Steve W

Andy, I'm likely solo. Been trying to get my son Andrew to join me, but it's looking 50-50 that he can get the PTO. I do plan on sailing across and would be happy to sail along side you. If the weather sucks, I'm probably in bad shape as I didn't make a ferry res.

She's a beautiful. Excellent work. "Thank you.. Such a relief to be done enough." You'll think of something else to do.......

I've got a 2.5 that I've never had anything like that happen. I keep it attached to the boat while towing and on a stand when the boat comes home. I wonder if there is an issue with the motor due to oil or gas lock form storing on it's side.

I have a Mizzen staysail for Skeene, my 20.3. It has successfully been deployed twice. The problem is that it's range of use is limited, and the time and complexity it takes to deploy, and douse discourage me. But those two times were pretty great and justify it's presence. I went from a bob and bake situation to real movement, even though I wasn't going in any direction I really wanted. I would like the bowspit setup, but i haven't commited to it's complexity.

I remember thinking "look how fast that 20.3 build is going with Taylor's help. Bet if they had kids like me things would slow down.....". Jay, Pete McCrary and Chick's various projects were also shaming me back then. My frustration turned into just a "life happens, just go with the flow" mindset like Amos and others. I had a 4.5 year build. Life doesn't always go as planned. I hope when it's finished you have as much fun as our family has in Skeena. I hope to sail in your company at Raid Erie.

Wow! There are lots of shades of pink and i couldn't imagine how great she looks! Nice work!

FTR, the hatch you see is pretty good. It was my second try. I didn't like the tip up hatch. I think it looks great, but Paul Stewart's looks really great and the one I'd recreate.

That Hallberg-Rassy money needs to get you something. Reminds me of a story from the summer of 2024. I had Skeene in Southest harbor, ME. Took my 2 gallon gas can to the Marina gas pump where a new Hinckley powerboat with 4 huge outboards was taking on 100's of gallons of gas. The guy from Hinkley asked me if my boat was the Core Sound which I confirmed. He pulled the nozzle, put it in my gas can, pumped two gallons and told me he loved the design and was sure me and my friends were having the most fun in the Marina. I tried to pay, but he wouldn't let me. I like my hatch boards.

This has been fun to watch. I'm currently having a new house built and when it's done, it's powerboat time. Not sure which design, but I'm anxious to get building. Seeing other folks progress is inspiring.

Well, since no one has chimed in, I'll add my .02 Since the CS20 boats have good freeboard, you need a way to have the motor lower, but you already knew that. The Suzuki, like most other mounts, needs space when you tip it forward. Even though the tiller tips up, the motor itself needs some clearance. This makes it so that the bracket has to have a lot of room, or spring up so the motor is above the transom. Both ideas have problems. In the long low bracket, with enough room for the motor to tilt, the weight is aft which isn't great. You can scooch forward to trim the boat, but it's amazing sailing in the company of others how many boats are dragging the transom. In the popup bracket, the motor in it's raised position is high, raising the CG........where you also don't want it. You will need to remove the motor during travel with any bracket. I believe the best option is to study the pages where integral mounts were made and design you own. Here is mine: That is the start of the area of where I started and follows over a few pages. I stole Graham's idea from Carlita but at his recommendation put it on the Starboard side. It wasn't that hard and the results are excellent. I did start out with a short shaft and I failed to realize that if I went forward the motor would be a bit starved for water and the exhaust would be above water. I converted to a long shaft by buying the parts. If I had to do it all over again, I would have cut the mount in a few inches lower and called it a day. When I sailed in the company of @amos I noticed his short shaft Suzuki 2.5 was fine. The results are a sturdy place to keep the motor while trailering, and a low CG close as far forward as possible. I hope this helps.

Alan, I want a windvane! I also know a boat very similar to mine that has one that seems to work very well. When you get done screwing around in Florida , we need to talk. I've been staring at the live feed for far too long with my head tipped sideways in amazement. Take Care, Steve

I've been checking in on and off since you started. If all goes well, I plan on doing the EC for the first time next year. I'm curious how much you use the spinnaker as I don't currently have one.

Skeena had a similar reaction to the very light Grey, almost white paint I used on her. But when I got her in the water, all was forgotten. Your boat looks great. I remember being where you are and someone said I was 80% done with 80% to go, and while there was a lot of details, to me that was the fun stuff. One of my favorite memories of building was cleaning up my workspace at night and sitting in the cabin or cockpit and shop sailing. Seven years down the road from those moments and I'm literally living those dreams. I can't wait to see her on the water.

This will be fun to watch. And the idea of an insulated boat is very appealing. Skeena's condensation at night can be annoying.

I still haven't produces a video from my epic trip to Maine last summer, but here is a sneak peak! Skeena is such a great boat. 42.mp4