PeterP

Sounds reasonable to me except your epoxy will chip like crazy. Every time you drop the mast on the edge you will flake some off. That stuff IS brittle. Nevertheless, I am giving you an A for inventive thinking . PeterP

Ignoring the fact that most so called oils have some kind of stain in them- here is one possibility for you to consider : To get the natural look of wood do varnish over epoxy. What gives varnish away is the wet look or shine factor. So to get around that hand rub the last couple of coats on with a lint free wad. Version of the French polish if you like. You get the benefits of epoxy encapsulation, UV protection of varnish, depth without the artificial shine. PeterP

Greg, I have the same tendency. Graham said he saved a lot of money by making his own bed and other parts. It's definitely a sweet set up. It would give Tim the Toolman goosebumps. PeterP

Stopped by B&B yesterday to pick up some plywood and excercise my freedom of speech a little bit.Graham and Karla are ever such gracious hosts -something that is only natural in Graham's case who happens to be as southern as you can possibly get. Anyhow, Graham ended up showing me his CAD/CAM machine and I have to tell you. I have built two houses and enough furniture to fill them both as well as four of Graham's boats. You could say I have a fair bit of wood working experience. I've also had enough compliments to make me feel comfortable about my skill. However,the stuff I saw Graham do with his machine yesterday is simply unbelievable. In the time it would take me to set up draw out and double check ONE plywood sheet he can just about cut out the entire CS 17. Where I normally shoot for 1/16"-1/8" with occasional 1/4" and the rare 3/8" his joints are so consistently tight you don't see daylight through them. I saw a pram on saw horses he is working on and a CS 17 kit getting ready to ship out that left me astonished. I vividly recall all those temporary cleats I had to use- drywall screws, clamps and wire with enough tension to hit high C to get stuff to fit together half decent. His pram fit all together with his brand of dovetails and a few wire ties. The fit is unbelievable. The kits are definitely the way to go. I AM IMPRESSED! PeterP

I remember I had the same problem when I built my 20. This was the first 20 and it so happened that Graham landed a big powerboat job at the same time so details for the twenty were slow in coming. I decided that since I would probably spend more time sitting inside the boat than anything else I knew I wanted the plane of the seats to be be nice and level. Using strings and working with existing stringers I defined the seats to my liking. Then using the top of the seat plane for reference I worked back to check and level the rest of the boat. It took me two or three hours but at the end I had the seat tops as flat as a pool table with strings and temporary battens defining all major surfaces. The rest of the boat followed suit. And you know what- everything pretty much checked out. Within 1/4" at most. Don't bet on your glued-in stringers to be perfect. No two ever come out the same. Do your best but don't sweat the small stuff. Let your eye be the final judge. If she doesn't float exactly on her designed water line you can always help the trim with some loose ballast. Unless you screw it up big time she will come out just fine. The nightmare about her floating like the Titanic in the movie poster is not going to happen. And trust the plans. PeterP

I use a Garmin 60Csx. Works in the car off the 12 V and will do 18 hrs off 2 AA in the boat. It gives your position speed, distance covered among other things. Maps, waterproof - the works -I really like it. PeterP

That'll work. On 27th I am having a shoulder surgery. After that I'll be glad to show it to you. PeterP

There is one ten footer behind my house in Greenville, NC. PeterP

I too swear by the Bosch. Be sure to get the anti splinter insert - a little plastic dodah sold by the company that virtually eliminates tear out in the thin veneers. PeterP

If I were going for speed and efficiency in a two man boat I'd go for two staggered oars. They would be longer - yes -but heck of a lot more potent and still half the lumber to stow inside. Also, if you are the aft guy, your kidney will thank you every time you catch a crab. I would definitively put a bungee cord keeper on the tiller to keep me going straight while rowing. PeterP

Here are some pics from St Michael's. First time I've been up there and would highly recommend it to anyone. Graham and Tom did win the race as is their custom- by the way. PeterP

Pretty awesome, is September the best time to do this? Also, do you need a permit cum put-your-name-on-a-waiting-list like in The Boundary Waters? PeterP

Scot, my SD 10 has 200" mast overall length. Wood to wood. The center of my gooseneck is 34 1/4" from the bottom of the mast which is about 13'10" measured from the other end. It is riveted on. Two caveats -my boat is 17 years old (sail No 12) so things could be different now. Or possibly I screwed up back then and do not remember any more. Anyway, I do not think one inch will make any difference either way but if your luff sleeve does not fit right you can always redo the top plug. Sorry , can't help you with the clam cleat- my set up is different. PeterP

I have had some practice doing turtles in Graham's boats. All of them are real easy to get back up - even the big ones. The ten will come up almost as easy as it goes over. Make sure the main sheet is free so the sail does not load up with water as it comes out of the water. Make sure the board is fully extended. If you do this quickly enough after capsize the boat will be floating high on its side with the sail slowly sinking. Grab the board and and start pulling yourself up on it to lever to boat up. Grab the gunnel as it comes within reach and push with your foot on the board. The boat will bob up. Slowly first -the motion accelerating as the water spills from the sail. First time you do it it will snap back up so quick it will catch you by surprise. The boat will round up into the wind and the water inside will steady it. Best way to get back into the (regular) 10 (if you are alone) is over the stern.( Like a canoe) I never flipped my 17 but I had to swim out once to do it for a diabetic who was in difficulties. Not counting the swim I think it took no longer than two to three min to do it by myself. Naturally, if you have to flip, try to do it in warm water. Always carry a bailer. (Chlorox scoops are cheap and wanderful) PeterP

I second Steve on the jet ski trailer. Got mine for FIVE bucks! The guy was too embarrassed about the condition of it. But for an old bin diver like me she was pure gold. New bunks & carpet. New bearings and one tire. All from a farm supply store where there is no marine premium. I must not forget a new light kit. I reckon about $60 -$70 all up. ;javascript:void(0); GrinDPeterP

One coat of epoxy will not make your plywood any stiffer yet at the same time it will not do much to waterproof it either. You should really do at least 3 coats to waterproof (Whole lot stiffer there). And that goes better and quicker wet on wet. Also, if you plan to glass it 'takes' better on raw wood. And you save yourself the sanding cured epoxy b4 glassing. But I do agree with KIDD - spreading epoxy is most comfortable on flat surface over sawhorses. Also, some pieces have to be coated b4 you put them in the boat otherwise you'll never get to them later. PeterP

My daughters were exactly the same age when I built the Spin 10. That was some 15- 16 years ago. My kids learned to sail in that thing and let me tell you that nothing warms dad's heart better than seeing his babies sail in a boat he put together himself. Still have her, in fact I am in a process of resurecting her after all these years for the sweetheart- in- chief who decided that- is- the- best- boat-ever- and -God-bless -Graham. Hoping to have some pictures of Lil'Red for you all as soon as I can figure out how to post them.PeterP

How much do you plan to use your boat? Will it stay in the water all the time or will it sit on a trailer? I am refurbishing a Spin 10 for my wife - that I built 15 years ago and I am amazed how well it has lasted. Three kids sailing lessons and all. I used D. fir for breast hook and corner knees. It looks better now than when I put it in - it developed nice rich reddish brown color. I used ash for rub rail and it is still sound though it looks spotty. Bare ash will go black in water if you turn your back on it for 5min. Got to keep it coated. I've used cherry in laminations such as hatch covers on 17'- once mixed with mahogany because I ended up short of mahogany. It worked out way better than I deserved. The color is a perfect match. The cherry will darken in the sun. The point is you can use non traditional woods and still get good results. Use epoxy to keep water away from wood and UV block to protect the epoxy and you'll be fine.PeterP

I want make sure we are on the same page here; the keel batten is inside the boat so it should not get that much abrasion. Nothing several good coats of epoxy could not handle. At the same time it provides back up for the keel and should hold screws well. Cedar is way too soft for that. I've had good luck with clear yellow pine. Go get some 5/4 corner stock from your building supply - 1x5" for your seventeen. Make sure to get some vertical grain to keep it dimensionally stable. It should be about couple bucks a foot. For your keel: go with white oak if you can get it , ash is good too. Run a SSteel half round for the shoe. ( sold at Jamestown)PeterP

Here's an idea I've been toying with - mentally. Sew two 6 in pockets on your luff - say six feet apart holes facing each other in the area of baggy sail. Get an old fibreglass batten a bit longer than the spacing of the pockets. Insert batten when you want to furl/reef and furl away. The bow in the batten should take up your baggy excess at every turn. Yours to try and no you're not allowed to come after me with the batten if it does not work! PeterP

I think that is the biggest problem with cypress. Too much sap wood. Soaks up water you'd swear there's a camel in there sucking it up. Like treated wood it may not rot but it will tear itself apart eventually. Rip it, reglue it - make your own quarter sawn. Saturate the end grain to keep it dimensionally stable. I have floor boards that I made out of cypress seven years ago and they look like new. But I had them in an oil bath for a week b4 I pressed them into service. PeterP

Kind of reminds me of when I build a CS 17 in our sun room (which is accessed through a big french door from the dining room). The kids slapped some blue paper on the glass with some palm cut outs higher up. It almost looked like we had a boat on our doorstep. Perfect view to go with my morning cup. Too bad the wife just could not stomach the epoxy on the carpet. By the way the seventeen WILL go through 2'8'' door on its beam ends in case some of you are considering it. ( B4 the keel is put on that is) PeterP

It is exactly that. Serious. PeterP

I got the rope-in-the-centerboard/rudder-trick from Tom Lathrop. He told me to use leftover braided line. It takes epoxy very well and does not go rock hard when cured. Mine has held up extremely well over the years.PeterP