.