Weekender Cockpit Size

[Guest Gaylen]

Greetings,

Had the weekend to look at the video and plans for the Weekender. Since I am 300lbs (growing smaller) and my mate is a full size gal (growing smaller as well) we are concerned about the small size of the cockpit. :?

We have conversed with some that have built without the cabin, but do like the cabin style. The two of us are all that will be going out most the time, and we would like to have input concerning the cockpit size compared to ours, as well as design modifications that worked for those that had the same concern.

Also, with the cabin on, would someone like myself (growing smaller all the time ) have any problem getting to the front of the boat on a sail.

I am in Port Orchard, Washington and would love to see any Weekender in my area up close and personal. Sitting in one before I start to build would shure take a load off my mind.

Glad to see this forum is active.

Thanks in advance,

Gaylen Beardsley

Washington State

gaylen@koinchurch.com

[Barry Pyeatt]

Hi Gaylen,

Welcome to the forum. There are a number of Weekenders in the Puget Sound area. Some south sound builders are in process of building as am I. There are at least two finished Weekenders in the Kirkland area. One is a jaunty little craft with tiller steering that was built by Capt. Ron. He posts occasionally. Another is as drawn on the plans by Jim. He sails on Lake Washington regularly. Occasionally posts.

There are a couple other finished ones mid/south sound. A couple in the Vancouver, BC area and several in Eastern Washington and Idaho. A couple in Northern Oregon.

I know that Capt. Ron would certainly welcome the inquiry. I'll send him your E-mail address.

Mine is in storage while I recover from several surgeries. Was hoping to get back to finishing it this summer, but the Dr. said No.

I'm a Trim 240, 6' 1 1/2" and have sailed on one in Hawaii with a couple of the locals there. They were both close to 300# or more, and we were out in some pretty big waves (2-3') and steady wind that was blowing the tops off them. It was very comfortable, with one sitting in the hatch and the other two in the cockpit. Once we got around the point into a little more sheltered water there wasn't any problem moving around on the deck. 300# will make it heel over and it isn't ballasted so it will not be rock solid stable. But I never had any misgivings about it going over or me going over the side. I wouldn't want to be on the bow when it is in as heavy a sea or winds as we had in the open water that day, but I didn't find it uncomfortable working on one in Lake Washington with 10-12 knot winds and some chop.

I would like a little more leg room, but with a wheel for steering it was comfortable and I don't think you would have any misgivings.

[High C]

Gaylen, I had the unique opportunity to "try on" the cockpit size, and then change it after the fact. I bought a Weekender that was mostly built, but not finished. I had similar concerns about the size of the cockpit, so I cut the cabin back about a third, and made the cockpit smaller. I left the cabin open in the back, so it's sort of like a hard dodger. I'm glad I did. It's very roomy and comfortable, on the trailer, that is. I haven't launched quite yet.

I can stand in the cockpit and lean forward over the cabin and reach the mast. So the halyards can be used and cleated from the cockpit.

There are pics on my website, the link in my signature below.

BTW, I'm 235# myself. :wink:

[Frank Hagan]

I'm 240, and my brother at least that, and we've been sailing in it. Two people, even large people, are fine in the cockpit. More than that, even with smaller people, gets to be a crowd.

Typically, the captain will stay near the rear of the cockpit, and the first mate will sit up near the cabin bulkhead. No problem fitting two people in the cockpit that way. As Ray said, there is an issue with footroom in the cockpit if you have people facing each other.

As far as cabin space, I never go in it. I can lay down in it, and I could sleep in there if I needed to. But a boat like this is one you sail, and it demands your attention while sailing it. I think it would uncomfortable to sleep in, but I haven't tried it, so I don't really know.

Ray's remarks regarding a wider transom make sense; it would open up the space between the seats for a bit more foot room, and give it extra boyancy. It also would make it more like the Potter 14, the precursor to the modern Potter 15, which was designed for the rough and wild seas around England before being moved to the States.

BUT, as far as the standard, stock Weekender ... my opinion is it would work for you!

[Frank Hagan]

Marketing on the mass-production boats always amuses me. I'd actually like to either build the Princess 22 Sharpie that Graham at B&B designed, or buy something like a Potter 19. My wife really likes the MacGregor 26M, but the thing is so long on the trailer it won't fit on the side of the house! And I am not prepared to pay for storage of a trailerable boat (kind of defeats the purpose in my mind). I'll put a Catalina or Hunter keelboat in the water before I do that.

Anyway, I would love a little larger boat to go a bit farther offshore with, but first I think I'll do a little day sailer that I can single hand around the harbor, and won't worry about capsizing. Somethign I can throw in the back of the truck and get to the dock, rig and launch quickly.

[Poindexter]

Ray,

How much wider would you make the bottom in the rear?

It sounds like a better idea than the lengthing idea I had.

[Gaylen Beardsley]

I have re registered with my real name instead of Poindexter.

Frank, how do I go about deleting the unwanted membership registration

[Guest Anonymous]

Greetings from the Burning (normally Frozen) North.

Welcome Gaylen.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Gaylen,

I was playing around with relofting the rear of the Weekender on paper and may build a quarter scale model of it for Radio Control. I widened the transom by 6 inches on either side and moved the lazerette back 6". I like the proportions at that and the extra leg/foot room would be significant.

I also raised the cabin on my Weekencer by 6 inches. That means a taller mast base by 6" as well. It gets the boom higher which is a bonus for both my 6' 3" son and myself. It still doesn't accomodate a person sitting on a port-a-potty, but if the cockpit were re proportioned, it would be fine for camping with a boom tent and the port-a-potty in the cockpit when camping.

Capt. Jake in Olympia left an open well below the starboard seat in front of the lazerette. I"m sure he is planning on that for a gas can for his outboard. But the extra foot space will still be there.

[Tim Diebert]

I ain't no guest....

[Barry Pyeatt]

Nope, a bonafide smoke eater by now.

Still smoke covered?

[Gaylen Beardsley]

Barry, I am from Olympia and have family there. Do you think that Capt. Jake contact me and let my wife and I come to take a look at his boat?

I would like to converse on the phone about the lofting you did on paper. You can send me an email on my private line and with your phone number if this is OK. As I was thinking about it, the whole process did not seem too difficult to change on paper before building begins. Would love it if the WE would work.

I would build the Vacationer, but the room I have is only large enough for the Weekender. Still working on that one.

[Stuart Benbow]

Another idea to get more room out of your cockpit is a bridge deck. I lifted this idea literally right off of Scott Widmier's Pocket Cruiser, "Suits Us". He came by for a boatshed this summer, and we used his boat to figure out how high I needed the bridgedeck to be.

The main cockpit dimensions are close to stock, so from the 4x4 on forward is all extra cockpit space.

Here are a couple of pics:

In this last picture, you can see that there is nothing under the bridge deck panels to obstruct lying down. The cabin still has full sleeping leg room (I'm 6' 1") and still have a couple of inches to spare. There is a 4x4 support post at the center of the bridgedeck, right under the new cabin bulkhead, and there are 1x supports running under the plywood to stiffen things up. I've pushed back the cabin enough that my wife and I can sleep in the cockpit under a boom tent, and the kids can sleep in the cabin. Don't mind the 4x4 mainmast stump in the middle of the cockpit. That's just my own personal maddness. A schooner rig may work, may not, but I'll have fun finding out either way.

[Tim Diebert]

...so you did move the aft cabin bulkhead forward...?

If so, cool idea.

It actually makes a lot of sense to go that way.

From my way of thinking I would rather the cabin smaller with sleeping and stretching out room in the cockpit. You can day sail more people in comfort as well. Keep all your sailing crap (or kids in Stuarts case) in the cabin, sleep and hang out under a boom tent or out in the open.

The schooner rig could be cool too.

When you laid all that out....did you do all the figurin? CE vs CLR?

[Tim Diebert]

The whole larger cockpit...smaller cabin is one of the many things that appealed to me about John Westfords 'Sweet Pea'.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/store/plans/jw/sweetpea/index.htm

[Gaylen Beardsley]

I would like to see Sweet Pea in the flesh (picture) but can't find any on the net. Lots of Weekenders though.

Am going to try and sit in one here soon, and will let you all know how I fit.

I have been blessed by all the activity and help that has come my way since my first post.

I do think that a Weekender will be my first boat, but it may not be my last one built. Adding to this, that I will most likely modify the cockpit and cabin in order to get my bulbus butt in there comfortably.

[P Doug (WA)]

Stuart, do you have any side shot or pictures that show the whole boat to post. I looks very interesting. Would like to see more

[Stuart Benbow]

...so you did move the aft cabin bulkhead forward...?

If so' date=' cool idea.

It actually makes a lot of sense to go that way.

From my way of thinking I would rather the cabin smaller with sleeping and stretching out room in the cockpit. You can day sail more people in comfort as well. Keep all your sailing crap (or kids in Stuarts case) in the cabin, sleep and hang out under a boom tent or out in the open.

The schooner rig could be cool too.

When you laid all that out....did you do all the figurin? CE vs CLR?[/quote']

Hi there. What I did with the cabin bulkhead is split it into two parts, upper and lower. The lower bulkhead is a few inches aft of stock, and placed vertically rather than at an angle in order to maximize legroom in the cabin when sleeping. The upper bulkhead is just over 6'1 forward of the Lazarette so that I can fit in the cockpit lying down as well, and is placed at roughly the same angle as the stock bulkhead. There is a 1x4 placed behind this bulkead at its base running the full width of the boat for support to the bridge deck, the bulkhead, and the hull, and the aforementioned 4x4 stump under the bridge deck to ensure that it can take being walked on.

I also spent quite a bit of time on the sail plan, calculating the CE and CLR. The sailplan actually lowers the CE slightly, but moves it sligtly aft as well. Something I'm not entirely keen on. I've been tinkering lately with the option of removing the boom on the foresail, as seen inthe very rough image, but originally, there was a boom there as well. We'll see. I've still got the winter to worry about sails.

[Frank Hagan]

I have re registered with my real name instead of Poindexter.

Frank' date=' how do I go about deleting the unwanted membership registration[/quote']

Let's not delete it yet ... we'll wait a few weeks for the messages with "Poindexter" to scroll off the active messages. If you delete an active user, I think it breaks the message name-to-post link (or maybe changes it to the "Guest" moniker).

[Stuart Benbow]

Here's a boat profile shot ... a little old, but it's all I've got for now. I guess I need to take more pictures.

The aft mast stump has since been cut down so that the foremast can lie down either on, or to the side of it. I've added the foremast already, and have had the gaff on to test its fit. The cabin bulkhead has been put in place, and the cabin sides have been cut to match the angle. I've also added the tiller conversion to the rudderbox, and mounted the rudder on the transom.

The full round that runs from the foremast stump to well past the transom will be used for both booms if I go with a boom on both gaff sails, or just the mainsail, plus a sloop rig conversion if I don't.

I have a fair number of pictures of my progress on my web page, The Boatyard