Todd Stein

Howdy, Here in Williamsburg this summer has been hot and humid especially in the garage. The fans have helped but there’s no workaround for the humidity and thus far and little progress has been made until recently. A familiar voice of reason spoke out suggesting an A/C window unit which I found on Craigslist for cheap. It has been a humongous improvement in the working conditions as well as boosting morale and keeping my iced tea from melting! I had a challenge getting first two bulkheads to fit but after conferring with Alan and other sailing friends I was able to come up with a combination solution of additional wires and inward tensioning using para-cord. I was careful to use mild tension on the para-cord to close gap between hull and bulkheads keeping aware concave deflection on outer hull. Fillets and glassing Blkhds 1&2 are completed, awaiting overnight cure and then proceeding upwards and onwards to next stages.

Excellent suggestions which I’ll take for action from both individuals. I surely appreciate your input and grateful for the support, remarkable forum!

Thanks for the suggestions, So far its mostly been a me, myself and I project since wife works full time and kids have emptied the nest. I’ve had to think/ plan ahead and come up with alternative ways however family and neighbors will assist in the 3D unfolding which I’ll be certain to document.

I’m about to begin attaching the longitudinal stringers to the hull sides and bottom. I’ve pre-drilled and attached block and drywall screws on outboard side. My question is how do you recommend positioning the plywood while applying the epoxy filler, vertically or horizontally? Initially I had the plywood piece hanging vertically so I could work both sides, but wanted see if there’s a better way? Todd

Thanks for doing the leg work just the same, I’ll do my utmost to follow the instructions and fabricate. What master length piece do you suggest working with?

That’s so darn salty and nautical looking I can almost hear your boat creaking happily and wavelets tinkle the hull as a loon calls out on a cool evening! Toll 8 bells and break out the banjo!

Ok Sports Fans; One time as a young Petty Officer I was asked by a crusty old Master Chief, “How would I go about eating an elephant?”. The answer, plainly enough has been incorporated into my ethos and one of my watchwords. Just the same, thank you for saying the encouraging thoughts. Although Im physically alone during this build, I can state with confidence I feel more connected to the collective consciousness of boat builders far and wide. This has been a goal/dream since a cold January day in Holland, Michigan back in 2004. Im at the point where I’m finger scarfing the sheer strake which got me started on the whole Center of Buoyancy question. I must admit I enjoy talking theories and developing scenarios to apply them. Any rate after sleeping on it and chewing on the idea I did a rough calculation which showed there’s not nearly the significant amount to affect buoyancy thus change the stability curve. I estimated 4 cu/ft of volume within the cockpit coaming/sheer strake area. The equation shows a result of 1138.5 Newton’s of force with 256 lbs of displaced fluid. Initially I found this interesting however as Alan stated earlier the water ballast however is by far the largest determinant factor. Further observation is location, location, location. That amount of force is seemingly a good thing but is it in the desired location? As mentioned above, just how would it play out if the boat turns turtle, la saman Allah. I’ve learned in other reading where buoyancy placed incorrectly had negative and fatal results. So as it stands I’m doning respirator, goggles, gloves and headphones, (PPE) and recommencing sanding ops. On a final note I’m finding the random orbital sander used together with the 1/4 sheet oscillating sander does a good job fairing the scarfs. KIWTG. No relation just a salty old Jack.

So today I’ve taken the opportunity and have been scarfing the finger joints using drywall screws and nylon peel-ply. The first scarf was pretty messy with excess putty but it seems I’m getting dialed into better techniques as I proceeded along. I’m a wee concerned about this boat fitting fully in the garage but grasping shes longer in single dimension, nevertheless it’ll be close. I’m planning to go 3D next week or so as I time and tide allow for. While the epoxy was drying today I had time to think and read through the plans until a loose marble lodged itself in my noggin seeding a thought to share. The long stowage space behind the cockpit combing seems great for stowing oars, however What if it were sealed chamber? I’m considering the inherent buoyancy of an air bladder or several XL sized pool noodles, conceptually to improve capsize “right-ability”. My question for discussion is would the provided volume in the cockpit combing to adequately increase the center of buoyancy while capsized? I haven’t started a volume calculation which would begin me calculating buoyancy to see if the center of buoyancy would move further away from CG? B = ρ * V * g https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/buoyancy#buoyant-force-equation I humbly admit I ‘ain’t no NA, and I’m somewhat lousy at physics and quite possibly adding any buoyancy might/could have a negative effect, causing masts to angle ever further downward increasing possibility to turn turtle? Well it’s these thoughts which will put me to sleep tonight, hopefully.

Hi Pete, I really like your paint scheme, what paint brand did you use and type of gray paint the in the cockpit? It appears the color would be soft on the eyes on a sunny day and not be too hot.

So it’s been a little over a month since starting on the CS20.3 and it has provided me opportunities for growth by learning new skills and developing a mindfulness of patience and appreciation of design. This is becoming a cathartic process which I experience genuine humility, gratitude and peace. It’s been very satisfying constructing this boat and I’m enjoying the process overall. I’m not rushing through and have no expectations of a completion date, rather taking it day by day and marking the journey. Although in the back of my mind says I should have it done by October’s Messabout. Currently I’ve been working on the centerboard well and bulkheads where improve my fillet and glass laying skill. I chuckle at my gooey epoxy snot slung everywhere compared to Alan on his video making it all look so neat and easy. I’m continuously pushing play/pause/stop/rewind; play/pause/stop/rewind watching the B&B YouTube videos which has provided a wealth of information and techniques. I’m fortunate for all the shared information here, without which would have a significant deterrence to build. Thank you all whom contribute to this forum.

Fantastically informative and explained clearly in simple terms. I like that you explain what to look out for during the build and more importantly how to correct it. If pictures are worth a thousand words, your videos have been priceless!

Your design engineering and math knowledge are wicked smooth, I wish I paid better attention in Physics! I’m very impressed and hope to incorporate your design whenever I get a trailer. The incorporated graphite is a super idea and got me thinking of a plastic like Delrin or even Teflon which have similar coefficient of drag that might work. Just the same, I think your ideas’ are pretty rock solid, especially like the old school Johnson paste wax idea!

Between all the Springtime yard projects and the honey-do’s I’ve been slowly and steadily making progress as per plan recommendations. Bulkheads 1&2, transom and hanging knees. Many little lessons learned thus far and I’m becoming more confident in trusting the process as well as myself. I’m wasting a lot less epoxy goo now that I can better judge amounts. I purchased 2 Beckson ports for ventilation and access under anchor locker. I cutout the ventilation port on bulkhead 1, should I now also cut out opening for underneath anchor stowage? I plan to mount actual port itself post final epoxy coating using silicone and magic fasteners. Once again I reiterated how much I appreciate the sharing of information in this forum, without which I do not believe I could have taken on a project of this magnitude by myself. Despite many decades of sailing, racing and cruising all manner of boats, I’m graciously humble to be a “newbie” boatbuilder. This build has already assisted me personally as I transition into semi-retirement, which I finding to be an oxymoron. Happy Easter to All! Altus Tendo

On 02 April we drove to the factory and picked up the kit using the modified catamaran’s trailer. As predicted, upon arrival the skies opened up and made for a drenching experience while loading. Prior to arriving Alan recommended picking up a poly tarp which we draped over the crate followed by numerous wraps of shipping film around the circumference. After skillful loading I was impressed the trailer was in darn near perfect trim and balance for a very wet drive home. The next day under clear blue skies I removed the tarp and film to find the crate dry and the contents unaffected. Thank you Alan! As parts were unloaded, inventoried, stowed and somewhat organized in the garage, it subtly came to me just what a huge project I’ve taken on. My mantra is to enjoy the journey and destination will be that much sweeter. Thank you all who have contributed to this forum, your posts provide me with such great amount of information and knowledge that provides me the confidence I can achieve one of my bucket-list goals.