MisterMoon

FWIW, I've found the middle station to be useless. Even if you pluck the mizzen, there is a lot of rigging in the way as well as my RAM mount for the GPS. I've got a forward station for covering long distances, usually with crew, and an aft station. I built a removable bench for the aft cockpit to be used as a rowing seat. The bench also greatly increases comfort for the helmsman on long stints at the tiller. I will be removing the middle rowing station oarlocks on my next repaint.

I'm increasingly fearful my poor boat is looking pretty dowdy compared to the other CS's in the fleet. I believe a repaint is in order before 2016 lest I be disowned. Looking forward to Saturday!

What Graham said. My CS17 finished the very tough Watertribe Ultramarathon in 2012 and the Everglades Challenge in 2014. And we are returning again in 2015, can't wait. I do sometimes race mine around the buoys and it stays pretty close the the Catalina 22s in sub planing conditions. If it's blowing harder, they point a bit better than me but leave them in the dust reaching and running.

That looks pretty stock to me.

Floyd, I got your voicemail. Let me know and I'll be happy to show you my boat.

You are welcome to come and look at mine in Acworth. Contact me at Six Seven Eight Two Nine Four One 339.

I find my 17 heaves-to a lot better if you raise the rudder. The bow goes right into the eye of the wind and stays there. You do tend to drift backwards pretty quickly in strong winds, so not for wicked lee shores.

All the B&B boats finished. We were the last in, but still 32nd overall out of 115. The boat was great and my crew who was new to Core Sounds came away very impressed.

After the Everglades Challenge and 302 nautical miles of centerboard slot spitting water into the off-watch crew's rear end and the lever on the top of the board hitting them in the crotch every time we touched bottom, I'm seriously considering putting in a weighted board and sealing up the top of the case. Something to consider...

Best speeds I've ever seen with my 6 hp outboard are around 8 knots. I'm a strong proponent of hanging the OB on a bracket, otherwise I find there are far too many tangles and snags with the mizzen sheets.

Please send some photos.

Lake Jocassee is beautiful. It won't be all that windy in the summer, but should be nice in the autumn.

I'm headed out your way for the WaterTribe race at the end of September. If you still have the trailer by then and you think it's roadworthy enough to pull back to Atlanta, I'd be interested. My Sunfish needs a trailer.

Wkisting, where did you source your tubing?

A Core Sound 17 is not a sharpie...

I've used nylon cable ties to good effect. Super easy to sand smooth and no reason to remove the remnant left inside the fillets.

In the 2011 Everglades Challenge, sailed the first hours with the centerboard up on my old Daysailer II. Heading out across Tampa Bay on a reach it wasn't noticeable. When I turned the corner in the Gulf off of Anna Maria to close hauled, I was frustrated by my inability to go to windward. I fought with the boat until I was 5 miles offshore then tacked back to shore, losing ground towards the first checkpoint all the way. Only when I got nearly to the beach did I realize I'd cleated off CB uphaul line instead of the downhaul, allowing the board to retract. It was as you said, the boat felt like it just took off after 5 or so hours of utter frustration and anguish.

Harsh rating, dude! They weren't very nice when it came to allocation your handicap. 100 is Viper 640 territory. Tell them 250-280 is more like it!

I have a Davis Windex mounted atop my main mast. I also have yarn telltales taped on both sides of the sail about 1.5 feet aft of the masts. I wish there were windows in the sail to make the ones on the leeward side easier to see. When the sun is behind you, they are invisible.

My boat has a little copper drain line that goes into the bottom of the mast step. I also sprayed it with McLube every so often and it's easy to pull. I personally don't don't see much need in an assistance device. The rig isn't all that heavy and hard to set or pull.

Mine has countersinks in the hull bottom.

The open Nutshell pram did complete the shorter Ultramarathon which ran concurrently with the EC. The little CLC Eastport pram is still going, having left the second checkpoint in Choko this morning and is on their way to Flamingo. They've got a good chance, I'd say. IMO, success in the EC is more about the skipper's drive and determination and preparation than it is about the boat. The tough, smart, well-prepared guys and gals are the ones who make it.

I'm going to disagree with you Tom, as dangerous as that is. I think we'll see a record percentage finishing this year. Last year was the killer bad year with only a 37% finish rate. I think we'll see ~65% make it this year. If you can get near Flamingo by Wednesday morning, the forecast strong westerlies will blow you right to the finish. It would be bad for the sailors if you don't get around East Cape by then though. The kayakers will all take the WW and it won't impact them so much.

Ok, so I put a hatch in my foredeck where there was none. What's the collected wisdom on gasket material?

I've been working on my boat a bit and have been debating adding the forward step mainly to clear the boat for camping. It shouldn't bee too hard to do.