MikeStevenson
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Posts posted by MikeStevenson
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Did a Weekender return to Mission Bay? That's pretty much where all our boats started out...
Mike
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Konrad's very right. You can't make design changes based on model specs. There are many aspects which don't scale in a linear manner.
Mike
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We've wanted to do a new sailcar for some years, but there's no place to sail them around here (without driving far too long.) I look forward to seeing your second-generation models.
Mike
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Looking pretty cool...I can't wait to see more!
Mike
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Long shallow vs. skinny-deep is a comparison of Aspect Ratio. High Aspect Ratio lifting surfaces (racy keels, sailplane wings, modern windmill blades, etc.) are more efficient than Low Aspect Ratio ones (barndoor rudders, Praarie windmills, etc.) The Weekender has a super-low aspect keel, but the lateral resistance afforded by the keel is only part of the story. In these boats the chine and the lower forefoot are a lot of the resistance to sliding off "downhill". We had a nice high-aspect centerboard on the boat and it wasn't that noticable in use. That's why it was dropped: It just didn't add that much to the boat. The High aspect rudder is kept as it reduces loads on the box, works much better than low-aspect ones, and is very easy to make. (And we never have had ANY trouble tacking and sailing with ours, though we do have a lot of stick time with these machines.) A foil-shaped rudder will probably be an improvement at low speeds, but personally it wouldn't be worth the time to me (though I'm curious as to whether there will be some revelatory deal when this is tested.) If you're curious to make one and enjoy the process, it doesn't seem like a bad idea at all. You may find a bit more drag at higher speeds though, and maybe some handling changes too.
Mike
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It looks great. I think you'll see an improvement. We use the flat stock as it's cheap, fast to build and works fine. Your foil will most likely work better. You may see a little change in rudder "feel" though. I'm looking forward to hearing how it works.
MIke
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Hi,
Our web hosting company is having trouble with its DSL and it will be at least two weeks before we have DSL again. I'm assuming people can see our site, but we're not processing for awhile (again...) and e-mails are a very sketchy deal.
With any luck we'll be back up in time for people to order for Christmas.
Mike
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Hi,
We're finally back at it. Our card service is still giving us trouble (since August?), but it's supposed to be working tomorrow. PayPal is already all out.
So there we are. Anyone waiting on whether we're still around can buck up: We're not off the map as yet.
Thanks for everyone's patience during all this.
Mike
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Wayne: Looks good. Is it still comfortable to sit up on the deck to hike out?
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I found a brace and some bits in my Grandfather's stuff. I've come to really like it and the way it works. Fits wood better than high speed drills.
Mike
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Tim:
I noticed cable slippage in one of the shots. Look at the shroud thimble on the port side (I think) in one of your shots. The thimble has rotated around.
Just thought I should give you a heads-up, and it sounds like you were already on your way to fixing it.
Cool.
Mike
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Great shots. Peter and I were impressed again by your big lake. Very pretty spot.
We did note one concern: you have only single cable clamps on your rigging. There should be TWO on each cable end. If you're using swaged sleeves (pressed with a proper tool, not a vise or something), you can use only one sleeve on these boats. Cable clamps need to be doubled up, especially if you're using plastic-coated cable.
In this case, you have ballast and a board; two added loads not in the plans.
Mike
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I just listened to Hall's first album and it's great! Well done Hall. His family is quite talented musically, as those of you who have the videotapes can hear. The music was done by Hall's son's group Blurring The Edges. Hall played drums on that earlier album, as he does on this new one. I suggest everyone go to Hall's page and buy the CD! Help support the arts!
http://www.hallsprague.com/music.html
Mike
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Great shots! Thanks for showing us!
Mike
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"Why no fenders over the side?"
A few reasons: It looks bad, it shows that you're not tending to all the little details (similar to table manners; they may seem unnecessary, but they show whether a person is sloppy or tidy and paying attention to details). When you're sailing it's an unwarranted drag too (not much, but certainly not somethingyou'd want when racing.)
Mostly it's just bad form.
As to other sloppy things, there's always the jib halyard tension problem one sees a fair amount. A really bad right-of-way problem we used to see probably a couple of times a month in San Diego (and which probably happens in any big port) was a sailboat trying to assert their "rights" in relation to a large ship (Destroyer, freighter, etc.) Big ships may be powered, but they're also [/i]burdened vessels which means they have the r-o-w.
Mike
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I must say, I'm impressed by the California fleet's willingness to drive around. I figured the primary opinion would echo Barry (as I kind of do...) San Diego would probably see us down there, but w/out a boat (not like we haven't done that area to death...plus we can probably bum a ride or two.) I'd actually be tempted to trail up to the S.Juans; I've heard too many nice things about the area.
It sounds like a Southwestern Fleet and a NorWestern one are the best idea, with anyone who's up for it crashing either group. The West-Coasters seem to be roughly in agreement that sailing is the aim, so as little organisation as can be gotten away with is preferred. Certainly fine by me. I think I'd probably want to spend my time at a meet exploring the water, informal races only in as much as anyone's headed in the same directions, and maybe beachfires, etc. Maximum time spent using the boats, as usually people have come in from pretty far off.
Mike
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Hi,
This is a bit of a squirrelly topic, so I apologise in advance for posting here, but I think most of the West Coast builders are on this forum rather than the BYYB one.
Having attended the Big Messabout in MD., we got to thinking about a West Coast version. Where becomes a big question. A lot of boats are in the WA/OR region, but then again there is a growing Southwestern Fleet. The SW group is thinking about Mission Bay (in San Diego), which has the advantages of being an ideal place for our boats (since we tested and photographed them there originally...) and close by for them. Not so close for us, and certainly not for anyone in the NW. There are also a fair number of boats in the Central areas of the coast but inland: Sacramento, NV, ID, UT.
We lean toward Tomales Bay quite heavily as an ideal spot for our boats.
There's usually lots of wind (but not too much), the water's pretty flat as the bay is very protected. It really is a fjord-type water, with a nearly impassable opening to the sea (at least I wouldn't want to try to sail it without a bit of local knowledge. It's a mid-California channel like Morro Bay's opening: potentially huge waves and a tiny slot to get through!) So the "bay" is really a salt water lake of sorts, surrounded by rolling hills of green and a forested headland to the west. Very picturesque, with a 1940's feel to the area (fairly consciously, as it's a protected region with severely limited development.)
All-in-all, a nice spot for a gathering. And as became apparent at the recent Big Meet, one needs local hotels and restaurants not too far off. There is a range of each within a not too long drive.
It's central in as much as it's about as far for either group, but it just may be too far altogether. The Sacramento and SFO area people would probably make it no sweat, but everyone else would have long hauls each way. On the plus-side, there's also Sausalito to explore if you've trailed your boat so far.
Given the distances out here, I suspect we'll never get a whole West Coast meet; probably NorWest and SouWest meets and maybe an inland West meet east of the Sierras.
Anyone want to chime in with ideas and/or take over the planning of a meet? I know we'd love to sail with more boats, but we're more into the sailing than the club aspects (meetings, minutes, seminars, etc.) We've just never been very into the club gestalt, but I know most people are more tolerant of this than we are (which is good, as a lot of good does seem to have come from the social aspect of club-scenes: people are helping out on each other's boats, etc.) Of course, a West-Coast meet could be run to less formal standards: "We're going to be at X-and-such on said date, be there or don't. You're on your own and bring what you want to BBQ and drink." We tried this with Tomales a few years ago and one fellow did show up to get a test-sail on a Weekender. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the few weeks a year without much wind...Perhaps next time.
Mike
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Have you thought of formalising your Alaskan Fleet? I'm not usually a big club joiner, but our recent trip to the big Messabout in Maryland made me realise that the BYYB people are doing a nice job and I'm going to pester people more now to join.
Mike
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They used to be called Mini-12's or something like that. We actually have one at my uncle's which has no rig. The hull is nice, deep and full, but nice. The deck is pretty well detailed. I don't know what the rig was like: accurate or practical (probably could be set up either way.)
Mike
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Guillermo,
I like the ascii sailing deal at the end of your note!
Mike
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There were a bunch of house projects. A semi-complete list (no promises-- I may have forgotten a few): The hot tubs (redwood and solar), Sewing Center, Gamekeeper, a couple of different greenhouses, popsickle-stick deck furniture (it looked like giant popsickle sticks, not made of them! went with one of the pools), Pool Cabana, Backyard Center, a bunch of playhouses in the Playhouse book, and all the pools (seven or eight I think.) Whew! Peter was busy, as those all overlapped with the boats too.
The hot tubs; Both were square, plywood of course, the Redwood one had lots of redwood details and the solar one was mostly plywood with solar panel covers which could be flipped open to get at the water.
Let me know if you have any questions...
Mike
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Cool! Precisely the intention of posting the plans.
I'm glad it worked! (And I imagine yours is not the only instance...)
Mike
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plans are FREE!!!!!! (just turn away Mike, turn away )
Sighh...I know, I was the one who posted them on our site. Since then we've had far more downloads of the plans than we ever sold physical copies. I don't have a total, but it's around 10K downloads now (we sold close to 7K plans over the twenty-odd years they were available.)
Since the Mini-Cup went on the site I have added a couple of other free plans from our old files. A lady really, really wanted a Sewing Center and we had run out. It was short and it fit our scanner so I did that one. Then the same thing witht he Sportfoil. I don't know if, when, or what will be next.
I was thinking of the Amphora, and someone at the BYYB has scanned the book supposedly. I'll see it when we go back in a few weeks.
Mike
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Fintan:
Nice job, both describing and building. I think that first sail test is a bigger step than painting or flipping the boat back and forth. At this point it's pretty much sailable!
Mike
Stevensons not answering emails?
in Main Forum
Posted
Hi,
These plans are going out tomorrow morning. Our server has been down off-and-on, but the company never tells us much as to why (and yes, i know I should get on a better web host.) I was in SF this weekend meeting with people, Susie's in San Diego, and Peter left on the first run to Texas Sunday AM. So no one's been around much lately to attend to Stevenson Projects stuff, but we do ship still on a two-week schedule mostly. When this house has to be emptied we will likely shut down for a month or so to move stuff. I'll post something on our site when we do.
Mike