Mathew Flinders 246

[Jknight611]

Hi Amos, We have reserved a slip in a marina on Lake Katherine,  after last year’s hurricanes it’s the only travelift in operation in our area.  It’s is a 2 hour drive from home but is near our favorite cruising areas along the gulf coast.   Several family events going on for a few weeks, then getting serious! 

[Joe Anderson]

I had to Google where Lake Catherine is and I need to download some more detailed charts of the area. Looks like an intriguing area to explore. Going out to Cat Island?  Someday I would love to sail with you down there. We have fond memories of our cruise to Portsmouth with Southern Express and Carlita. 

[Jknight611]

Still not enough wind to really sail, but motoring around a bit.  Torqeedo sez….5.8kts can motor for 6.2 hours.  Might been a little more if the solar panels were opened up!  Still monkeying around with lazyjacks for the main….

[Steve W]

Jay, she looks amazing. More pics and reports please!

[Jknight611]

Thank you Steve, hope to see you and your boat at the Messabout!

[Joe Anderson]

Here is hoping you get some fair winds soon. In the mean time it won't hurt  to thoroughly test auxiliary and other systems. Kalos looking sweet on the water. I guess the Messabout is not that far around the corner.

 

[PadrePoint]

Kalos is certainly looking it’s name:

The adjective καλός means beautiful and encompasses meanings equivalent to English "good", "noble", and "handsome". The form given by convention is the masculine, but it was equally used of women (the feminine form is καλή) and could also describe animals or inanimate objects.

 

Even more with its sails catching air. 

[Jknight611]

Great Messabout, we sure had a good time, good to sea everyone!  Thanks to everyone that shared photos with Carol an myself.  Kalos had a meeting with Alan an Graham,  few rather minor mods to be done, adding a bit to the leading edge of the rudder, increasing the pivot angle of the windvane, and added 15 lbs of lead to the tip of the centerboard.  The centerboard didn’t want to extend when sailing, hopefully this bit of weight will encourage it to drop more positively.  

[Joe Anderson]

So inspiring to see your boat and to sail on her. You and Carol have done a beautiful job. Thanks so much for leading the way with this build. 

[Jonathan M. Cohn]

Wow, she is a gorgeous sailboat and the wishbone sprits are very cool too. Its been a few years since you first got her on the water and I was curious if you could share how she has been to sail, tow, live on? Ever wish you had a small diesel or gas outboard instead of the inboard electric? What is her draft? Have you had her in any weather? Anything you would change? Any chance you will have her at the Messabout 2025? OK, that's a lot of questions. :-)

[Jknight611]

Yea, probably time for a recap of Kalos.  We have continued to add minor updates/upgrades to the rigging with the intent to make rigging easier.  We can now rig from arriving at the boat ramp to motoring away in 1 hour 15 minutes.  Not much longer than our Core Sound 20.3.  Board up probably draws less than 30 inches, about 60 inches board down.  The antifouling is Coppercoat, the boat normally lives in a marina.  The boat sails beautifully, we have had her in 35 kts winds several times with no concerns at all.  Initially we had range anxiety with the electric pod drive, but that has all but evaporated.  The electric drive is just a small part of the sailing experience on Kalos, we actually don’t think much about it,  it maneuvers much more positively than any boat I have ever sailed.  Full torque at low speed and instant reverse stops the boat pronto. If we were to build it again, electric pod drive, no question.  We have 200 amp/hr Battle Borne for the house batteries, 240 watts solar for the house, the Torqeedo 24-3500 battery and it totally adequate.  350 watts panel to charge the Torqeedo battery, with a interconnect buss if we decide to put all 3 panels to charge the motor battery (never had the need other than testing).  We have shore power but have never bothered to plug in.  We have about 60 gallons of fresh water, we have a solar water heater, refrigerator and freezer.  Longest I have stayed aboard is about 2 weeks and been as comfortable as any other boat we lived aboard.
 Long winded answer, but it is a cool boat!  We have invited and given talks at several local sailing clubs about both the electric system and the cat ketch rig.  Coupla days ago we tacked down a river with a local hot J24 sailor and he really enjoyed short tacking in the channel. 

[Steve W]

Jay, thanks for the update......she's beautiful!

[Jknight611]

Here is yet another update on Kalos, this was in October, during the B&B Messabout.  

 

[Jknight611]

Been several comments on the windvane self steering on Alan and Paul on the EC2026.  We have an B&B Designs windvane on Kalos.  Works like magic!  I have always felt that I could feel minor wind shifts as we sail along, naw, watch the vane react to the tiniest wind shift is so cool!

 

I have said numerous times I want to make a bracket to use a tiller pilot attached to the windvane rudder so when we motor or whatever we can replace the vane sensing with the electronic brain but yet to happen, works pretty good as it! 

 

 

[Reacher]

JKnight, I second your observations. I constructed and used a servo pendulum type wind vane on a 34’ Tartan. It was connected to the tiller so I could see the adjustments it was making. It rarely moved the tiller more than an inch off center, just continual fine adjustments to the course. In contrast, any other helmsman, including me, would typically move the tiller 6” or so in an initial correction.

 

I made the wind vane so I could attach a tiller pilot, but never used it that way.  
 

Races now often allow single handers to use autopilots. I would not allow that, but I would allow windvanes…that’s still sailing.

[Andy B]

I have been amazed how little Alan and his Dad have touched the tiller.  That wind vane sure works!

[Jknight611]

Coppercoat saga……our boat has been in the marina pretty much continuously for about 3 years and I have been tickled with Coppercoat’s performance keeping “stuff” from growing on the boat.  This year has been an unusual year, lots of rain has displaced the saltwater in our marina and allowed a dense carpet of Berber carpet like growth.  We also have had a major spider attack which is a colossal mess!.  So just completed 3 coats of Microlon CRC bottom paint.  Over the last few years the Travelift market “down south” has taken a bunch of hurricane induced damage, so the remaining machines have carte blanche on price!