Samantha Ritchie

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?

Thanks, Padre Point. I'll try that the next time I send photos. We are not ready to start the ballast tank yet, but wonder if anybody has any experience with regulations for invasive species like zebra muscles. Is it possible to inspect the tank well enough to prove you don't have any hitchhikers? Has anybody had difficulties with inspection stations? We hope to trailer this boat to lots of interesting places.

I am trying to post photos, but they come up sideways, and I don't see a way to flip them right side up. They are right side up on my Mac desktop.

Things are coming along slowly. We unfolded the boat about a week ago, and are putting in the transom today. Thanks for the heads up about Fisheries Supply, Mark. That sounds like an outing in the works. We have already been to Duckworks several times. B270F675-37AB-4218-8196-2CC4AF260EC1.heic F580A284-B87C-4803-938B-B5A286317408.heic

We are almost done putting together the bulkheads, and the next step is working on the bunk hatches. I read a thread from 2019 about piano hinges vs other possibilities, including carbon fiber hinges. Any updates on that? And any good sources for stainless steal piano hinges appropriate for the bunk hatches? I like the idea of the cotton ball test-- thanks for posting that!

Today we organized all the pieces, and started actually constructing the first part of the boat, working on the transom and the bulkheads before starting on the hull. Enjoyed learning how to round corners with the router. There is so much to learn!

Thanks, Padre Point. I enjoyed reading the blog about the pink boat built by Weezer with your guidance.

Thank you all for your comments. We are flo coating pretty much the way it is described in The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction. We put down a thin film of Silvertip Fast Epoxy, wait about an hour, then use the notched squeegee to put on a coat that self-levels quite well. The flo coat is meant to take the place of three thinner coats. All the pieces we have done thus far are for the interior of the boat, and it sounds like we should be particularly careful about preparing any edges that need to be bonded/filleted. It also sounds like we should do the hull in the more traditional three coat way. We have limited space in the shop, so plan to do the piece-work described in the plans while we still have a big surface to work on, before starting the hull. Thus far, I have learned the following: 1. Even if the shipper loses my boat kit for three weeks (which did in fact happen), I should not lose my cool. They did eventually find it. Alan helped encourage them to look! 2. There is an art to epoxying, and it is learnable. 3. Particularly in this time of Covid, it's really fun to have a big, interesting project. Samantha

After much anticipation, I got my Core Sound 17 Mark 3 kit in early January. We decided to epoxy all of the pieces --except for the finger joint ones-- before actually starting the build. Our thinking is that it is much easier to flo-coat epoxy on flat surfaces now rather than trying to do all that epoxying later. I have never built a boat before, but my husband has, and he is my instructor in this endeavor. I know we will have to sand before actually starting construction, but I am worried that the secondary bonding of dried epoxy won't be as strong as chemical bonding. I'd appreciate any comments! Samantha

Hi, Mark. Your boat looks wonderful. I enjoyed reading about the build. I think what I need to do now is find a completed boat, preferably both a CS17 MK3 and a CS20 Mk3 that I can go out in. I have never sailed any Core Sound boat, but I really like the looks of them and the cat ketch design. We have a lot of fun in our Scamp, but for multiday trips, it really is too small, especially with the dog. I know the CS17 isn't very big, but I think it will feel palatial compared to the 12 foot Scamp. Samantha

Thank you so much, Mark! I will talk to my husband and perhaps we can come to Spokane to see your boat. What were the reasons you decided to build the 20 instead of the 17? Is there a lot more room in the cabin? And how was the build? Sam

Hi, Mark. Yes, it would be great to see a CS20 Mk3 also, and to talk to you about the build. Maybe we have a road trip in our future!

Hello! I am trying to get in touch with Fred Rowley. I live in Olympia, WA, and I asked B & B Yacht Design if there were any CS17 Mk 3 boats in this part of the country that I might be able to look at. They suggested I contact Fred. I hope this is a way to make contact with Fred. Thanks! Samantha