Jknight611

Yep, that was us at “Army Hole” during the Texas 200. Graham was there in Carlita and has written a recap of the adventures on B&B’s website. I think the CS MK series is the perfect boat for sailing that event.

It is really not sideways! Hope to launch next week at a friendly shipyard travelift. Solar panels are all working great, hope to motor around a bit and test the Torqeedo pod drive. 4-1 on the mainsheet sure makes a pile of sheet!

Very nice article about Ken’s Outer Banks 26 in this month’s Small Boats Magazine. Certainly is a beautiful boat, has some good photography too! It does look like it is the perfect boat for their lifestyle on Salt Island.

We have lowered both masts on my CS20.3, not hard at all, as long as there isn’t much rolling of the hull. (Water needs to be pretty smooth, just takes 4-5 minutes) We put on a show at a water front restaurant when we lowered our masts to duck under a train bridge in place of waiting till the scheduled opening time.

Hi Don, PM the details please, I currently plan on an epoxy primer/Awlgrip system.

Thanks so much everyone, working on masts now, maybe in a week or so I can show you what it looks like with masts up!

And the name shall be “KALOS”. In the New Testament, Greek lexicon beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable beautiful to look at, shapely, magnificent good, excellent in its nature and characteristics, and therefore well adapted to its ends genuine, approved precious And who doesn’t think their boat is all that!

The hull is nearly completed, just some fiddly stuff to complete, another coat of varnish in the cabin, and touch up some paint. Masts are nearing completion. A few minor trailer things to resolve. Then on to a travelift so we can complete the Coppercoat and see the centerboard go up an down!

Thanks Don and Ken! Appreciate it!

Just about time to update my build photos of the Flinders project. I’ll be putting it on the trailer this week, then completing the masts. The big solar panel on the cabin powers the Torqeedo, there will be 2 on the stern rails to power the cabin house load. Someday I’ll take photos with all the clutter picked up…..no, that is my version of picked up!

Hi Don, Thanks for the tip! The new hardware has a MUCH higher finish, (it’s shiny) and the galling issue has abated. I am sure being stainless it is possible but with the original hardware practically every fastener was effected. Fortunately my keel on the Flinders is attached with the gourmet hardware, 2 inches of fiberglass and a epoxy bed, any one of which should make the lead arrive the same time as the rest of the boat!

Thanks Mark, I have been using Grainger with fairly good results. It is has been a problem getting quality hardware! Long drive for you but the Messabout is a great time!

Hi all, in building our Flinders 246 I have developed a respect for quality hardware. I had used some stainless steel bolts from our favorite point and click online retailer that would break so easily I was concerned they were made of compressed pasta. I removed all the what later I found out was sold as 18-8 stainless. Replaced all the hardware on previously installed and found this wasn’t really unusual for galling/breakage of the chinesiem hardware. I replaced all the hardware with 316 stainless hardware, (still probably imported) the strength/cost ratio is favorable!

Hi Steve, we have narrowed the name down to 23 different names, but yet may change our collective minds. So, not really!

Thanks Ken an Joe, progress has been a little slo lately, many different excuses! But back on track!

After all the priming an sanding I couldn’t figure out a reasonable way to paint all in one shot. So I painted the hull, will give the paint a day or two to get used to not being in a can, then drape the hull then shoot the deckhouse.

Sounds like a reasonable scheme to me, the “art” of boatbuilding sometimes seems to be the art of injuneerin workarounds. Brush some unthickened epoxy, followed by thickened, glass, unthickened to fill the glass, epoxy primer who would know!

I like the mount, very nice! Bronze is practically the perfect metal on boats. On your plan of removing the motor, I made a multipurpose socket on the transom of my CS20.3 with the intention of removing the 2.5 Suzuki when underway. I think that happened exactly twice, once still in the marina for a week long trip. Even the 2.5 Suzuki is heavy hanging over the transom, and the chance of dropping it or gouging the deck/sole with the scag. Just didn’t work for me!

Agree on sewing colored twine ( I snagged some colored tracer twine from an old halyard), that has worked fine for us. 1 stripe for 1 reef, and well you can see the pattern…..

Put it on, rub it off, repeat then once more! I think I am ready for the base coat of 545 primer to give a uniform color base for the paint. Starting masts now too! A bunch larger than Southern Express’s!

Had the same problem Don, on this primer I simply went to the hardware store and bought a bunch of 1/4 nap cheap rollers with the intention of changing then at the first sign of delamination. Didn’t have any problems at all! I have a bunch of the yellow foam Wooster 1/8 foam roller cover. Now, who in the heck can ‘splain to me these gourmet roller covers are 7 inch long…..and all I can find are the 9 inch frames! I tried to cut the 7 inch in half but that started the delamination process almost immediately.

Hi Joe, the 545 primer is super easy to roll on, I am thinning it about 20%. Just rolled it on. It is easy to give it a light sanding over sanding scratches, kinda highlights them! Remember Carlita made her debut in gray 545 before the spiffy red/white livery. I have yet to decide if I spray or roll the Awlgrip. We rolled our CS20.3 and it came out reasonable. Spraying Awlgrip takes a lot of PPE, and it will be midsummer!

On to the next phase! Awlgrip epoxy primer 545.

If the Awlgrip masters smile upon my it WILL be at the Messabout