Drew

Steve, You won't regret the mizzen tabernacle - I find it really easy to use.Just build it strong.

I like your approach Steve and, like you, we like both skiing and sailing but don't need to shovel our driveway clear. I have also put the solar panel controller up on one of the forard cabin knees and it is fine there. One day I will wire in a voltmeter, but my multimeter tells me I get a good solid charge from the panel even in poor light. Because I lengthened my cabin I have the switch panel up on the aft bulkhead and that works very nicely and is pretty well out of the way.I used rectangular conduit glued in alongside the cabin stringers to keep the wiring tidy.

Over the Christmas break we took the boat to Moreton Bay in Queensland and cruised around for a couple of days. My wife really enjoyed the boat and the accommodation below, so that is a big plus for future cruising. I hope to attach a few pics for you winter-bound yachties. As many people have commented, the two and three step boarding ladders are great for stepping into the boat from shallow water when moored, but next to impossible to get into the boat from deep water. The solar panel on the cabin top was no problem with raising and lowering the masts. I guess that would depend on one's agility, but I found it easy to walk the mainmast up by walking on each side of the sliding hatch and solar panel. Having the porta potti in a special locker in the cabin was no problem and we suffered no unpleasant chemical smells. The only water leaks blew in under the front of the sliding hatch when we were driving through a serious rainstorm on the road. Having the small galley in the cabin was great, and as extra protection we taped aluminum foil to the deckhead above the stove to protect from heat and grease. Hopefully, here are some pics:

Even though the light is not good in my garage, here are some shots. We go cruising after Christmas day so I will let you know if we find any of this doesn't work out, like the solar panels as the garage for the sliding hatch. I have installed LED strip lights throughout. Up forard is the porta potti and the battery. We will see if the smell becomes a problem, but the cover hatch seems effective.

Dragonfly 2 is locked up for transport right now, but as soon as possible I will send pics of solar panel and electrics for your consideration.

Why not, if it is a fully sealed battery. I installed mine in the forward locker space, up against the bulkhead. I checked with the manufacturer who sent me technical data to show that under normal operating conditions the batteries with the recycling passageways in the top emit no flammable or other gases. The one exception, apparently, is if it is over-charged by a faulty charger, in which case the seals open up to release gas to avoid over-pressure in the battery.

You do quality work Amos. The finished vessel will be very satisfying. I really like your cabinet work and choice of timbers.

Do you have the epoxy-based single coat enamels in the US? I would imagine you would and I wonder how it would hold up on aluminum, since it is promoted as an anti-corrosive and claims a long life. This is one example http://www.whiteknightpaints.com.au/specialty-paints/metal/rust-guard/topcoat/epoxy-enamel . I'm sure PAR can shed some light for us. I am soon to paint my mast too.

Hi Rob, I know that beach at Peel Island from my errant youth. I will be up in the home country just after Christmas and hope to sail the 20 mk3 in the Pumicestone and if the weather is good take a little cruise over to Tangalooma departing from Bribie. Will post pictures after Christmas. This will be our first decent cruise in the boat since launching.

Pete, I considered building a ladder but in the end decided on one similar to the one Chick has used, but mounted lower than his. It seems to work nicely and being stainless steel it is a lot stronger than anything I could reasonably build without ending up with something large and chunky.

Very nice indeed. Lovely finish. Really nice for a "hot water boat" ?

Thanks David J. While you New England guys hibernate for the winter I will try it out in our summer and add to the post later. Stay warm!

Don, I'm thinking (hoping) that the bungee and ring will simply ride up the sheets and hang loose, since the tension in the fore and aft direction is no longer there. It would be interesting to hear from David Jost on this if he is still following the forum. I assume that the ring finds its natural position such that when the sheets are close hauled and going about the ring rides to the position where the sheets are at an angle like in the pictures above.

Thanks Dave F, but rowing long distances against the wind really sucks! Thanks also Alan for the pics, I will try David J's method (too many David's here?). I did a trial fit today and used a carabiner instead of a ring so it can easily be detached. I will try it on the water ASAP.

I seem to remember the same thing Ken, I will have a search.

Here is a question for those with mizzen sprits (and the designers). Like many others, I would like to stop the mizzen sheet from fouling on the outboard motor. I have looked at advantages and disadvantages of various types of pushpit rail, I feel that it doesn't fit with accessing the boat over the stern. Thinking about the angles and forces involved in keeping the leech of the sail tight by positioning the sheet, is there any practical reason why I can't attach the sheet a couple of feet forward of the sail attachment? The foot of the sail should still keep the sprit and snotter in tension. What are your thoughts guys?

Nice part of the world! I'm envious.

Well guys, I took Dragonfly2 out to race today, but they wouldn't let me. It seems that they can't find a rating for the Coresound 20. I will have to apply to the Australian Yachting peak body for a rating if I want to race. Ho hum! So I tagged along instead which meant starting behind the pack and no competing for line position. It was blowing 10-15 knots with gusts to 23. Our lake is renown for wind from every direction and strong gusts on a windy day. Other days are drifting races! I sailed single handed, full ballast tank and reefed, and on the down wind I was overhauling Careels and the like and interestingly both of the NIS Sharpies. One big one and one little one (no idea, maybe 18 to 20 foot). The small one had to deal with a death roll a couple of times when running, but I had no such problems. The Coresound could point as high, but the NIS made better speed at a high angle of tack and that enabled him to do one less tack than me and slip around a small headland in the lake and get away from me. Now that I have a bit of weight up forard, (anchor tackle and the battery), the boat seems to point better. An enjoyable day that confirmed that I still like cruising over short course racing. We have a race in Oz called the Marlay Point overnight race, I think the Coresound could do well in that.

Tall tales and true well told by genuine Southern Gents! Here in Aus we tend to use such great yarns as fertilizer and move them from place to place using a very wide shovel, but then, we are all descended from Irish convicts don't ya know!

Chick, my elementary school teacher wife wants you to come over and teach her students how to use amazing adjectives in persuasive writing.

You guys are SO generous, thanks for the advice . Ken, I had to laugh at your description. I grew up at Caloundra where the Pumicestone Passage mozzies would carry you off if you didn't take precautions, so I know what you mean. Chick, I have no idea what a Vienna sausage tastes like, but it sounds like a culinary adventure similar to the times when I served with US forces and ate some interesting breakfasts! Anywho - thanks to everyone for the great pics of the Messabout. I am contemplating entering the "Dragonfly" in some social type club racing, so am about to find out what it can do compared to other boats. Her biggest handicap will be her skipper, who is more aligned to cruising than racing. Those club racers can be mean!

Hey Chick, your boat is looking really comfy there. I have also enjoyed reading a couple of Clive Cussler's books. With all of this Messing About going on I feel that I live in the wrong part of the world. I guess wife and I will will just have to put North Carolina on the itinerary next July when we visit the kids in US.

Nice looking cut-outs for the seat coaming. For what it is worth, I chose to reinforce the seat back by putting about three small bulkheads in. This helped maintain the shape and add strength. I added 1/2 inch weep holes into the cockpit at each small bulkhead and a hole in the bulkhead halfway up for air to circulate (if all that makes sense).

He who suggests it, does it! At the moment I am trying to compile and sort comments made about rigging and sailing the Coresound Ketches. I will submit for your appraisal once completed.

I will give it a try Don. I was out on our local pond today in very little wind, which gave me a chance to play at balancing the sails to maintain steerage. After years of sailing sloops I am learning new things.