Weekender - Thanks Everyone!

[RHCherry]

Thanks to everyone for their help on alternatives to the Weekender!

[MrCruise]

For those who may be interested, it's been "40" days and counting since I placed my order and paid for my plans and I've gotten no response from Stevensons. 

FWIW, the payment for stevenson plans goes through PayPal.. Which processes the payment right away even if there is no one in the shop.

I'm sure they'll do you right when they return to their office.

[Brent]

"..What does everyone think?"

I think the spindrift is 10 times the sailboat a weekender will ever be.  For a boat to learn to sail on you want something that is simple and performs reasonably well.  In my opinion the weekender is neither.  I think the weekender is a pretty boat and a nice woodworking project, but the weekender has none of the stuff I look for in a sailboat that performs, and a bunch of stuff that is unnecessary complications - in my opinion.  I may upset a few weekender owners with this, but it is "what I think".  I would hope that if I posted your question on a forum I would get honest answers, so here is mine.

I have built a spindrift, and a CS20.  The spindrift if a fine boat and easy to build.  It is good for messing about on small waters, and a fine place to learn to sail.  Don't be surprised to find yourself eventually wanting something larger, faster - like the only slightly more complicated to build Core Sound series. 

[RHCherry]

You are in sync with most of those I've spoken with. Actually I've decided on a bigger boat already. The Spindrift11. LOL! After speaking with Graham at length (Thank you Graham for all of your valuable time) he strong armed me into the bigger boat. LOL! Just kidding!

I can't wait to receive my plans and get started.

Thanks for the input!!!!

[John Weigandt]

<<<<<<<<I think the spindrift is 10 times the sailboat a weekender will ever be.>>>>>

Now you know that's just not true.    You've got to look at your own personal set of criteria.

1. Would I use the weekender to teach myself to sail?  Not on your life..  It is indeed too complex in my estimation to teach yourself, and would frustrate me to no end.

2. Would I teach someone to sail in the Weekender?  Yes probably..  but I still think you should learn in a dinghy where the penalty for getting wet is much less.

3. 10x.. No way..  I wanted a boat, at the time I built the Weekender that was a fairly straightforward build, had a cabin capable of camping, or getting out of the weather, was shoal draft for the river, and yes was a pretty little boat.  I'm with Ray on the fact that the Stevenson's build book and video were invaluable in "getting over the hump" in the building process.  Of course when I did it, internet resources for boatbuilding were relatively non existant compared to today.

4. Sailing performance?  Yep it's not a race boat.  Yep as you saw upwind against a 2 foot chop kills the momentum and stalls the keel. 

But I've been out in stuff in the weekender that would send a lot of other small boats in for the day.

5.  Would I have gone on 2 BEER cruises in a spindrift...  sorry... nope... 

6.  Plans available today that are interesting to me, are the Belhaven and Jim Stumphs new boat that he just took to BEER if you are looking at the same size/ weight range, with a cabin, and ultralight to tow.

So to quote Popeye.. I yam what I yam.

John