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CS 20 Foredeck ideas....


Rob Blackburn

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I was wondering if anybody would care to pick holes in this idea... We have ordered the timber for our CS 20 today and am getting a bit excited...

I have been thinking about the fore deck of the boat and have been pondering the merits of building the deck flat and down about 3 inches below the sheer line along the style of a lot of the older wooden boats.

The possible benefits could be.

1. a flat area for my young children to sit as we sail along in lighter conditions much like they do on the deck of my laser. This would allow a toe rail effect so they would be less likely to slip over board.

2. a flat surface to put an anchor well in with a hinged hatch.

3. a flat hatch on the deck to allow access to the compartment below.

I guess it opens up the pandoras box as they say but is there any merit in this or do you reckon to leave well enough alone?

Rob Blackburn

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knowing how floppy my hull is now...without any decking as of yet...I am thinking that the deck is going to add a lot of structural stregnth to the boat. So having a continuous structure fore/aft is going to be important.

It seems that Gordy did a modification to the front of his boat (17). Maybe he can chime in and shed some light.

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The dropped foredeck idea is a nice adaptation. The fun of building your own is playing with the design and building to suit.

Like Joe, I am speaking as someone with a boat that does not yet have a deck on it. I agree that the deck is going to add some stiffness. I expect the foredeck could be lowered a bit and stiffness provided by using much larger inwales. The inwales would also help protect the above deck hull ply from damage.

I am planning to store the anchor in a bracket attached to the forward side of the forward bulkhead. I want the anchor weight out of the very front of the bow.

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Rob,

Since my boat was intended for flats fishing I built a casting deck at seat height that extends to about 2 1/2 feet aft of the stem. That leaves the side decks and a small fordeck. I also cut the freeboard down 3" to make it easier to get in and out of the boat and to cut down on windage when poleing.

I added a forward forward bulkhead that has an opening to give access to a self-draining anchor well.

I wish I hadn''t cut down the freeboard and I would probably make the foredeck larger if I were to do it again. I don't think I'd have the deck as large as the plans. It's nice to be able to walk forward to the foremast and still be in the boat. HOWEVER, I've been in weather where I certainly would have liked the freeboard and fordeck.

I like my forward forward bulkhead with the forward bulkhead cut down to seat height, except at the sides of course. I cut down the forward bulkhead and attached a piece of 1x6 across the top to keep it's shape during construction.

With a low dodger you would have a place where the kids could get out of the weather and keep spray out in heavy weather.

Also, I'd go with 9mm for the standing deck and seat tops. I'm quite a bit larger than Graham and he can get by just fine with the 6mm.

I intend to go sailing this weekend. I'll take more pictures.

You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead......(Stan Laurel)
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  • 2 weeks later...

Gordy,

Your comments about freeboard and foredeck hint at seakeeping ability. I notice the plans have sculpers in them for draining the boat. Do you have these, and how well do they work?

One of the racing sleds I formerly owned had these and they worked great, but one had to be careful to keep them closed when not moving quickly, else they worked in reverse, getting the ankles wet.

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Brent,

The seakeeping ability of my boat is quite impressive. I have noticed, however, that when I sail 30 miles straight into a 20 knot breeze with three feet plus seas, I get wet. The self bailers work fine and unload a lot of the water that comes in as spray

I think you might consider keeping the deck at the same height and extending the seating area a bit forward.

I'm thinking of adding a short bowsprit for my Bruce anchor. I know good reasons for keeping weight out of the ends of the boat, but we're only moving it a foot or two and the added convenence and even safety are attractive. Since I usually sail short-handed, (me) I like the idea of being able to drop the anchor when I've screwed up all of my other options.

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I like the anchor set up on the sea pearls. I assume there is a cleat in reach of the helmsmen that allows dropping the anchor with leaving the helm. Nice feature.

The set up on the sea pearl seems likely to hold the anchor securely even when bouncing around.

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Thanks for the replies fellas. I have decided to wait until we get to the decking stage to get a feel for the size of the boat.

We have been held up as the Pacific Mahogonay marine ply is not available for a few weeks as the Chinese Olympic committee is cornering the market allegedly.

But that should be resolved next week.

Thanks

Rob Blackburn

Lennox Head Oz

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  • 2 weeks later...

Rob, Here is another idea to adapt the CS for young children that occured to me while I was cutting out the seats for my CS20. By running the seat tops clear across the boat from port side to starboard side (going right over the centerboard case) one could have a very large platform at just the right height for kids to have a secure but fun place to ride. They would not have to worry about falling off the seat and onto the floor (which I suppose would be scary when the boat heels). They would have plenty of room and a good view of the action, but be out the way of the running of the boat.

I am planning a partial go at this just to have a better area up front for lounging in the sun. I will post a picture in the gallery showing the way my seating presently is configured.

I hope the wood has sorted itself out by now. Keep up posted.

---Brent

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Here is that picture of the CS20 forward seating area...

75foredeck.jpg

As shown the seats are forming a platform that runs 4 feet aft from the forward bulkhead. This is about 14" more than the design calls for. The forward deck beam is in about the right place per plan. One could exclude the deck beam and have a grand place for a band of small pirates to ride about.

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Guest Tom Lathrop

Brent & Joe,

I expect Graham will wade in on this but I think the platform you are considering is probably a bad idea. The CS 20 is a nice stable boat but it does heel over in the wind. With such a smooth platform you then have a wide area that will allow the tots to slide to leeward where all unfettered things accumulate when a sailboat heels. I'd be concerned about the safety of this modification.

It's a sailboat. The standard interior has been worked out over quite a few years under varying conditions and found to be best by the designer and builders who contributed their thoughts. Changes can be made but they should be considered very carefully.

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Tom, Allow me to respectfully disagree at least in part.

The standard interior has been worked out over quite a few years under varying conditions and found to be best by the designer and builders who contributed their thoughts.

Every boat I have built, owned, been out upon, seen from distance, seen pictures of, or heard about has been the builders best compromise to meet the intended purpose. I will go with you that the Core Sound boats seem to be exceptionally well thought out, but I see adapting them to the users intended use to be well within bounds. Of course, every design decision brings with it its own compromises.

For my part the boat I am building is not being adapted at all to accomdate small sailors. Someone considering to do so would of course have to use safety as part of the decision evaluation. My boat will be optimized to sail fast for a solo sailor and serve as a diving / fishing platform (in priority order).

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Whatever you decide...you should consider adding another layer of plywood to the seat tops. As suggested by some of the other heavier builders, I am adding a second layer of 6mm to all my seat tops. Standing and rough service seem to exceed the designed limits of the 1/4" seat tops.

Looking good!!! I am at about the same stage.

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Guest Anonymous
Rob' date=' Here is another idea to adapt the CS for young children that occured to me while I was cutting out the seats for my CS20. By running the seat tops clear across the boat from port side to starboard side (going right over the centerboard case) one could have a very large platform at just the right height for kids to have a secure but fun place to ride. They would not have to worry about falling off the seat and onto the floor (which I suppose would be scary when the boat heels). They would have plenty of room and a good view of the action, but be out the way of the running of the boat.

---Brent[/list']

For my part the boat I am building is not being adapted at all to accomdate small sailors. Someone considering to do so would of course have to use safety as part of the decision evaluation. My boat will be optimized to sail fast for a solo sailor and serve as a diving / fishing platform (in priority order

__________________________________________________

Goodness Brent, :shock:

If you did not specifically say that the boat was intended for young children I would have kept quiet. Which of these posts represents your true intent?

Whew! I'll have to be more careful with my "advice".

Peace :D

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A thousand pardons if my message came across to strong :( . I was certainly not offended by anything said here. Nor was my intent to ciber lambast anyone. Know that I do like a spirited discussion :wink:

So all is well here. Peace.

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