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Steve W

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Everything posted by Steve W

  1. Things are progressing nicely. My cockpit module is currently together and mid glassed. I have found gravity to be my friend. After I tacked it together I found that by laying it on a big table and rotating it so that the panels to glass were mostly horizontal it isn't as bad as thought. I also have been using some faster hardener and working in shifts to get it done quickly so the adjacent panels aren't fully set. Today I'm going to ready the hull panels for unfolding in anticipation. I've developed a good trick for my forgetfulness. I bought some really small post it notes in a bright pink color. I stick them to stuff that needs attention. I can't tell you how amny times I've come back to the project and realized I had mixed epoxy and forgot to fillet or fill something. Anyway, a few more questions. 1. This is mostly for Graham and Alan. I think I am not the only one who is unsure of the idea of the flotation tank aft of the water ballast to be completely sealed. The design divides that area into three separate flotation tanks assuming that the floor makes good contact all around when put down. If one was to put a hatch into the floor in the center tank, it seems a good plan would be to put vent holes in the longitudinal panels to allow the hatch to dry all three areas. I could do that still, even though I have the module glued together. Putting a hatch (deck plate) does provide a path for water and eliminates the redundancy of three separate chambers. Am I overthinking this? 2. Jay....You put a Armstrong brand Deck plate in the water tank. How has that worked out? I have one and I see how you put a support ring in. Does that elevated support create a tripping hazard? 3. Jay....you sent me some pictures of your water ballast pump system. Unfortunately I seemed to have lost the pictures. I really want to keep my electrical system simple, but the dark side may be calling me. Finally, to those following along. I really didn't want to build this from a kit. But I loved the design so that I decided to just do it anyway. I didn't know at the time how crazy this last summer would be with personal issues preventing me from spending much time working on it. But an hour here and an hour there and it is getting done. The amazing point that made me realize what a great decision the kit was happened when I put the cockpit module together. I though it was going to be this big ordeal with shimming and fitting. As the instructions clearly show, I put it together upside down on a big flat table I have in my shop and it was like a non-event. In literally five minutes it was fitted together and the precision of the kit is just amazing. Here is a pic I took literally minutes after assembly. Everybody have a great New Year!
  2. That WindyTy App is really great. It took me a bit to get used to it, but now it is my go to wind app. Dale....same data, but I like the wind strength color scheme they use in the app. Put them side by side and as long as you aren't colorblind you will see what I mean. This technology is just truly amazing.
  3. If it breaks, I think you could make up a form and laminate some wood into an arc that wood be very strong. I like the attachment points you made, but a fabric hinge just above the insert would give it some protection and allow you to lay it forward. Don't tell anyone, but I own a Sea Ray powerboat (shhhh!) and the bimini has short elastic straps that keep it very taught but that allow it to get jarred. It's a pretty good setup. If I had any way to get into my storage shed I'd take a picture, but it will have to wait until spring.
  4. Pete, on my Sea Pearl I made a ladder that follows the contour of the boat that prevents the ladder from swinging under the boat. But it stops at the gunnel. I have a line that goes from the top two sides of the ladder around the mizzen mast. The reason I mention this is that it turns out there is no need for a handhold above the ladder. In practice as you come up the ladder and get your torso above the gunnel, having your weight shift over the boat is all you need. Without a railing I just swing a foot in and sort of turn as I board. I just grab the line that is taught to the mizzen mast and it turns out to be very easy. My guess is that if you can reach from your transom lip to the forward edge of the deck you are all set.
  5. Jim, that is a nice cover. I do have a concern....Do you think that your tent pole will be tough enough? My experience is that when falling against those they splinter at the connections pretty easily, especially when they are that short and captive. I think in the active area you are putting this a tougher solution will be more appropriate, but I could be wrong. Does the Norseboat cover have captive ends like that? Maybe you could laminate a wooden one that would be tougher and more in keeping with the looks of your boat.
  6. This question of headroom seems to come up a bit. I traveled all the way to Tennessee to look at Doug's CS20.3 #1. The original thread has a lot of info and is here: http://messing-about.com/forums/topic/8838-cs17-mk3-and-cs20-mk3/ Post 203 was my report. Another thanks for Doug's hospitality. I put a pic of myself sitting in the cabin. I'm 6'0" and without a cushion I could sit easily, but if you were any taller it gets iffy. A cushion in the berth lifts you, but a back cushion brings you away to more headroom and I decided I was good to go. To me there is no sense having a cabin if you can't sit in it and read. In the kit version the roof is supported much differently than Doug's. And Howard.....if that is your boat...Wow!
  7. I like that you put the lip on top of the transom. That will make a nice handhold when you get started up the ladder. I wonder if the front of the aft deck is close enough to reach to assist in pulling your weight forward.
  8. Welcome John. I am sure Alan and Graham have that all figured out. When I build my Spindrift 11N, I butted the two panels together and adjusted the distance from the corners of the panels and then fiberglassed taped the two sections in symmetrical pairs. I bet it is the same, just bigger. I am totally dreaming of the day I finish #3. I got side tracked on a few honey-do projects and a Christmas project with the kids. but I'm back at it in earnest now. I look forward to hearing another voice in this group!
  9. I'm still planning a cascading hatch or a saloon hatch, but I'm not even done with the cockpit module! You guys are shaming me, but in my defense I have three teenagers. Today we are making Nordic roller skis to combat the lack of snow so they can train. As much as I love the workshop it is even better with my boys with me working on something. I think fresh water sailors spend much more tie swimming, so both for safety and convenience, a ladder is important. All of these designs give me a lot to think about.
  10. Thrillbe, that looks great. Not sure about the yellow, but the off white looks really classy. Tell me about that little punch out in the sea storage frames.
  11. Not to mention the "Star" driver or whatever it is called is superior to Phillips in every way.
  12. If you go to your post, Edit it, and then click "Full Editor" you can change it.
  13. Hopefully hull #3 won't! Making great progress Jay. We need more pics of Southern Express.
  14. Cool! Questions: Can you use a spinnaker on an un-stayed mast? Is that Bow sprit telescoping? If so, why doesn't water just drip all day in the cabin? Is the boomkin for self steering?
  15. One board trunk is already in the way. Two would be worse. Great boat that sails awesome just the way it is. IMHO. I do encourage experimentation.
  16. Pete, that is a generous offer. I'll private message you. I think Chick is right on with the dimensions. And if "shoving it" works, I guess I got no excuse but to close up that board trunk and keep moving.
  17. OK, I'm making steady progress. I just realized I need to provide a "silicone" bumper for my centerboard. My plan right now is to buy a tube of silicone and cast it into the shape required. Anyone use anything else? Off the shelf? Will this wear out? Do I need to think about replacing in the future?
  18. Do AGM batteries suffer from the same problem?
  19. 2.0 I own a small software company. I look at these boats as being in the final beta stage. Ready for primetime, but needing a few final tweaks . Par, I'm a power tool guy, but there is something about a hand plane. Truthfully, the smart move in retrospect would have been to buy a center board blank from B & B, but I had so much fun making the the foils for my Spindrift, I was looking forward to making them.(also mistakenly thought the ones from B & B were plywood). New skills learned were that glass cured three days is pretty easy to remove witha a heat gun and scraper (I wound up removing all off one side). Anyway, Moving on.
  20. So some pics to show problem and solution. Board too thick as explained above: I scored the board with a skill saw to use as a guide while planing. The board 2.0
  21. Between my 8th graders band concert and hosting an open mic night I spent 20 minutes thinking. I figured out where I went wrong. Alan gave me a full size drawing of the centerboard that included a cross section. Being the knucklehead I am I built a sweet board exactly to the drawing in Douglas fir, without subtracting the glass thickness. I did taper the blade to match the lead tip. I realized the only thing I needed to do was what Jay did and remove the glass off of one of the cheeks. Late last night I snuck out to the garage with the board and with a heat gun, respirator and a knife I removed the glass off of the cheek and later today I'll get an old No 6 Stanley hand plane and scrape off about 1/8 of an inch, re-radius it and re-glass. I think of the two solutions this is the easiest, and keeps the boat as close to stock as possible. I'll need to taper in the new glass along the blade, but that shouldn't be hard. We'll see. I like all the quotes, but Jays I shared at breakfast this morning with my kids. "Experience, something you gain right after you need it."
  22. I'm leaning towards making it a full 3/16 like you and then shimming the board if I need to. I've just had my miserable sailing life of dagger and centerboards flash before me eyes....
  23. I agree that the clearance isn't enough. But whatever happened happenned. I'd already planned to add a strip of wood to the top of the trunk frames. The only bad part is that I put the glass cloth down inside the frames and this would leave a bit of wood exposed edge, so I'm going to have to taper the current glass back and then run another layer on the inside of the frames. Luckily there is plenty of clearance for that. BTW, Graham is right.
  24. New Dilemma. How much clearance should the Centerboard have within the centerboard trunk? I got everything ready to glue up and laid a straight edge across the perfectly flat trunk assembly with the board laying flat at it's head between the trunk framing and it looks like only about 1/16 of clearance.It seems both precise and possibly too precise (potentially too tight)! I used a dial caliper to measure everything as I constructed it, The only thing I couldn't control was the thickness of the glass and resin combo on the board and the glass on the port side of the trunk, but I squeegeed it so I don't believe there is excess resin. It swings easily, but I have heard others wish they had more clearance. While the board is a bit thinner lower, I also anm unsure if the glass shhull sheathing wraps into the trunk and would narrow the opening. I have a bunch of thoughts as to how to repair this if it;s determined to be too tight, but I'm open to suggestions.
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