kydocfrog

Bill; that's cool. You can chop up a piece or two and see what's in the middle. Heck, if it looks good, I might have to buy some from you after Charlie Girl II gets wet. I've got another boat or two in mind. On the other hand, it might be worth seeing you try to get a boat that consumed that much plywood hauled out your road... Dr.A

Well,we are coated in ice and looking at below zero temperatures for Christmas morning as our part of what the TV Storm-Team commandos are calling the "Holiday Storm," but its Christmas -- something even a devout liberal like me can take great joy in. My best wishes for a very merry Christmas, a warm and safe holiday break, and a prosperous and useful new year. Doc A. from icebound central Kentucky

Looks like there are two different lines going on here; way south in a place you can't pronounce and Kentucky. I'm definitely up for the Kentucky thing, but not in Mid may. That's right in the middle of finals and commencement and all that academic stuff that nails me right to the floor. Would have to be on into the summer for me. But that's a personal problem...

You know, I wondered about number five myself. Seems to me that if that bulkhead when on across, you could get a pretty good flotation chamber out of it, at least one that would slow things down if you put a grommet (right word?) around the tiller where it passes through the transom. Of course since I bought Charlie Girl II when she was well along in hull construction, I don't think there is much that I can do about it.

I've completed some deck fittings, stood on my head for hours getting the bits anchored, put access hatches in the lazarette, and other odds and ends. But with my unheated garage, the weather is closing me down for anything that includes the words "apply only when temperature is over fifty degrees." So, on to more detail work. I'd be interested in comments on anyone's experience with wiring up a Weekender. Placement of bow lights, through deck wiring penetrations, mast head light; things of that nature. I'm planning of putting a battery tray right in front of the mast box as part of the whole ballast thing and I'd eventually like to have a trickle solar charger, but that's about as far as I've gone. Thanks, and a very Merry Christmas to all of you and your families. DocA

Hey, Bill. Count me in. You're a good guy. I'll give you a ring tomorrow. Doc A.

I would certainly be interested in a Kentucky Lake location. That's within fairly easy distance for me. I'm in the Lexington area. Either date; more chance of actually seeing me with a boat in Sept, but a June messabout might be motivating. If this gets started, I'd be glad to help out if I can. The weather is overtaking my unheated garage at the moment, but I'm still working.

Some day I hope you can post a photo of that seat mod. It looks really interesting.

I've seen that. It's a remarkable story. For a more sinister and sadder tale, read "Into the Wild" by the amazing writer whose name I won't attempt to spell who did the Everest book Into Thin Air and other truly spectacular outdoor pieces.

I may be about to display some gaff rig ignorance here, but in my defense I will restate that my last significant boat was gaff rigged New England cat. She was fine sailor, weather helm that tear your arms out, pound in a chop all that...but...she would go dead downwind like a banshee, even in light air. Wing that big old main boom out, tinker with the peak halyard, and stay wide awake. She had an unstayed mast, set in the eyes as expected. That leads to my question. I kind of eyeballing things last night while I should have been mixing epoxy, and I started looking a the shroud placement. I thought they were wrong at first, but I measured them, and nope, they are right. As near as I can figure, with the shrouds rigged, the main boom is going to be free to move no more than maybe 45 to max 50 degrees off the center line. That's hardly past a broad reach... If you can't boom out or set wing and wing, how do you run this thing hard downwind, particularly in light air? Has anybody tinkered with the shroud placement? Or do I just not understand something about a gaff rig with a stayed mast?

Awww, man... look at that shop table and what that implies. I can feel my eyes turning green...

I used a separate light bar that doubled as a mast and spar cradle when I had my Cape Dory Cat. Unfortunately, one day when hauling without the mast on, my tie down arrangement proved unsatsifactory without the extra weight of the mast, bar came off, and when I looked in the rear view mirror to see what the noise was, saw cars all over the place heading for the high hills to dodge the light bar which was bouncing happily along the highway. Lucky I didn't kill somebody. Lesson: carefully consider all possible towing configurations when designing a light bar rig... :? For WayneMunro : looks like the same motor mount I picked up. Couple of questions -- how did you reinforce behind transom? (note, my transom and sides came already on... ) Do you have any problems with the geometry of the lift or under power since you just went ahead and mounted directly on the transom without any compensating wedge to square things up? I've been considering that, but it may be beyond my tooling, so I've wondered what would happen if I just ignored the double bevel.

Hmmm, interesting point. I am seriously considering bobbing the forefoot and adding a centerboard, but you may have a point even then :?

I've been following the fiberglass weight discussion in separate thread. I know that white lead paint is out, but is there still a route to the older notion of the canvas deck that was once so common? What weight/kind of canvas? Bedding? The older books (Rudder, MotorBoat, etc.) just assume that everyone knows all that, so there's not much detail to work with in this benighted age... :? DavidA

So I'm still measuring and thinking on Charlie Girl II in regard to ballast, floatation, center board and rig. Has anyone tried or measured out a yawl/mizzen rig similar to John Welsford's Pathfinder? Similar length and beam overall, although some real differences in hull form. (You can see Pathfinder's profile and rig on Duckworks in the plans or projects sections) I'm probably just creating complications, but it's fun... DavidA

There is a picture somewhere in this forum of a Weekender on its beam ends, but it is clearly sitting on the bottom in a couple of inches of water. Has anyone done and documented a full beam ends knockdown test in a couple of feet of water at least -- enough to see what the hull does afte the knockdown?. My suspicion is that with a wooden mast sunk in the full jacketed socket it might be hard to actually force her past 90 degrees unless the knockdown was forcefull enough to break the mast. That leave a full swamping at the probable result. Likewise, has anyone done controlled swamping of a stock design weekender. or one with added floatation. The comment about forgetting to bring a bucket to bail with doesn't help much if the boat turns out to be un-bailable or, worse, if she fills and sinks, perhaps driven under, in part, by the weight of the rig that kept her from going past 90 degrees initially. That was something that used to worry me about my Cape Dory Catboat. It also had a fully stepped-to-keel mast with a gaff rig. Set right up in the eyes of the bow, it was enormously heavy and it seemed highly unlikley that the boat was going to be very stable when swamped even with floatation. That though might lead to consideration of a quick way to strike the mast in an emergency. Lord, that's a gloomy post... DavidA Charilie Girl II

Fear not; you are not alone in this mortal coil KY DocFrog Charlie Girl II

I'd like to see that myself. Reminds me of a piece in Cruising World years ago. They tested all of the high tech corrosion preventing treatments for hardware and stuff exposed to salt spay - all sorts of things from NASA and aerospace technology and stuff. The most effective by a runaway was just plain old WD-40

Phil, thanks. Found your site again to with the other very useful drawings. Thanks much!

Does anyone have any measured drawings of the designed hull and sailplan posted for the Weekender? I remember seeing a profile drawing somewhere in all the posts, but can't find it again. Thanks. DavidA

Just looked at pictures. Cool. Nice work. Now I have a question now that I see someone else with the same set up. You have your bow deck and sides on, obivoiusly. And your bowsprit and bit are sitting on the table uninstalled. Mine too, lthough not in what could by any stretch of the imagination be described as a clean shop. How do you possibly get a drill and a set of very long screws into the forward compartment and the itty bitty space between the hull, bit and keel backbone? The plan book sorta says you stick it in and screw it down. Not likely, unless I'm missing something. Or did the former owner of Charlie Girl II, whose workmanship is otherwise generally impeccable, forget to do something; like drill holes in advance...? DavidA

The downwind ability must be outstanding. In other design issues, I suspect, even given Tim's ingenutiy, that these boats really cannot be though of in terms of draught. If large coolers are a weight problem, then kegs and all the associated plumbing would be prohibitive. The only plimsol line probably has little notes like .5L or 1pt inscribed along it.

Tim; Looks so nice. Thanks for the earlier drawing and notes. Re your comment on gud. and pintle rudders and keeping them down; not sure. Charlie Girl I had the huge barn door rudder typical of New England Cats. Only signifiicant problem was picking the thing up. I'm waiting arrival of various resins and bits and pieces. I notice you skipped the splash coamings completely. Any comments on that in retrospect? I've been making pencil marks and thinking about simpler ways to do that than the bread and butter system proposed in the plans. Thanks for your interest. DavidA

Seems to me there's two good ways to name a boat. One is you can pick something that reflects the sheer delight of "being a boat." This is the kind of name that you can imagine your boat announcing proudly or happily to all the other boats "Hi gang, my name is ..." The other, like Jan has, is you name it to honor or recall a person or personal passage that lies at the core of your own story. Charlie Girl II is named for my wife, as was the original Charlie Girl.

Purchased a sharp pop-up kicker mount yesterday from Ebay. Now I have to figure out how to get into the lazarette space to reinforce the transom. Previous builder used the mod to steering using turnbuckle tensioning rather than through bolts that has been described on the MSN "Modifications" site. I've to to get in with some mirrors or whatever and figure out where I can put inspection ports and how to get backing plates in. Got another minor problem with the bits. They weren't installed prior to putting the hull sides on and there is absolutely no room available to go in and drive the tansverse mounting screws. This will be interesting... I really have to figure this all out, particularly transom, before I roll her. The rolling cradle has been designed. This is FUN!