Roger Peterson

I don't really know the answer to that question. Sounds like a one for Graham...

Hi Styge, I just ordered my masts for CS17 #58 from online metals. 6061-t6 aluminum tube (2) each 2 1/4" ODx 0.065" wall x 96" length (2) each 2 1/2" ODx 1/8" wall x 96" length Grand total...including shipping... $164.50 That's shipped to North Central Texas! Roger

Hi Tim, I had the same question for my CS17 and Graham explained it to me the same way. No problems... As for the cat, I have the same problems with one of my cats as well. The real problem with cats is they can't wait to walk on wet epoxy. One of my cats has long hair between his toes and leaves funny looking epoxy paw prints everywhere. I had to wash his feet with vinegar to get it off. He was NOT a happy camper. My other problem with animals is my little beagle "Barney". He insists on sitting in the boat. I have a ladder set up at the transom to enter the boat to work on it and he climbs the ladder to "park" himself in the boat. When I move the ladder, He sits at the back of the building cradle and howls and wimpers like I took away his long lost friend. Kinda' funny really. Roger

I use cheap single edge razor blades from Harbor Freight. I get them on sale for 99cents per 100 in a black box.(I use about two boxes per boat) I scrape the tape edges when still green from the installation (before the filler coat). The blades produce a nice feather edge without a lot of work. The blades don't last long but at less than a penny each,I don't mind the cost. When complete, you can't find the tape edge and you can finish bright! I would think you could get the same results with the carbide scraper and it would be easier in your hands, I just never thought about it. See, This forum is a great place to learn new tricks! Roger

I'm waiting until I get the interior completed before flipping CS17 #58. I want to complete any holes ( read as "centerboard case") before flipping. I figure if I hold off a while I can do the basic deck framing to help keep the boat stiff (less flexing, maybe even cracking) making it easer to flip without worrying about damage during the flipping process. Of course, I am probably being overly cautious. Roger

Welcome Brian, Pictures man , Pictures... That's what we want to see... Wait till you go 3-d with your CS. You will probably sit there for an hour just looking at how you just made a pile of flat sheets of plywood become a boat. It's really a feeling of accomplishment like no other. Even if it's not perfect, it's yours, you made it, you know all the ins and outs and you did it yourself. Your gonna' love this boat! Roger

One quick note about the block and tackle sets from Harbor Freight, The "rope" included should not be used. It's looks like it might be made out of recycled milk cartons or plastic trash bags. It's very slippery and hard to hold on to and will not hold a knot. Roger

Wow, Look at all that building room. I'm green with envy. My building area is my enclosed back porch (21'x 8') for CS17 #58. I am building on a castered cradle that I have to roll from side to side to do any work. I enter and exit the boat over the transom (with a ladder) to work on the inside. I have attached a couple of double purchase block and tackle sets I got from Harbor Freight (I think each set was on sale for $4.00 American) to the roof of my covered porch so I can try to turn the boat over single handed. (My friends think I'm nuts to build a sailboat in north central Texas, home of the smoke belching PWC and 200 HP bass boat, and are not interested in lending a helping hand) The boat is really easy to raise and lower single handed, but I havn't tryed turning it over yet. I'm waiting for a short spurt of warm weather to install the centerboard trunk before "the great turning adventure. Your Boat is looking really nice. Thanks for showing us a picture. I'll post a few pic's of mine when I finish out the roll in the camera and get them put on a disk. I still don't own a digital camera (or a computer for that matter, I use Web TV for surfing the web and e-mail) Roger

I used 9oz tape and let it cure 24 hours BUT it had been raining and there was a light mist in the air. I was excited and in to much of a hurry and should have waited another day or two just to make sure. The tape started to tear and then just let go. :oops: My Fault. Like I said in my previous post, I am learning something new every time I work on the boat. (lots'a repair techniques) :wink: Roger

Hi Tim, I had the same problems with my CS #58 but I fixed the seam as well. You are right, the whole assembly is kind of floppy to get together single handed. I tried wrapping a line around the hull to act as a second "hand" to help hold the hull together while I wired the sides to the bottom. It worked pretty well until I over tightened the line and ripped the plywood down the side of the hull. I was really embarrassed by my lack of foresight. I should of clamped a support to the edge to protect it from the point contact of the line. Anyway, I learned how to repair a tear in plywood and now the hull is "good as new". It seems like almost every time I work on the boat. I learn a new skill. Roger

Wow, Thats a lot of epoxy for just the bottom of a 19 footer. :shock: I've never used 10 oz glass before. I had thought about 10 oz cloth on the CS17 but decided against it because of weight concerns. I never thought about how much extra epoxy would be required. I bought the 5 oz cloth from Raka but have not applied it to the exterior hull yet. I did put some 5 oz cloth on the cockpit floor for abrasion resistance because my "pirate" dog's nails can really scratch up the somewhat soft plywood. He insists on sitting in the boat any time he can get away with it. I'll put some light glass on the seat tops when installed for the same reason. Are you planning to put any glass cloth on the inside or am I the only one ? I don't think I have read about anyone else glassing the inside of there boats. Roger

Pick the American flag and it will take you to the draw knife page priced in Dollars. Roger

Greg, Try "Duckworksmagazine.com" for a really good website for home boatbuilding. There is a link for "Messing about in boats" as well as a wealth of info for boatbuilders. Regular submissions from builders around the world (as well as Texas :wink: ) Part of the site requires membership but the small cost is acceptable for all the info that comes with it. Please note... The content grows several times a day! A great wealth of everything "BOAT". Roger

This shot is from the inside of Loon's tent looking out. You can see the PVC bow frame just inside the opening. From the B & B Site... I love the "Million dollar view" Roger [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

Look on the B & B site at the BRS 15. There is a boat called "LOON" that shows a hooped tent like you have described. I think it was built by Tom Lathrop. There is also a short story about camp cruising Loon in Mexico. You can make out some of the construction details of the tent from the pictures. I plan to try the same tent for my CS-17 this spring. I think I will sew up a prototype from old sheets before I start cutting the expensive Sunbrella. :n00b: Roger

Congrats, Oyster Will you start building this winter? I wanted to build the CS 20 as well but my back porch was not big enough so I am building the CS 17 (#58 as well). I hope to see some building pictures soon... Roger

Hi John, I am using the maple wood flour from Raka on my CS-17. The stuff is really fine and mixes well with the epoxy giving a very dark brown color. Nice and smooth to work with "BUT" I also add silica to help keep it from sagging. It does'nt seem to "soak up" any more epoxy than silica, in fact, it seems to extend the epoxy by about 50 percent. When you add the wood flour and silica, the quantity increases giving you more "filler" than the epoxy you started with. Roger

Michel, Your links don't seem to work... even the one at the bottom of the page (the little button). I'd love to see your pic's... Roger

Sometimes it helps to loosen the ties all around then tighten the wires in small increments all around to let the plywood get used to being bent. It's been flat since it was manufactured and it doesn't want to form into a tight curve. :twisted: I found if I tighten the wires and let the boat sit a couple of hours, I can go back and tighten the wires again and the "large gaps" will begin to close up. The panels will adjust themselves to a fair curve if you let the stresses in the wood relax. :wink: Roger

Maybe when graham gets back from his vacation he can fill us in on the new hatch. I like the wooden raised hatches on the decks (kind of an "old salty look") but I 'd rather have flush, dry hatches in the seats for regular stowage. I'm searching the local bookstores in my area for some of the older boatbuilding books for tips on interior joinery after a failed effort at waterproof hatch framing. At least I'm having fun trying to come up with something that works! Roger

Nice Hatch and hinge, Bill. I wish my woodwork looked that clean! I get the idea for the hinge "like on a car trunk". I think I'll use your hinge design for my hatches as well. Thanks for the replys . Roger

Thanks for all the great replys! I think I'll forget about the foam... I do like the idea of using the 2 liter soda bottles but I think I'll just use the "Air" in the watertight compartments and add inspection ports for ventilation and keeping my eye out for rot. I guess this way I'll be able to use the compartments for stowage of small stuff that always collect in boats. Thanks again for your thoughts... Roger

In the "sealed Watertight compartments", I was going to add foam for a safety factor in case of a puncture or crack from grounding or whatever. My question is, should all of the "glued enclosed compartments" have an access port for venting to reduce the the chance for dry rot? Can I use pour in place foam or should I use foam board cut to fit? Will the foam making contact with the wood inside the sealed compartment be a problem? Any opinions? Roger

Thanks for the reply! I would like to see anything that might turn on a light bulb for me. It's been to cold to do any epoxy work on the boat so I have been trying to figure out the framing for the hatches and cutting the wood, making patterns for the seat tops and waiting for a warm day to glue it all together. In North Texas it can be 32degrees today and 76 degrees tomorrow... Roger

I was thinking about a hinged hatch that would be flush on the top but waterproof. I guess the hatch top should go over the edge of the seat (at the front) so it could be drained. I'm not sure how it should be framed (to keep it waterproof) or hinged. I don't want to have an exposed hinge on the top of the seat but I would like to keep it as simple as possible. Thanks for any advice... Roger