Peter HK

I chose the Suzuki. Almost the same weight but the suz is quieter and I prefer the F/N gear box to the centrifugal clutch. cheers Peter HK

Years ago I epoxy coated a foredeck for a small dinghy and set it aside for a few weeks while I was building the hull. It cracked when I tried to fit it, yet had easily bent when I first fitted it weeks before. My first lesson in epoxy post curing (hardening of epoxy over time- somewhat temperature dependent). Since then I precoat panels on a flat table not long before I fit them so they are still flexible. Ideally, I like to hot coat while the epoxy can still have a chemical bond but that's not always possible. Cheers Peter HK

Here in Australia we use metric so I work on the 10 metre rule Cheers Peter HK

Looks spectacular I think a bit of fiddling with luff and snotter tension will probably sort out the sails- looks not enough on the photo- inducing a bit of mast bend would be good. Might need more batten tension on the full length ones as well. Always good fun to get the final adjustments just so. Cheers Peter HK

Agree If you don't know Michael Leunig's poem "Ode to a Jet Ski Person" here's a link https://www.facebook.com/MichaelLeunigAppreciationPage/posts/ode-to-a-jet-ski-person-jet-ski-person-selfish-finkmay-your-silly-jet-ski-sinkma/206136656239228/ Cheers Peter HK

No Wait till you really take a chunk out of it- like we all have- before bothering to repair it When you do repair it some on this forum recommend soaking a piece of line in epoxy and gluing that on the edge to reinforce it. I haven't tried it. Since people are recommending extra reinforcement you can rest assured this is a common event. Cheers Peter HK

I've tried this and it works fairly well but only when fully hoisted. A parrell is actually better especially if you have a reef. My parrell (a light line with wooden beads from the craft shop) stays on the mast trapped between the halyard fitting and the snotter attachment. It has a small snaphook to attach to the yard so only takes a second to rig. Cheers Peter HK

This is what I made to build it on Cheers Peter HK

I have a Welsford Golden Bay dinghy ( about 12 ft) which has a standing lug. I don't find the tensions are any issue with a 2:1 downhaul. It's only a small sail so I can't see that being much of a problem. Cheers Peter HK

From the B and B website- looks like you haul it all the way up Cheers Peter HK

Sure How easy depends on your experience in boat building. If you had built a CS17 you wouldn't be asking the question- with plywood /timber/epoxy and glass you can easily do that modification. Just cut out what you don't want, epoxy and glass in what you do and paint over. If you have no experience with epoxy/timber boat building it will likely be a bit more challenging but by no means impossible. I remember the first time I attempted something like this- it was to cut out rotten ply seats/buoyancy chambers in an 8ft dinghy (polyester hull) and make new ones. The first few attempts to fit the ply and epoxy them in were agricultural to say the least but with enough filling and sanding it worked out Ok. By the time I'd finished even this little job my skill level had dramatically improved. After I painted it I got compliments on the "very nice" dinghy. HTH Cheers Peter HK

My 4 stroke suzuki 2.5 hp was quieter than my 2hp stroke yamaha but inevitably heavier (13.5 kg vs 9.8kg) Twin cylinders are smoother but not much quieter and weigh a lot more. On balance I prefer the noisy lightweight motor. Noise cancelling headphones? Cheers Peter HK

Hi Plywood is generally not considered a great choice for rudders and centreboards as the grain is not running in the right direction on alternate laminations and hence provides no strength. On a high aspect ratio rudder like this it would be better to do the traditional plank/ rip into several lengths/ alternate them to minimise warp and glue back together. I consider ply mainly as a core and would use plenty of glass for strength if using ply. I don't think having a squarer profile would make much difference to drag (although in theory the tip vortex is minimised with a narrow tip). HTH Cheers Peter HK

I didn't make a mizzen tube on my CS17 and had a classic mast step. I wouldn't on a lapstrake boat from the aesthetic point of view. The mizzen mast was very easy to raise/step without one. Cheers Peter HK

Hi Samantha Congratulations on the new project. I'll add my 2c worth. There is absolutely no doubt epoxy coating flat sheets of ply on a table is much faster and easier and I have done this many times. There are some problems. If you do 3 coats and leave the panels for some time they become inflexible and can crack when trying to fit to the boat. You do have to wash/sand/correctly prepare the pieces for taping/gluing when you need them. You only get a mechanical bond rather than a chemical one which is not quite as strong- I prepare any edges for taping carefully. I have chosen a middle path of precoating- usually 2 coats- and trying to do it not long before fitting if possible and hot coat if possible. I've never had a well prepared epoxy/glass joint fail but I do remember one 25 years ago when I didn't prepare the surfaces well on a modification and when doing a further modification some years later was surprised by how easily the tape lifted off. In summary- careful preparation of the precoated panels will be fine- mechanical bonds are how epoxy primarily sticks to the wood after all. Cheers Peter HK