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[Guest adamburr]

Hi,

I'm posting for the first time but I've been reading the archives for a couple years now, thanks for all the useful information! I've almost decided to order a CS17 kit (it seems like the perfect boat for me) I'm just trying to work out a few last details before taking the plunge. I'm trying to decide where I'm going to set up shop and I want to make sure I can get the boat out when I'm done. On B&B's CS17 information page it lists the boats draft as:

DRAFT................7 1/2" - 3' 6"

What is the 3' 6" measurement? Is that the freeboard? Or the total depth of the hull? 

Thanks for your help!

Adam

[Ken_Potts]

  Welcome!

  the 3'6" is the draft with the centerboard down.  I'll go measure the space where I rolled my CS17 out of my "shop" and post it in a few minutes.

[Scott Dufour]

I got my CS17 out through a standard 34" wide door- with a full 1/8" to spare.

[Ken_Potts]

Very cool, Scott.

I won't bother to post my door dimensions since it was wider.  I had about an inch to spare but my boat left the shop upright.  I removed a section of wall in the screened-porch shop and replaced it after the move.

Adam, my shop is 18x18 but the boat wasn't the only thing happening there.  People have built these boats in quite small spaces, probably approaching 8x18 with the aid of a wheeled dolly to move the boat out to work on it.  Obviously, the more room the better, but it doesn't take much if you're determined.

  Somewhere on the internet there are pictures of a 22' boat (I think it's a Bolger Scooner) exiting a second floor apartment through a window.

[Guest adamburr]

Great photo!

I have a 15' x 25' heated basement that would be such a nice place to work. There is a door straight to the driveway with only two steps down...but I think it might be just too tight to get the boat out. It has a 30" wide door, which sounds too small already, and the door is on the long side of the room so the boat would have to go through at an angle. Any advice to figure it out for sure? Do you think the CS15 would fit?

Otherwise I have an unheated garage I could work in that would be fine I'm sure. It floods a little sometimes and the floor isn't level but those are probably not such big problems, I could still do sub-assembly in the basement.

[PAR]

You could easily remove the door and it's jam, which will offer a few more inches. Given a choice between a nice heated work space and a uneven, sometimes partly flooded place to build, the heated space makes much more sense, even if it means a new door and frame when you're done.

[Guest adamburr]

That is good advice. If I remove the jam I should have at least 34" and that was enough for Scott. Scott, do you think your boat would have fit if there was only 15ft of "run up" on the other side? The boat would have to start its way out at a little angle for the first couple of feet.

I agree, the basement would be so much nicer that the garage, especially sense most of my free time is in the evenings.

Also, is there anyone on this forum that has put together a CS17 from the CNC kit? How did it go? That is the only boat they offer in kit form so far, right?

Thanks,

Adam

[PAR]

If you build it with the transom facing the door, you'll be able to angle it quite a bit.

[Dogdad]

That is the only boat they offer in kit form so far, right?

In response to a question, I got an email from Carla saying that there was a kit for the Spindrift 12.  Don't know about any others.

[SUKIE]

Hello Adam,

Yes, I have built (and completed!) a CS17 from Graham's kit. It was slick - everything went together well and produced a fine and fair hull. The drawings with instructions are a bit lacking in some detail, but a call to Graham or posting on this board will get you the answer. I highly recommend the kit. (Just don't have it shipped to a rural area in the north country in March! Our roads are closed to heavy trucks until the frost leaves the ground, we had to unload it in town and shuttle up to my house.) I'd much rather use my energy to sand and all that fun stuff.

Good luck.  :-D

Sukie

[Scott Dufour]

I don't think the 15' run up space should be trouble; there was a fair amount of space to play with right up to when the coaming starts- and I build a pretty high coaming.  You should be able to angle it in for at least a couple of feet.

And removing a jam and a two by four or two is always easy enough after you've built a whole boat!

[Guest adamburr]

Thanks everyone. Graham sent me a side elevation so I can work the exit for sure but it sounds like it might work.

Sukie, how much experience did you have before you started the kit? I have built one stitch and glue kayak (not from a kit) about 15 years ago but that is it. The step that seem the most complex is shaping the foils, how difficult was that? What tools did you need for the project?

Thanks,

Adam

[SUKIE]

Well Adam, for one thing, I'm a woman, and, not to be too political, but I never had "shop" classes, and while my brothers were learning the finer points of woodworking, I was playing field hockey and learning French. (Not that it doesn't help in northern Maine!) So, my skills are fairly limited. I have built several kayaks, both stitch and glue and strip built. But, the truth is, epoxy is a godsend for hiding bad woodworking skills. I have basic shop tools and use them all - a good table saw is handy but not essential, same with a band saw. Saber saw is invaluable, as are several types of sanders. And you'll need hand saws, clamps (lots), cordless drill, shop vac, and lights.  But, you just take it one step at a time, figure it out, do it, and move on. None of the steps are difficult. And, wow, when you're done, it's truly amazing. It's not always about the destination, but also the journey. Go for it! and Enjoy.

Sukie

[Scott Dufour]

It's true what Sukie says about epoxy-  I made soooo many mistakes building this thing, and all of them were fixed with a combination of epoxy, fiberglass, and a random orbital sander with 80 grit paper.  I often think that Kenneth Grahame could easily have said that "There is nothing --- absolute NOTHING --- that can't be fixed by messing-about with epoxy."