Bill Paxton

Graham, you may want to chat with Kilburn Adams. Before he designed the SkiffAmerica 20 (http://www.skiffamerica20.com/), he owned a Sea Pearl which he outfitted with a balanced lug rig. Over dinner one night at Jim Michalak's Midwest Messabout, Kilburn explained to me in great detail how to properly rig and use a balanced lug. He also related that he raced with that sail configuration, and had won the Sea Pearl nationals. His contact info is on his website.

Yeah, right. Bungee hooks. Look like cup holders to me, Dave! :wink:

OOOOO-WEEEEEE!

It's funny you should bring that to light again, since I've been thinking about that technique. I would definitely try it on the mythical "next" boat.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/paxton_consulting/album?.dir=/d129re2&.src=ph We did some serious messing about last weekend. Hope you enjoy the pix. Bill

The photos don't do it justice. The boat looks even better in person. A gaff-rigged boat with tanbark sails is as romantic an image as I've ever seen.

Here's the solution I came up with to keep the jaws from snagging on the shrouds. The jaws are made out of plywood, and made extra long. I've used this for 4+ years on my Weekender without ever once fouling the jaws in the shrouds. It's easy and quick to make.

You've already got a very sturdy boom crutch. Any possibility of attaching the straps to it?

Here's a picture of something like you suggested. It's Gary Blankenship's Frolic2. The rig ain't pretty, but it sure is functional. You can put notches in the cross beam to make it double as your boom crutch.

I never met Robb, but like many readers, felt I knew him a bit through his articles in Messing About In Boats magazine. Robb was a guy with a point of view, and his contributions will be sorely missed. Like the boats he built, he was one-of-a-kind.

Here's the simplest rig I've seen yet. It's on a Michalak Frolic2. By the time Gary Blankenship (standing) got to the Everglades Challenge he had added a little more purchase. (That's Chuck Leinweber of DuckWorks crewing.)

I use the method shown in the illustration posted by cs above. It has worked flawlessly for five seasons.

Just for fun you might want to check out JamesCraft kits. They look like the old Chris Craft boats, but the longest LOA of the kits is 14 feet. http://jimshotwellboats.com/

Exactly one month from today is the Minnesota Messabout at Lake Pepin. Full details are at http://tinyurl.com/dngwy At the bottom of the web page are two items of special interest. The first is how to make your own official Messabout T-shirt. The second is Celebrate Lake Pepin

You're always welcome to come at the last minute if things change, Wes.

Surprise is chomping at the bit to get out and play with other boats. We should have a lot of the on June 2-4. Last year we had 4 Weekenders and a Skipjack in the fleet. Who knows how many this year. If you're thinking about building a Stevenson-designed boat, this is a great chance to see some, or even go for a ride. Full event details at http://tinyurl.com/dngwy

Nice work, Dave. Can't wait to see the new gaff on Julie K

Congratulations! It was a pleasure to meet you and Fred. Well done!

WOO HOO! Congratulations to Graham and Fred! Looks like a new record. What an effort!

I just uploaded 4 dozen photos from the EC launch to the Duckworks Magazine forum on Yahoo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dwforum/ Go to the Photos section and find the Watertribe folder. It was good to meet Graham, and admire his beautiful boat. Sounds like he and Fred are doing well. Dale: I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you in person. Didn't realize you'd be there. Next time. Bill Paxton

Jim Michalack has the calculation you seek in his article on kick-up rudders. Here's the link: http://marina.fortunecity.com/breakwater/274/1999/0601/#

This may seem a little early, but I wanted to let you know that this year's Minnesota Messabout will be June 2-4. Complete details, and a link to pictures of last year's event, can be found at http://tinyurl.com/dngwy Last year we had four Weekenders and a Skipjack. If you're thinking of building a Stevenson boat, or most any other boat, this is a great opportunity to see some homebuilts, and even go for a ride.

Those trailers look very good, and resemble the one I use. Just make sure you can raise the bunks enough to allow for the keelson. It can also be important to have enough room on the tongue to slide the the bow post (if that's what you call the thingy holding the winch) back and forth to properly balance your boat on the trailer. The side rails can be really helpful when loading your boat on a windy day.

She looks terrific! You'll be the envy of everyone on the lake.

What makes your boat an "extended" Weekender?