AmosSwogger

Got the ballast pump installed (still have some cosmetic work left). It works great; tested it in the driveway by filling up the ballast tank with a hose and then discharging it into the centerboard trunk using the pump. It even creates a whirlpool in the ballast tank when sucking out the water. Thank you Paul and Alan for the idea. Made a cover for the switch to keep rain off it and prevent it from being bumped. The switch and the valves can be reached without leaving the helm (except taking the ballast tank hatch off to let air in/out). For anyone considering this, this was a fairly difficult mod (just because of the tight space and access when installing the pipes through the ballast tank and centerboard well). If you are building new and think you might ever do this mod, do it before you seal up the ballast tank and install the cockpit seats. Like I stated earlier, if you don't want the complication, this is absolutely not necessary, the Anderson bailers work very well, they are just a little slow. I've been using this crimp/heat seal kit for all my electrical work; recommended. Bad pic, there are two valves, one is just hard to see. This is the suction/discharge inside the ballast tank.

Yep, Bluefish are an aggressive fish, easy to catch, caught several trolling. They aren't the best tasting fish fried, but smoked is a different story. I also caught my anchor line fishing, but it didn't taste good no matter how I cooked it.

Nice work Paul; fun to see the evolution/ improvement of the 20.3 design over the years. I will say that the simple dual Anderson bailer setup has worked pretty well; been using them to fill/empty for a long time now, it's just slow to empty the tank in light wind. For anyone considering this; this isn't a necessary mod, just a fun one.

Excellent. Thank you. Good find on that reversible pump. I'll put up some pics and details once I get started for anyone else retrofitting an already built boat.

Paul, is this how you routed the hoses/pipes for your reversible ballast pump? In the immortal words of Jay, I'm going to R&D (research and duplicate) your setup. Want to make sure before I start drilling holes. Drawing not to scale (no valves or strainers drawn in); just want to make sure I have the rough layout correct.

Looking great. You've got the hardest parts of the build behind you. Smooth sailing from here. Soon you'll be attaching hardware and rigging.

Don is coming on foot? That's a long walk. With about 374 boats in his fleet, I'm surprised he's not bringing one.

Looks like a great event. Going to try to make it (someone please call my boss and tell him sailing is more important than work). I've always wanted to sail on a Great Lake.

I have pushed my 20.3 up narrow channels against strong headwinds with a 2.5 HP 4 stroke Suzuki. Works well for my boat. No reverse though. I have also used the motor to push through squalls successfully. Great motor, very lightweight for a 4 stroke.

It's on Spotify as well, just search for "Nanocruising".

Looks like your experimentation paid off, nice work.

I'll be there launching Thursday morning around 11 or 12 as well. As far as where to anchor in Bonner Bay, we'll look at the wind direction the day of and pick a spot that will give us some protection. If the wind is projected to be light that evening then it won't matter much where we anchor; its a big bay. We can raft up for dinner if you guys want. Weather looks perfect. Winds 10-15, highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s.

That's awesome. Nothing better than sleeping on a boat you built.

I'm very flexible; sailing to Bonner Bay Thursday afternoon works for me, we could raft up for dinner.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there. Who's coming? Anyone interested in sailing down the Bay River and spending the night at anchor on Bonner Bay Sunday afternoon to Monday (weather dependent of course)? It's a fun easy sail.

Thanks for that explanation. Very helpful.

Coming along nicely Jay. Looking forward to seeing her in person someday.

Excellent! Thanks Alan.

I'm looking forward to the 2025 B&B Messabout; hope to see everyone there. Any idea when it will be? I need to put in for leave (also Don wants to know).

The 20.3 isn't a fishing boat, but it sure is great for fishing. Sailing speeds are good trolling speeds. Eton caught a bluefish trolling in the Pamlico River which we ate for dinner. We put in at Potters Marina which is a great place to launch; $5 ramp fee gives you access to a bathroom and shower.

Congratulations Nate, Allen, and Dawn.

Thanks for the updates. Nice fish Nate. Looks like strong wind.

It's a long drive for me coming from VA, I can't commit yet, but am interested.

Even for experienced woodworkers I would still recommend a kit. When you get stuck on a problem or are unsure what step to do next, the kit eliminates one variable making the whole process smoother. There will still be plenty of opportunity to cut and layout your own parts as the kit doesn't include everything. Something I didn't know which made me glad I bought a kit is that the CNC marks the parts with layout lines so you know where parts intersect. Having to measure and lay those lines out yourself would be a lot of work. The "pen" in the CNC does that for you saving a you a ton of fussy measuring work.

Another mistake I've made is not reefing in strong winds and waves. When I'm not reefed like I should be I pinch too much which slows the boat down, and then the waves slow the boat more. Reefing properly prevents those problems and you pick up speed and punch through the waves better.