kydocfrog

That's one beautiful boat. DocA

A guy in a Greek sailor hat with a stuffed frog in his pocket steps up to the bar and puts down a some coins. He asks the bartender for a Foster's. Taking the glass, he raises it to the light, considers it, and then drains it. "To Steve Irwin. Whatever else, he was unique and passionate in a world grown too bland." He throws the glass into the fireplace and leaves the bar quietly. DocA With a nod to the culture and style of another legendary web community that I once frequented.

Right. But the guard isn't in place when you are cutting and the &(*& thing hits a bump and jumps over the edge of your metal staight edge right at your index finger that is busy holding the straight edge. It is a major ouch. Or as we used to say in the military an "Aw-Fooey" or words to that effect. DocA

These things are great, but they are a lot more than the kind of upscale pizza cutters they resemble. They are unbelievably sharp and exposed. I know. I removed the end of finger with one one evening. DocFrog

What amazing country. DocA

Wonderful pictures; thanks for sharing them. I have a certain amout of sympathy for catasrophic rudder failure. Nice recovery. Charlie Girl is, I hope, going back in the water this weekend with her new rudder and tentative adjustments to the shrouds to clear the binding of the gaff up a bit. Still time to fix before Nickajack in September if the fixes don't work. DocA

Still planning to be there...yarrrrrr.... DocA

If I were to do this over again, and this shortening of the cabin is a mod I might still make, I would cut the cabin/coach roof off at the center knee/beam behind the forward portlight and extend the seats forward to that point. I would keep an actual bulkhead and companionway/hatch though into the cuddy as opposed to a purely open arrangement. That would keep a lockable dry cuddy, nearly double the seating space, and might actually look a little more like a traditional small friendship sloop proportions on the deck. Then if you wanted to overnight, the cockpit with a drop-in center piece would actually be long enough for a sleeping bag or two under a boom tent. DocA

My reaction, now that my Weekender is in the water, is that if you need four people, then you should go ahead and look at the Vacationer. Towing capacity, trailer, number of boards and sticks and jars of sticky stuff you have to buy, all that has to go into the equation, but the Weekender is not a four person boat. IMHO. DocA

Amen. My theory is that dolphins have hides with built in vortex generators for smooth flow. I seek to achieve the same vortex generator effect by random distribution of fractal textured surfaces... That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. DocA

Amen. My theory is that dolphins have hides with built in vortex generators for smooth flow. I seek to achieve the same vortex generator effect by random distribution of fractal textured surfaces... That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. DocA

That's a good looking boat. The transom is particulaly nice! DocA

I am hoping that the material will absorb vibration a bit better. I had originally planned to put a very thin sheet of rubber as a vibration pad between the mount and the outboard face of the transom, but couldn't find a suitable material. DocA

There definitely is a trim change with a passenger. CGII sits up with the transom out of the water empty and, it appears in at least one photo, with me on board by myself. (I do weigh more than 115... ). But I think that part of my steering problem might have been that with two on board the transom dug in a bit, putting that gap between the rudder box and stern deadwood down in the water and changing the flow a bit. I used a similar motor mount. I reinforced the back side of the transom with a high density polyprop. plank -- read one of those big high density white chopping boards from a kitchen store. Works like wood, stiff as all get out; absolutely rot proof. Seems to be working nicely. Now if I could just get back on the water. DocA

Just replaced my rudder too. Didn't work for me either. So I laid a Mark I Calibrated Eyeball on it and something round on it, not sure what now, maybe a paper plate, about the right size and laid a curve on it. DocA

Anna Katherine Arnold, 8 lb 6 oz, our first grandchild and daughter of Klint and Kelley Arnold, arrived 2 August. Now I know what my next boat will be named. Doc A.

I don't know about everyone else, but I get exhausted just reading the sheer amount and velocity of work you accomplish... DocA

Charlie Girl II is ready to go back in the water, but it was just too hot for human life as we know it here today, and no wind either. Later this week, hopefully. And I guess it is even hotter in California. DocA

I actually have one of these step on my aft dec mounted as a grab handle; I do not have a taffrail and am planning to mount one low on transom or on keel as a step. They are bullet proof. Certainly doesn't meet need for recreational swimming ease, but sure might help in making desperate scramble over stern. DocA

I have sunk a rather substantial eye bolt into the keel right where the bulkhead hits the cabin floor. Before I do any serious single handed sailing in bigger waters, that's where the safety harness line will attach. I had a harness for years on my previous boat; I just have to re-rig something as far as my jacket, etc. That doesn't get you back into the boat, but it does cut down on loosing the boat. They don't necessarily stand still when you fall out. DocA

Ahoy, Barnacle Jim " I can tell you that we built our boat without plans. We did look at photographs, and I did purchase some Stevenson plans, but I have not looked at the plans in 3 years. I did not follow the Stevenson plans for the hull, the deck, the keel, the cabin, the mooring bit. I did not even follow the plans for the sole. " But other than that, did you stick pretty much to the plans... DocA BTW, I really did look at your pictures, and that's a pretty darn good looking boat and nifty interpretation.

Way to go! That rocks! DocA (I know, nobody says That rocks any more, but us old guys still get to say things like that...)

Seems to still be floating. If the cars are mainly undamaged or even if not and the ship is towable, there is a really intersting Lloyds open salvage contract out there. Buckets of money. DocA

More to the point; thanks for update. I am going to have to look at my calendar -- this one is close enough for me to get to! Fun. What fun! I'll be there if I can. DocA

Sailing sounds like more fun than ANOC, but might not be as career enhancing... DocA (Who actually knows what ANOC stands for... :roll: )