Hirilonde

The keels on both my Spindrift and Lapwing have bronze solid half round chafe strip the entire length. It is amazing how little damage is done to a boat with just this precaution. SS hallow half round works well too. Then it almost doesn't matter what you use so long as it hold fasteners well. Poplar does.

Varnish and Urethanes are 2 entirely different animals. One is an oil based product, the other is a plastic. There is no such thing as a urethane varnish. Like so many words in the English language the word varnish has been misused to mean any clear coating. As oil based paints have been proven to work well for these boats I would suggest real varnish. It will however add an amber translucent color.

it is the installation contractors fault. He should have used a level. I have installed seats and shelves in tile tubs/showers and I always set them slightly off level to drain.

Interesting question, I never even thought about it. My Lapwing main sprit weighs 4.3# with blocks and chafe gear. It is probably a tad shorter than a CS17. I interpret this to mean mine is still a bit lighter when corrected for length. Mine is DF.

Mark, check the plans. The Lapwing called for a 1 1/2"x1 1/2" tapered to round at both ends. Not sure that the octagon will mean much less meat in the middle, but that is where it is needed most.

What kind of wood wouldn't make that bend without steam?

Charly is a member here, and we were both members of the Classic Plastic forum. If he is interested I would recommend him. He may be off cruising his Rhodes Meridian.

It looks like the plywood was just butted. What David and Peter said.

I really like the detail of the sides of the raised deck/cabin on Southern Express. It makes the boat look leaner. Was that before they raised the cabin top? Anyway, I think it is the white above the blue that just makes all the difference. Commissioning a boat, if you can find a trustworthy builder who doesn't have to make a living building boats. I decided that if I were ever to build a Lapwing for someone I would have to get at least $35,000 (complete on trailer) And even then I wouldn't get rich. There are people how ever who enjoy it so much that they would build for a modest fee. Good luck with finding a solution. They are great boats.

AYC is beautiful wood. It shape well also. It is almost as nice for oars and spars as Sitka. My Lapwing oars are AYC. Flipping a Lapwing, especially at this point is so easy. No reason not to do so and put in the inwales. The Lapwing is one boat where the hull is a lot of the work. You are further along than it seems.

I tacked my cloth to the keel very 6" or so with thumb tacks.

I dare anyone to prove with evidence that it makes even a half pound difference for products to properly waterproof a SOF boat.

The order one does things in sure can make a difference.

I am looking to buy some line and epoxy. The epoxy seems to be out of stock, and there are no lines listed at all. Any word on when these will be available on line?

I bet all would work. You may need to do a little culling of the pile to find the right board, and may have to buy a bigger piece than you need so you can cut out the good part. Can you get Douglas Fir? I know first hand that it works well. On a side note, the lumber marking of SPF has always made me laugh. I never heard of a Spruce Pine Fir tree. It actually means that you don't know which you got as all were considered acceptable for the structural rating it was given.

Same, 3 coats.

Block plane and hand sanding......................

West System (the Gougeon Brothers) has done more to bring epoxy technology, additives, procedures etc to the general public than any company. They wrote the book.

If your epoxy were meant to be thinned, it would come that way. You are sacrificing tensil strength and ability to water proof when you thin it. In boat building there is no need to try and improve penetration into the wood. Epoxy bonds so well it just isn't necessary. And thinking that epoxy repairs rotten wood is delusion. It makes it hard, but does almost nothing for strength. It's what you do to avoid doing the proper repair. As to cleaning, vinegar, alcohol, mineral spirits and acetone all work. Citrus cleaners also work because they contain acid, like vinegar does. For really clean hands, I use alcohol or mineral spirits, then citrus cleaner.

When I built my Lapwing the plans called for a notch in the mast end of the sprits. As I understand it, in the early days, the snotter ran through a notch instead of a cheek block. So when I finally learned the updated version, I had to cut and inch plus off the end to lose the notch. Well, it matters. It is just too hard to get the sail as flat as I would like in a good wind. Step 1 Cut a scarf and epoxy on a longer piece

I don't understand why you would want to use goo either. If after painting you have a hole opened up along the seam from sewing, then maybe use a dab there. But use a paintable goo and only if you have to, and sparingly.

Thrillsbe, I get the part about catching the sails, but why do you have to unbend at night when crusing if you don't have this? Just tie them up to the sprits and use a topping lift. In Peter's case, with luff sleeves he can't drop his sails into the webbing anyway. I was going to build wishbooms with my boat. A few of us were discussing them about 10 years ago. I decided to try sprits first because so many, including Graham suggested I try them. And as we have all learned by now, we can change our minds and make the change happen. Now, I don't think I will ever bother. The big advantage to them is sail shape, and it just isn't that much of a thing. If cruising, and with track/slides it would be convenient to flake the sails into the net and leave it all hanging from the topping lift. But I don't cruise my Lapwing. If I raced, or cruised, I would have wishbooms w/track and slides.

I would suggest you start a thread either here in classifieds, or in the B&B section. Include where you live (general area) and how far you would travel to get it.

Hmmmm, interesting question. Can't say that anyone has asked it before. It's the weight when dry that matters, and how much of the material it takes to waterproof the boat. I don't know where you could get data on either.

It's taking a little adjustment in my views to get used to the changes. It just looks so different. The planking, the gains, etc look good. I am a bit befuddled though concerning your rig. You went to a lot of trouble to make varnished birdsmouth masts and then cover up most of them with a luff sleeve sail. You went the extra mile to build wish booms, which add a little to sail shape, but then used battenless no roach sails.