Doug Cameron

In terms of getting back on board, Michael Collins (Greybeard on the Watertribe) has a folding step on his transom. It’s a folding aluminum step like we have on fire engines. I wish I had taken a picture.

I mentioned it on Facebook. I will get there Friday afternoon. I'm camping in loop 3 and bringing the Core Sound 20 Mark 3 and maybe a Sassafras canoe.

Where the tack is attached is also important. On a reach, I put it on the windward rail next to the main mast so that the staysail is roughly parallel with the other two sails. Going downwind (really about 20 degrees off of downwind), let the main out forward of the mast (by the lee) and attach the tack of the staysail on the lee side of the main mast on the rail - the effect being a single large sail. The sheet goes to the block on the end of the mizzen boom and the halyard to an eye on the rail aft of the mizzen mast to support the mizzen mast. I simply secure the halyard to a cleat on the forward side of the mizzen when it is not in use.

I had previously built a CS 20 MK 1 from plans. That helped. I also spent 4 weeks at Graham's shop assembling the boat enough to put it on a trailer and take it home. By then, I wasn't going to box myself out of something by closing in a space before I had done all the work there. Only in putting on the motor mount (see my wife's funny video) did I not do something in a reasonable order. So, the answer is by luck and pluck did I get around not having builders notes. I did have to call Graham several times and I did ask for detailed drawings for things like the masts and rudder .

We built a dodger from a Sailrite kit. It came almost to the mizzen mast and provided a lot of protection for the off duty sailor and a good sleeping area using floorboards meant to bridge the area between the seat and the centerboard trunk. Pictures at http://capt-doug.blogspot.com/2012/02/completed-boat-work-on-core-sound-20.html I also think you should add the third mast step. It is not much rouble to add and provides an excellent option in a dismasting. It was designed for the sleeve sails without reefing, but it can be a godsend.

Nice pictures Chuck. I take the girls sailing there when I m teaching sailing at nearby Camp Merrie Woode. I need to bring my Core Sound up there.

Looks great Hal! When will you be bringing her East?

I'm so sorry. I did use treated wood as several have suggested. I sealed with epoxy, but I didn't know about the reaction with aluminum. Now to figure a way to heat and remove the wood plugs from the new boat. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Am I right to assume that the Messabout is the last weekend in October (October 30-31?

I'm working at camp in North Carolina, so can't send pics. The line goes through a fairlead on the bow, then past the tabernacle (with a stainless rub strake to keep from chafe) to a reinforced cleat aft of the forward bulkhead. I did not feel that the forward edge of the bow was strong enough. The boat moved around a bit at anchor the one night I spent on anchor. I need to play around with having the rudder and centerboard up and down and maybe a reefed mizzen out. The stove is mounted on the aft cabin bulkhead so as to swing free and allow steam to escape. The stove can be seen partway down on this page http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/12/howto/stoves/index2.html. It's the one on the left with the Coleman gas tank hanging below.

I put on a Trac aluminum motor bracket and a Trac mounting plate to be used with a Torquedo travel electric motor. That way I can get in and out of boat launches and not hold up all the bass boats. The cracked easily disconnects, leaving only the mounting plate. I've also been thinking about doing the EC as a Class 6, electric and experimental, and sailing from the finish to the start and then back, using g a solar charger and doing it as a cruise rather than going 24 hours. Just a thought - if I sit very still, maybe it will go away.

Putting a motor mount on the transom, I got into the locker while my wife held the wrench on the bolts outside. Then she decided to film me trying to get out. Next time I'll have to find a smaller person to do this.

On this rainy morning I have been watching the videos on selecting paint and painting your boat on offcenterharbor.com. These are excellent and informative, as are the other videos and articles. The only thing better would be spending time with Graham and Alan in the B&B shop. This is a paid site ($28.00 a year), but it's worth it.

Graham was thinking of putting the battery on the hull (cabin floor) just forward of the ballast tank. The box containing it could serve as a step down into the cabin (you need something to serve this purpose).

Hirilonde Hmm, does the mast rotate on a mk3 ? No. It's mounted in a tabernacle, which means a tricolor will stay properly oriented.

Story in Ductworks Magazine: http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/15/projects/core/index.htm#.VRPVhVxtz8E

Hal, you are right about the position of the tanks and their purpose. I have a cantilever plug in addition to the Andersen for bailing and filling. I plan to add an inspection tank to the aft air tank since I go up and down a thousand feet (at least) every time I sail. Graham was talking about installing a battery case just forward of the ballast tank that would also serve as a step. I'm now thinking of that.

Caulk - I use Life Caulk on bare epoxy with three screws to secure the plate. I'll tak it apart when I g home to figure out what happened. Ballast - we were very stable with one reef in each sail and thus saw no reason for ballast. We would have had to open the tank after launching and would be half way across the Bay before it filled. As it was, we shook out our reefs after leaving the Bay and never felt overpowered. The Mark III has a larger main than the Mark I (the mizzen was moved aft to accommodate rowing and the weighted centerboard and the water ballast allow for more canvas), so adjustments in the Main were the key in the shifting winds on the way back. We did add water ballast Sunday morning when beating against the very shifty winds as it turned to SE. And we dumped it (using the Andersen bailer) on the broad reach back North.

I forgot to mention that we did not use the water ballast.

The new CS 20 MK III performed flawlessly. It was dry and stable and comfortable. We left the beach with one reef in each sail. We were not challenged across Tampa Bay. In the steep chop off Anna Maria (~4 foot), a way over-canvassed i550 pitch-poled 150 yards in front of us (he was flying a code zero and an unreefed fat topped main). After turning the corner at Anna Maria, we were in the lee of the land about a mile off shore in one foot seas. We shook out the reefs and had our fastest sail ever to Stump Pass (arriving at ~3:45). Michael, exhausted from a business trip, even slept 2 1/2 hours. After all the fuss and disappointment from the cancellation, we sailed back to my truck at Ft. DeSoto. The cover of the bolt for the centerboard did leak a few gallons, and I will be consulting with Graham about better caulk.

Jay, two people could raise it with ease. With one person in the hatch, you would have a short lever arm to push a long arm. That's why I use the snatch block (you could use a carabiner) and a regular block) and halyard to hold up the heavier CS 20 mast. I guess you could also braze or epoxy the bolt in place, but it would still be difficult to bend down and put the fender washer and one-armed nut on the end of the bolt while holding the mast up.

Raising the mast - initially, you'll have to walk it up. I attach a snatch block to the bow and use the halyard to hold it while I push the bolt through. With a standard companionway and forward hatch, you'll need to figure out a way to manage this transition. If Graham needs to cut a different sized hatch, tell him now. Hardware for the ballast tank was included in mine, but I can't remember if I requested it. (screw-in hatch, plug, Andersen Bailer) The plans should include positioning and assembly of the cradle from 2 X 4 and 2 X 6 stock. Have them cut the particle board so that it is exact. This is a lot easier than forming the boat around the bulkheads and temporary stations like the Mark I.

Be sure you have enough weights on hand to hold them down while the epoxy hardens.

I'll be in my Core Sound 20 Mark III with Graybeard (Michael Collins). I understand that Alan and Paul Stewart are coming in their Core Sound 20, the current monohull record holder. Also a couple of ringers in Graham's EC22 Southern Skimmer and John Bell and Gary Blankenship in John's CS 17.

Inside compartments and out of the living areas of the cabin, I like to keep the epoxy bare. I can see if there is any water intrusion and UV (which breaks down epoxy) is not an issue on the inside. On the outside, if you are finishing bright, you need several coats of a varnish with a good UV inhibitor and keep recoating regularly.