John Burritt

I'd coat the boat again w/ unthickened epoxy to seal the fairing material. Before this, though, I'd go back over the hull w/ the longest sanding board I could handle. RO sanders will give you a lovely smooth finish, but not necessarily fair. I'd use this last epoxy coat to develop my "rolling & tipping" skills to thoroughly coat the hull w/out being so thick it runs. Once this hardens, sand it again w/ your long board, looking for undiscovered dips & hollows. Repeat as necessary (where have you heard that before) until either you're satisfied, or someone takes the sand paper away from you. Doing this sanding, I wouldn't use much finer than 120 paper. You're smoothing, not polishing. With what are you planning to paint the boat? If you're planning a 2-part finish like AwlGrip, they make an excellent epoxy primer that makes a good transition between your initial coating and the finish paint. Don't be surprised if you discover "new" hull imperfections when you sand the primer. That first coat can be a bit discouraging. Repeat as necessary until you're happy w/ the primer. We can start a whole new discussion about whether you should spray the boat, or roll & tip it. That's up to your preferences & skills. I guess this is a long answer to a short question. Good luck. Try to stay cool.

Looks like you're well on your way. Please keep the pics coming as possible. We all enjoy them.

The keel helps the boat track in a straighter direction when you're rowing. Without one, you'd tend to wander all over. If you find you're having trouble keeping on track with the rudder this size, adding a strip of wood to it wouldn't be too big a project. Plane the forward end down to about 3/4" and round the nose of it.

Lawrence - How thick is the keel at the thinnest point? Can't tell from the pic. I think it should be 3/4" there and continuing forward, bending to fit the shape of the hull. The aft end should be the full 1 1/2", tapering forward to 3/4".

Welcome to the forum. Hopefully you will enjoy your build. Folks here can provide building tips and answers to just about any question you might have. Have fun & keep us posted (hopefully w/ pics).

When all else fails, contact Graham @ http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/ or mailto:designergraham@gmail.com

Graham's web site is: http://www.bandbyachtdesigns.com/ Check the site & then email him your questions.

Like everything else, its a matter of choices. I believe the Princess is a bit more complex of a build than the Belhaven. The Belhaven structure is more similar to the Core Sounds. Both will take you just about anywhere you want to go. I did a restoration on Princess hull #1 and really liked its lines, but haven't done original builds on either one. I think there are forum threads on both boats back aways. Graham's web site has good information on both boats.

Whatever you want w/ a bright finish, be it plywood or mahogany, needs to be sealed first w/ two or three coats of epoxy. Sand the epoxy just like you would if you were going to paint it. Just don't sand thru to bare wood. The sanded epoxy will give you a really smooth base coat for the varnish. Yes, the epoxy coated wood must be varnished. Otherwise it will deteriorate from the UV. Varnish several coats just like you would on unfinished wood. Varnish until you're really happy w/ the appearance of depth in the finish. The more coats applied smoothly, the better the finish will hold up.

"Theoretically" nitrile gloves are reusable. In reality, I'll either tear them up or get them so sweaty I don't want to reuse them. The alternative is to look for the cheapest price. Places like Harbor Freight have them on sale almost on a monthly basis. Cups are reusable if you wipe them out before the epoxy goes off. Vinegar is a great, inexpensive, solvent for epoxy. This also works great for reusing chip brushes. Soak them between uses. Then just dry them w/ a paper towel. A side benefit of this is that some of the epoxy will set in the head of the brush and the brush won't shed as badly on repeated uses. Obviously, most of this does nothing to reduce the paper towel bill.

I've used epoxy as an undercoat on brightwork, including a couple varieties of solid mahogany, on several boats, followed by marine varnish. My experience has been that the epoxy sealed the wood and reduced the expansion and contraction caused by various moisture levels and temperatures. It actually lengthened the period between necessary refinishes. I've had no problem with discolorization.

Talk about being a nickel short & a day late. One of the vehicles I saw was probably yours. Glad you had a good trip.

I went by the wildlife ramp in Oriental ~ 7:00 this morning. There were 4 vehicles & trailers parked. At least 2 of them appeared to have spent the night - maybe more. All looked good - unmolested. According to the signs, the tow vehicle must stay attached to the trailer, or the trailer will be removed. Hope this helps.

I've had good luck w/ spar varnish. Apply the epoxy until it looks like a good varnish job - seals the wood. Then likey sand and apply multiple coats of varnish. I've found that the varnish lasts longer w/out recoating, probably because the sealed wood isn't moving & breathing as much.

Bill - go back to the B & B web site and look at the new 12 footer, Mandy. This may be just what you're looking for.

If you're really looking for a power boat, go to Graham's web site and look at the Marisa. Its roughly the same size as a CS 17, but designed for very efficient motoring.

Notice that Joe has temporary cross pieces to minimize distortion at the gunwale. Probably a good idea. Oops. Guess you did notice.

Sounds like the resin has crystalized. Usually the result of it getting too cold. Not a problem. Just heat the jug in some form of a double boiler (or if you're brave enough, brief stints in the microwave) and the crystals should disappear. Doesn't hurt the epoxy, but the crystals can tear up the seal on a pump if you're using one. Check you're ratios again. Also watch where you're storing the resin. If its on a concrete floor, the concrete will suck the heat out of the resin quicker than you would imagine.

Who's hooked on building??? Sorry we didn't get to meet this summer. Are you aware of Graham's Messabout next weekend? Folks are welcome w/ or w/out boats. Good chance to see other folks' projects. Info is on the forum.

If you are going to build a CS17, order a kit from Graham. It will be okoumi plywood. He will provide you w/ plenty of info being sure the hull is sound, plus may have ideas re: a dodger, etc.

Best plan info and advice is available from Graham. Contact him at bandbyachtdesigns.com

John - Have you epoxy sealed the hole in the mid-ship thwart? It looks raw in the photo. 2nd question - have you thought about using one of the fold-up rope ladders w/plastic steps for emergency boarding? They fold compactly for storing and have a loop at the top for attaching to a cleat. Gets the boarding steps down into the water when you have a person overboard.

Did you get my private message?

You're already finding that the exposed edges of the bow can be sacrificial, thus the need for the stem piece. If you don't have wood that will bend to the curve, you can cut curved sections from as wide a board as you may have and overlap them with long scarfs. The hollowback will add to the security. Profiling the inside of the curve to fit the stem would beat reshaping it and destroying the integrity of the glass. As you'll note from above, this is not a unanimous opinion. Just one that works and stays looking decent.

Do you have an exterior wood stem piece continuing forward from the keel? If not, you might want to think about it to protect the bow. With that in place, the stainless hollowback can just continue upward using the same size. I've always used 3/4 in. stainless.