Things you'd do differently the next time around

[Konrad]

I've built two Stevenson boats (the Vacationer and the Wing Dinghy), and also a one sheet skiff.

But this post mostly revolves around my experience building and sailing the Vacationer.

I haven't takend the boat out on two weekends back-to-back for about 7 years until this month (mostly because of kids).  And that gives rise to some reflection back over the last nine years of having the boat.  Here are a few things I'd do differntly, in no particular order:

1.  I'd have used smaller diameter lines for the sheets.  Mine run through the blocks too slow, or not at all in light winds.  3/8" would be a God's plenty, I used 1/2" I think.  But at the time of the build 10 years ago, I was totally into competitive beach cat racing, where everything is close-hauled and loads are very high.  I didn't realize these boats were such low-load rigs. (But low loads is good).

2.  I'd have devoted more time to making a useable reef in the main sail.  I do have one, but it was mostly an afterthought, and I don't really trust it in higher winds.  I will correct this with my next set of sails this winter, because I really handicapped the flexibility of my boat by not having a useable reef point.  (I doubt Peter intended the Vacationer to be a single-hander, but that's a fair bit of what I've found myself doing with it lately.  You can hardly call a 6 and 4 yr old "ballast".)

3.  I would have made the spars a little smaller, by about 15%.  I feel that my boom is too heavy and flattens the sail shape too much in light winds.  Perhaps the same with the mast.  Mostly just to reduce a little bit of the weight aloft.  

These aren't meant to be criticisms of the boat or the design.  I think the boats are great.  Even today, after nine years, people still come up and want to know about it, and compliment it.  The point of the post is to maybe tap some of that collective knowledge pool here online and see what you guys would do differently.  Mostly just to spark a good thread.  So if you had a re-do, what would you do?  Let's hear it.

[Andrew_Butchart]

I would have done a better job doing prep before fiberglassing.  There's parts of the boat that I don't want anyone to see.

I also would have kept working at it more consistently.  It's been a (very) long build starting in 2005 and I probably would have been launched in 2007 if I would have just spent more time on the project.

[Konrad]

Things I would do again, and wholly reccommend (they're kind of no-brainers, but hey, talk is cheap..)

1.  I used good quality Harken hardware.  Works great.

2.  I used good quality yacht braid everywhere.  Never knots up.

3.  I used expensive boat paint.  Very happy with that.

4.  I use an expensive Mercury 2.2 hp outboard.  Yeah, I paid $750.00 for it nine years ago, but it's as reliable as a hammer, and manuevers my pirate ship with authority.

5.  I made a jolly roger.  You just can't have a Vacationer or Weekender and not have one of those. 

;D