Charlie Jones

None of us would do something like this-right? http://forums.capmel...937&postcount=1

if it's a gloss varnish you should NOT stir it. Nothing in there to mix. Satin's and matte, yes. Gloss no- just introduces bubbles

BS 1008 is a British Standard certification number. Some of the ply I use is also stamped with a LLoyd's certification number. As to prices, just for reference, I just bought two sheets of 4mm (BS 1008) Okume for $120. I refuse to even consider US made plywood (fir) for ANY boat job anymore.

Yes but, unfortunately some marinas won't allow sailing inside the marina. I got told I couldn't sail inside a marina in Kentucky (Lighthouse Landing). I had to paddle in and out. And others I saw in my cruise around the eastern part of the country had signs up banning it. Crappy, but that's the way it is.

And remember- boats for many hundreds of years had nothing but cotton or oakum between planks :lol:

ColinF- Can't tell well from the small pic-is that a Bolger Bobcat?

Looking good. One big point- sand quickly. epoxy /silica gets harder and harder the longer you wait. Get the rough sanding at least done soonest. I speak from sad experience. Filled cracks, staple holes, etc on an outer hull of a 35 foot tri. Let it sit while I finished building the other outer hull- when I got around to sanding, might as well have been sanding concrete

I also was wondering about that. Not called for in the plans, and to me, it just adds weight. Might be beneficial in the aft cockpit section, on the bottom where feet go most, but otherwise, I don't see the reason. I've built 6 B and B boats, and am soon to start another. Only one I glassed inside was a MiniPaw cause I used cheapie ply (needed a dink in a hurry) Graham built wood masts with a carbon fiber overlay on Skimmer- talk to him about that.

I find them quite comfortable, but then I only use them a few hours at a time, not for several days. I did have to trim the height a bit, by cutting the bottom of the side pieces. Pretty simple to adjust to whatever works for you though. I also changed the angle of the seat back slightly, by gluing strips to the side pieces- the top edge of the back dug in very slightly. No big deal-tough to draw something that fits everyone

and besides, Mandy is THE boss!!

If you ever get the chance to see Graham handle a Cat Ketch, for sure don't miss it- he can make 'em dance.

Mike- ( Oyster)- I don't have your phone number any more- new phone. Get in touch and I'll fill you in on the way my life has twisted since we last saw each other. But I'm back in Texas now.

I have 2 Birders- the standard 13 footers, not the Birder II. My two weigh 34 pounds, and are glassed on the bottom. Great little boats for paddling, fishing out of, etc. But in winds I have some trouble keeping up with kayaks with more waterline, I don't think the Birder would do what you want given your size. The Birder II might though as it's the same length as the Diva. As to damage on the Birder- it's built with 4MM Okume and has a single layer of 10 Oz glass. Would be up to you as to how tough it was. I use mine in oyster shell waters and haven't punched any holes yet. But I'm not hitting things at any speed either.

I made an interesting discovery. My last line in my post above was a totally separate, brand new post. And it added it to my previous. I tried three times to have it be a new post, but it kept adding it, as an edit. I guess it figures back to back posts belong together

Have you looked over the designs from B and B? They also have a forum on this site, but the home page is- http://bandbyachtdesigns.com/ Lot's of choices, including pre cut kits if you desire, but even the larger boats are fairly simple to build. LOL- Tom- we were posting at the same time

???? Are you sure you are using the correct email address? B and B did make an address change not to very long ago. Good email address is- designergraham@gmail.com and that works. The phone number is on the website, and having known Graham personally for a good many years now, I'm thinking somewhere the wires got crossed. He's ALWAYS been totally open about answering questions, to anyone who asked. I've seen him sit on a beach and draw sketches in the sand to help someone understand a point. I've also sat and watched him totally redo a set of CNC files because the cuts were .001 off from what he wanted. I've built 6 boats from his plans, from a Minipaw to a Princess 22 plus had a custom design done for amas for a tri I was building, and found the plans and personal responses to be excellent. If the cut list is incorrect, once he knows, I'd bet my house he'll fix it.

Hey Mike- how ya doing these days. Missed you when I came through Beaufort in September.

Feb of last year delivered a Tartan 41, deep keel, tall rig from Rockport Texas to Isla Mujeres. First stop was Progreso, Yucatan. We spent 6 days , on port tack, beating into 25 knots and 4-7 foot seas. That boat with it's deep fin, would sail at 27 degrees apparent, which was most likely about 45 degrees true. But boat speed suffered greatly- she's go much better at 33 degrees apparent, or about 50, 52 degrees true. But on that course, you/'re kinda stuck- too far off wind and you don't make the Yucatan, tack over to a starboard tack, and you sail into the Yucatan current, and wind up in Mississippi Sea state has a huge affect on course, as does conditions. I realize a CS17 isn't gonna sail in conditions like that- just giving this as an example of a racing type boat.... Trust me- it wasn't a great deal of fun.

I too like the pumps- I've used them for years with no problems at all. Since about 1976 in fact. The only real problem I've ever heard about is people mis-using by pumping twice with resin and once with hardener (on 2-1 mixes) instead of once with each, on calibrated pumps. Most are and the pumps you get from B and B for 2-1 most definitely are calibrated. The marked plastic cups are also a very good way to measure, but I find that the pumps are better for small amounts.

For those who didn't follow-talked to Carla yesterday and Mosquito is over the finish.. And they are Number 1 Congratulations to a great young man, and his mom too, for crewing.

I'm with Tom here. Rinse off your feet before you climb aboard!! :P

My Trimaran, Traveler, is a very dark green, as are my two Birder Kayaks. So far they haven't done badly- BUT- as Hokeyhydro points out in his point #4- that hull better be flawless. Personally I like matte or semi gloss white for hulls. But then I'm an old guy and hulls were done like that as I was growing up-grin

Order from B and B. Last CS I built I got everything from them. Carla tagged and rolled each line. Cost less than buying elsewhere too.

Epoxy? You mean "googe" One guy there really set me on edge. Cleek I think was his name. Knew EVERYTHING about everything . I have about 20 years of WB mag out in the shop, including Vol I, # 1-4. So used to read it all the time. And you are right- they HAVE to accept the composite boats, or die. I built 12 boats in the 10 years before I retired, all composite, and all still going strong. Plus my 35 foot West sys, cold molded trimaran is still passing insurance surveys, and it was launched in 1981 ( or 82 ) By the way- materials are in house for another of Graham's MiniPaw dinks (for me) Should start on it in the next few weeks. And again- looks like a nice job you are doing- would love to see her sail.

Brightsides is fine in white. I've used it on three boats in colors though (blue, green) and I really didn't like it. Did not cover well and had a strong tendency to sag.