Randy Jones

Nice work Nick. That's impressively lightweight. Please share an installed action photo when available. I've increased my CS17Mk1 sail area to 164 square feet and should really add the float.

Has anyone looked into adapting the inflation mechanism of a self inflating life vest into a mast head float? Looks like the vests offer 22 to 33 lb of buoyancy. I'm thinking marry the inflation portion with a deflated "bag" rolled up and restrained by velco, or a deflated bag secured along the front of the mast. Could strap the whole works to the top of the mast or even conceal the "bag" inside a mast extension and have it pop out like a "jack-in-the-box". Certainly not as trustworthy as a solid mast head float but I suspect MacGyver could make it work.

I recently upgraded to Marlow Excel 8MM (5/16") 8 plait poly from duckworks and it is a big improvement over the old three strand. https://duckworks.com/marlow-excel-marstron. I don't often sheet out past 90 degree but I think you want to have enough line to go to 110 degrees as a way to stabilize and dump power running downwind. Also, I made both sheets equal lengths so I wouldn't have to keep track of which one goes on the main. 2:1 seems fine on my CS17 with 86 sq foot mainsail mainsheet. I'd look at upgrading blocks before converting to 4:1 on the mainsheet.

The Pocket Yacht Palooza is this Saturday July 17, 2021 at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend Washington, 9am to 5pm. I expect a few boats on the beach and a few dozen on the plaza. I'm be there with my trailered CS17 showing off her new 163 square foot fat head rig. Will posts some photos. https://www.pocketyachters.com/port-townsend-pocket-yacht-palooza/

I used Japan drier, a mysterious product I won't pretend to understand. I also waited a day or two to allow full drying of the varnish and hand sanded between coats to even out my runs and high spots. It was my first effort at varnishing a vertical surface. Felt like I was sanding off a good portion of my work but it got better as I went. Keep after it.

I'll pass on driving to NC for wood - hope it finds a good home on a boat. The Spruce available in Seattle as SPF studs is certainly golden in color and probably Sitka Spruce. It made a great chicken coop but I haven't spotted a piece yet that is clear enough for a boom. I have no doubt that a piece of clear spruce with tight grain would be ideal but it doesn't look like I'll find it in the SPF stud pile.

CS20Mk3's don't come up for sale often but the CS17Mk1's and CS20Mk1's are more common and could scratch your itch while you wait. Something from a talented home builder that followed the plans and took their time with the build would be ideal. I own a traditional 15' cat boat, a CS17mk1, and a Belhaven19. The CS17 sails circles around the cat. B19 is a floating RV but still faster than the cat. Like children, I love them all equally but would take the CS17 to the race.

Yes, a well written article from 2008. Seems to be accurate too. The Core Sound Series - Small Boats Magazine (smallboatsmonthly.com)

Doug fir is readily available here and seems to be a lot stronger than spruce. I'll try a stick of fir. If the weight is reasonable they'll be no reason to screw around laminating anything. thanks

I'm in market for a new boom for my CS17. What's the current thought on laminated verses solid spars? I'm thinking of three options: Option 1 a $2.05/lf lumber yard 2 x 4 SPF stud (Canadian spruce) cut down to a 1.5 inch square boom. Option 2 is that same stud ripped into three strips and laminated together with the the middle piece flipped end for end so the grain does not align. Option 3 a single piece of clear spruce easily found here in Washington State but not inexpensive.

Thanks Thrillsbe, that makes perfect sense.

Years ago I hired a guy to repair some hull damage. He was very careful to wear gloves and never seems to get epoxy on his hands or clothes. I think he even wore a respirator. When questioned, he explained he wanted to work professionally with epoxy for years to come and hoped to avoid acquiring chemical sensitivity. The lesson I think is the more often you use epoxy the more careful you should be. I'm not as careful as him but I start every project with the fantasy of a clean project and have occasionally succeeded.

Bob, I finally got out for a sail a got a few photos. There is an important detail regarding where the mizzen sheet lands on the tiller. It needs to be located vertically inline with the rudder pins (not on the rudder head) or it will pull the rudder in the direction of the mizzen sail. Moving the mizzen sheet block does result in uplift of the rudder which I solved with a tiller downhaul. This arrangement has worked well on my boar for several years and I'd recommend it for your Texas 200 trip. Thrillsbe is spot on regarding the reefing - same as the CS series except you need standing blocks to get over the cabin top.

Curt, I'm glad your gonna try this and I'm looking forward to your data. Watts vs Knots and top speed will be interesting.

I've had good results with their silver tip yacht primer and LPU using the roll and tip method. Admittedly, I was only looking for the hand painted look and not a mirror finish. Both want to dry quickly but I was able to manage that by painting first thing in the morning. The LPU seemed to be more sensitive regarding temperature and humidity than the primer. My best LPU results (no brush marks) were on rainy 60F Seattle days. The LPU bright colors don't suit me so I've also used Marshals Cover Marine Enamel rolled and tipped over the silver tip yacht primer with good results.

I'd learned that comparisons between gas and electric motor and even between electric motors are difficult as they all present their data differently. I have an EP Carry electric outboard (250W input, perhaps 1hp equivalent output) that moves my CS17 at 2.9 knots. I use it as a substitute for rowing when the wind dies, but not much more. It may however provide a useful data point (250 Watts into a CS17 results in 2.9 knots) If the Torquedo you're looking at is 3 hp equivalent model 1103C with 1,000 W input I'd guess you might make 4 knots at half throttle for 6 hours. Full throttle maybe 5+ knots for up to an hour. Would that be adequate? If you drop the $2,600 please share test results. good luck.

Posting the bottom half of the photo showing the snotter line routing up the cabin top. Other one is the two-piece boom that breaks down to fit into the cabin for storage.

Congratulations and welcome to the forum. There haven't been a lot of B19's built but you'll find they have a dedicated following. I've owned B19 hull #3 Clementine for about 10 years and would be happy to help you out. I've attached an old photo of the partially rigged mainsail that shows my 4:1 snotter arrangement. I did this to reduce the required pulling force to accommodate hand problems - you may not need it but it sure is nice. Downhall and reefing lines travel over the cabin top in blocks similar to the snotter sheet and terminate in clam cleats (with clam keepers) at the aft edge of the cabin top. Mainsheet fairlead and cam cleat are mounted on the forward side of the mizzen tabernacle per plans. I thought that arrangement looked awkward at first but it works great. I'll look for other photos or perhaps take new ones. Great boat for the TX 200.

A friend side mounted his Torqeedo several years ago and discovered that position exposed it to significant spray that adversely affected the electronics. Torqeedo was very accommodating and I believe it worked out but it is clear that a transom mount is better protected from both spray and debris. I've dipped my rail in the water several times but have yet to dunk the transom. I've tried both side and transom mount with the EP Carry on the CS-17. Performance seemed identical but I settled on the transom mount because it seemed more solid. I don't take it on/off in the water but at 14 pounds motor weight installation is manageable .

The EP Carry at full throttle moves my CS17 at 2.9 knots for an hour. Not inexpensive but otherwise ideal for the Spindrift.

I recommend getting 5/32" rivets from B&B. I just assembled new mast and installed the extruded aluminum sail track with stainless steel rivets supplied by B&B. The new track is wonderful. Not sure what the plans show but my mast tube drain runs back to the cockpit.

A piece of trex decking, slick side up has been working well for my CS17 trailer. That stuff is slicker then snot with a little water on it. The Trex deflects nicely to match the bottom of the boat resulting in a large contact surface with low friction between the brass half round the and the trex. Not sure how well it would work on a heavier boat but might be worth a try. Next time I'd go with PVC decking. Your paint job looks wonderful. I'm enjoying your post - keep them coming.

I'm in the process of setting up new masts, sail track, sails, reefing etc for my CS17 mk 1 and I started to wonder which components or attachments are, or should be the weakest link. I'm guessing many of us have looked at a rig in heavy weather and wondered what was gonna give away first. Lines, blocks, sheets and attachments are all stout so I suspect the sprit boom, sail lugs, or crew are my weak links. No plans to test to failure. Just wondering if any of you have already worked thru the story problem.

I did not mean to imply that a tabernacle is necessary. My attraction to the tabernacle has more to do with shoulder rotator cuff troubles and plans to sail into my dotage. One of Alan's videos on the CS15? shows the tabernacle under construction. Doesn't look like too much work if you haven't installed the deck yet.

Welcome back. I have a CS17 hull 157 built in 2008 and the design has aged well. I've upgraded to the new sail track and "fat head" full batten sails, am in the process of adding a boarding ladder, and wish I had a main mast tabernacle. My only significant regret regards leaking seat hatches which were not built to design. Overall, I say follow the plans, avoid significant amounts of varnish, get some 9-6" spoon blade oars and let the kid manhandle the mast.