DaveZ

How'd you like cutting a hole in a perfectly good boat? That's a a moment that one shouldn't think too much about It's lookin' good. DZ

I've got to second all of the opinions above, but especially the Japanese saw and scraper. I had never used a Japanese saw before I started building a boat and now I use it for everything. I now wonder what "genius" thought that the entire Western world should be cutting on the push stroke. The Japanese way allows for amazing control and a very thin kerf. The cabinet scraper was another revelation for me. With a little practice it can be incredibly versatile (especially removing those "few" epoxy runs that show up) , but for it to work best I would add another tool -- the Veritas variable burnisher -- so that you can keep a nice edge. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32633&cat=1,310,41070&ap=1

More congrats... But what we all really want to know ... what does Joe think about this new addition to the family??

Thanks Ken. I'm envious of your time on the water. I actually thought about taking the kayak out today, but chickened out. As far as heat in the workshop, I've got enough to keep it from freezing, but the full size model is patiently waiting for some much needed funding...

In truth Wes (I mean Joe) was my inspiration. Very creative. I came across Roguepaddler when I was my cedar stripe kayak and Wes' writeup on his CS 20 is a big reason that I want to build a CS of my own. Good stuff.

Hey thanks G! Hull and sub-deck are 1/32 Baltic birch ply Deck is Mahogany veneer that I got from the Woodcraft store. One of the problems of model making is that with most woods the grain isn't to "scale", but the mahogany looks better and is a ton cheaper per square inch than the birch, it just does have any structural strength which is why I went with two layers for the deck. Framing and centerboard (etc.) is basswood and a little spruce To top it off, I went with solid walnut masts. I was going to do birdsmouth spars, but... I've learned so much on the forum, so a big thanks to everyone. One trick that worked great even on a model was to use a laser to mark the waterline. Man, was that a whole lot better than trying to do it by eye. I'm sure I'll be asking a ton of questions when I start building the real thing. Now if it would just stop snowing here in Hickory, NC -- I left Michigan for a reason!! Dave Z

Yep, that's right folks -- got the plans in December, started building in January, and now it's ridin' high on the water in February. * Okay, so it's not exactly full size, and the water's a bit frigid. But it was a blast to build and I learned a ton. I tried to do most everything according to plans - including (some) fiberglass and epoxy. Most of the framing is in there, too. I skipped the hatches because I didn't want to mess up the beautiful mahogany veneer on the deck. I still need to figure out how to put some nice numbers on the sails. Can't wait to build the real thing :grin: (Trying to attach pics for the first time...)

Normally I would let one of the more knowledgeable people answer, but I just happen to have the plans for the CS 17 (#287, by the way) right next to me. Main mast 19' 6" Mizzen mast 18' 10 1/2" Enjoy, Dave