Steve W

Jim...she's a beauty! did you settle on "Lady Hurricane"? and do you know about this: http://www.bayfrontcenter.org/presque-isle-bay-messabout/ I'm planning on going. I'd love to see her you there. Take care Steve

On my Spindrift 11N I'm just finishing, the mast is in three pieces, with the top section having a wooden extension. I took a nice pice of spanish cedar, and laminated a blank made of three pieces, with the center piece thinned so a pulley sheeve could fit nice. I then cut it on my tablesaw into a 16 sided shape close to the upper masts diameter. To make it fit into the aluminum mast, I put a fence with a stop on my router table, and raised a end bit up enough to recuce the circumfrence, and kept feeding it on the flats until it was close to the right diameter. I sanded it until it fit. , and then shaped it with a small hand plane and some sandpaper into a nice extension. Once I was done, I realized the back side could be tapered to reduce weight, so I did that. It's pretty darn light, and since it only carries a couple square feet of sail that high, I think plenty strong. I don't think carrying this idea to 2 feet would be a problem. Best part was the pulley sheave cost 1.49, and the spanish cedar was from the scrap pile. Take Care, Steve

We need pictures!

Thank you for the report. This is just what I'm thinking about. I have the stock sail now and I plan on using it, but I'd like to develope a simpler rig for simpler times. Take Care, Steve

Graham, This really looks sweet. I'm just finishing a S11N (thanks for getting me the sail....christening it soon) as a practice run to build something bigger. this looks like just the ticket. I can't wait to see what it weighs, and what it looks and performs like. Keep the pictures coming. Take Care, Steve

I'm done building my 11N, but I'm having a hard time getting a sail for it. I had always intended to build a simpler rig for it, so lacking a sail, maybe this is the time. Has anyone ever put a sprit rig, like the one shown on the catspaw series onto a 11N? take Care, Steve

I have those top mounts on my Sea Pearl, so last night I borrowed on and hatched a plan to make some contoured blocks to allow mounting them. I think that is the best solution. Any idea how long to make oars for an 11N? I also noticed a couple of things about that pic you posted. You have couple of "stringers" on the floor. My plans don't show those. Is that something to prevent slipping when you heel? I also see that the sail is pretty big on these boats...did you ever wish for a hiking strap? I also see you mounted a mainsheet block on the centerboard. How has that worked out? Take Care, Steve

There isn't much data in the plans except where to put the oarlocks themselves. I'm thinking the top mount ones through the gunnels would be best, but I'd like to know what you used. I'g guess a lot of sailing will be done from the cockpit floor, and leaning against oarlocks won't be great. Also, what length of oars do you think would be best for an 11N. The beam if I'm remembering correctly is somwhere around 50-52 inches. She's done except for the hull paint, oarlocks, and mast head extension (no sail yet) and mounting some hardware that needs a sail for placement. Take Care, Steve

Garry.....I've seen this pictures in the past and I like what you did. I decided to build the boat stock and make mods if I change the purpose. The one thing I don't like is the seat board being one extra thing to bring along. the mod you did and one other I've seen eliminates that, but moves the rower forward a good 9" or so. How does this all work out? Take Care, Steve

Oops, forgot the pic! Also, if you do it this way, you can very carefully set your bow in before you glue it and make sure it is going to nest. Mine did with ease, but its sure nice to know before you commit to a lot of work.

I think this picture will help. I marked lines on the hull and cut the aft and hull pieces. Next I made half lap joints in the front of the side pieces and the inner part of the transome pieces. After gluing them in, I made the four other pieces with approriate half lap joints. A bandsaw makes this really fast. I glued it all together with thickened epoxy with that temporary cross piece to get the seats level. It set up with pleny of rigidity to scribe the front and side pies using a compass. The bottom of the hull is surprizingly flat at this point, making the fitting easier than I thought. I glued in the front pieces and then I put the long side pieces on, clamping everything as best as I could. I used pretty thick epoxy to keep it from running. I used bricks to clamp the top. Make sure you coat the inside of the top and the inner parts of the tank with 3 coates of thin epoxy, because it really isn't possible to do this welll through a port, not matter how big you make it. I wound up going with 5" ports on the inner faces instead of the tops. Mine is an 11N. Take Care, Steve

Jim....I just lookead at your photos. Beautiful work. Where did you get your sails and other supplies from? Take Care, Steve

You can always glue them in later after you check for clearance. On my 11N, they would fit, and I think they would look nice. It seems strange looking to have the boat painted right to the top on the interior. The one nice thing about building your own boat is that there are many possibiliies. I've found most things on the boat well thought out though, so I haven't changed much. Take Care, Steve

Jim was right....I had no idea the boat was that big! Thank you for posting! Take Care, Steve

Looking great. It's funny how our paths parallell. I started on my spindrift 11N and then got sidetracked most of last summer. I'm close to finishing it now. I'm just patiently keeping occupied while I wait for an order from B & B. I know its a bit late, but on getting the tape straight: I take a compass and scribe a line aling the upper edge of the where the tape will go. I then "paint" up to this line the epoxy, and then use this line to place the tape. I use a laminate roller to squeeze the epoxy through the tape and the excess naturally flows to the bottom, where I continue to roll it. If it needs a bit more I use the paint brush to touch on a bit more. this is the way I get a nice coating wihtout excess. Take Care, Steve

Jim....those pictures are great. It seems after you got the blank made, somehow you routed a groove so the whole blank could be put in the blocks for shaping. How did you put that groove in there? Take Care, Steve

Thanks Roy. the armstrong hatches are prety nice, and the access to dry storage would be sweet, but they are big! I'm a little unsure as to what to do. Putting the hatches on the faces means access won't be very convenient, but maybe I'm overthinking it. Take Care Steve

I just found the answer to question 3 (thanks PAR) a few questions down.

Four questions today. 1. I bought a couple of Armstrong hatches from B & B. I'm going to install them in the seat tank tops for easy access to the tanks. I'm thinking I should at least double up the 6mm plywood in the hatch areas. Any thoughts? 2. The plans for the seat don't seam to show if they are glassed in. I have them installed and filleted, but I can't decide if they should be glassed. The plans and construction pictures do not make it clear as to what should be done. 3. I'm at the point I need to start epoxy coating some stuff. I bought my epoxy from B & B. I read that the surfaces should have three coats. Do I put a coat on, and then wait until it kicks and recoat (I did this on the centerboard trunk interior and it is pretty rough)? should I let it fully harden, sand and then recoat? 4. In the areas I plan to fair, should I coat with clear first, and then add fairing compund, or should I just fair it first and add the three coats tot he finished fairing? I know I ask a lot of questions, but its my fist S & G. I've learnd so much already I'm already looking at plans for the next build. Take Care, Steve

Thanks for the responses so quickly. Based on what you wrote, I put the piece in a vice and hammerred it. It deformed just a bit, but it's soft enought I flattened it a bit with a file, and it looks nice. I radiused it and it is ready for holes. One thing I like about this process is learning new skills. As for the material choice, the plans call for aluminum or stainless, and I had a piece of aluminum. One really nice thing about aluminum is that you can cut it with a carbide blade on a tablesaw like butter. Take Care, Steve

I'm still fooling with my mast step, and the plans call for a 1 and 1/2 X 4" 3/16 plate stock bent a the 3/4 mark about 30 degrees. I know a brake is what I really need, but short of that, any ideas? I can beat it with a hammer, but I think thats a bad idea. Take Care, Steve

The plans call for that in mine. But the screws are shown coming only up into the base material, and not into the ply. I don't see any reasn not to put the screws coming up through into the plywood. I also match drilled the aluminum plate from the top. I realize all the force from the vang and halyard are in compression on the mast, but there is also the side pressure. I suppose the fillets reinforce the pressure. Thanks, Steve

I'm just about to glue i the mast step in my Spindrift 11n that I made out of Phillipian mahogony. This step gets glued and screwed to the bottom of the boat and forward bulkhead. It occurs to me that the stress on this will ge great. It is covered with three layers of plywood, but maybe I should remake it out of some other wood. What do you all think? Take Care, Steve

Good use of "frenchied". I like the simpler look. Take Care, Steve

I compromised. I just faired it with thickened epoxy and shaped it sharp, and then rounded it with a smaller radious. I come from a racing background. That gap just bugs me. I think it will be relatively durable, but in my case the boat won't spend all that muc time apart. Take Care, Steve