Rob Blackburn

Just to show we are still alive we are getting Eric the Boat Builder to build us two Enthousiaste catamarans for the kids for Xmas.. Here are the progress shots. http://homepage.mac.com/blackburns/FRASER_SEP_05/PhotoAlbum151.html It is one of those things isn't it? If people don't get boat builders to build boats.... there will be no boat builders. Rob ps... there are some photos from our post Fraser Island trip party which revolved around Master and Commander including the menu from the book "Lobscouse and Spotted Dog" which is the food from the novels. Very good night. Some photos of the rescuing of the "young gentlemen" in the pool. Had a headache next day as one would imagine. In fact the phrase...'the bottle is with you Mr Blackburn..' rang out more than a few times.

http://homepage.mac.com/blackburns/Expeditions/PhotoAlbum149.html This is how ours has evolved. the main problem i had when we got the boat is we did not have any clue as to any of the detail. I reckon a gallery of detail shots of everyones version of how the boat is rigged would be a huge comfort to new builders. Not everyone is right and not every boat is going to be the same but a picture is worth... We started with a single purchase outhaul. No good as the loads were too high to adjust the foot. So went with a knotted pulley style of outhaul like on a Laser dinghy. This was better but the little blocks are much nicer as there is a lot less friction in them. I divided the snotter at about the 1.2m mark and tied a small bowline loop in it. I leave this short bit on the mast so when I unroll the sail it is there already knotted on the mast ie a clove hitch with a fig 8 stop knot. This can never come undone. I then push the clew end of the sail's webbing loop around the end of the boom, unroll the mast with it in it if it is windy to keep control of the end of the sail to stop it flogging and then simply pass the short bit of the snotter which is attached to the mast over the pulley in the end of the sprit and do up the clip. This takes about 15 secs. Tighten up the outhaul and away you go. Sing out if you want more shots. Rob

If you like I will photograph what we have done up close and personal and send it to you..?? Rob

Cheek blocks? Do you mean to hold the outhaul? If so I would suggest you might want a horn cleat after the jam cleats as there is a lot of pull on the outhaul in a breeze.. (If that is what you mean.) http://homepage.mac.com/blackburns/Expeditions/PhotoAlbum136.html Some shots here of what I mean if you look closely. Rob

I have some random comments to the questions... 1.sitting position. It seems to me that the 20 footer is big enough not to be too stressed by sitting position of one or two people. If you look at the boat from the side the stern is often out of the water due to the shape of the hull and this reduces your drag anyway. Sitting up on the gunwhale half way up and sailing like a laser is sort of hard work. It seems to me that you are better to reduce sail or add weight at this point.. 2. Going to weather. I tend to sail with the main powered up as described by GB etc and use the mizzen to balance the rig/tiller. If you find a load on the tiller in your hand it is usually because you have too much mizzen sheet tension. Crack it off a bit, the boat drives better as there is less torqueing of the boat around the centreboard and thus no angle of attack on the rudder blade slowing you down. Sure the mizzen does not set perfectly to give a balanced helm hard on the weather as Bolger suggests but it is not creating appreciable drag either I dont' think. 3. I have spent time fooling around with the gps and the compass calculating tacking angles and velocity made good stuff and at the end of the day it seems to me that if you ease the sheets to give you a 50deg angle to the true wind then you track across the ground faster with less heel and with less aggravation than if you crank it on and twang up the rig. You sail at a lower angle but your speed over the ground upwind ie towards the imaginary top mark on the course is as good or better than if you pinch up sitting on the rail. 4. I think you lose sight of what this boat is about if you try to out point some sort of racing/development class of boat with a carbon mast, kevlar sails, blade jib, long lean high aspect dagger board etc.. To my mind the speed of the boat is one around the whole course and that includes from the time you pull up at the ramp to the time you get home. If you have to stuff around for hours rigging/unrigging, the CS 20 is down the river and round the corner before you get started. Anyone reading this recurring discussion on the cat ketch should go for a sail on one and look at it objectively. It is too easy to get too narrow at times I reckon. Off to walk the dog before he wakes the neighbours whinging. Rob

The top of the masts were changed from a plastic plug to a turned wooden thingo with a sheave running on a 3/16 inch bolt. I got the retired butcher and his lathe onto that one. Cost me a bottle of wine. The tops of the sails were opened and a 2cm webbing loop sewn onto the aft sid of the opening. Cost wise.. it was more than I wanted to pay.. about $500. But don't tell anyone here that. (not that they would mind but) There seems to be no way to redo the snotter etc. But I rely on using a clove hitch with a figure of 8 knot in the end to attach to the mast and that is pretty easy to do. If you did it right and the luff pocket was bigger then you could leave it on ie only unclip and reclip the snotter. You do come up against the being up on "the heaving deck alone" problem of course. So I guess I have come full circle on this. You look at the articles on old sharpies and they have a laced sail with halyard with a sprit. Does not fit in with modern visions of the sail that one wants but it would be easy to live with. If you go down the track route with all controls aft ie halyard, downhaul, snotter tension etc I reckon you are getting further from that 'truth' ie a simple boat with a simple rig. I guess there is no real solution that covers everything. I reckon if I was to have my time over I would investigate glass/carbon fibre hollow masts for lightness and strength with a track and no battens for rolling up. I would put a halyard on. How is the weather over your side of the ditch? Warming up? R

The blue dory is a Salar Dory designed by Len Hedges. It is 21 foot and very dry and her new junk rig makes for a lot better downwind performance. Shall send some more shots of her... Rob

My only comment is to make them quite low as you get back from the centreboard case. Make them just as wide ie high as at the front but your bum will thank you if you have to sit on a 1cm lip for any lenght of time. Our family calls our coaming the "Eric" after the builder of the boat as he reckons they are comfortable.. .(you reading this Eric?) Rob

Just back from the old favourite Fraser Island and here are some of the shots. Unfortunately 2 of my friends don't share the Wooden Boat dream so much and brought along their fibreglass trailer sailers. In the spirit of entente cordiale (I think that is how it is spelt) we embraced their company and everyone had a great time. I can report the CS 20 is still the boat to own. In the photos here... http://homepage.mac.com/blackburns/FRASER_SEP_05/PhotoAlbum147.html the last shot is of about 60% of the stuff we took stacked on the garage floor. Talk about the kitchen sink but it all acted as ballast for the long run home with a freshening NWer. I had attempted to get some aluminium tube bent to make a spray dodger 2 months before departure but the tradesman was not up to it. His name is Soward but I feel it should be Sloward. Never mind we survived and being objective you only need some sort of shade/spray protection for 2 days of the year ie on the way up and on the way back. The rest of the year is fine. Cheers Rob Caution... adult content.. some of these shots qualify as boat porn.

Try sailing on a big day with some ballast... To my mind this is the issue. Shackleton filled the James Caird with rocks to sail to Sth Georgia and at the end of the day the CS 20 with full sail and one person on board is not going to be easy to sail. Nor relaxing going to weather. Our boat is great fun with some wind about IF it has plenty of weight on board for the whippy unstayed masts to whip and flex against. Then you run into our problem of actually bending the masts if you have too much of all of the above. R

Yes, simple enough to do that is the exact procedure. I have a problem in that the luff pocket is tight at the bottom mast section. It pulls down to exactly the right spot with no slack left. I had the halyard inside the luffpocket but it was really tight even with that little bit of rope in it so left it outside. Think I will send sails back and have luff increased by 1cm all along. Very inefficient way of doing things and of course more expensive but I am doing this for my wife really.... I sort of think this will work for me but having had the boat a couple of years now you really can carry a full set of sail if you have a fair bit of weight aboard in quite a bit of wind. It is when you are out a bit in a big bit of water and you are lightly loaded, that is when i get nervous. This should work well by heaving the boat to with the mizzen and doing the main first and then the mizzen. Conceivably you could do main only if you are in reaching or downwind conditions I guess. Rob

http://homepage.mac.com/blackburns/Expeditions/PhotoAlbum136.html Have got my boat in the water and tried out the changes to the sails. The basic concept is that you can have your cake and eat it in the form of unbattened rig with luff pocket for ease of trailing and use ie can be rolled up with being able to reef whilst out on the water without moving masts... So gave it a go and it looks good. It sets very flat so in a blow it won't flog around too much, the zipper works well and the simple wood halyard/block thang on the top of the mast works well too. It needs an extra reef hole on the luff end of the sails and otherwise it seems pretty simple. I was worried the luff would go funny on the sail when in the normal position but it is fine. You can easily pull any wrinkles out with downhaul. Think I will get my stainless welder bloke to make me a horn cleat sort of thing to put the downhaul onto on the opposite side to the current plastic horn cleat. Otherwise may just get a large saddle to clip it onto. Might be easier. At present there is rope everywhere at the bottom of the masts. Rob

Dr Graham, thank you for referring this matter to me .. Could you send me a photograph? Dr Rob

Looks like our forum has saved ANOTHER marriage. This is essentially why we do this isn't it? Helping guys sell boats to wives and proving to them and the wife or wives if they more than 1 that this will be a simple project that will add value to their relationship. Bit like Dr Phil really I guess? Should we change our ids to all be doctors? Rob

No, not all the way to the mizzen. I see 2 kids up under the tent in the front with the wife at the back missing the worst of the spray and wind... Me with my rum and water braving the elements. I feel there will be only so much he can do with the hoops and besides you might as well build a bloody cabin otherwise! Camping with kids seems easier to me. They can run around and a tentsite with a tarp has a lot more square metres than a little cs 20. Have you finished the boat yet? or where are you up to.?? Rob

Well, I have started on mine this week. I have shamelessly printed out this page for the Kittiwake 16 and sent it with the boat to the marine trimmer to copy. http://kittiwakeboats.co.uk/ What has put me off starting for 2 yrs is I could not see how to attach it to the coaming area without about 30 of those horrible little clip things screwed through the timber. But I suddenly thought at 2am one night that why not have another aluminium arch that simply lies in front of the coaming and then only needs one hold down point ... So that is the current plan. Also by doing this it will be easier to put it on and off by just undoing the bolts/wing nuts on each side that hold the tent cover to the deck fittings and putting it in the shed. I am getting him to make a slip over and velcro up style of cover for the whole thing so it won't get covered in mud and stuff too. My plan is to get this bit done and then ponder the next stage back. But to be honest I have never really got excited about sleeping on the boat as I don't reckon the wife and 2 kids will fit for any length of time and it seems simpler to put the tent in with a couple of nice comfy chairs etc. Time will tell. Going for a grey material to match our inside colour so hopefully it will work. At least doing it this way all the tent/cover is outside the coaming and should make going to weather or motoring into the wind a lot drier for all concerned. Rob ps shall put some photos up when it comes back.

How about an off cut of the mast tube ie the 80mm one and laminate some some cd ply wood to cut out a "stocks style" mast holder. Drop 'em in the holes, drop the masts on and some sail ties and off you go. Rob

Before you do cut one or both off at the bottom, check that both will fit in the third hole where you cut them ie I have a biggish downhaul cleat on the main and it is too low to allow the main mast to go in the middle hole and reach the cockpit floor... R

We did and it works a treat. Simple to dab a bit of epoxy on every now and then to replace the wear and tear. R

The reason we move the mizzen is that the main mast won't fit. I have a couple of heavy plastic horn cleats on the mast to tie the downhaul to and the one on the main is further down the mast than the one on the mizzen. Thus the main wont touch the floor when you put it through the deck. ie the cleat is closer to the foot of the mast.. Bit of a bugger really. I never thought of that when we did the masts. The whole moving masts out on the water is hard one. I reckon you would need 3 good strong blokes to confidently take either mast out and manhandle it when it is scary. The main mast would be the worst to move out on the water as there is only room for one bloke up on the foredeck. Arnie might do it but I would see myself slipping and that is the end of that... I am off to get my sails back this week with the newfangled zipper arrangement and if all goes well I reckon it will give me roller furling for ease of handling and luffability ie no battens and it will give me a big increase in safety. Sorry I took so long to respond but have been in NZ. Rob

Here is the finished job... Eric had some fancy router which cuts a 3mm trench. When we looked inside the wood etc is all dry and the glue etc all looked fine so bogged it up with Sika.. Photo attached...

I have thought long and hard about this... not that that means much but. The lowering should not be a problem as it is just like a laser sail and is no different to when you put the mast into the sail ie it has a big luff pocket. If it is flogging like hell it should rattle itself down. I am putting a sheave at the top too. The zipper I am assured IS strong. It is the sort they use on the luff of headsails on catamarans. So it should be right. ???? Famous last words. No doubt there will be something I have missed here but shall see.

I reckon there are two questions here. 1. ease of use. 2. safety in bigger waters. The roll furling is terrific and easy and makes for easy "boat ownership". Leave sails on the masts, drop 'em in and you're gone in 3-4 mins. Reefing if caught by weather by rolling up and locking off the mast rotation will work in my experience but the sails set like a bag of the proverbial. Downside of this configuration is lack of battens and loss of last % of performance. Moving the masts works well on the bank but is not an option if things are hairy. The other option is to just derig the main and sail off or downwind only on the mizzen alone if things are getting blowy too. So... I have just sent my sails up to the sailmaker to have them changed by putting a zipper from foot to sprit boom hole in luff. New downhaul point put there and then another 2nd sprit point further up .. also new outhaul point on leach of sail too. Some reefing points to tie up the bundle of sail. Idea is to undo zipper, take off boom, lower sail, reposition boom reclip on the downhaul bundle up sail and tie off. Shall see how it goes but my experience last time we went up to Hervey Bay was this... Headed off in 10 knots, within 30mins had very heavy gusts (8-10knots gps and getting nervous) and we had no option really to but to go ashore and move the mizzen and head off again. took about 25mins. Then got about 1 hour out into the bay and the wind dropped again. We really could not re rig as we had a very sloppy sea condition and we were out in the middle of the bay. So I am now going to have a halyard inside the luff pocket and the ability to raise and lower to the new reef point and then also still have the old options too. It should balance better. The rest of that trip was a good time to ponder this as we had to then go to weather with a fair bit of weight in lighter winds and choppy conditions but the boat would not drive as well to weather without the balancing effect of the two sails up. ie only one sail. Hopefully it will work. I still like the concept of a simple rig but I don't like the lonely feeling out in the chop trying to move it around the boat. Rob ps pick holes in this please.

Could someone scan it in and put it up as a pdf or something? Rob

Sorry to be so long coming back but it is a long weekend here and was away in the sticks. (no boat) The thwart is not made of ply but Jarrah a rather hard hardwood. Eric reckons he followed the plans to the letter. It sits on blocks screwed to the vertical faces of the side seats and it is itself screwed to the blocks and epoxied too. I guess the idea of cutting the groove and putting some sika in is one to try and Eric favours that idea. I get the feeling that the thwart has swollen at the ends due to the water getting in despite the epoxy. I guess you could build it with the thwart going inside the seat and then being bolted etc to the inside and having sika on the join into the seat so that there is no loss of structural integrity ie it is fixed further in and no reason for the water to get into the end. ie all strength giving elements are inside, flexible sealing on the outside. Let you know how it goes. Rob