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CS17 mk3 hull #3 "Carlita"


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Frowley. A quick reply while you wait for Graham. He says on a previous post . "I built the port side coaming and made the cockpit hatch larger than originally designed because I found that I could not fit a small 4stroke outboard through the old one."

 

 

Graham says that my kit, picked up last April, has the large hatches that will accept the "zuki" 2.5 4-stroke, which is what I have.

 

I'd guess that if you have a kit from a time previous to mine, that your hatch is too small. I think that Graham would be glad to cut you a "hatch kit" to fit the Zuki.

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  • 3 weeks later...

post-127-0-93236300-1450663172_thumb.jpgpost-127-0-53513900-1450663200_thumb.jpgTime is ticking away and the EC deadline is approaching fast. We have been making steady progress but it got real cold yesterday with temps going below freezing. We have to keep pushing on. Here is the tent over the boat as we put a heater in the cabin to help the first coat of epoxy kick.

 

You can see the plastic turning into a hot air balloon as it lifted up against the cold air. The bunk tops were not fully kicked being down low. The higher up the boat the harder it cured.

 

The second picture shows the cabin after the first coat. She will get a second coat tomorrow.

 

The rest of the week shows temps reaching around 70. I will turn the boat and get the hull glassed and back upright with this weather window.

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Steve,

 

There will be running backstays on the main mast. The pole tube stops at the forward bulkhead. There is a drain hole at the bottom of the tube which drains into the self draining anchor locker. The pole just fits into the black tube and is pulled out to stow. I have used the system in Southern Skimmer for years and it works well.

 

The pole is made of two pieces of tube. I think that I will leave it in two pieces for easier stowage. I have installed the pole underway but is is easier to insert the pole on the beach. The pole pieces will be indexed so that the top can only point up.

 

The boomkin is for the self steering. I will attach the mizzen sheet to the aft end so that it will clear the vane. This could solve mizzen sheet fouling issues on outboards etc.

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Good morning Graham, can you give me some guidance on the backstay, I have the sprit completed and have sailed with it "just for effect!"  I have added a turn block on the end of the sprit and a turn block at the main mast head.  Do we use one backstay, and retacking it when I jib (or before), or two?  Don't intend on flying spinnaker often but it will be a hoot when we do!

 

 

Are you selling plans for your self-steering / boomkin arrangement?  So far our boat seems to self-steer just fine if nobody moves and changes trim, but just want to tinker.

 

Thanks

Jay

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Jay,

 

For running backstays we just attach a pair of 3/16" lines to the same eyestrap as for the spinnaker halyard block. I am not at looking at the plans right now but you attach a pair of eyestraps about 3-4 feet abaft the mast p & s and as far outboard as you can. Each deck eyestrap is for a becket block. On the bottom of each running back you put a single block. You then add a clam cleat on the foredeck where you can reach from the cockpit. This gives you a 2 : 1 purchase. You just use the windward one.

 

You need to restrain the running backs when not being used as they will flail around and catch things and be downright annoying. It is a matter of preference how you corral them. One way is to have a short length of line on the rail just forward of the mast that attaches to the running back. Tighten the line at the aft cleat and they will be nicely out of the way. The problem with this method is that you have to go forward to release the running backs. This could be annoying if you do a lot of gybing. You could run the restraining line back to another cleat. Another way is with use shock cord but it has to have enough travel to come out to where it needs to be  when in use and have enough tension the keep the running backs snug when not needed. On racing dinghies we would route the shock cord around the bow to the other running back so that there would be enough tension when not in use but enough elasticity to stretch out when one is employed.

 

I guess that if enough people are interested in the wind vane, we could draw up plans. I used wind vanes during all of my voyaging years and would not cross the harbor let alone an ocean without using it. They have fallen out of favor these days with boats being ever more electrically complicated and with cheaper auto pilots. In fact it is cheaper to buy an auto pilot. The problem with going electric is feeding them and keeping the water out of them. They use a lot of amps and have a high mortality rate. If the go bad in the middle of a passage you are screwed. A broken wind vane can be more easily diagnosed and a cobbled up repair made than with a burned out drive motor.

 

The downside with wind vanes is that they do not slavishly follow a compass course, this can be good and bad. They do hunt more than an auto pilot and they need to be fiddled with a lot, balancing the boat, tweaking the helm and adjusting the course as the wind oscillates. If you get into fast planing or surfing conditions, the apparent wind changes with the speed of the boat which can cause major course changes.

 

When conditions are not suitable I will be steering. I see it as a third hand to keep the boat on course while I tend to the sails, go about my daily functions, have a rest when conditions allow and save my precious amps for the GPS, cell phone and lighting etc..

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As someone who normally sails single handed, I built and used a windvane self steering arrangement on my existing glass boat, a 17 footer. Once you get it working right, it is amazing how well it steers a course. In fact, it did far better than I could. Sailing with a flock, gaggle (or more correctly fleet) of similar boats, once I set the vane, we would walk off and leave them......pointing higher and sailing faster. It never screws up.

 

So I'm curious what Graham comes up with. I'm entirely in that camp that says no cruising boat should be without a wind controlled self steering device. And even more so if you sail alone. The only downside is if you fall overboard you better be a really good swimmer. It ain't stopping or coming back to get you.

 

Option B, for the hopelessly curious, is a sheet to tiller self steering arrangement. Since the cat ketch rig already does a pretty good job of self steering, a sheet to tiller rig might graft on to it pretty well. That is my current plan for the Princess.

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The advantage of the wind vane is that I can trim for speed rather than balance. There are times when I need to adjust the balance some to steer a better course but the boat will usually be faster than steering purely by sail balance.

 

Another advantage is that it is quicker to set the course rather than waiting to see what course the boat will steer, readjust and then wait to see if you guessed right.

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