Jim Stumpf

Oyster, I have a Vacationer that I would like to part with. The size and price do not meet your current requirments but if you expand your search keep me in mind. Jim

Oyster, The 6mm Aquateck that I used for the deck would not take the bend as designed, it is very severe as the deck meets the sheer. I ended up breaking a deck stringer and a ratchet strap trying to pull it into place. I ended up using two laminations of 3 mm to get the curve, I used some screws for clamping pressure to hold the two laminations together. That would account for the extra epoxy spots on the deck. Epoxy is like liquid gold I try to dribble as little as possible. It has been moving along pretty quickly but I have built several other boats in the past and know that progress seems to come to a crawl once you get to the detail and finish work.

I've been hard at work on the Kingston 15 I have been building since Jan. Here are a few shots from the roll over about two weeks ago. The I-joist sled under the boat is the strong back that the boat was built on. I built the 2*4 cage around the boat not only for the roll over but also to support the unusual hull shape while I glass the bottom. The last shot shows the boat back in the garage ready for glass. I removed the portion of the cage that was in the way and I have glassed the bottom and lower hull sides to the sheer line. After fairing and paint I will reassemble the cage roll the boat back over and sit it on the trailer. Thanks Jim

Thanks Charlie and Barry, I will check out your leads. Scott I can always count on you for a jab . I look forward to you comming back north. I f you don't make it for cabbs week, how about fall I missed our frost bite sail at Seneca last fall. Jim

I am hopeing to launch the Kingston 15 I am working on around fathersday in June and I am starting to think about sails. I used Ultasail for my Vacationer and Pirogue sails and was very happy with the quality and certainly the price. It appears that Paul has left the planet and was wondering what other small, quality sail makers people are using. We have a Elvstrom/Sobstad Sail Loft here locally but I have the feeling that my sails are more bother than they are worth to them and I have a bad feeling the price will reflect it. ( Just a hunch they haven't made time to get back to me yet). I am really not interested in sewing my own, I have a machine that will handle it and I have done projects like sail covers, bags and cushions, but I think I would like a professionally done suit of sails. To keep a June launch I don't think I would have the time anyway. By the way I am making great progress since my last post I will get some new pictures posted. I started assembling all of the storage and floation compartments and dryfitted the berths and cockpit floor. I am not sure I like tack and tape, that is a lot of fillets=lots of epoxy. As always thanks for your input, Jim

Hello Pippo and Jon good to see both of you here. Jim

Jeff.. I left the centerboard in the original dagger board location. I will have to experiment with it after I am on the water to see how much effect not fully deploying the board into the down position will have on the balance of the boat. I assume that a partially down board will move the center of resistance aft a bit, but I looked at the set up like a high aspect board that will be full down most of the time. I built the trunk like a brick outhouse. Scott... Sorry to hear about that house of yours, I might have to buy it for my summer get away place. CABBS week usually starts the weekend of fathers day and runs through that following weekend. (About June 18th somewhere) I don't think the board has started setting dates just yet. You are always welcome at my place anytime and you know you don't have to twist my arm to drag a boat out of the yard to hit the lake. Craig...As always it is great to hear from you, even though we don't trade Vacationer ideas any more I do watch the boards to see what you are up to. Jim

Greg... Thanks, I like my shop also 26*36 garage that I built about 10 years ago and it has never had a car in it. It cost me window scrapping and car warm up duty all winter for the Mrs's car but it is worth it. Phil..The cad drawing was borrowed from the designers web site, It won't blow up for me either. Follow the link above to the sellers site, he has a bunch of nice cad renderings and some of his own construction photos. Barry...I was told one was built by the original designer sailed for a year or two and then sold to someone in FL. I have no first or even second hand info on the finished boat or how it preformed. The seller of the plans has started one but has stalled construction for now. Jim

Hey Jeff Thanks for your interest. The boat is for me. I built the Vacationer for my wife two daughters and myself... well you know what they say about building a boat for those around you...don't. Build for you so that is what I am doing this time around. The Vacationer is a great charecter boat but I want somthing quicker to rig and something a little more compact for single handed launch and retreive. I 'm also close to Lake Erie and wanted a boat that was a little more rough water friendly (lots of floation, ballasted and a centerboard, small self bailing cockpit and smaller tighter hatches) In the design the board is a dagger board in a trunk in the cabin. I do a lot of shallow water sailing and would prefer somthing kick up and accessable from the cockpit. I kept the board proportions the same but extended the trunk under the cockpit. The trunk is off center and is in line with the bunk and cockpit seat fronts (per the original design). The uphaul/pendant line will come up through the bridge deck making control much easier. Here is the site where I purchased the plans they have some nice cad renderings and more info on the design if you are interested. http://www.digitalmarketingusa.com/k15.html Jim

I found the article, did the calculations and poured a bunch of lead. About a 7.25" diam. hole that should be about 11% of the board face and should weigh about 16 lbs. give or take (according to the article, I didn't weigh it). I am a general contractor specialising in 1920's bath renovations and lead shower pans are a great source for lead to melt. If you are going to do a rudder or center board and live in an area with order housing stock that would have been afleuent enough to have custom shower enclosures check your local salvage yard for scrap lead pans and toilet bends for the less squimish. :oops: Jim

Hull on strong back made of left over 18ft I joist Hull up right Center board trunk Center board This is a Kingston 15 that I have started this winter. Greg that makes 8 at my place , but the Oxford Dinghy goes to a buyer in Maine in the spring and the Vacationer may go to a buyer in Texas in March. There are more pictures in my gallery of the kingston progress. I poured the center board lead today 41 sq" per the Duck Works article by Jim M. It certainly feels plenty heavy. Thanks, Jim

Thanks Bill that is just what I was looking for. I have loaded pictures of my latest project in the gallery. Thanks, Jim

I am moving along on the construction of the Kingston 15. I thought I rembered reading a post on the calculation for the amount of lead for a center board. Does anybody recall? I did a search but the number of post with lead and centerboards is over whelming. I have some construction photos that need to be reduced and I will post them soon. Thanks, Jim

The plans were $110 with the postage. I have started a 1" to the ft wood scale model. I will post some pictures if any one is interested. I have the bulkheads attached to the lower hull pannels. All of the boats I have built todate were charecter or traditional in appearance and rig, I am ready for something a little more high tech (atleast in looks) and something I would not be afraid to get stuck on Lake Erie in a pinch in.... Lots of floatation, balast, self bailing cockpit. I love the looks of the gaff on my Vacationer but what a pain in the ass to trailer with all that line everywhere. Jim

Still trying to make room in the shop. Even if you are not interested check out the lead photo. There is an Ellen Skiff, a Bateau C12, a Pooduck skiff, a Bolger Sailing Pirogue and 2 canvas kayaks. Jim http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:11&item=7199533009

I thought the same thing about SNUPI and the Bateau boats. Jim

You might have seen my boat house clearence in the classifieds, If I can make some room and replentish the bank account, this is what is on my mind. Has any buddy looked at this design before? I bought the plans they are very well detailed and the designer has some pretty neat ideas. Any imput would be greatly appreciated. http://www.digitalmarketingusa.com/k15.html Thanks, Jim

Great little dinghy http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4592203271&sspagename=ADME%3AL%3ALCA%3AUS%3A31 Jim

For Sale Stevenson Vacationer

I have found that on the Vacationer the boom is so heavy that by lifting it just a tad with the topping lift in lite air will help with sail shape. If all else fails I throw one of the kids over board with a life line and tell them to swim for shore. With a little practice these flat bottom boats will out sail anything on the lake in a ghosting race. Jim

Thanks Tim, I am looking for some pictures of salty looking set ups that are heavy enough for the Vacationer. I've already scoped out your set up on your Weekender ( the new set up) and am thinking more along those lines than a modification to stock set up. I need to rethink the stern post arangement and also want to consider a removable system that I can throw in the boat. I need to layout a travler for the lazerette. A "fixed bar" horse or traveler would make a hinged tiller difficult to use but I am concerned that a the loads might be to great for a rope traveler, altough the rest of the running rigging is line isn't it? :? So many boat projects and so little time. Thanks, Jim

That is Howard Berg's Weekender. I was at the launch of that old girl 3 years ago at Westcot Beach NY. I was there for the BYYB NE Regatta, believe it or not I am lurcking on the sidelines in the one photo there on Ebay. Small world with the internet.

While inspecting my Vacationer for this season I found a soft spot in the rudder box. I took my pen knife to it and before I knew it had a large piece of the box laying in the driveway ( large meaning about the size of a silver dollar). It appears that over the last 2 years water that has run in along the rudder down haul line has collected in the rudder box and rotted it from the in side. I epoxied the entire assembly inside and out during constrution but assume that either the line or maybe the pipe that acts as a tiller stub (per stock Vac. plans) has chaffed away some of the epoxy and let the water into the plywood. If you are building per stock plans I would advise putting in a piece of copper water line or simmilar to create a chase for the down haul line so that any water entering the rudder head is contained and simply runs through the tube and out the bottom of the rudder head. That being said I have decided to go the tiller route this time around. Two reasons for this change. First after the death of the two fellows up north I would like to seal the tiller hole in the transom so that I will have a fighting chance to bail the boat out if I need to. Second I would like to simplify the whole steering and rudder system. Anyone else that has gone this route that would like to share their designs I would be grateful for your input. Photos help alot also. Thanks, Jim

Thanks Tim, I like my Vacationer alot, this will be the third season on the water. She is great for weekend trips but is a bit of a pain for a daysail. I have sailed her solo but don't think I could get her on and off the trailer by myself. The set up and teardown at the ramp is time consuming and is part of the reason I don't generally take this boat for a short day sails. When sailing with other Weekenders or PC's they will smoke me at the ramp. I thought it was just me but when in MD for the BYYB Mega Regatta the other Vac. owner Dave Rudel, took about the same amount of time to down rig as I did. For a couple of days sailing the Vac is like a motel on the water including running water and a camp stove. Thanks for the imput on the hatch. Jim

Tim I checked out your web site. I had been there before and enjoyed you camping and sailing picture, but today your companion way hatch caught my eye. I have seen similar set ups in the past and plan on updating mine this spring, a few questions if you dont mind. Did you use flat brass stock for the spline that the lid slides on. Did you add a dam inside the sides of the hatch to keep water from comming back in through the scuppers/limber holes. I could see spray from a good broad wind or from the hose wetting down the cabin. Feel free to add anyother advise you feel is important on this upgrade. Thanks, Jim