CS20 mk.2

[Hirilonde]

Pretty boat!

Gallows for masts and main sprit while trailering. Gallows "telescopes" down so it won't interfere with mizzen sail.. .

So the gallows drops part way but stays in place while sailing? Does it serve to catch the sprit when you lower the mizzen?

Is the block at the rudder head fitting and the line hanked on the tiller the mizzen sheet system?

[Scott Dunsworth]

Looks very nice Chick, She should be much lighter than the Belhaven and much quicker.

Scott

[Chick Ludwig]

Dave---yes and yes.

Got back from the mess-about last night (had commitments at church today that couldn't be changed---thanks Sandy). Had some problems, but she sails beautifully. Seems very quick. I'll write more later but gotta go now. Lot's of people took pictures that they'll be posting.

[Hirilonde]

I have never seen a sheet rigged that way. It looks like a very practical way to do it.

[Designer]

Here is a shot of the mk 2 running wing and wing on Saturday.

[Designer]

Here is another shot.

[Chick Ludwig]

Here are pictures from the BandB mess-about.

[Howard]

I have a question about the mizzen sheeting arrangement. I notice several of Graham's design mounts the mizzen sheet block on top of the rudder head. Unless it's mounted directly above the pivot points of the rudder pins, it would seem such a mounting position would exert some measure of leverage on the rudder, which might result in feedback. Or perhaps the load from the sheets is so slight as to not matter?

Is there a valid reason for mounting it there beyond convenience?

[Chick Ludwig]

Graham doesn't rig them this way, but i always do. Convenience only. I've never noticed that it exerts any pull on the rudder. The load is so close to the pivot point that it just doesn't make a difference.

[Dnjost]

I used to rig the Cape Cod Frosty with the sheet attached to the rudder, until the gradual escalation of arms in this one design class world forced me to rig a wire bridle / traveller arrangement to keep the "sail" shape. These 6' plywood boats were originally made with luan plywood, stitched with Bondo and fiberglass window screen. There was no noteable effect on the rudder other than the occasional rudder being lifted out of the gudgeons by careless sailors/builders not putting the pintle latch down (piece of 90 degree sheet metal hung on a screw) thus resulting in the inevitable dunking in the frigid waters of Cape Cod in winter.

[Chick Ludwig]

Regarding rudder pintles lifting out of the gudgeons. I drill a hole through the bottom pintle, slip a flat washer on, and then put a cotter pin through the hole in the pintle.

[tom151]

Dave---yes and yes.

Would you give us your boat's weight, please?

Is that the same sail plan as drawn for the Mk 1 ? (the foot of the main looks flatter/higher than how I remember it - to clear the cabin maybe?)

If not what;s the diffs?

[Chick Ludwig]

The plan is a bit different I think. Graham will need to clear that up. don't know the exact weight, but graham can give a design weight.

[PAR]

Just put a keeper on the transom that can be swung over the pintle, keeping it from floating out. To remove the rudder you just move the keeper off to the side. It's just an "L" shaped strip of metal, with a single screw, though you could use a bit or wood or HDPE too.

[Chick Ludwig]

I prefer a more positive"keeper", I've had the other "flip-up" kind fail. The rudder stays on this boat while trailering, so it is not in-convenient.

[Howard]

Thanks Chick. I had a chance to sketch out the geometry and it appears to me that if you did mount the sheet block aft of the center of rotation over the pintles, any feedback (leverage on the aft end of the rudder) you would get from loads on the mizzen sheet would be in the desired direction. The extent of travel you might experience would depend on the sheet loads and how far off center you mounted, but in theory, this has the makings of a rudimentary self steering mechanism. Looks to me like it might work on all points of sail except wing and wing and maybe even there too, depending on sheet loads and trim of the main and mizzen. Interesting thought.

(I've played with a few different forms of self steering mechanisms over the years, and am always looking for simple ways to make self steering work. I understand cat ketch rigs are pretty good at this to begin with and this might be a simple way to make it better. Or not. )

[Chick Ludwig]

My Princess 22 would self steer on about any point of sailing, and it looks so far like this one will to. I've made a homemade "tiller tamer" so I can lock the tiller in any position that I want after trimming the sails for best efficiency. This does depend on having a steady breeze, like in the sound or along the banks. Up the creeks---not so good.

At the mess-about, I watched Allen Stewart sail and tack his CS-17 without touching the tiller at all---just by trimming the sails. Pretty amazing. Cat ketches are awesome!

[DWG]

Two short questions -

How do you drain the well in the bow where the mainmast tabernacle is?

Is that really a wooden ballast tank under the cockpit sole? How do you keep it ventilated, clean, and dry after use?

[Chick Ludwig]

DWG,

Bow well drains thru hole out hull side, false bottom in well is above water line.

The ballast tank is made up of the hull bottom, cockpit sole, seat faces, main cabin and aft bulkheads---no separate tank.

Ballast tank drains through Anderson self bailer while underway, or out drain plug hole and bailer when the boat is on the traileron trailer. It is at the lowest point in the hull so all the water drains out. The remaining dampness evaporates, I leave the access plate open for that reason. The tank is totally epoxy sealed so rot is not a problem. A little dampness won't hurt. As for clean---whatever is in the ocean/sound/bay/river water can get in.

The tank is only used during heavy weather.

[Tom Lathrop]

I sailed the MK2 with Chick on Saturday and was very impressed with the boat. While I consider more weight to always be a bad thing in a performance boat, she really moved along great. The boat felt much more stable and hiking consisted of leaning back in the seats a bit. The cabin is not obtrusive as might be expected and Chick did a fine job of building. The MK2 should attract a lot of builders, especially those who either need or want a more stable or hefty boat with out more weight on the trailer. I did not like the sheeting arrangement though. Main sheet is only easily reached from one side although the extra stability made this less a problem than trying to grab it in a puff on the more tender models. I'm still at odds with clam cleats located on the coaming as being awkward. The only time we ever had a problem in LOON (a slight swamping at Cape Lookout), it was caused by the lack of ability to rapidly get the mainsheet out of a clam. I thought the mizzen did affect tiller feel also and like a small bridle over the tiller as a better solution. I like all sheets located near the mizzen mast thwart and easily worked from anywhere in the boat.

These quibbles had nothing to do with the boat, which I like a lot. Chick and Graham have a winner.