J. Cote

My gosh, he is so alert! Love the first picture of Taylor holding him. Congratulations to you.

Huh?......? Sorry Graham, I think I'll have to read this a dozen times while staring at the drawings before I have even the slightest clue what you're talking about. I'm sure I'll have to sail the boat for a while before I truly "get it". I'm going to save your quote for a "smarter Jan" in the near future. ?

Thanks Alan. I'll get acquainted with your schematics & description above and get back to you via email. This is helpful.

Nope, don't have one in my kit or in my invoice list, Let's see what Alan/Graham recommend. Thanks for the photo.

Thanks Joe. Alan & Thrilsbe collaborated on my hardware at a time when I didn't know what any of this stuff was, let alone where it goes. I just recently opened the bags to figure them out. Alan/Graham, what do you think?

Thanks Joe. I don't have that top view section or that page in my plans. Now that you showed me a cheek block, I know what that is & I don't have that either. I am not doing a reef line, so that may be why my hardware is different. I have eyelets, so I think I should bolt eyelets on the port & starboard sides, across from each other & share bolts. I'll tie the outhaul line to the port side eyelet & use the starboard eyelet as a cheek block. Do you think that will be OK?

Very clever! I appreciate your photos. I'm finishing an S12 now & you've taught me a few things.... like how you attached the halyard & gooseneck so that your mast will still nest for storage. Your photo of the end of your boom answers another question I had about how to route the outhaul line. Thank you!

Hi Graham, I looked through all my plan sheets carefully & couldn't find the top view you speak of. So there is an eyestrap on both sides of the boom? If that is the case, I can picture the 2 eyestraps sharing "bolted fasteners", but I can't picture the beckon block & eyestrap sharing fasteners because they are at right angles to each other.....

Thanks, I have that same view on my plans, but it just shows the line going behind the boom. I suppose an eyelet could be back there to run & knot the end of the line through.

How does this out haul line attach to the boom on the port side? Or does it?

Actually, I think I answered my own question. I'm going to remove the thick selvage edge from the top 3" wrap so the taper is more gentle. Thank you all for helping think this through.

Thank you Pete & Hirilonde for your descriptions. Did you pay attention to the FG thicker selvage edge? My impulse is to position them as shown....

Hi Pete, I like your mast for transport. My question is: How do you make your bushings so the tubes can separate? Do you slightly overwrap them with FG/epoxy & let them cure separately? Then sand them to a snug fit? I assume that if I make the bushings & insert 'tube in tube' while wet (like Alan's CS video), it will cure permanently fused. This is my first mast so I'm not sure of myself. Thanks.

I think you found the 3" explanation, Graham. My plans show a wood plug 6" long with 3" in the tube, 3" out. Alan shipped me the plastic plugs (top & bottom) so I can visually understand their impact on length now. My plans also show a wood upper section. I was pleasantly surprised to find an aluminum upper section in the kit. However, on the plans, the 230" total length appears to visually include the wood heel plug (of +3").

Wow! You just made me realize that my "layman's logic" is interfering with Graham's intricately calculated design. I had to look up "heal force"........ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forces_on_sails I haven't studied forces, vectors, velocity, speed, etc... in decades. This web page is going to take a few revisits from me before I totally "get it". Bottom line: Don't "F" with Graham's design. ??

When I laid out my Mast sections with 9" bearing overlaps, I was 3" longer than the plans (233" vs 230" design). I figured out that my top section is 3'-8" instead of the 3'-5" design. My inclination is to keep the extra 3" (heck - more head room from the boom.....right?) But I don't want to assume that is OK and regret it later when I try to rig the sail, lines & hardware, try sailing it, etc. If the answer is to stick with the plan length, I could either trim the top section to plan length or make 10" bearing overlaps. Recommendations?

Wow! What an incredible project. Love the rotation device you made to flip the boat over.

Thanks for the timely photos, Mark. I just flipped my S12 to start the keel. I like your clever "clamp/strap" hold downs.

Thanks Graham, great idea on the 3/8" round over bit for the legs. How about the gunwale inner where your back rests? Do you do a 3/8" there too?

First question: In the photo below are some blue lines at the seat tops. Some of my seat top overhangs (the lateral ones) are up to 9mm of overhang. I was planning on making a router 1/4" radius on all the blue lines & then blending into those soft sweeping curves around the corners. Is there a reason to keep any of these overhangs? I suppose if I wanted to do a paint color change, a slight overhang would give me a clean paint line. Second question: also in the photo, are 2 orange lines marking the vertical seams above the seats. Should these seams be glassed? What about the top of the seat where it joins with the front bulkhead the transom & the side hull? Any glass required on the bow deck to the gunwales? Thanks.

Now I have to ask.... What did you use for the floor non skid?

Thank you Alan for all your help. This is great!

Alan, did you put the doubler on Randy's S12 next door? I'll guarantee that I tugged on that "handle" with all my might while trying desperately to get back in the boat. HA HA. I don't remember worrying about it giving way. I'm finding the coats of epoxy really add strength. On another note, where did you find the grey seat pads on Randy's boat? It really helps make it a non slip surface.

Hi Alan, You put these Seat Doubler Triangle blocks in for the seats unsupported radii on your CS15. Do you recommend them for the S12 as well?