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Ray Frechette Jr

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Posts posted by Ray Frechette Jr

  1. That's the kicker for me.  If I could only have one boat the Cs 20 Mk2 would be on the very short list.

     

    But i have a CS 20 MK1 now with a set of race sails and a set of No Roach sails, and the idea of a Belhaven which will be able to use the same sails appeals to me.  More cabin space and a nice complement ot the Mk1.

  2. To any of our Canadian members.  Thank you so much for sending the Canadian High pressure front down to Maine.

     

    Past week has been highs in the 90's with high humidity and Dew Points in the upper 70's.

     

    Over past  hour the air has noticeably dried out and the temp has dropped 8 degrees already.!!

     

    Geesh, it was feeling like North Carolina here all week!  Blech.

  3. Most production sea kayaks have bulkheaded compartments which provide air tank floatation.

     

    Hard thing to get with a SOF Kayak...

     

    Having crew compartment bulkheaded off from fore and aft compartments ads a lot of security.  If the cockpit gets flooded it is a whole lot less water to removes rahter than entire vessel.

  4. If nothing else  if you can get seat of your pants closer to hull bottom that will help more than you might guess.

     

    2 inches of height reduction makes a world of difference in stability.

     

    Looking at pics you look to be sitting kind of high...

  5. It sure sounds like you are exceeding the weight design for the boat based on what you are experiencing.  How much lighter is your loving Bride?

     

    Under 150?  I know I am setting you up for very dangerous water here.  Whatever you do do not answer the question out loud or in print.

     

    But If she is in the 150 range I am willing to bet that she will find it quite comfortable and you will have your answer and she will have a nice Kayak.

     

    Length is not sole determiner of stability as you found out with Old Town 12.5 .  Length is a  major determiner of speed though. 

     

    Likely if you measure the width of the two the Old town is substantially wider.... and slower and heavier than the skin on frame.  Like I said it will probably be a great fit for your wife.

     

    You on the other hand might want to check out Kudzu craft and see what else it out there for skin on frame kayaks that would be a better fit for you.

     

    http://kudzucraft.com/

     

    So, on the p[erfect 1/2 eskimo roll thing,  were you doing the hard half or the easy half??

  6. Given that quality name brand BS1088 Ply costs roughly 15% of the total material and consumable cost of most sail boats I have a very hard time understanding the desire to economize with Chinese BS1088 marine ply.

     

    I simply have no confidence in Chinese ply.  It may look the same and it might work well.  but face it.  If the Chinese manufacturere took  shortcuts you can not see, and it proves substantial later on,  How Catastophic will it be?  How hard will it be to correct?  What will it cost to upgrade the ply later on?  Will it be worth saving even half on the ply?

     

    I would never ever consider ever using Chinese ply on any boat I build.

     

    The downside is to great.

     

    I would shave somewhere else.  Something that can be upgraded easier later on...  I would opt for less riggin early on that I can easier upgrade later.

  7. If nothing else having a Horn set as backup would certainly nbot be a waste of money...

     

    In emergency preparedeness a common saying is if you got two, you got one.  And if you got one, you got none.

     

    Meaning things go wrong and things break....

     

    The only time I ever wished for an outboard was trying to get off the beach when the wind was blowing right down onto it.  We made progress with rowing,  but by golly we worked for that first 50 feet to clear past the dock.!

  8. OK, I see the round oarlock twists off the shaft by the oar leveraging the round top.  IE open horn oralocks would pose no problemas the oar would simply pop out in that instance...

     

    I was thinking the shaft itself sheared off from too strong a stroke... I could just see the firctional losses building up and smoke pouring from the shaft as Wes is pulling for dear life and a fire getting ready to build in the wood surrounding the socket...

  9. For several years I have worked Seasonally at L.L.Bean as a customer service Representative answering phone calls. A little over a year ago I was aksed to stay on year round.  I find my hours increasing there and my responsibilities and compensation expanding to the point that it makes more sense than Building boats for Customers.

     

    Also Rental property market is improving and it makes more sense to spend time on upgrades and improvmeents there and tending to that investment than it does to continue making boats for customers.

     

    I have turned down at least one CS 17 build recently  adn have had some customers look elsewhere as I could not devote time necessary to build an OB 20 in time desired.

     

    There is continuing good will with the company name and it seems a crying shame to simply close it out completely.  Past several years several poeople have mentioned interest in various boats but felt the need to wait until the economy firmed up a  bit...

     

    If someone was interested in building for hire part time as a sideline, you could garner some residual interest quickly this way by buying domain and having a welcome page by me advising that I have shut down operation but reccomend people to inquire at XYZ Boat building ....

  10. I am closing down the shop as other business interests are taking precedence.

     

    If anyone is interrsted in buying the domain name from me along with good will that came form years of advertising I will be happy to sell it for far less than 3 months of adsvertising in any trade publication..

     

    Feel free to contact at refent01@yahoo.com if interested.

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