Samantha Ritchie

We just finished the Salish 100 here in Puget Sound. We sailed with about 65 boats (all 22 feet or less) from Olympia to Port Townsend in our Core Sound 17 Mark 3. Then we turned around and sailed back again to Olympia. It was great fun. B and B Yacht Design was well represented, with our boat and Clementine, a Bellhaven design.

I believe you built a beautiful OB 26 called Rosie, which I have read about. Nice job! We enjoyed building the CS17, but want to get going on this Great Loop idea before we get the infirmities of old age.

We are interested in purchasing a used Outer Banks 24 and are wondering if there are any out there for sale. We built a Core Sound 17 Mark 3 and love it, so we'd like to stay with a B and B design. We want to do the Great Loop in an Outer Banks. Any thoughts? Samantha

Thanks, Frank! I don't know what I was doing wrong, but I could not get it to download properly.

Core Sound 17 Mark 3 story.docx [Edit by Frank to include content] The CS 17 Mk 3 Good Morning We started building our Core Sound 17 Mark 3 in January 2022 and finished it in July 2024. I knew nothing about boat building when we started, but can now make a decent fillet, know a machine screw from a tapping screw, and can tip and roll with the best of them. Dave, my husband, was a reasonably patient teacher, and taught me many things-including that when I think a surface is smooth, it always needs more sanding. In the final analysis, all the hours in the shop were worth it. Our boat is beautiful. I am quite proud of our boat, named Good Morning. We had her christening and launch in mid-July, then shortly thereafter sailed her in the Salish 100 from Olympia up to Port Townsend, Washington, a distance of about 100 miles. Then we turned around and sailed her home. Since her launch, we have sailed about 350-400 miles, and she has performed admirably. We generally take our 70 pound dog JoJo with us on our outings, and there is enough room in the cabin for all of us to get a good night's sleep. (In our previous boat, a beloved Scamp, nobody slept much when Jojo came along.) We live on Henderson Inlet in the south of Puget Sound. The boat is moored at our little dock, and she sits in the mud when the water recedes with the 16 foot daily tide swings. That hasn't seemed to bother her. The bottom paint has stopped growth of barnacles, and she seems to be handling the time in the water well. We have not had much experience towing her, although we hope to do so in the future so we can explore other bodies of water. We have changed a few things. We increased the length of the main sprit and we put two openings in the combings for more easy storage. For the main, we have an uphaul line attached to the tack, which lifts the bottom of the sail up to the sprit. There is also a topping lift attached to the back of the main sprit, which keeps the sprit from falling onto the deck when the sail is lowered. There's a line on the mizzen mast that can be looped over the back of the main sprit to lift the sprit to the height we want. For the mizzen, we move the halyard to the back of the mizzen sprit and use it to lift the mizzen sail up out of the way. With this setup, when we are done sailing, we can have the sails lifted out of the way, but ready to go the next time we want to head out. I know many people with a Core Sound 17 mostly go for day sails, but we tend to go out for overnight or multi-day cruises. Since we are used to the 12 foot Scamp, the space on the CS17 seems plenty roomy to us. When at the dock, the boat looks like this: Our motor is an EP Carry, a small electric motor that isn't very powerful, but is very reliable. We have a solar panel that can charge it, or we can plug in at the dock. We try to use it as little as possible. Although boats with gas motors can go a lot faster and farther, we like the fact that this motor always starts, is relatively quiet, doesn't pollute, and is kind of like having a rower on board. One more innovation: our dinghy. With a dog on board, it's important to be able to get the pup to shore. We have an inflatable canoe, made more stable by adding a little outrigger, which consists of a yellow roller. When towed, the dinghy doesn't slow the boat down much, and Jojo can jump into or out of the dinghy without turning the whole thing over. Granted, we have only used it in calm weather, but so far, so good. Thus far, out boat has seen us through days with LOTS of wind, including an unanticipated thunder and lightning storm, with 40 mile an hour gusts. We've also had days with very little wind. During those times, we sometimes read aloud to each other. The current book is Flotsam and Jetsam by Robb White. I encourage you to read it. One great line from that book: "The important thing ain't comfort, it's joy." I am very grateful to Graham for designing this wonderful boat, and to Alan for helping us as questions came up with the build. i am also grateful to the people we met when we went to a B and B Messing About in 2022. Thanks, Padre Point , who gave us a sail on Avocet, and thanks to the owner of Blue Duck. What a great boat!

Padre Point, I always liked those yellow accents on Avocet! Thanks for your reply, and for yours, Paul. We have thought about the ePropulsion.

We just finished building our Core Sound 17 Mark 3, named Good Morning. We have been using an electric motor, made by EP Carry, on our Scamp, but are thinking about getting something bigger for the new boat. Has anyone had experience with the Suzuki 2.5 or the Torqeedo on the Core Sound 17? Any advice would be appreciated. Samantha

Thank you all for the replies! That was VERY helpful. We have the lines now for the bottom paint, and can add the lines for the boot stripe. We want to put bottom paint on for two reasons: first, where we live, at the base of Puget Sound, barnacles attach very quickly to the bottom of boats. Second, we hope to do some lengthy cruises in this boat. (We have been cruising in a Scamp, so the CS17 will be spacious.) I'm going to look into that Devoe's Devthane 379. Mark, your boat is beautiful.

We decided to put System 3 Pennant Primer on first, which is all done and looks pretty good. I think we are gong to go with Seahawk AF33 for bottom paint, and Pettit EZPoxy for top coat. The big quandary right now is how to figure out where to put the waterline, and therefore where to stop the bottom paint. We have looked at the plans, and see the line drawn on there. Our upside down boat is not particularly level right now, so we are not sure how to proceed. Any suggestions?

Thanks to all for your help!

Padre Point and Don, The boat looks fantastic! I especially like the companion way storage units. Our boat is never going to be as beautiful, but your work gives me something to aim for!

We are at the point where we need to figure out the right paint for our Core Sound 17 Mark 3, which we started building a year ago. The hull is fiberglassed and sanded, and we need to bite the bullet and purchase paint. We will be sailing her mainly in Puget Sound. We have read about bottom paints and primers and talked to people at West Marine and at Duckworks, but the topic seems pretty confusing. So... what would you suggest for primer, bottom paint, and top side paint? We know we don't want high gloss, and we hope not to have to repaint too often. We would be grateful for any suggestions.

We have done the Salish 100 three times on our 12 foot Scamp. This year, if our Core Sound 17 Mark 3 is completed in time, we will sail her instead. If I can answer any questions about the Salish 100, please let me know.

We are trying to figure out a good way to attach the round hatch for the aft locker (lazrette) on the CS17 M3, Any suggestions?

Thanks, Mark and Graham. I think we are going to go with a hand pump instead of the Venturi bailers. It's nice to know that the folks at the inspection stations were able to see what they needed to see. We are dry fitting pieces into the boat, and will need to cut the centerboard slot, which seems intimidating. Any words of wisdom?