meester

Maybe I just have a thing for blue boats, but that looks sweeeet!

Rounding the corners is a neat trick. Thumbs up.

Hi Richard, I'm curious about something i see in the photo. Over the center line, under the cockpit sole, it looks like a series of hand-sized holes in maybe an A-frame structure. What's that structure? Is this area part of the water ballast tank, or sealed-off bouyancy? Or ... a wine cellar?

HI Viktor, About tending the mizzen: On my boat, the mizzen sheet is cleated on the stern bench, and the snotter is above the transom. I do have to reach back for these controls, ( @Don Silsbe is this what you meant?) but it's a small boat, and the controls could be led forward if needed. I don't think there's any need to be leery of the cat ketch rig. It's powerful, manageable, race-proven and good-looking. I'd be very surprised if the B & B didn't have good rowing configurations for all of the Core Sound boats. My impression is that tent design requires creativity on just about any boat. See this thread for some ideas: https://messing-about.com/forums/topic/12937-making-a-tent-for-a-sailboat/. Bob

"She's fast enough for you." https://youtu.be/bosSsgzgenA?si=bKpTyTQsPgyMXNDi Hi Jonathan, I enjoyed meeting you too. First off, the CS 20.3 is a freaking rocket. My boat is respectably slower than the CS 17. Some of that difference might be waterline, and some might be the sail plan. I don't think I've had a chance to compare against a CS15 with the designed cat ketch sail plan. That'd be interesting. if the 20 and 17 are grade "A+" on speed, my boat is probably "A-". I think that there are important differences between various lug sail designs. The sail I use is designed for Michael Storer's Goat Island Skiff. Storer has been tweaking and racing standing lugs probably more than anybody, so I trust that the sail design is a well-optimized lug. The yard rises at a steeper angle than many others, maybe to create a higher aspect ratio. When I'm sailing in company with other camp cruisers and trailer sailors, I think my boat is usually one of the faster ones. Some of that is boat and some is technique. Beyond basic sail trim, I'm always trying to avoid dragging the transom. If the transom is down in the water, it creates a trail of turbulence, which is wasted energy. On the other hand, the skipper who's relaxed in the stern enjoying the sky and water is also winning, right? In retrospect, if the lug yawl rig sacrifices some speed, it hasn't been a big sacrifice. Sailing performance is still pretty good.

@Viktor Steimle Hi Viktor, that's my Core Sound 15 with the lug yawl rig. Check out the build log, and let me know if you have any questions.

@Don Silsbe Thanks for the photos! What's a substack app?

About the lug setup, a loose loop of line will definitely work to keep the yard close to the mast as Don suggests. Other traditional solutions include adding parrell beads, or using a wooden or iron hoop. I use the "Storer loop" with a hook lashed to the yard. It's very quick to rig and derig. The halyard comes back from the throat end of the yard, passes around the mast opposite the yard (not really a wrap) and catches the hook on the aft side of the mast, then up to the top of the mast. When I derig, I leave the halyard tied to the end of the yard. I only remove the halyard from the hook, loosen the downhaul, and bundle the boom, sail and yard. Next the mast comes down and -- done. As Don said, try stuff and see what works for you. Keep up the good work! Bob

I can't tell whether your block-hook-wingnut rig has this problem, but it's essential that the tiller "lock" doesn't actually lock the tiller. It should just add friction - so you can move the tiller if you need to. I use just a cord with a wrap or two around the tiller. It's not perfect, but it works well enough for me to leave the tiller alone for a minute or two. The next level would be to add some bungee to maintain tension. Running the halyard back to where you can release it is a great idea. It's important to add blocks and cleats to keep it tidy, though. Bad things can happen if your halyard gets tangled with the main sheet or your feet or something.

The Amanda's lug rig has a shorter mast - roughly the length of the boat, I think. That could make a difference if you have storage constraints. For the kind of sailing I like to do, the ability to raise and lower the sail allows me to take a break from sailing without enduring a flogging sail or going ashore. In the Spindrift's favor, you can't beat the zip sleeve for simplicity. That's about all I can think of in terms of technical differences. There are minor differences in performance that won't matter unless you are racing. Aesthetically, I think lug sails are just way cooler, but that's me. Choosing the design is a fun part of the build process. Ultimately, I think the purpose of the boat is to give you grins. If your eye just keeps coming back to one or the other design, you might want to pay attention to that. There's no wrong choice. (Except maybe a PWC - that'd be wrong.) Enjoy! Bob

I suggest keeping it simple. Wear rubber boots in cool weather and use a bailer when necessary. A little water slopping around in the boat is not a big problem. Also, the more gadgets I bring, in my CS15, the more stuff there is to trip over with my enormous flipper feet. Bob

@Mark Rendelman If I remember right, broadcasting on marine band frequencies is OK from the water, but not from land. (Except for the exceptions) Could that be the "illegal" issue? Bob

Did we miss the question about the dagger board? It goes in with the dull, rounded edge in front and the sharp edge trailing - like an airplane wing. About downhaul tensioning, it should be just tight enough to smooth out the crease that runs from the forward end of the yard to the aft end of your boom (throat to clew). On the same post as your dagger board question, the second photo shows creases of this type. See also https://www.storerboatplans.com/tuning/lug-rig-setup/what-is-that-crease-in-my-lugsail-how-to-diagnose-and-fix/. with my balance lug, when I get that crease to pop out, I can feel the sail really catch the air. BTW, if you take raise the sail almost all the way up the you'll be able to see where you're going under the boom. Leave a few inches at the top to allow the yard to swing easier. Enjoy! Bob

Hi Guys, Just wondering if you oriented the glass cloth "on the bias" with the threads running diagonally across the fish-shape's spine or "straight" with threads going parallel to the spine and other threads going down and around like ribs? My experience is that laying the glass on the bias will conform to complex shapes well, but that the cloth gets a little harder to handle because it's so stretchy along the diagonal. Bob

This is one of those "well, I did this other thing" posts. I decided on 1/4" HDPE plastic for a keel strip, because its cheap and I knew I would cringe over grinding away a metal strip on ramp pavement or whatever. I used G-flex epoxy and flame-treated the plastic to help the epoxy stick. I figured the plastic would be a little slipperier for launching and retrieving off the trailer, but I don't know whether that's actually the case. Three seasons- so far so good. Bob