DavidL Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 After review many sites and their boat plans, I've decided on the Princess Sharpie 26. I will be ordering the plans in a couple months. It seems to have every thing I'm looking for; tralierable, headroom, beachable, tabernacles... This will be my first sailboat build, my first boat build was a https://sites.google.com/site/freedom179canoe/ strip canoe; probably doesn't come close to what's involved with the Princess. My only question is how is the boat beachable with the ballast on the bottom of the boat or is it not an issue? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jones Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Yep- the boat will float in less than a foot, so totally beachable. Travis has beached his Pilgrim several times.Just be careful there's no small gravel there that could wedge in the centerboard trunk,- sand, mud, etc- non problem. In fact, the lead ballast will be what rubs. The ballast pig is only 4 inches deep Having said all that, It might be better to anchor out, and swing the stern around to the shore-much easier to get on and off the boat that way. That's what Travis does when he takes Pilgrim to the BEER Cruise in Florida, using a stern boarding ladder.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Actually, I think the foot or so Charlie mentions is for the Princess 22. The 26 is going to need more like 15 to 18 inches of water to clear bottom. The tip of the spear (leading edge of the keel) is about 8 feet or so aft of the bow, so to put her nose onto a beach is going to take a fairly steep beach. That being the case, you probably would be better to anchor off and park the stern facing the beach, where you can step off the back. Otherwise, you are going to have to either wade/swim around to the back, or find a way to clamber over the side of about 4 or 5 feet of bow. At any event, knee deep draft for a 26' sailboat is pretty good. If the water is that shallow, you could still anchor well off shore and wade in without getting your shorts wet. Or drag a dinghy and anchor well off shore and row in. Anyway, welcome to the club. There is one completed P26 I'm aware of and three of us have boats under construction. I got bogged down when I had to change my construction site, but that is about to be resolved. We are pouring concrete into what will become my temporary boat shed today. Hopefully, after that, the log jam will break loose and things will start happening at a much faster pace. I have started a thread on what I'm doing. You should be able to follow in my wake, or if you pass me, I'll follow in yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 I would think that your definition of "beach" and the tidal difference in your area need to be defined. When I think of beaching a boat I think of pulling it up on the beach. So by my definition the answer is a simple no, you can't. Howard and Charlie are suggesting some good practices for a P 26, providing you sail in an area of relatively small difference between high and low tide. I can't imagine doing what they suggest in my area (southern NE) where the tidal difference is just under 4 feet (1,2m), never mind further north. Just because you can get somewhere doesn't make it smart to stay there, at least where tides are a concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Potts Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 ...in my area (southern NE) where the tidal difference is just under 4 feet... Wow! I never realized the tides were that high in Nebraska! Sorry - Couldn't resist... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidL Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 I would think that your definition of "beach" and the tidal difference in your area need to be defined. When I think of beaching a boat I think of pulling it up on the beach. So by my definition the answer is a simple no, you can't. Howard and Charlie are suggesting some good practices for a P 26, providing you sail in an area of relatively small difference between high and low tide. I can't imagine doing what they suggest in my area (southern NE) where the tidal difference is just under 4 feet (1,2m), never mind further north. Just because you can get somewhere doesn't make it smart to stay there, at least where tides are a concern. I was thinking the same thing " When I think of beaching a boat I think of pulling it up on the beach". I live in upstate NY and will probably start out sailing on the finder lakes and then maybe eventually do some NE coastal cruising. Not sure how much beaching I will do, but it's nice to know its capabilities. I did see a pictures of the Twiggy beached, but it looks like Wayne added some sort of supports on the side. "4Added small fins near each chine to keep boat upright when beached. That may havesome effect on sailing characteristics but small %wise I think." http://messing-about.com/forums/topic/8440-princess-26/page-2?hl=twiggy#entry73048 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jones Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 OOPS I for sure missed the "26" part. Yes, I was thinking of the 22. Here where I live the tides are maybe a foot, once each day.. On the Florida west coast still one high, one low each day, and again maybe a foot. EAST coast of Florida- 2 tides a day, and in North Fla, southern Ga, 4-5 feet. Move up into north Ga, South Carolina, and the tides run 7-9 feet and on springs, as much as 11. So for sure consider where you are. Still, anchoring and swinging the stern around is a better idea than doing it bow first, just for ease of boarding Sorry if I mis informed. Here's a pic of my previous boat over in Pensacola Florida last year anchored like that. Mine is the one in the foreground and draws 2 feet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dufour Posted March 20, 2014 Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 Welcome to the PS26 plans owners' club. The more the merrier. Build is going verrrrry slowly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidL Posted March 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thank you for all the replies. Once I get my plans I'm sure I will be posting a lot of questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidL Posted June 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I received my PS26 plans yesterday from Carla. After going over the plans I decided I'm definitely going to need additional instruction for the build. I'm sure following the other PS26 builds on this forum will definitely help and Graham & Carla are only a phone call away. I going to order these books to get me started. Are there any other books that are recommended? Devlin's Boatbuilding: How to Build Any Boat the Stitch-and-Glue Way Boatbuilding Manual, Fifth Edition Thanks, Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Anderson Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 I think Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction has a lot of very useful general information specific to epoxy wood construction. General information specific I am not sure if that is a real word? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted June 3, 2014 Report Share Posted June 3, 2014 Dave: Can't help you with the books, although the Gougeon book is pretty good. Building a Princess 26 has only been attempted by a few of us, so has not been documented as much as the more popular boats. So I've been trying do document my build much more than I normally would so as to leave tracks for other builders to follow. Can't say I have all the answers but I figure it all helps. Feel free to ask and post on my thread as much as possible. My biggest challenge so far has been to source the type of materials I would be willing to build with. That and finding a suitable place. Both of those have now fallen into place and I'm off and running. Will be posting more frequently in the coming weeks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.