Konrad

:bad-words: Hands-down, that's the best one...

Oh, yeah.. You're right. ;D

Make sure your trailer place inspects the races of each axle as well. What are you towing that requires brakes on the trailer?

He's asking you about different emoticons. (personally, I think we need one that is a dog's butt...)

Are you considering a swing keel installed inside of the "regular" keel, or maybe along side it? Going inside it seems like a lot more work, a compromise in the structure of the keel by about 1/3 (which could be compensated for some other way) and possibly a potential for rot since "inside" the "regular" keel would be harder (I'm guessing) to inspect. I'm not saying it can't be done, but there are things to consider, and asking here isn't a bad place to start. I've had my Vacationer about 9 years, and to date I'm not aware of anyone doing a keel like you're proposing. I'd be interested in seeing the design and process come together, if you decide to do it. And if you have other "regular" building questions (and term is used loosely on this board), feel free to ask me. If I can remember from the build 9 years ago, I'll be happy to share experiences. Konrad

Snarks are fun little boats. I had one that I sailed at Holmes occasionally. Then a windstorm broke it into about 4 pieces in my backyard one fall. >

YOU BUILT A GIANT CRUISE SHIP...??

I've seen cheap moisture meters at Menards for about 19 dollars. Or you could contact a local home inspection company and see if they'd stick one on there for free, assuming you'd tow the boat to them. Very likely that their meters will be better than the Menards version.

Now that's funny, I don't care WHO you are. However, I think we're safe. http://www.vimeo.com/5165052

We can't figure out what's causing this. Maybe it's the water..? ???

I'M FORTY ONE FREAKING YEARS OLD. WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING WITH A NEWBORN BABY..?!?!? This sh*t is for the birds. (Or people 15 years younger than me, anyway.) *sigh* It was that traffic road cone incident with the rental car down in Florida a while back, I just know it..!! (You shaddap, Bruce.) ;D

Well, the interior is as done as it's gonna get this summer. I smoothed/sanded the interior surface, primed and painted with multiple coats of paint. I also put down a layer of 3/4" dow board between the 1x4 jointers on the bottom and covered it all with leftover carpet from the house. Really, the interior wasn't as much work as I thought it would be. Had I known I could complete in in two weeks just diddling around off-and-on, I'd have done this nine years ago. :

FRANK, HOW MUCH BANDWIDTH YOU GOT...?!? ;D

Jaws is a favorite movie of mine. Even though I was only 7 when it came out in 1975, and obviously I wasn't allowed to go see it in the theater. "You're gonna need a bigger boat.." Classic. And that line was unscripted, according to trivia. Between the acting performances and John William's score, this movie is timeless.

What *I* want is a tighter definition of the phrase "gaping hole" I mean.. Are we talking golf-ball size hole? Or are we talking head-falling-out-of-the-Orca gaping hole? (Bonus points for the first person to i.d. the movie reference)

I believe the word you were looking for sir, is "smaller"...

(and thanks for the thoughts)

Well let's not confuse the masses here, Paul. That's not my dog "Fidel" in my avatar. He's just on loan to me from der weiner schnitzel down in Florida. Come to think of it, that avatar reminds me a LOT of the dog in the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons. (You people know who you are..)

Paul, There was a time a few years ago I was kicking around the idea of making the smller of the Uncle John's boats shown here (which I know you've seen): http://www.unclejohns.com/skiff/Default.htm I own a Mercury 3.3 hp outboard. You think it'd push the 60 pound 9-footer around decently? I think it *could*, but may be at the top limit of a 3.3. Thoughts?

About 15 yrs ago, my wife and I were in Denver visiting relatives. We were at the Museum of Natural History, and they had an IMAX theater. We bought tickets and went in. It was a show on the ocean or Hawaii or some such thing. During the film, there was about a 15 second slow-motion clip of two people double-trapped on a beach cat somewhere in clear blue water. And suddenly, at that moment, I achieved complete clarity. I sat there in that IMAX watching that cliip, gripping the arm rests, and all I could think was, "I must do this.." The voice of had God spoken, and I would answer the call. I did not choose sailing. Sailing chose me. Less than a month later, back home, I had purchased my first (of several) Hobie 16's, Nacra's, etc. And the rest is history. (How's that for drama?)

I don't have a set location or date. I think the response by those interested would probably dictate a location as much as anything. I'm willing to drive a bit. I'm just looking for feedback from others in a 4 or 5 state area.

I suggest you keep looking.

Would anyone be interested in a messabout somewhere in the Midwest Region? I'm talking the Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota areas? We're fairly sparsely populated (by boat standards), but I do know there used to be a few guys up in South Dakota, and I'm wondering if there's anyone down in the KC area? Spring of 2010? Anyone?

So did you buy the Hobie 18?

There aren't a lot of Vacationer sailors here, but you're lucky enough to have found the right one: (me) ;D ;D You haven't posted a lot of info, so I'm going to be kind of broad and general at first. Some of this is going to sound really obvious, but if you come accross something you may have not considered, then we've helped you out. First off, you've built the rig and set it up according to the design, right? I mean obvious things, like you do have a jib, yes? And you have the rudder and rudder box according to design? And by that, part of what I'm asking is if you have the rudder fully down (raked forward)? The obvious indicator that you wouldn't have it raked forward enough would be that your boat wants to round up into the wind excessively. One thing you mentioned in your post is that you're new to sailing. Are you attempting to sail in winds below 5 mph? That's hard to tack in, so if that's the case, you've just got to get more boat speed in more wind. I went out yesterday in sub-5 mph winds, and never even attempted a tack. I just gybed it all afternoon. OK, so assuming you've got it rigged and set up right, and you're in 7-9 mph winds, your mighty Vacay should be heeling nicely and will tack effortlessly, I promise. (Don't listen to Scott, he's got Vacationer envy) 1. First of all, be sure you're pointing the boat into the wind a reasonable amount. Attempting to tack from a broad reach is probably not best. So get it pointing up into the wind and going forward well. Sit on the downwind side to make it heel, if necessary. I do that a lot. 2. One thing I think people do too often is that they sheet in too tight. I never never have the end of my boom over the corner of the back of the boat, even sailing into the wind. The end of the boom is always out over the water. So check to see that you're not too close-hauled. That stalls the sail. 3. Then just begin with smooth and slow input at the wheel. Don't throw the wheel or spin it like crazy. That will create drag and you'll lose fwd momentum too quickly. It's a smooth and gradual input. At first, you don't turn the wheel much, but as you continue turning, continue giving more at the wheel. 4. By the time you're eye into the wind, you should be at the full range of your rudder's turning ability. Sheet the jib in when you come eye into the wind, and keep it there. Once the bow crosses eye-into the wind, the jib will fill before the main (if you keep it sheeted tight) and it will pull the front of the boat around. Keep the main sheeted out while doing this. Once you've got the bow around and the boat's going forward a bit, then bring the main sail back into the equation. Have I given you anything useful here? Let me know how it goes for you. And one more thing... Post Pix..!! The Vacationer crowd are the few and the proud, so let's see it.