sandy claws

Scott, The interior looks beautiful. You've got a good eye for design and hands for fine craftsmanship. I do have a question. Is the cabin insulated? If so, What did you use? It looks like you have quite a bit of room in there. Again, Well done! Rog...

Thanks everybody! That's what I was lookin' for! Scott, How is that Belhaven for sleeping? Noisey? Would you cruise in it for 2-3 weeks? I appreciate your help and experience. I've been reading books on microcruising and the Belhaven just looks better and better. Thanks again! Rog...

I have just been looking at the NOAA site and it says the winds will be from 10 to 20knots and the seas will be from 2 to 5 foot all week. That got me to thinking what would be the average and the worst wind and seas that you would consider sailing the Belhaven? (I am a non-sailor now but I have a friend that is an instructor. After perusing all boat plans the Belhaven seems to have the most advantages.) We have a lot of these type of weather conditions and I was just wondering what wind and waves would be a comfortable and enjoyable day on the water? Thanks Rog...

The surface finish of the okoume is smoother and therefore will require less work and materials to finsh bringing the cost of okoume probably equal if not possibly cheaper than the fir. The initial 1 coat of epoxy smoothed out with quickfair is the only way to go. Quickfair sands so much quicker and easier than anything else. Rog...

Fir plywood is excellant material and I would never use anything but Fir......on an outhouse, or a shed but certainly nothing I would expect to bring me home when the wind kicks up. I laminated a pieceof fir plywood to a piece of marine plywood and before(thank God) I was to put it together I noticed that the plywood delaminated! And not where I glued it together, but between the plys! The cheapest material you can use for a boat is the best marine plywood you can afford. It will also finish up smoother with a lot less epoxy use as well (which saves money). The difference in cost of marine plywood is not enough to worry about! Rog...

Oyster- I built Jacque's XF20 and it floats in 1 to 2 inches of water. It has a pocket tunnel and a power jackplate with a shortshaft 30 hp Merc. They say that it will go full speed( in my case 17-18 mph) in 5 inches of water. I don't know. Every time I hang off the back of the transom at full speed with my face underwater I just can't manage to read the tape measure. Besides those danged old oysters keep hittin' me in the head.

Oyster has the best idea. Because that is exactly the way I did my boat. See: www.flickr.com/photos/sandyclaws/ Look at the bottom of page 2 in my flickr album. I used the plastic wire ties and made the fillets between them with oak sawdust and slow curing resin utilizing the gizmos I made pictured in the album. I put masking tape on the back side to hold the putty in place and also to minimize work afterward. After the fillets cured I removed the wire ties and sanded the fillet smooth and then filled in between where the wire ties had been. Then I applied the biaxial tape. The gizmo that I came up with worked out great as it kept the panels located properly and it allowed the proper gap for the epoxy. Try it...you'll like it! Rog...

Scott, just read where you would like a few more degrees of adjustment on your motor mount. :idea: What if you were to shorten the upper leg of the mount or move the fastening point :?: You could experiment on paper to get the correct angle. ex. If both legs were the same length and spaced the same distance apart the motor mount board would stay parallel to the transom mount. If you changed any of the dimensions,then the motor board would then be angled differently. Just a thought, haven't tried it myself. Rog...

Scott, I haven't been to the sight for a while but how do you like the Belhaven? Why all of a sudden do you want to build a motorsailer :?: Just a burning desire to make sawdust? I love the color you painted it! (the same color I painted my flatsboat) A motorsailer is a compromise boat isn't it? Having said that, The Macgregor 26 carries a 50hp, sleeps 4, has a waterballast to make trailering easier, and you can even waterski behind it. "Course, Ya won't be makin' sawdust if you buy one of those! I have been watching your progress on that Bellhaven. You've done a great job :!: Rog...

:cry: B&B, Where are you? :?: Site is still not up!