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CS 20 for the novice??


Guest Seagull

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Guest Seagull

I am considering building a CS20, however, I am not sure that I am up to it.

As a teenager I built three wooden boats (back int he 60's) with fiber glass-taped seams and as an adult I have built a couple of experimental airplanes (which I flew without injury/damage). As a homeowner I have developed average woodworking skills using basic hand tools including a circular saw and hand drill. I have read "Devlins Boat Building" and Parker's "The Sharpie Book".

A couple of weeks ago I was just about ready to purchase the plans for a (bateau.com) CK17 - 17'6" flat bottomed Expedition Cat Ketch type sharpie, similar to the BRS17. It looks easy to build and seemed like a good "starter" boat. Then I came across the B&B website and saw the CS20, which looks like a lot more boat for the same price and a little more effort. But I still consider myself a novice, I am not sure the SC20 is a good starter project.

Your thoughts please? Is the CS20 a good novice project? Would I be better off starting with a flat bottomed sharpie such as the CK17 or the BRS 17? I am planning on using the boat for the lakes and reserviors in central New Jersey, plus the lower Hudson River.

Chuck Gullage

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I have a couple of comments to make. First the boat you are considering from Bateau is untested and I know of none that have been completed. Jacques' designs are known to contain mistakes. The design is a new one for him. I feel the risk just too high for me to consider building.

If you do some studies on your own, you should be fine to take on the CS20. I am a firm believer in building what meets your needs and not just what is easy. I would read Devlin's book on boat building. I found it to ne appropriate for building a B&B design.

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Guest John Burritt

Building either the CS 20 or 17 is a pretty straight forward process. The building process isn't much different from building a Spindrift 10 or 12, just a bit more complex and bigger pieces. One question with the 20 is building space. If that's an issue, look at theCS 17. Its about the same size as the other boats you are considering.

Based on your stated experience, you may be underestimating your skills. Both these boats are proven good sailers. There has been a good deal of discussion of them earlier on the forum. Also look at the B & B web site.

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Chuck, you can't have better support than Graham provides. I have a set of his plans and he has been very helpful in hte decision making process! Alas, I have yet to build the boat I bought plnas for, but taht is due to my personal situation. Graham does a bang up job on his plans, and offers the support ot back them up!! Go for IT!!

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Guest Terry Dunn CS20 #36

Chuck,

I was in your shoes a year ago. I wanted to build a boat but had no experience. I chose to build a Spindrift 10 even though it looked more complicated to build than a similar boat from Batteau. With the plans and CD with pictures of boats in progress for a few bucks more, I was able to complete the Spindrift. I did spend a lot more money than I expected.

Now I am building a CS20. I have a double car garage 20' 7" long. After I got my CS20 stitched, taped and on cradles I was able to shove it to the side and actually get a car in the garage with my boat. The CD that I purchased with the plans is very helpful. The pictures from Gordy's and Joe's sites are also very helpful.

I chose a CS20 because it fit my building space (barely) and I think they are pretty. What else can you ask for?

Sounds like you have a better building background than I do. Good luck deciding.

Terry

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You just have to get your hands dirty!

The learning curve for working with epoxy is not that bad. Read the Epoxy book from System 3. Its available online in PDF format.

Re-read the sections in Devlin's book on laying out panel curves, wiring the hull, fillets and taping seams. I find new information almost everytime I pick up the book. Its worth reading many times. I would hesitate to go the route he describes for removing stitches with a battery. Depends on wire type and size. Some wire just burns like a fuse and you have to dig them out. Do the tabbing with a popsickle stick and cut/remove stitches prior to doing your final (larger) fillet.

The tutorials at Bateau are very good. He is a smart businessman but I would be careful about building anything from his web site that has not been built and tested.

With a little study and the support Graham gives over the phone and on his forum, I am confident that you can start with the project that best suits your needs.

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To perhaps add some additional perspective to the thoughtful comments already posted in this thread I would say that building a Core Sound boat is not a difficult task. It does however take a few simple skills.

-Reading and Interpreting design drawings. The design by B&B is excellent. I have had to think carefully about how I was interpreting it.

-Basic wood working skills - my boat is being built with power and hand tools common to any amateur wood shop. But building the boat has been an excuse for additions to my tool fleet :)

-Patience. I spend a good deal of my time thinking through the next step. I keep remembering some advice from early in my shop skills training "measure twice, cut once".

The epoxy skills may be a little intimidating to the novice, but actually it is not all that difficult. There are lots of good reference materials to help. And this forum seems to include a people who are willing to share their learnings along the way.

Good Luck and Enjoy

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Guest seagull

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement everybody. I made a decision and called Graham on Monday to order plans for a CS17 and the CD. I was surprised that he answered the phone and took the order himself. We had a nice chat and he answered all my questions in detail.

My intention is to build the CS17 as a starter project and then move on to something bigger like a 22' lobster boat in a year or so. I'm going to have to clear out one garage stall for this project, which means I'll either have to sell my Corvette or find some sort of temporary shelter for it. I have seen some on the web, but they run about a grand a 10 x 20 shelter which seems a little pricy. Does anyone have experience with temporary shelters?

Chuck

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