Peter HK

The answer is Beer Peter HK

Admission time. Back in 2006 when I started building my CS17 I made one measuring error (I blame it on that stupid imperial feet and inches nonsense instead of the sensible metric system I was used to). It meant I ended up with a scarfed panel which was a bit short. I scarfed a short piece on to get it to the right length and it caused no problems other than to my equanimity. If you do have to add a piece it wont be a problem. Cheers Peter HK

I've read that Jarrah oxidises very quickly when cut and this oxide layer can impair bonding with epoxy. It is said that even an hour is too long and it is best to sand the jarrah immediately before applying epoxy. No personal experience but I suppose it is better safe than sorry. Cheers Peter HK

Back in the 80's there was a multihull designer here in Australia who recommended that one of his designs with ply decks could be built with steel staples to attach the ply arguing that as it was going to be covered in glass and epoxy then they wouldn't rust. History proved him wrong and soon all the boats had little lumps form on the decks with a rust mark. The swelling of the rust cracked the glass over every staple and let in more water so rot and rust accelerated. It was quite a job removing all those staples and repairing the rotten areas I think that everyone needs to remember that epoxy is very waterproof but not absolutely waterproof. I'll keep using stainless/bronze. Cheers Peter HK

I'll attach a few pics of my clew end reefing lines. The main reefing line starts as a loop around the boom goes up to and is fed through a snapshackle at the reef point then goes down to a block at the clew, is led forward through an entry hole internally (aluminium sprit) to an internal turning block and then led aft to an exit hole and cleat about halfway along the sprit. This so I can tension the line when standing in the forward cockpit. The mizzen reefing line is the same except it is led forward to an exit hole and cleat at a convenient place for me to stand near the mizzen mast and reach halyard/downhaul/reefing line without having to move much. You can see the reefing line on the mizzen hanging down below the sail in photo 2...this shows the position quite well. The line in the cleat in photo 3 is actually the topping lift adjustment - the reefing line is similarly cleated but further forward. Here is a link to a short video of me demonstrating reefing the main on the water...you can see how I pull the reefing line on the spritboom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAwkd45H1uU Cheers Peter HK

I think the comments re the main are for the original sheeting system which in my plans (circa 2006) show the sheet going through a block near the forward edge of the thwart and then via a fairlead to a clamcleat on the coaming. It is easy to sit on and not so easy to use especially when hiking. Many of us use something like these http://www.ronstan.com.au/marine5/product.asp?prodno=RF67 which work very well. To keep the thwart free for rowing just place them wide enough so you can sit between them. As you said earlier you can fit an RF5 on the mizzen mast instead of an RF67 on the thwart. Cheers Peter HK

As everyone has said it is simply personal preference. I like having the sheet to hand in front of me and near the mainsheet so everything can be adjusted without having to move around the boat. I don't have oars (only a paddle) so the loss of rowing seat is no concern to me. I have an outboard on a bracket to use if I have to (and the bracket keeps the sheet from catching on the motor) but mostly sail everywhere. The only disadvantage with this system is there is a little more friction which means in very light conditions (like 1-2 knots) the mizzen boom won't ease out as well as the main and needs a push. As to type of block they are Ronstan ball bearing blocks suitable for up to 8mm line http://www.ronstan.com.au/marine5/range.asp?RnID=004a Cheers Peter HK

I'll attach a few pics of mine that might help. The only thing I couldn't find was a photo showing the fairlead on the underside of the sprit boom about half way along which just prevents the sheet from sagging too much and catching on things. Cheers Peter HK

This overcomes the beard issue http://www.duckworksbbs.com/tools/resp/ Cheers Peter HK

Displacement at designed water line. The total weight of boat, crew and gear for which the boat is designed will result in the boat floating at that waterline. It indicates what the designer thinks is a reasonable load for the boat as designed. Obviously this is a guide not an immutable law. Heavier loads (to some degree) would be OK especially in more protected waters. Lighter is always better for performance. Of course sailors always want maximum speed while taking along the kitchen sink. Cheers Peter HK

I had the same problem. I think it is more likely now that we use non stretch line with small diameters- it cuts through the ply lamination more readily. I have a breakaway cleat on the downhaul and have adjusted it to let go a little earlier. I repaired it much as Paul described above but did add an extra. My rudder has a routed groove for the downhaul and it split at the base of the groove where it met the drill hole leading to the hole for the knot. At that point where the crack started I drilled a hole through the ply and epoxied in a piece of 6mm pultruded fibreglass rod (very tough stuff), thus preventing the line from easily getting into the laminations. Probably overkill. Cheers Peter HK

In general pram dinghies offer the best load carrying/stability for length. The spindrift would be a better sailer but if you are going to motor/row then the catspaw would be a better choice...lighter & shorter. Coming from an inflatable however you might appreciate the catspaw 9- same weight as the spindrift but better load carrying and probably better suited to the 4hp motor. Any hard dinghy will less stable (in terms of initial stability) than your avon (for standing in to lift up the dog for example) so the bigger catspaw would again be a better choice from this point of view. Always compromises. Cheers Peter HK

I'll try to help but hope I don't confuse you. On my boat I have permanent reefing lines - this includes a downhaul to the reef point on the luff. In the photos below you will see 4 lines led aft to cleats from blocks at the base of the mainmast. The one at the front of the mast (white/ red fleck) is the snotter...led all the way back to the aft cockpit. The one aft of the mast on the port side is a double standup block for the downhaul and reefing line...with just a downhaul to the tack this only needs to be a single block... blue line led aft to the cockpit. The one aft of the mast to starboard is the main halyard(yellow)...led aft to the forward cockpit which is where I reef the main. Ignore the black/red fleck line which is a reefing line. Cheers Peter HK

I had a few drips of epoxy on the paint after painting and removed them easily with a scraper used gently. They weren't very adherent as the surface was smooth. Using a little heat (heat gun on lowest setting) can help if they are more firmly stuck. Cheers Peter HK

Chick Ludwig said Designer, understood. Just want to clarify the reefing situation for Thrillsbe and others. On a boat without the third mast step, what would you do? Someone was telling me about a sleeve luff sail with a very deep pocket that would allow the sail to be lowered enough to reef. I have built a boat with the Wharram style large luff pocket...a gaff rigged schooner...and it certainly works well with the sail cloth collapsing into little folds very well. You can't use it with a sprit boom though because the snotter connection gets in the way....it only works with a standard boom (and is better with a gaff rig). Any sleeve arrangement around the front of the mast can't work well with a snotter attachment. You also can't have full length battens with such a pocket. Overwhelmingly the best arrangement to reef with a sprit boom is with sail track. My 2c worth Cheers Peter HK

Dnjost said while we are discussing reefs and rigs, I am installing the rig with track and slides. Since I will have two reefs per sail, will i ever really be using the alternate mast step position? I now have two lovely mast/mizzen tubes, and am considering not going with the alternate position. Opinions? Does anyone use the third position? There is no point in the third position with proper reefing of main and mizzen. The ability to have a low COE rig will give more drive with less heeling force and you can still adjust for balance and heave to with the mizzen in tight. Too many advantages to consider the third reefing position not even thinking about the difficulty of dropping masts and shifting one on the water in 30 knots! Cheers Peter HK

It possibly might do so. From the Gougeon brother's book: Plastic—Adhesion varies. If a plastic is impervious to solvents such as acetone, epoxy generally will not bond to it. Soft, flexible plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, and Plexiglas fall into this category. Hard, rigid plastics such as PVC, ABS, polycarbonate, and styrene provide better adhesion with good surface preparation and adequate bonding area. After sanding, flame oxidizing (by quickly passing the flame of a propane torch over the surface without melting the plastic) can improve bonding in some plastics. This suggests that chemical effects could be similar. I suppose a test bonding would give the answer. Flaming costs nothing and takes next to no time and comes with a recommendation from experts so I'd probably stick with that. Cheers Peter HK

From memory the Gougeon brothers of WEST fame have recommended flaming the surface of pvc as well as sanding prior to epoxying. It only needs a few seconds (not burning). I have done it in the past and it seems to remove the waxy feel from the plastic. So far none of the epoxy/pvc bonding I've done has failed- about 15 years so far. FWIW Cheers Peter HK

I would suggest ordering sails with reef points initially as it's easier and cheaper when making the sail rather than adding later. Then they are there if and when you want them at a later time. Cheers Peter HK

?Lagavulin- one of my favourites Cheers Peter HK

The only 2 reasons I can see for the coaming to be above deck height are; 1 Aesthetics- I think it looks better 2 To keep rain out of the cockpit when camp cruising- otherwise, even with a cockpit tent, rain will track from the foredeck down the side decks and onto the cockpit seats and wet everything. This really only applies if you are trying to stay/sleep/cook etc onboard which I have not yet done (but intended to when I put the coaming on). So far I've always camped on shore with a tent rather than sleep onboard. Lennie - that cloth looks like chopped strand mat with a cloth backing- not something I'm familiar with. Cheers Peter HK

I made some hiking seats for mine. They do make hiking more comfortable but not completely comfortable. They are tapered and rounded and at the inner edge are the same height as the coaming, about 3/4 inch. If I were to do it again I'd make the inner edge of the seat a little higher than the coaming as currently I still feel a little pressure on the back of the thigh where the coaming is and I don't get the full comfort benefit of the rounded inner edge of the seat. They do keep the crew weight in the right position in the middle of the boat though. Cheers Peter HK

I did keep track of the hours just for interest when I built my CS17- from memory it was about 460 hours all up including rigging. I imagine the lapstrake hull would take 10-20% more. Cheers Peter HK

Are you sure that was biaxial knitted fabric? It looks like that was woven cloth with the way the fibres shifted although the pics are a bit blurry. When doing an edge with woven cloth the piece needs to be cut on the diagonal (45 degrees) when it will conform quite nicely and the fibres will stay together better. I can't imagine knitted biax falling apart as it's held together by the stitching. Cheers Peter HK

Great post It's missing the smiley face though Since the centreboard case is in the way it could only improve the upwind performance on one tack Cheers Peter HK