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CS20mk3 for family camping?


foxwedge

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Hi All,

I've recently learned about the B&B family of designs and I am very impressed. The CS20mk3 is pretty much the kind of thing I have been searching for..... I think. I'm looking for some guidance as to whether it will satisfy all of my hopes.

Mostly I want a trailerable boat for day sailing solo or with a couple guests. Something exciting enough for me, but also predictable enough to stay dry in moderate conditions. So far so good, I gather. But it would be really nice if that same boat could be used for occasional camping trips with my family. Right now we have one child, but may one day have another.

 

I am wondering if it could handle loading up camping gear for four and food for a week to 10 days for camping on Georgian bay of Lake Huron. I picture us loading up and sailing to a campsite on shore, setting up camp and using an inflatable of some sort to putter about and get back and forth to the boat. Is this realistic?

 

I see some potential problems with my plan.

For one, designed displacement is only 1500lbs, but I would like to be able to know that it can safely handle bumping that to 2000. (500 people, 650 boat, 350 water ballast(?), 100 inflatable etc, 200 camping gear, 200 food). I've done my share of backpacking, but prefer boating for the ability to bring luxuries along, like fresh food. I suppose we could pare that down, but you add in an outboard etc. etc. and it seems like a realistic number. Can I be safe with loading it up?

 

Two, the whole inflatable tender idea seems fraught. Hopefully we could find a place to pull up and unload to shore directly from the CS20-3,  but Georgian bay is very rocky and beaches might not be available. Anyone have experience to help me here?

 

Perhaps heresy to ask on this forum, but are there other boats I should consider? All the other designs I look at seem a different breed of craft - most seem to have 2000lbs of lead or some such thing. I guess that could be ok, but I don't want to lug that around if I can help it. I want to be able to get it off the trailer and rigged quickly by myself. I really like the simple, forgiving and low maintenance nature of the cat ketch rig (from reading only). I would like to build it, but I don't want to take years doing so. I like the idea of a complete kit. So far I have never seen that from another supplier. If faced with the prospect of building a more elaborate or heavy boat (Dix Cape Henry or Cape May for example), I think I might just buy a used keel boat and call it a day.

 

Maybe Graham is thinking of putting together a lightly ballasted Core Sound 22/24 with accommodations for 3 or 4?? Hint/nudge?

 

Thoughts anyone? Thanks!!

Ian

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When interviewed about his design the Pearson Trident Carl Alberg referred to the Pearson sales staff as prostitutes for calling the boat a family cruiser for 4.  He said it sleeps 4, but cruises 2.  

 

That being said I bet the CS 20 3 is the closest thing to what you are looking for.  It will surelly sail 4 and carry some stuff.  Camping gear, fresh food and ice for 4 for a week?  Might be somewhat optimistic. Backpacking gear and food with a cooler and 4 will be cozy.

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Hi, my wife and I have spent about 45-60 days on out CS20.3 since completion.  It is a small boat, but that is it’s beauty.  We have a larger boat with dingy etc, but our CS we jibe around and step on the beach,  the worst we have done is wade in a foot of water. Dingy definitely not needed.  We have a electrical ballast pump, we generally fill the ballast tank and never give it a thought till we reload on the trailer.   We have had 6 people on the boat with some regularity, never noticed a problem when day sailing  ( look on the B&B site, we had 5-6 aboard for that picture) We kinda rely on a fresh trout for dinner,  2 people for 3 weeks wasn’t a problem, never had more for overnights.   On the gulf coast we are never more than a day sail to a spectacular restaurant,  which is part of the fun! 

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OK Thanks! Good advice about the dinghy. I was hoping you guys would say that. But how do you anchor for the night? Swim to shore? I would want to leave a good buffer of clear water before the rocks, surely. I guess I could just plan to sleep aboard and leave the other folks in the tent?

 

I'm accustomed to canoe and kayak trips, so perhaps I can stay within that level of luxury...

 

thanks for the responses, keep em coming!

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I find that two of us can camp for many days in the CS20#3 just as Jay said. We are not short of room for everything we need, so if we had young kids it would not be a problem. Also, don't forget that most people take way too much stuff with them, cut down to what you really need, which doesn't include half the wardrobe. If we wanted to sleep four onboard it would mean cushions for the cockpit seats and a tent over the cockpit - no problems. If you buy a decent anchor, anchoring bow out - stern in and stepping into a foot of water is no problem. We just keep a towel near the ladder as a foot mat.

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Hi Foxwedge,

 

You have been given good advice so far. I just recalculated the displacement at the datum water line for fresh water and got 1507 lbs. It takes another 405 lbs to push the boat down the next 1" evenly. 

I think that you could put 10 kids on her and she would carry them safely but you might not feel the same.

 

Amos has two kids and I am sure that he has some good cruises planned.

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   One way to anchor when camping is to put an anchor well off the beach and put another one on the beach (or tie a sling to a tree or something).  The two anchors are connected by a long loop of line which is tied to the boat. The loop is free to run through its connection to the anchor points but it tied securely to the boat.

   Drop the first anchor when you're approaching shore.  Feed out the anchor loop as you continue on to shore and secure the second anchor on land.  Unload gear and pull the boat back out like it's on a clothesline.  when the boat is where you want it to stay for the night, secure the "clothesline" with some prusik knots or something.

   The first few time I did this it seemed like a confusing mass of spaghetti when I was trying to deploy everything but it became second nature.

   This is not a good way to anchor a boat during a really good storm but it has worked well for me in camping weather.

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Ok! this sounds promising. My sailing experience is limited to off-the-ramp dinghy sailing at summer sailing school, so I know how to move the boat, but some of the cruising skills I've never done. Very helpful.

 

Thanks, Graham, for the calculation.

 

I have lots of custom details imagined for my fantasy boat, but as yet no plan to move out of the city so I can build it..... patience....

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Back to anchoring a CS, it takes so little distance between the top of the water and the bottom of the bay,  we just anchor anyplace out of the way or if the bugs aren’t bad put it on the beach.  Very easy boat to handle.  My wife can pack enough groceries on our boat for a week under the berths and the big compartment aft of bulkhead 1 and 2 for the sleeping bags and clothes.  

At the Messabout we will R&D (research and duplicate) the ice chest option! 

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