jackO Posted September 17, 2008 Report Share Posted September 17, 2008 Hi everyone, I really need some help here. I found a little boat in the mangroves I knew nothing about, but if you look at page 36 of Small Craft advisory you will see my little C-Lark 14'. The original rig is kind of banged up and missing hardware and the boom. I would like to change this (135 sq. ft. sail area main and jib) from the more aggressive current sloop rig to the Cat/Ketch. I spoke with Graham through e-mails and he agrees that the CS15 rig will probably work with some modifications. I just looked back at the CS15 and the sail area is 100 sq. ft. but the CS17 is 119 sq. ft. would it be better to get the CS17 sails? or stick with the CS15. Now the last e-mail that I got from Graham and I know he is very busy was the price of the sails, but his answer about the masts was a little vague. Can anyone out there help me with this? I have seen in the B&B web site pictures of boats with the sails attached with a sleeve to an aluminum mast. Can anyone link me to where I can purchase sails and masts? I would like to enter this little boat in the Everglades Challenge in 2009, but I need sails to do it.....Thank you everyone for your help with this, all comments are welcome......Jacko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lathrop Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Jacko, I don't think the CS17 rig will fit very well in a C Lark. The standard CS15 or BRS15 will have to be modified also. There is most likely not enough room in the 14' length for the standard CS15 rig and the standard location of the C Lark centerboard may not balance the cat ketch rig either. The CS17 rig would likely make these issues a bigger problem. That said, I'm sure Graham can design a cat ketch rig that will both fit and balance properly. Of course he would have to charge for the design work and you would wind up with an uncommon boat. The C Lark is a rather nice boat as designed but may not be the best vehicle for what you want. I admire your spunk for wanting to do the Everglades Challenge but I have to question whether the C Lark is the best boat for the job. Of course you may have other reasons for wanting to use it. If the main reason is money, you might take a realistic look at the overall cost of the event and how much it might cost to get a more suitable boat like the CS17 to start with. Good luck with whatever you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackO Posted October 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hi Tom, I'm kind of disappointed not discouraged with the response for help that I have asked for. Graham agreed that the CS15 would probably work and gave me the price of the sails track etc. What he did not give me was any idea of dimensions of the masts, materials, or where to get them. I have since tried in vain to contact Graham without results, I guess he is very busy. Somehow I will prevail, this little boat called out to me and she was practically free, so I will forge ahead on my own. Thanks for the encouragement.....Jacko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jones Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 How are you trying to get in touch? They just recently changed email accounts and no longer use Pinelink. Have you tried calling Graham? The number is on the website. I talked with him twice yesterday. Or was it three times? Anyway- he's pretty readily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lathrop Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 I Think Graham has gone to St Michaels for the MASCF. If so he will not be back before Sunday evening at the earliest. He's not hiding but has changed email address. Current email address is, designergraham@gmail.com As I said, you can certainly put a cat-ketch rig in the C-Lark but it is not a drop-in job. It should be obvious that an unstayed rig takes a stronger mast partner than a stayed rig. The size of the sails, particularly the foot and sprit lengths are about max for a 15' boat and need some rework for a 14' boat. In addition, the foremast may not fit as far forward as in the CS or BRS, further reducing the foot length. That is unless the mizzen clue extends beyond the transom. The up shot is that you may need more luff and mast length to recover some of the greater sail area carried by the C-lark. The bigger problem may be the change in balance between sails and centerboard. All in all, it may be a fair amount of work--or not so much. I find designing just as much joy as building or sailing. What I'm trying to suggest in a gentle way is that you do some basic study of these problems in books from your local library or amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 Hmmm, off topic, but pinelink is still referenced on B&B web site, I just sent RSVP to it. I guess I need to send another to the gmail addy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jones Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 Yes- they have given up on Pinelink completely. I sent some pictures recently that Graham didn't get because of that. Use the Designergraham@address Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hagan Posted October 4, 2008 Report Share Posted October 4, 2008 Gmail is very good; I can set up their domain name email to route through their gmail account (Google uses Postini spam filter on all that mail, so it effectively weeds out the spam before you have to download it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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