motscg

My Caravelle 14 project has languished for a year in a portable 10'x20' enclosed car-port in my backyard. Now that I have my garage renovated, I have the room to put it in there were I have a prayer of working on it. The Weekender dolly looks like a great idea for the boat being on a cement floor where it can be moved as needed. I'm inspired!

Blacksmith, According to my ASA Sailing Fundamentals book, the USCG Capacity Plate for monohull recreational motorboats under 20' includes the number of persons or LBS. Quoting from the manual: "For homebuilt boats ... the following formula can be used to estimate the maximum number of persons who can safely ride in a boat on a calm day. Multiply the length (in feet) by the width (in feet) and divide by 15. Round the result down to the nearest whole number. For example, a boat with a length of 20' and a beam of 6' could safely carry (20x6)/15=8 persons on a calm day. This formula assumes that the average weight of a person is 150 pounds - adjustments should be made if this assumption is incorrect. Note that the length of the boat is measured along a straight line from its bow to its stern. The length does not include bowsprits nor does it include rudders, brackets, outboard motors, diving platforms, or other attachments." Hope this helps.

Many years ago, I was solo sailing the "Blithe Spirit", my 16' Old Town canoe, in very light air in a Vermont lake while on a family camping trip. The sun was warm and I dozed off with the mainsheet in tight. Suddenly I awoke doing a swan dive as the canoe capsized in a gust. Being my first capsize I had the presence of mind to disconnect the mast from the boat and tie it off to a thwart to kept from floating away. I righted the canoe, climbed in, and with water up to the gunwales started to paddle into shore. Then my Polish brother-in-law rowed out to rescue me. I asked him to toss me a line so that he could tow me. Looking around, he found and threw to me the only line he had ... and the cement anchor landed right into my lap! I was sitting in the aft section of the canoe and in a split second I went under water while the Blithe Spirit did its best imitation of the Titanic taking its final plunge. After recovering from this espisode I climbed into the rowboat and resisted tossing my brother-in-law overboard (he meant well). I had a harder time than expected towing the canoe back and eventually got to shore. It was then that I realized that I dragged my own anchor from the canoe all the way in! :oops:

Tom, As a volunteer fireman I occasional respond to a situation where an out-of-state truck has wandered onto the local parkway, which is cars only due to the low bridges. The truck will be wedged under the bridge with the roof peeled. The truck gets freed by deflating the tires. So, that little trick may be what I may need to do to get my garage clearance, but I'm hoping for a solution that will not require it. Charlie, I wear my Tilley hat whenever I'm aboard a sailboat. Great hat. Seems at that that point where I will order a set of study plans for the PS22. I won't be doing anything for at least a year. Need to focus on getting the Caravelle 14 finished. I already have the hull made (stitch & glue construction with okoume marine plywood) and centerboard trunk mounted. Next steps are finishing the seating area, flipping the boat and applying 7oz fiberglass cloth. Weather is starting to get nice, so it's time to get started.

One of my things that I have learned in the course of reading books and participating in good forums such as this one, is that design changes cannot be taken lightly - that seemly innocuous modifications can have unintended consequences. It seems that I may have found the right boat in the Princess Sharpie 22 and that there is a decent chance that some type of approved design change may help me get past the clearance hurdle. I am not quite ready to build it yet (or have it professionally built due to time constraints). I have to finish my current Caravelle 14 project. I will want to get some advice from PAR on converting the sloop sail plan on this boat to a high-aspect short-gaff rig so that I can get the shorter mast (I'll save that for a new post later). b/t/w, Charlie, is that a Tilley Hat that you're wearing in your photo?

Hmmm, if the tabernacle can be cut down an inch, all would be well, I think. Alternately, I had a bit of an epiphany :idea: in the middle of the night. The Compac Sun Cat offers a "garage kit" that allows their tabernacle to be removed so that the boat can fit into the garage. Thinking along those lines I recalled previously seeing a modification of a Weekender somewhere in cyberspace where it seems that the builder made the tabernacle removable - it fit into a long vertical box (much the same way a hitch draw bar fits into its car mounted receiver). He added a boot on the tabernacle to prevent water from seeping down the "receiver". So, for out-of season storage, after the boat is pulled from the water and its sitting in my driveway, I would lift the tabernacle out to get the boat through the garage and into the backyard and then put it back again before securing it for the winter.

Travis, When I was at the Annapolis Boat Show last October, I looked at a Precision 18 (during the height of the nor'easter that was blowing through that day). The P18 is a sloop with a centerboard keel. It has an 18" draft with the board up and has a total height measurement of 65" to the cabin top. It was sitting on a trailer and I believe that the wheel rims on the trailer were 10". Total height to the cabin top with boat on trailer was 77". For this boat/trailer combo, the trailer was responsible for 12" of the total height. So, adding 12" to your PS22 boat height measurement of 69.5", the total height would be 81.5" or 6'9.5" giving me a 1/2" clearance for getting through my garage. I can work with that. Perhaps if the cabin top was made a 1/2" lower, that would give me a full inch (this would make the desire for a pop-top a little greater). Worse case, I deflate the tires a bit!

If renting, be sure that the car rental company permits that the vehicle can leave the country. They will usually require an additional form for insurance and legal purposes.

Par, I would definitely consider a high-peaked gaff rig. In fact I thought of that option first since I am used to raising a gaff on my lateen rigged sailing canoe. Problem was being able to find gaff jaws (I found one UK company that makes them) or having proper plans to build one. Also, I thought that a gaff rig was more prone to twist than a gunter sail plan, but I guess I have it backwards. I have a Bauer 10 on order (to replace my Walker Bay 10 (anyone want a WB10?)) and the Bauer is gunter rigged, so I will be getting some experience with it this summer.

Oh lord - I can't believe I made that spelling error!! LoL

Ray, sorry that I mis-interpreted the intent of your Gordy comment; I understand what you are getting at now. Still, pretty is nice to have, but, like you say, you can't see it when your on it. Par, thanks for your further explanation of your intent behind your previous healing comments. I have to admit that I was a little piqued as it appeared to me as a bit of a put down on my looking for a stiff boat. As I alluded to, the intent of this boat is for social sailing, so stability is an issue. What better way to get together with family and friends! For other types of sailing I have my canoe, my dinghy and family access to a Zuma and a 420. Next month I will be taking a ASA 103 Basic Cruising course and then have access to a rental Catalina 28 and 30. I believe that my wife will gradually get used to some healing, but it will take time. Last October we went out on a Beneteau 362 as guests and we did some hard heeling as we approached the Throgs Neck Bridge and my wife had white knuckles. But, to her credit, she is still willing to go out. Thanks for the very detailed comments on boat design. I know that this is a complex subject and that there is constant innovation (lord knows, I'm always playing around with different, sometimes subtle rigging changes with my small boat). Wait till I get to that point with the Caravelle 14 I'm building. Actually, I am already considering a change in what the plans call for. The sloop rig is supposed to have a 21' mast and 7' boom. I think theist the mast is way too long for trailering, so I want to go with the shorter mast of a gunter rig. I really haven't found anything that tells me what the optimum size ratio is between the mast and the yard (i.e 2/3 mast - 1/3 yard - how much overlap). Charlie, you may be right about the Princess 22 (and my gut tells me that as well). Just want to keep looking so that if I go in that direction I know that this was undoubtedly the best choice. Now if I can only figure out how to get it to clear 6'10" on a trailer ....

Last Sunday the worst nor

Ray, I agree with the Gordy Hill opinion. Most of my experience has been sailing a 16

Thanks for offering your perspective on the differences (I actually tried to respond earlier, but with interruptions, I took too long writing and when I hit the submit key I found that my session was timed out and what I wrote had gone poof! .

Thanks Ray for pointing out some of the strengths of each sail plan. Just wondering what some of the various experiences people have had sailing both types. Did one stand out over the other - or is it simply preference, but if so, why that preference. For example, is there strong sentiment for the extra drive of the ketch mizzen over the yawl mizzen at the expense of having the clearer cockpit of the yawl or other yawl factors? Which is easier to single-hand or are they pretty much take the same effort? etc.