Rod Thompson

A standard method for kayak re-entry (which the Birder coaming may make difficult) is to have a rectangular float covered in mesh or other material that will slip over one of the paddle blades. The other end is inserted into the deck rigging so that the paddle now acts as a outrigger. The foot hooked over the paddle shaft near the float allows one enough purchase to slither into the cockpit and begin using the hand pump. I carry the the float and the pump as standard gear on the deck within easy reach. If it is choppy enough to capsize then any re-entry method will be a challenge. Two or three people who have practiced this before hand should make it easier and keep panic at bay. With the Scouts I made a fun afternoon on a hot day of practicing re-entry as a sort of race. They thought it easy until I moved them into water over their heads.

Congratulations CipherBill. Another worthy addition to the world fleet of Core Sounds.

Having no router skills/confidence I traced around the CB case, removed it, adjusted the lines to the inside dimensions of the CB case, then cut the hole with a jigsaw. Trimmed it to exact dimensions with a file and sandpaper, sealed the edges, then taped on the case. When the hull was flipped over for painting I put fibreglass over the joint. As Tom did, I kept spacers in the trunk to ensure it kept the desired shape while marking lines and taping.

Serendipity looks great. Excellent for exploring out-of-the-way spots. Beatrice does look relieved on the way back to the landing. Reminds me of my own admiral who does relax after a while and even goes so far as to say that it was fun.

Thanks. That's a wonderful excuse. Weather on the prairies has been record setting warm for September. Great time of year for paddling.

Thanks for view. Any idea of the purpose of the angle?

Congratulations Wild Cat. You are an inspiration to those of us still in the shop. Peter did you go with the 3 degrees of rake on the masts? Trying to get an idea of what that looks like over the length of the mast.

Thanks Greg. The Anderson bailer I have is the super max model and it appears the wide part (flange?) goes on the inside of the hull. Opposite of yours. Did you use a gasket between the bailer and the hull? My project this weekend has been building garage doors so the boat can be freed in the spring. We lived in the garage while building the house back in the 80's. Never did get around to putting cars in the garage.

That is a Bosch 1590 in my avitar. Like yourself I'm new to boatbuilding. Bought it for the project and have not been disappointed. A nice block plane and the skills and materials for keeping it sharp are just as important.

Hansom project Greg. That blue will look good out on the water with the fall colours. Your bailer picture reminded me that I too should install the bailer before I flip the hull over. Until now I have been guessing at how to install the thing and worry about getting it right. No directions came with the box. Another picture or two of the installation would be useful to me. I have been surprised by how useful the Dremmel has been for the build. Most recently used a little sanding drum to shape the plastic sail track stop.

Elegant solution Sukie. So what kind of battery do you use and how much does it weigh? How deep in the water is the prop?

I just attached 3 sections on each mast of a CS 17 project. Did my best to line them up but found that the after riveting some filing was required to get smooth movement when running a couple of slides over them as a test.

One option is to purchase foam supports that sit on the roof and under the kayak. Keeping sand and gravel bits from the undersides of the foam saves the roof paint. Got mine at Mountain Equipment Co-op. I find that tie-downs, 2 at the bow and 2 at the stern, help with prairie cross winds.

Allan if your season is short what does that make Saskatchewan's? I have a brother-in-law from New Brunswick and he talks longingly of his summers on the Mirimichi. Salmon feature prominently. CS 17 #144 will hit the water next spring, probably in Prince Albert National Park.

I want to join the others in congradulating you on joining the Core Sound fraternity. What did you paint the hull with and how is it holding up?

The finish I have used on the aluminum part of the mast is Sharkhide, an aluminum hull protectant used on pontoon boats. It is a clear resin that wipes on. Manufactured by Flatwater Inc. Supposed to last a long time if masts stored out of the sun. Every few years you wipe on a new coat. Not sure it will stand up to rubbing from the sprits. I will use 101 as a rivit sealer and to bed the track as Graham suggests. As I recall Graham said one of the advantages of 101 over 5200 is that it is easier to remove when the time comes. Not sure of the chemistry between Sharkhide and the 101.

More sailing, less building. Like the sound of that. Have a grand adventure. Will miss your experience on this forum. The odd update will help us tolerate the the hurly burly of the the work-a-day world.

You got me Ray! Should know better, you do enjoy poking people. You had me thinking "how can anyone afford that? He musn't understand the question. Thanks for the "calibration."

Any of you want to advise how much tefgel is required for sealing the rivits attaching a sail track to a CS 17 mast. Pricey stuff. Jamestown sells it by quarter ounce and ounce amounts in syringes. 2 ounces comes in a tub. Is it a paste or is it more oil like in consistency? Thanks

A tech support guy at Systems Three tells me that some open cut papers can leave a "zinc sterate" residue that is a problem for water based paints. He recommended using lacquer thinner to clean afer sanding. Safest paper is as you said Par, is the wet-dry. Coarsest grit I can find is 120 but he says it comes from 3M down to 80. As with many cleaners, he said the ultimate test is how water reacts on the cleaned surface. If it beads then something still has to be removed. Thanks again for the heads up Par.

Great looking boat Sukie. I thought you were all looking to the sky to pray for fair winds. You are an inspiration to those of us still working towards launch day. Will be interested in what you build for a motor-mount bracket.

Good on ya Scot. The children look thrilled as I'm sure you are. Seeing the "door" picture reminds me that I have to build a garage door to get CS 17 # 144 into the light of day. We lived in the garage for a few years while building the house so I framed in and sealed the two car door openings. Have never got around to making it a proper garage. It kind of turned into a workhop full of tools and projects.

Par, Checked the sandpaper type that I have been so happily using the last while and it is open coat fre-cut - a 3M product. The other type I have been using is a non-loading siicon carbide open coat that is electro coated, whatever that means. The only part painted so far has been the bottom below the water line. That was cleaned beforehand with a solvent recommended by Interlux. No warning about sand paper residue from them. I will use the WR-LPU for the topcoat overtop their Silvertip primer. Is their something to clean off the residue left by the sandpaper? Thanks for sharing your experience.

Applied the fifth and last coat of this Interlux bottom paint last night. I know that it was formulated with spray application in mind ( read We's account of his spray application) but the directions do say that it can be applied by hand. I wasn't so sure on the first coat when the paint started to eat away the foam roller (worked so well for regular epoxy) and each stroke of a good bristle brush or foam brush left streak marks. Add to that that it dries in minutes and you have a challenge on your hands. A 4 inch short bristle roller got us to the end of the port half of the hull I which point we shut it down and headed to town for some different rollers. 5 mill thick, lint free, rollers with solvent resistent cores do a much better job. To keep a wet edge my wife would follow along with a second roller and smooth out my "primary application." This worked out well. Took four coats to get to an even white. Manufacturer recommends 3 to 4 coats. Added a fifth because we had the paint. Very noxious stuff. Good masks and ventilation are a must. Will be using the the water-based product for every thing above the water line.

As Tom said, many good books on boats and sailing. LIke many of you I suspect, I have a small library of nautical adventures. Am also a fan of Farley Mowat and the Boat that Wouldn't Float. Few books have led me to laugh as loud and long as following his exploits in Newfoundland and crossing over to the mainland. I would read it again except I loaned it to someone whose name escapes me. In my view his best book is "No Bird Sang" about his WWII experience. Probably the toughest for him to write. Two recommendations that come to mind are The Year of the Boat by Lawrence W. Cheek and The Saga of Cimba by Richard Maury. "The Year" will be of interest to novice boat builders taking on a stitch and glue project (that would be me). Cimba is about an early 30's voyage from Deleware to the Pacific in a Nova Scotia schooner. The author went on to a lifelong career as a mariner. It will appeal to those who like a poetic turn of phrase.