Core Sound 20 Hull #102

[Charlie Jones]

A stand up block and a clam cleat on the thwart, so the line leads aft towards you

[JeffM]

Me, too, Ray.  But that leaves nothing securing the mast in the step in the case of a capsize.  (I don't worry, since I lock the butt end in the step when reefed so it won't rotate.  --though come to think of it, nothing at all but gravity keeps the mizzen in the third step when I reduce sail that way...  But of course going from foredeck to keel strip gives it a very deep bury.)

[wkisting]

Hoping to launch this weekend (Saturday). Varnishing went well and most hardware is bedded, but I had a setback last night when I was drilling out a hole in my bowsprit... the bit grabbed and split the board right down the center for about 9 inches! Arrrrghhh! All that work, plus 7 coats of varnish, and now I have to find a way to glue the thing back together and sand it down to start over with the varnish. Ray was right... boat-building NEVER ends.

I'm guessing my re-glued sprit will not hold up for more than a couple of years because the split will almost certainly let water in eventually, but I'll glue it for now and build a new one in the distant future when I'm not so aggravated.  >  It's only getting bolted (not glued) to the boat anyhow, so it doesn't really matter. Just makes me sick.

[Edit to add: Do you all think 2-1/2" screws are sufficiently long for attaching the mizzen blocks to the transom stringer? I have been unable to find 3" long stainless roundhead screws, and I hate to order a full box online since I only need 4 of them.]

[wkisting]

More bad news... boat is just about ready to launch tomorrow, but due to the hurricanes/storms constricting gas supply, we're completely out of gas here in town. I may have to postpone launching until next weekend just so I don't have to call my employer on Monday to explain why I used up all my gas this weekend and cannot come to work.  :-[  Apparently, I have no luck or the oil companies have been conspiring against my boat-launch. Either way, it's getting ugly here in town, with reports of two fights at two separate gas stations yesterday when everyone apparently raced to the pumps to suck up the last few drops. It's like 1974 again--except that I wasn't alive yet in 1974.

[Dale Niemann]

I have "Lively's" mizzen downhaul set up exactly like Ray described.  I have found it works very well.  One thing Ray did not mention is another advantage of doing it this way.  If the boat goes over the downhaul will hold the mizzen mast in its step so you will not loose it.

I also like Ray's idea of using the downhaul to hold the masts in place when they are down for travel and in the mast supports.  I will add a clam cleat to my aft mast support so I can hold the masts down while traveling down the highway in the same way it holds it down when rigged for sailing.

I already use the forward mast downhaul to hold the masts down for traveling by tying a line around both masts and then hooking the downhaul between the masts to the loop and then snug it down.

Dale

[wkisting]

Well, she was finally LAUNCHED today! We had beautiful weather, 81 degrees with a very light breeze (perfect for learning to sail a new boat) and slightly overcast so that the sun didn't scorch us too badly in the 5 hours we were out.

The CS20 lives up to her reputation. In light airs (so light we could barely feel it on our skin at all), she scooted along at approximately 3 mph (no GPS on hand to confirm) and occasionally faster. We easily kept pace with sloops carrying about double our sail area, and could point nearly as high. It was difficult to get a feel for the proper trim of the sails and the CB, as the airs were so light that all adjustments made small differences, but I could not believe how steadily and easily she sailed. Our last boat (the Stevenson Pocket Cruiser) would not even have moved in wind so light--I'm absolutely certain of it.

We tested the 3.5hp motor also... what a good fit for this boat. At barely higher than idle, she scoots at about 4 mph, which is just perfect. I'm fairly confident the motor can get her going faster, but I don't want to open her up higher than half-throttle until the (new) motor is properly broken in.

We still have some work to complete... no gunwales yet, and a few of the hatch covers have some mild warpage that needs adjustment. But all in all, we are delighted.

Thanks very much to everyone for their thoughtful assistance with our project--especially Ray, who was a terrific and tireless help with my many, many questions.

Now the pics...

[Steve Day]

Wow!

What a nice looking boat! You should be proud of the way she looks. Very nice job.

I see the dog even got a trip.

Steve

[Randy C.]

Wes,

Very NICE!!! You and your wife did a great job. Enjoy. Hope you have enough gas to get to work tomorrow.

Randy

[Charlie Jones]

VERY nice. But the centerboard is on the opposite side from the boats I built!! ;D

And so is the mast step.

Doesn't matter, I just noticed it.

Again, nice job. Now sail the paint off the bottom.

[Ken_Potts]

  Yay Wes!

  Congatulations on the launch!  And welcome to the ranks of sailor.  May we both rejoin the ranks of builder as time and inclination allow.

  I've avidly followed every one of the posts on this thread and I hope you continue it with your sailing adventures (35 pages - Is that a record Frank? ;D)

  Now it's on to discussion of trailer setup etc...

  Sail her hard - You built her, you can fix her. 

[cdunc]

Congrats!!

[wkisting]

Thanks all. It really is a pleasure to sail this boat after all our hard work. Keep in mind, she's a bit rougher in person than in pictures, as some of you may discover if you come to Graham's get-together in October. We're hoping to make it, unless our regional gas crisis is still going on at that time.

We did find some gas on Saturday, which is why we were able to launch yesterday, but the stations are still mostly empty down here. Kind of scary how angry people get at the pumps. We nearly witnessed a head-on collision as two folks raced for one of the opening pumps, and there were some very angry words shouted at the line-jumper.

The CB is reversed because I generally prefer to sit to Port, so I wanted my wife to have the legroom on the starboard side where she sits. Also, I knew I wanted to mount the motor to starboard so that the throttle arm would be roughly at the centerline of the boat (easily accessible from both sides), so I thought it better to have my weight to port anyway. The motor bracket we designed works superbly, with just enough clearance to tilt the motor out of the water while sailing.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the results and I'm impressed with the spaciousness. There really isn't a bad seat in the boat. Legroom is very good even on the CB side forward.

We may still need to file down our sail track more, as the sails still tend to hang up at random spots. The Dremel should make short work of it though. Does anyone lubricate the sail track with anything? I suppose that would be another option.

[paul_stewart]

Happy for you, Wes.  Well done!  Must be a smooth ride; your canine colleague looks totally relaxed.

Filing (rounding and polishing) the tracks was sufficient for raising and lowering our sails,  but some beeswax will probably improve on that when I get around to it.  Tom Lathrop wrote...

I use beeswax to lubricate any stainless to stainless rubbing parts.  I did this on Southern Skimmer after the tracks were filed by heating the track slightly with a torch and just running a piece of beeswax along the track edge.  Other lubricants will wash off or melt away in sunlight while beeswax stays there.  Works great on stainless turnbuckles or stainless cable that rubs on anything.

[wkisting]

Paul, it WAS a smooth ride. We could barely feel the breeze on our skin, and most of the day you would've guessed the breeze wasn't blowing at all; yet the CS20 ghosted along steadily at 2-3 mph. I'm really blown away (pun intended) that she could sail in these conditions. Our previous boat, a Stevenson Pocket Cruiser, would've needed twice as much wind to make any appreciable progress. There were a few sloops nearly stopped cold, and a few others that were making the same progress we were making, though they were carrying at least double the sail area. The reports of the CS-series' impressive sailing ability are certainly justified. A friend from the West Marine store came by on a pontoon boat and couldn't believe we were moving as quickly as we were with no perceptible wind. When he first came up, he said he thought we must be motoring until he got close enough to see that our motor was tilted up.

It turned out to be ideal conditions for a first sail... no drama to contend with as we familiarized ourselves with the new boat. Going to try to sneak back out this afternoon again, since the rest of this week will be very busy for me at work.

[paul_stewart]

Ray,

Oh yeah, McLube spray on track lubricant, that jogs my memory: I think that's what Alan and his cat sailor friends use.  Teflon spray, well of course; and you could fry an egg on it.

Tom Lathrop's beeswax method seems like such a 'green' and maybe traditional way to go that I may try his method first.   

You dodged a hurricane lately?

--Paul     

[Richard Whitney CS#70]

Wes

Great to see you on the water.  Great job on the boat - hope you both really enjoy it.

[Joe Anderson]

Wes,

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Following your build through this thread has been fun and informative. I saw that both your wife and your canine friend were enjoying the maiden voyage on your beautiful boat. Many happy returns, but where was Joe?

Joe

[paul_stewart]

Ah-ha!  You're gonna have to admit it, Wes. 

We've figured it out. 

Joe was taking the photos.  

--Paul

[wkisting]

Well of course Joe was taking the photos... that's why so many were shot from a low angle. (He's very short.) What, did you all think I'd be laying down on the job while I'm out sailing?

[Guest LeeH]

Your boat looks fantastic ! Great job.