Rod Thompson

Hi Paul, Yes, Saskatoon is a nice city. We are an hour and a half north in the forest which covers over half of Saskatchewan. I spend a lot of time on the lakes in Prince Albert National Park - Sandy, Trappers, Waskasieu. I intend to do some camp-sailing up on Reindeer Lake which provides hundreds of miles of arms and bays in a roadless setting. Did that with a kayak and batwing rig a few years ago. The local Cree were quite amused by what a southerner did for entertainment. Sailed Louisa Rosa three times before freeze up. The lightest breeze will move her along and that was without a staysail. As others have said, B&B designs are light but strong. I am able to get the CS17 on and off the trailer without too much effort. Pulling it with a 4 cylinder Subaru is no problem. One gusty afternoon I put in one reef and felt very comfortable sailing solo. The rudder is light to the touch. This winter I will add a couple of seat lockers and some toe rails on the bow to help with the footing.

Hello P, Northern Saskatchewan, while in Canada, isn't in your area (Carolinas are closer!!) but I'd be happy to share my experiences building a CS 17. I'm new to sailing unless you count canoes and kayaks jury rigged with a camping tarp. Louisa Rosa slipped into the water this fall after a leisurely build spanning two and half years. She will be a nice part of the fast approaching retirement years.

Looks like it was a great trip John. The migration of Monarchs has always been a wonder to me. I assume they were going with the wind. Mexico is their destination is it not? On my day trip last friday the natural wonder was a wolf kill. They had chased a white tail dear down to the lakes edge. Eagles and ravens were patiently waiting their turn. For stowing your sails on the sprits does the sail stay on the track to be bunched accordian like onto the sprit? What is the aft end of the sprit connected to so that it stays in place? The tent with the raised floor would be handy for wet or uneven ground. Haven't seen that before.

Jeff, Not having rowed a lot of boats I can't compare the CS's performance to much else. After two outings I am pleased. Will use the oars to get in and out of docks and to move through the odd doldrum we get here on the northern edge of the prairies. The boat is a light for it's size, I estimate 4 to 500 libs without any gear, so responds quickly, turns in a tight radius. Installed two sets of oar locks as per the builders recommendation. For the forward position I sit just forward of the centre-board case with back against the coaming. An interesting combination, for longer distances is is to have one person with an oar in the forward position and another in the aft position rowing on the other side. My wife and I tried this and it worked well. Haven't measured speed yet with the GPS but I am satisfied going several miles is easily within our physical capacity. I sewed leather onto the horn oarlocks thinking that may provide more options for positioning the shaft (loom?) without getting chaffing. For example when standing I can draw the blade nearer the boat. So far, so good.

Yes Dave, it is time to play. Tommorow, matter of fact. Going to take the day off and take advantage of the excellent fall weather. Oct here can be a bit of a crap shoot. Sometimes golden, sometimes winter arrives and stays. The boat cover was custom made for me Roger. The boat will winter outside and travel a lot of miles on gravel roads so I wanted a good one. The gravel guard is a must for this country as well. Wes, I will not let Ray draw me into the motor thing. Let's just say that perhaps vigourous use of my two "motors" will help my profile. Thanks for all the "congrats."

And one of a content passenger and a couple of the guy figuring out what lines go where.

Thought I inserted these pics on the first send.

A three year build came to end this Monday when I slipped Louisa Rosa into Sandy Lake. She was everything I had hoped and read about on this forum. She is built to spec. Rigged the mizzen sheet as Tom and others have done to come through a single swiveling cleat. Lazerette hatch is in the bulk head instead of on the aft deck. Started the day in a calm so tried out the oars. Set up the sails in a light breeze, cut my teeth in 5-10 mph and finished the afternoon in gusts over 20mph. All went well. Hard won lessons of others passed along on this forum much appreciated. It is going to be a treat learning how to get the most out of this rig. I had planned to put my wife ashore for some pictures of Louisa under sail but the lakes in these parts are up over the shore and into the adjacent forest. Next time.

On the last day of your life as you are recalling the high points one last time I wonder how many housekeeping days you will cherish? Trees are sprouting out of my lawn as I get CS144 ready for her first sail.

Welcome to the world Oliver. You are going to have a blast losing grampa's tools.

A lot of good times ahead for Randy and friends. Nice to see another project make it to the water.

A hip hip hurray to the "happy skipper." Thanks for sharing your progress all along the way. She, I mean he, is a handsome addition to the B&B flotilla.

Wanted to inlcude this.

I too used cedar. Fence boards. They are light, rot resistant and provide traction. Like PAR I will oil them. Used wooden cleats. Have slim but firm air matresses that will compensate for the spaces between the slats of the sleeping platform.

Anyone have thoughts/recommendations on the usefulness of inflatable boat rollers for a CS17. My CS will spend most of its time in northern Canada - gravel roads, no trailer ramps, maybe even the odd short, short portage. Have found some in Toronto at the Tender Craft Boat Shop for $180 a piece. Seems pricey but then maybe thats what durability costs. This roller is rated for about 1200 lbs.

Got it. "Don't forget to close the bailer" I believe that even our respected designer has made that mistake.

On the home stretch with CS 17 #144. The "Super Max" Andersen Bailer came with two rubber caskets, one thicker than the other. Is a gasket to be used with the sealing compound/goo or is just the sealant enough?

Welcome to the world Isabella. You have two great parents to show you the way.

I have used riffler rasps quite a bit for tidying up fillets in tight spots. They fit nicely in the "U" shape of a fillet. Another hand tool I use a lot for smoothing epoxy is the a carbide scraper. Prefer that to sanding. I use the the triangular sanding attachment of the feinmaster for working on the edges of fibreglass tape after scraping them and applying fairing compound.

Graham will have to speak to scaling down the mizzen. Does not take much sail to move a canoe along. I have used lateen. the BDS batwing, and various tarps for canoes and kayaks. In a canoe the key is to keep the center of effort as low as possible and be able to reef quickly and easily. Helps if the spars fit within the canoe. Outriggers add a lot of stability. Along with the mast step, partner, and lee board, a rudder makes for easier steering.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. Hatch it is. I noticed that when I drilled a hole in the top of the aft seat chambers air came rushing out. I'm not real keen on seat hatches. They all seem to leak. In a prolonged knock down I would like to depend on the air chambers. My cruising experience has all been in kayaks and canoes so it seems there is plenty of storage space elsewhere although I'm sure I will soon come to depend on the seat storage and enjoy the additional comforts. Sailing does require more gear - anchors, lines, etc. which is best kept low and out from underfoot.

If one didn't install seat hatches in any one of the four sealed seat compartments on a CS 17 would it be wise to have a vent to release air pressure and condensation?

Makes sense to me.. Thanks

How are folks attaching the gussets to the hull under the carlin cleats? I'm working on a CS 17. Is fibre glass tape a good idea or is just an epoxy fillet adequate?

Great to see your summer-time experience. In the news I see that both fires and floods are part of Australia's summer. -30 C temps in this part of Canada makes heating a must in the workshop.