Rogue Paddler

[Joel B]

Wes

I tried to log onto the Rogue Paddler site tonight and my computer told me if I did it would destroy all humanity and life as we know it would end and it wouldn't let me on (run on sentence 10 pts off).  Do you have the info on that site posted someplace else that I could access?

Thanks

Joel

[wkisting]

Ha,   Yes, I know about the problem. A file was corrupted on the server (from file degradation, not from a virus/hacking) and I've asked Google to re-review the site, but it may take time. I've clicked "Ignore this Warning" to still access the site with no problems (except the annoyance of the extra click each time you go to a new page) and I confirmed with my hosting service that there is nothing malicious on the server.

Thanks for the heads up.

[wkisting]

Oh, I just checked again... Google has removed their warning also.

[Joel B]

Wes

I went on today and it let me on fine.  Yours is one of the best sites to show the progress of building and I'm the process of ordering materials.

quick question.  If you were to build again would you still go with Meranti on the bottom of the hull.  I will be ordering plywood soon.  I am leaning to your idea of using it on the hull

Thanks

Joel

[Jeff MacDonald]

http://www.roguepaddler.com/princess.htm is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, Wes. Now that Joe's blazed the trail, is there a Princess in *your* future?

[Joel B]

That is great.  I think Joe is sailing to Master Roshi's island.

Did Wes put that model together?  I might do that for the cs 20.  I bet I could learn a lot by making a scale model before I put the real one together.

[wkisting]

Yep, I built the model Princess and then wrote the article with Joe the builder as a joke. Joe became a minor celebrity for awhile on the net after that, including here on the forum.

I decided after building the model not to build the Princess and to build the CS20 instead. For one, the model made me realize how much boat the Princess really is, and I wanted something a little more transportable and lower-maintenance (for building and for rigging). I didn't like the idea of having to pour the ballast or having to tow that extra weight behind our Jeep on long trips, and I learned from our Pocket Cruiser that cabins are romantic in the imagination but often a nuisance in practical application. More often than not, we prefer to have our view unobstructed and to have more open-air seating for guests. The CS20 fit the bill nicely and we have never regretted our decision, though there are times I still drool over pictures of the Princess and (very rarely) wish for a cabin for camp-cruising purposes. Instead, we'll pitch a tent or make a tent-cockpit-cover for onboard camping, which is the next best thing to a permanent cabin. 99% of the time, a luxuriously open cockpit like the CS20 is more desirable for our needs.

About the Meranti... yes, I have always been happy with the decision to build the bottom hull panels out of Meranti. The Meranti is much denser and more scar-resistant than the relatively soft Okoume. It is also more rot-resistant, I am told, though we have never penetrated the fiberglass hull skin. One minor drawback is that it is also stiffer, so the hull ends up requiring a little more force to get into shape, and I suspect our "vee" entry at the front of the hull is a little steeper and deeper than it would be if we had built from Okoume. This is because the stiffer panels don't flatten quite as readily as they sweep aft, and we had about an inch gap below the forward bulkhead at the centerline which we had to fill and accommodate. But the hull ended up very fair, and our boat is agile and fast, so I don't know that it actually affects performance. Visually, it looks the same to me, though I haven't had the chance to compare our boat next to another Core Sound up close. I've only seen pictures of other CS20s.

[Joel B]

If I go the same route, do you think I should wait until after I form the hull to cut the forward bulkhead and then fit it to the hull? that way i wouldn't have to fill.

[wkisting]

That would probably be wise. I had cut the bulkhead first so that I would have some idea of what the hull should look like as I drew together the wire stitches, but in retrospect, I'd probably make a scrap-wood template that matches the plan... then try to get the hull as close to the scrapwood template as possible... then cut the "real" final bulkhead from Okoume to match the hull to compensate for any gaps.

[Joel B]

Thanks  thats a good idea.

 

I have found a supplier in Salt Lake that has 6mm Okuome for $79 but only has the Meranti to the 6566 standard. It seems it would defeat the purpose to go with Meranti for its durable characteristic and drop the standard.  I talked to Noah's in New York and they can ship to Utah for $150 and they have 1088 okuome for 50.  I'll probably get them to ship the Okuome and Meranti.  I think I do want to do the bottom in Meranti

Joel

[Richard Whitney CS#70]

Thank you Wes for your description of why you went for the CS20 rather than Princess.  With winter in full swing here I have been having 'cabin fantasies' and secretly looking at Princess photos when my wife is not around.

Reading your reasoning reminded me (along with Tom's reasoning for commissioning the Lapwing design) of why I am building the Lapwing.  For the difference in building cost, savings on having to rent a space to build it in, cost of a bigger more powerful vehicle to tow, cost for renting a space to keep the boat (not enough space at home) - I should have enough left over for a pretty good backpacking tent and a good sleep bag (and even rent a motel room from time to time).  With this build I am also going to pre -plan a dodger/shelter to be able to sleep on the boat - I would almost always be alone when roughing it to that point.