Jim Stumpf

Thanks for the input. I have done weighted boards on the NF15 and even my Bolger Pirogue (and they work great) but used the stock setup on the CS 17. Great input and discussion but a major retrofit is not in the cards so soon to the start of the season, was thinking of a scaled down rigging option on the existing. As always PAR has a great solution and documentation for contemplation. Thanks, Jim An afterthought just came to me, I remember reading somewhere recently about weighted centerboards that are not secured while deployed could be a hazard free falling back into the trunk during a capsize. OK it is only 20# to sink this board but food for thought.

Thanks for the compliments, made some more progress on the dodger and will post pics soon. Thanks, Jim

With my new sleeping boards in place I would like to simplify the stock configuration of the centerboard control rigging. Anyone have changes that they would like to share. Seems that the board is so light that some of the purchase designed in maybe overkill. For the down haul I am thinking a loop of shock cord aft at the thwart connected to line that runs forward to the board head through a block and then back to the thwart and a cleat. The up haul could be as simple as a line from the board to the existing forward block and back to a cleat at the thwart. I have one of those self releasing cleats on the rudder downhaul that is supposed to release if the rudder strikes something but in the only instance that I needed it the line gave way before the cleat released, bit of a concern for me on the centerboard where I have good line that should not yield. Thanks in advance for your thoughts, Jim

I finished my decks bright, no glass. Epoxy saturated to give higher build to varnish. Brought the 10 oz cloth from the hull bottom up well over the chine and faired in to give strength and abrasion resistance. Jim

Hello everyone, It's been a bit since I checked in to share my mods for this sailing season. If you have been following along I have been working on a fuel tank shelf, cockpit/lazarette table, sleeping boards and a spray dodger. I threw in some non skid on the floor while I was at it since I needed to paint because of the fuel shelf construction anyways. Everything has been working well and I am pleased with the exception of the spray dodger. The spray dodger has been a battle, I have sewn upholstery, made all the cushions for Primrose and for my kitchen nook at home as well as sail bags and mast covers so my sewing skills are slightly better than beginner. The round arch mating to the oval cockpit opening has been a challenge. If you reference my earlier post and pictures you can see my harp had all kinds of cool looking kicks to get over the coaming...bad idea..gone. The 1903 vintage singer that I am working on has been less than reliable but I have almost beat it into submission or it has beat me into submission I am not sure. I still need to add sweeping flaps/wings to the end of the dodger to sweep it down to the side decks, clean up the fringed fabric around the harp and add a zipper for future tent attachment and vacuum off all of the dog hair that I have picked up dragging it in and out of the rec room at home. Enjoy the pics and happy and safe sailing season to all of us this summer.

Try sailboatowners.com I have sold several boats listing them there including a MIrror Dinghy, Vacationer, Oxford Dinghy and even a Bolger Pirogue. Hope that helps, Jim

Mini update, Here is where I am this morning,. Fabric cut edge banding on the free edges and hardware hem in place at the coaming. This morning I hope to get the fabric tubes in place that will house the pipe hoop and then mount the whole thing on the boat. If it fits I will layout snaps if it doesn't I will take a nap and start again next weekend. My sewing machine is struggling and my stitch work is not my finest but I think she will be fine.

Thanks Oyster, Looks great, I like the setup. I thought about a very similar setup but was trying to avoid any hardware on the cockpit interior. Very clean and simple, just the way it should be on a small boat. Thanks for your comments also PAR, I am a fresh water sailor, greatlakes, so hardware failure is not a big issue here. I like the idea of the hammock clip and am toying with the idea for a cockpit cover on my canvas canoe, where the hook is up under the gunwale.

Not a lot of progress this weekend. After a couple of revisions I came up with what I hope will be a workable pattern. I used double sided tape to hold plastic to coaming which worked much better than spring clamps. The snaps will actually be on the deck. I will be using these snaps. http://www.sailrite.com/core/media/media.nl?id=1753812&c=603010&h=dc70a405ba7c25813d7a

Hey Steve, I have been using some old sheets but am finding that they stretch too much for patterns. Thanks for the plastic sheet tip, I have seen it used at sailrite but have not tried it yet, good thought. Just used a plywood form for the bend and then finished with a conduit bender for the kicks. Thanks, Jim

Thanks Steve, Not sure about windows, the intention was to make it low enough for good visibility. I think that I will put zippered vents in for ventilation when camping on board. Still having issues with the covering because of the tight radius of the bow and the width of the cockpit forward. The fabric wants to pull down and create a flat above the coaming that will certainly collect water. Trying to decide if a more horizontal batten running parallel with the coaming would help. I do not want to widen the main bow to conform to the shape of the coaming. Getting closer but back to the drawing board, good thing winter is so long here in NE Ohio . Jim

Removed the fiberglass pole pockets, made new pedestals to cover the damage, and bent up some 1/2" emt with duckworks fittings and this is what I came up with. I think I will add a quick release pin to the fore/aft stretcher so that the bow can fold forward. Now to dry fit some pattern fabric to the assembly. Thanks, Jim

Along with the spray dodger project I am currently making a couple of other modifications to my core sound 17. I wanted a dedicated shelf for a gas can. My current 2 gal can would not fit the space I wanted to use so I found the shortest cans that I could and I can fit 4 maybe 5 gals on this shelf. Typically I don't use much fuel but if I take an extended trip say the North Channel this summer I may want some extra capacity. The lower shelf sits directly on the floor up against the lasseret , I even back planed the corners to almost nothing to get the shelf as low as possible. Even with the fuel shelf bottomed out and the smallest can I could find my upper shelf was sitting of the gas can spout. I had to lift the upper shelf 3/4" to get the height I needed, I would have rathered a smooth transition but this is what I was left with. The epoxy is wet and the upper shelf just sitting in place, I may shorten the height of fiddle rail and everything will get rolled and rounded. I am now looking for awesome ideas for floor boards/ berth boards for the forward cockpit. Thanks, Jim

Hey Gary, I am still working on it, I have decided to eliminate the fiberglass rod and replace it with a folding bimini type set up. The shape will stay the lower profile more dome shape as in my mock up but the hardware will be different. Just ordered the parts today. Will be sure to post progress when I get back to it. I decided to change the hardware as I was having trouble getting the forward end to fill out, I will add a more horizontal harp forward attached to the more vertical bow as in the original. I also hope to achieve a more structural framework to attach my camper top to and lastly think that hinging and folding the unit forward will facility foredeck access. On another refit front: I have the lazaret/aft deck on my boat with the deck mounted storage hatch. Today I glued up a shelf to bridge the cockpit seats that matches the thwart and fab'd and installed a lower shelf to hold my gascan(s). My current can rattles around in the bilge getting secured to any convenient fixed object, I also think that it containments the bilge water from time to time reacting with the floor paint... so it will have a proper home from now on. Picture tomorrow. Thanks, Jim

Playing with a couple of heights Too high in pic 1 better in pic 2 I think. No cammo just an old kids bed sheet.

Thanks makenmend, The thought of using the mizzen sprit for a boom tent never occurred to me cool idea. I think Steve's bigger concern was not the radius but the stress point that could be caused where the pole leaves the through deck sleeve. a good push fore or aft may cause the pole to shear at exit point. Thanks Jim

Thanks for the input Steve, very valid points. Seems that I am committed at this point to at least try it out. I did go back and look at a closeup of the Norse and the forward section is actually tube and bimini fittings, there is a hoop in the camper top (further aft) that is a fiberglass sail batten or similar that is only attached to the canvas in batten pockets at either side. I should have asked yesterday before I glued it up. I think that the thought during design was to use the fiberglass hoop to get more of a dome shape, because the forward coaming is so wide building a folding frame that will lay over the coaming creates more of a rectangle whose corners are hard to see over. We thought about a more rigid hoop but opted for the fiberglass for ease of storage since it will not lay down on the foredeck. Thinking about it now, picking fiberglass splinters out of my hide does not seem like a good trade off. Thanks again for your insights.

To save you a search of the Norse Boat set up I have copied a picture from a Sail Magazine article

Happy new year, Thought I would check in, it has been awhile since I launched my CS 17 and haven't had much to add to the conversation. But I have started a spray Dodger and wanted to share my thought process and progress. The CS is pretty wet to windward especially in a chop. I sail on Lake Erie and find myself wet most outings, I am surprised at the lack of discussion on spray dodgers. I want something small, easy to see over, add spray protection but not necessarily a cuddy type cover. I will add a camper that can attach to the dodger at a later date. After searching the web I think something like the Norse Boat uses fits my needs better than some of the larger covers that I have seen used for the Everglades challenge on CS or the front camper/ cover on the Seapearl. I do not want a forward riding passenger to be in battle for prime real estate with the new dodger. I toyed with mock ups of bimini type hardware and folding harps and have decided to keep this portion of the cover as simple as possible. Here is where I am so far https://picasaweb.google.com/106668203767680037177/CoresoundSpray?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Thank you. The boats are actually home built skin on frames built from plans from Clark Craft. The design is by Percy Blandford (I think, I always forget his name). Link to photo album of the recovering of the red kayak from two years ago. https://plus.google.com/photos/106668203767680037177/albums/5851234630766107153?banner=pwa Thanks, Jim

Winter came early, I am already dreaming of summer. My current desktop.

They are designed as flotation and I do not suggest that any deviate from Grahams design. I do find the extra storage very useful. In the aft hatches I keep lines to starboard and safety equipment and rain gear to port. In the forward compartments I keep bottled water and snacks and a place for guest to throw small gear. I use my lazzerette to stow cushions and life jackets and misc bulky but light items. In the forepeak I keep two anchors and rodes (in milk crates) as well as fenders. In the cockpit lockers I have small plastic baskets to keep stuff from getting lost. Jim

Not sure if I am chiming in too late but here is another example. Hope that Helps. Jim

I don't see a down side to putting in the third location, especially if you do it during the build. Here it is 3 years after the build and I do not remember the time it took me to do it. Here in Ohio the water temps are currently in the low 50's (not ideal for a capsize), with a stiff breeze and sailing single handed it made sense to reef before even launching. You would have to be a hell of a man to keep that 20 foot mast balanced strait up in the air to relocate it/reef on the water if it were rough enough to warrant the move, in my opinion it can only be safely done when beached or docked. Safety is rule number one even more so now that summer has left the house. Weather people are talking about a white Halloween ugh. Jim

Yep, once I set up to make the mast tubes I just went crazy and put them everywhere. The step at the mizzen is supper strong and I never have a problem missing the base once the mast is threaded through the thwart. There are pictures at my build if you follow the link in my signature, hope that helps. Jim