PadrePoint

Progress is being made. It looks larger than I thought. My pathetic project of the day… My daughter wants a little table for her little Boston Terrier (she chokes on her food sometimes.) What we do for pets, right? I know it isn’t a boat project… but it DOES float. Actually, I also began making a boarding platform for my ski boat.

Andy, you get snow where you are? Ditto on the 2.3 Honda. Might be one of the most efficient outboards. I’ve liked using this can for both my Honda 2.3 and 5 outboards; both have small internal tanks. I found this gas can easy to use. With this push-button nozzle on a smaller gas can (2 1/2 gallons) I’m able to refill the motor even when the boat is bouncing around in waves. I’ve been less than fully successful (missing the the filler neck opening, overfilling) with my fuel bottles and have better results it’s these.

Lazarette: CS17.3 Avocet has a non-sealing hatch door… CS15 Norma T has only an opening. Store stuff that can get wet. From what I can tell an opening on the forward side would be above water if the boat is on its side in a capsize.

Glad to see the building partner. Without a rigid building form, how would one get this completely accurate?

You might enjoy being able to use another sail on your boat… or perhaps, make available both a jib and staysail??? It could turn a boring low-wind day into some interesting activity, trying to keep everything in order while singlehandedly sailing… and kids or guests that might be with you could be given some responsibility in managing extra sails. Thinking about your wondering prompted in me more stuff to ponder. And, yes, Don, I think adding a (removable?) bowsprit might be a fun addition for you. I needed to get some idea of what “code zero” means. With quick on-line research, I now have at least a rudimentary notion of what it is. I played around with my 3 freebie sails late last season… seeing how they might be used as a staysail. I had some success with my staysail experiments and thought it added some power. I will keep playing with the extra sails next season. While I packed up the extra sails for winter it occurred to me that the staysail situation might be improved if I ran a rope down the hem in the luff of the sail I’m using as a staysail, maybe a 3/8th or half inch line. That might stiffen the luff and help keep it from collapsing as the boat gets closer to the wind. The first thing I saw in my bit of code zero research above kinda supports my idea… maybe… I also tried using the small sail as a jib on my CS17.3. My idea was to use the anchor bow sprit (yours, Don ) as a point to secure the tack, raising the jib with an extra halyard. In my first try, I got the jib to fill with air, but right away I experienced the issue of bringing the jib to the other side in a tacking maneuver… the sail would get hopelessly stuck on the main sprit that extends well beyond the main mast. While thinking about this, after reading your post about the bow “potato cannon” , an idea occurred to me. What if the “loose” jib sheet goes FORWARD of (and around) the jib luff? Might it then be able to curl the jib forward and around the luff past the main sprit to the other side when tacking? This would also pull the other “loose” jib sheet in a similar manner for the next tack. This wouldn’t be the normal way to run jib sheets, and the inactive jib sheet would go around the luff and down the back side of the jib sail… but, that approach might keep the jib from getting stuck by the main sprit. Hmmm… something to remember and try next year. My primary boat project this winter is to create a transom boarding platform (for the ski boat in my garage) on which I can mount a boarding ladder.

Popped on on my Facebook Memory today… a good memory. An edit: This is a similar “2 years ago” photo that just popped up on my phone… while we are getting things ready for the family Thanksgiving dinner… another reason for me to be thankful: a skilled builder made this great CS17.3 available to me and my family. (In this photo my son and I figured out how to get the sails up for the first time… just before we put things away again and moved Avocet up the street for six months of winter storage.)

This looks like great craftsmanship.

It’s my way of dealing with some guilt that I bought Avocet away from you guys. I realize my posts can be wordy and a little inane. I shall try to not hijack your thread. I do look forward to seeing anything you post about your project. Perhaps when finished we can get our two “birds” together for some “water-flying”.

I gave Eloise about 3/4 of a mason jar of white paint, a stirring stick, an open can of red (both Interlux Brightsides… which has worked well for me, always on top of Interlux primer for epoxy), and a spoon, being careful do not let the spoon touch the white paint… she just dumped it in and stirred with the stirring stick. She added and stirred until she got the shade she wanted. Rather subjective. Then she made the second batch. If doing this for a larger boat, I would suggest more care with creating a mix in case several coats or batches are needed. Perhaps first make a small amount of a desired mix, carefully tracking the amount added to the carefully measured base amount that establishes a suitable ratio and shade. Eloise did a couple coats and I think she made enough of each shade for the full job (one for the inside; one for the outside.) My sense is that a little red went a long way with the white in making pink. It’s harder to lighten red; the red acted like a coloring pigment. We experimented with very small amounts first. Looking at the bottom photo one can see the kind of ratio she used in one of her pinks. This is page five of her build blog where she starts painting:

Another Pink B&B Build This is the Spindrift 10 I helped my neighbor build when she was in 9th grade. Pink is her favorite color, so her boat is… of course… pink. We couldn’t find pink boat paint so we used my red and white Interlux Brightsides from my own boat builds, mixing them to make two shades: the inside pink is “whiter” than the more “robust” pink for the hull’s outside. She hoped to obtain a pink sail, but Alan was quite accommodating by getting pink numbers and insignia onto the sail, a first for the B&B shop. This is The Weezer with her dad this past summer: And Richard, my wife is getting to be more and more comfortable with Avocet as I gain more sailing experience. She is quite fond of my CS15 Norma T that I built from a full kit in 2020 and will even take the controls sometimes. Perhaps more comfort and increased participation will occur next season (in both boats.) This is a little video my phone produced in August when Don Silsbe and his wife were guests at our home. Don and I did not have much wind available but it was fun to have both boats sailing together. BTW, I was playing around with a jib sail someone gave me… attempting to rig it as a staysail. It seemed to provide a small boost.

Looking at some photos of another person’s boat build made me think of all kinds of little details that I might do differently if repeating my work, especially on the same project. The differences might make things flow more effectively and produce a better end result. A repeated build could be very satisfying, I am thinking. I am hoping that is the case for your upcoming CS17m3 project, Spoonbill. Please know that I REALLY enjoy having your previous build, Avocet, in my life and in my family’s life. Even while my boats are in winter storage I find myself thinking about them frequently.

Just to inspire you with some photos of a well built CS17m3.

Really neat to do these kinds of things with a kid. So, might he develop an interest in building something for himself? He’d have a great mentor. Good idea on the screws. Edit: I noticed that my post started a new page. Be sure to go all the way through page one… some interesting posts.

Whose Line is it Anyway… Things you can say about building boats that you cannot (EVVVER!!) say about your spouse. (What can I say… it popped into my brain.) C’mon… just a joke. Ok, heading to the doghouse.

This was Don some time ago. But now is happy as can be.

Interesting… and I suppose the same principles are at work with river currents. It was hellful to see the boat movements of the video as he left the dock. This is worth keeping in mind. My current sailing places on Wisconsin River flowages (pardon the puns) have no discernible water movement like this but other places I hope to visit certainly could. While watching the video I noted the size of the cockpit space, and it made me appreciate yet again the amount of space for guests in my Core Sounds.

Harbor Freight boxes of 36 worked well for me (good brushes were used for paint and varnish.) Once in a while I taped two brushes together by the handles for a “heftier” brush when working with epoxy. They cleaned up well in acetone for reuse. (I usually had three 4” covered jars; the first jar was discarded when the acetone got too “thick” and I’d start a new third jar with fresh acetone.) I could use the “disposable” brushes for some repeated use before discarding. Good ideas on using a vacuum and trimming the bristles. Yes, I have some bristles permanently in the epoxy of my boat.

I appreciate Richard’s additions to his building of Avocet, CS17m3 hull #6 (I bought it from him in late 2021.) He had placed two round six inch sealing ports (with screens on the outside) in the forward bulkhead and fashioned a cloth air scoop that can stand over the anchor locker to capture breeze coming into the bow when anchoring. Don used this air scoop last winter when he sailed with Avocet in Florida. Here’s a photo with the yellow air scoop… (he also apparently likes to fly his pants (I did not do any over nights on-board this year… work kinda gave “the boot” to much of this year’s sailing plans.) Richard also installed two rectangular window-ports on each side of the cabin that tightly seal but also can be opened, again having permanent screens on the outside. He made a large square screen for the companionway… I believe it is in for the above photo. All of this provides lots of potential for air movement through Avocet’s cabin. I plan to make good use of this ventilation next season. Graham, I continue to increasingly like and appreciate both of my Core Sounds, even as they are sitting in winter storage. Thank you for creating your business, designing great boats, and making it possible for amateurs like me to successfully build them at home. My family enjoyed playing with “the fleet” last summer:

A lot of stuff. Nice support of B&B.

I note the mizzen mast is moved to the forward position.

One solution for oars.

I am still really attracted to this SR20 design, although I continue appreciating my CS15 and CS17.3 more all the time.

Nice write up, Jay. Thanks. Though I don’t have much of anything to do with boat electronics and pathetically little experience with camping aboard (I do have some hopes/plans for next season) your comments are helpful… and lift my already high appreciation of my Core Sound 17mk3. Edward, you seem to be a very capable person with building, sailing, your vocation, etc. I offer only novice level thoughts: I appreciated the CNC foils I got with my B&B kit (CS15 Norma T). They made the tasks of “building” the quality centerboard and rudder an easy project. My purchased CS17 mk3 is the #6 hull. My friend, Don Silsbe, sailed it with me and thought the centerboard being moved forward by 10 inches or so would benefit the boat’s handling, He offered to do the project for me, since I let him use the boat for six months (thank you, Don). He found it made a positive difference. I think I notice it somewhat as well. Doing this moved the centerboard trunk into the cabin along the side of the port bunk (about ten inches.) I understand that plans and kits were changed to include the modification. (Graham indicates that many design details are compromises… the original placement to keep the trunk completely out of the cabin might be an example.) I am playing with a small jib as a staysail (I got two for free) and I think I feel a power difference sometimes (again, I’m not a very perceptive sailor) so I’ll keep experimenting with this. Trying the sail ahead of my mainsail (a short “bowsprit” for the purpose of experimenting) seemed less effective with the mainsprit impeding moving the tack from one side to the other. Also, it seems to me I saw that the jib/bowsprit approach can override the centerboard’s effect to some degree. Graham experimented with installing in his mk3 an additional small “centerboard” forward of the regular one to manage this… as I recall. I like my experience playing with the jib as a staysail and will keep experimenting. One guy indicates a staysail’s usefulness in low wind conditions. As I recall, a few folks cut down the coaming in the Mark 3 a few inches to accommodate rowing, sort of a notch. That’s the little bit I have to offer. Ted

Last Sail on Norma T for the Year I did not do nearly the amount of sailing that I’d been thinking about in the off season. Two reasons: I went back to work last December (and concluded at the end of August) and I traveled most of June out to Lake Tahoe. We will do that again next June but I don’t plan to work. Considering this, I am satisfied with how much I was on the water with my three boats (and kayaks and canoe). I’m already thinking about better and more adventuresome things for next year. (I decided that I couldn’t get to the 2023 Messabout, so I’m placing this long post instead. ) I am describing here my last two times out. One was a 2023 “bucket list” I had of getting onto another of the Wisconsin River’s lakes, which is the second largest lake in Wisconsin. The other sailing afternoon was this past week to try out the on-board camping set up I have fashioned for Norma T. I did not actually camp, other than to have some afternoon resting… but I’m getting more confident in the setup. I timed a few things in my little venture. It was 4 minutes to uncover, move the boat from its storage place and hook it onto my little car. The CS15 is easily pulled around my yard. It was a half-hour drive to the landing at the Wisconsin River’s Lake DuBay and 7 minutes to rig it for launching (perhaps my quickest launch site setup.) Another 4 minutes and it was rolled off the trailer into the water. I raised the mizzen and mainsail (with extra halyards) so I could row a while. One method I found quite successful is to use a single oar on one side and the rudder for steering. I can sit on the seat itself for this since the thwart has the mizzen mast and stuff. I first tried my hand again at sculling off the back… no forward movement was generated… gotta develop this skill. I recently put in a second set of oarlocks in the bow area letting me sit on the forward thwart. I tried that out on a very windy day a weekend ago… worked great. And I fashioned a better way to tuck the two-piece oars under the aft part of the side decks, getting them completely out of the way. After some rowing, I beached the boat and got out to tie a line from the bow eye to a log, even keeping my shoes dry (as I did with the launch and recovery). Then, I rowed out to the end of the line and threw out an anchor attached to my bungee Anchor Buddy. I really haven’t tried it out yet. I pulled myself back to shore, got out, and let the boat get pulled out again by the Anchor Buddy, just to try it out. I have a short video (takes a while to load.) IMG_1996.mov Then, I re-boarded to set up my tent system while being anchored. All of my cockpit platform pieces and my tent stuff nicely fit in the space between the centerboard trunk and the forward seat. I had also recently added a couple eyes on the transom that I can use to lash the corners of the tent to the boat (nope, tent stakes don’t work in a boat.). I did this thinking of what some wind could do to relieve the boat of the set-up tent. I think it better to not use a tent like this if winds are significant… that’ll require some good forecasting for these overnight ventures. The egg-crate platform support came together more easily than my first couple of times. (I did some shaving of the interlocking areas for a looser fit… I had made it too tight.) (You know… as I looked at this photo of the egg crate platform support, I decided to add stringers across the middle of the two long spaces when I get the pieces out of winter storage next spring, just to make things more firm. . Always something new to try out or add to a system.) Then, my 3-piece folding platform… with duct tape hinges… was laid in. It makes a good sized platform, even for my 6’ 5” body. The $27 red tent went up, again more easily than before… the purpose of practice, I guess. No sleeping bag on this trip, just a mattress and pillow for a little nap. A couple photos from the shore. After getting everything back in order, and a little lunch, I did some sailing in the gentle wind, placed the boat back onto the trailer, and made the trip back home. The take-down and making everything ready for the road took me 14 minutes. I returned home and got the boat back in its storing place alongside my house A side note, The Weezer, my neighbor girl who built a pink Spindrift 10 in her 9th and 10th grade years, got a little gift from me and her church youth person. A lamp was found at the church rummage sale and I painted it pink for her (kind of as a joke… but she said she loves it.) I bring this up because I used the leftover pink spray paint on the brick I use for the back tire of my trailer and it makes it a lot easier to aim the boat as I push it into place. Another side note… The Weezer is now a high school senior and recently received acceptance into one of our Lutheran colleges, Gustavus Adolphus. I can’t believe the annual costs of private colleges these days, but she received a whopping scholarship of over well over half. Yay!! —————————————— The following photos were from the previous week’s venture onto Lake Petenwell, a little further down the Wisconsin River. It was my first time on the lake so I needed to use an unfamiliar boat ramp. What a beautiful county park with a beach, campground, facilities, and a great launch site. It’s a place I will use next year, maybe even with family. The morning had low winds but things picked up a lot in the afternoon. I experimented with using a small jib as a staysail. Someone gave me two of these jibs and a larger mainsail. The mainsail is too big for a staysail, but maybe I can cut it down for an appropriate staysail for my 17’ Avocet. Though I’m experimenting with this, I think the jibs have some promise for both of my sailboats and I will fashion quicker and better ways to use them next year. I felt like the extra sail made a difference. So, now Norma T and Avocet are both in storage downstate. The storage space is heated to 40 degrees and I think the price is good for the six months. I still need to winterize my ski boat motor and get the boat nestled into my garage for the next 6 months. I keep the garage at 40 degrees with a space heater… it seems adequate… and my wife will have room to park her car next to it. P.S. I got Joe the 15’ ski boat I finished building in 2022 tucked away in the garage for six months (the day before our first snowfall.) I unbolted the seats and put them under the deck. That gave plenty of space to place all four of our bicycles, saving a lot of floor space. That left room for my motorcycles and the snowblower. All is well now. I run a space heater at 40 degrees during winter… just enough to melt ice in the garage.