Core Sound 20 Mark III #3 "Skeena"

[Jknight611]

Errrr, I just completed a 6 year refurbish on Southern Express, new electric system, paint, air conditioning , and some other items, .  Don’t think I could attack it with my multisaw just now!   If I did the “big cut” I would consider lengthening the centerboard.       
 

 

But not now!!!

[Don Silsbe]

I believe that both are beneficial.  I wish I’d had the time to do Avocet’s c/b.  It would definitely help her pointing ability.

[Nick C]

8 hours ago, Jknight611 said:

Errrr, I just completed a 6 year refurbish on Southern Express, new electric system, paint, air conditioning , and some other items, .  Don’t think I could attack it with my multisaw just now!   If I did the “big cut” I would consider lengthening the centerboard.       
 

 

But not now!!!

Air conditioning??!!

 

[Steve W]

Jay, 

 

Yesterday I took the multitool to Skeena. It's a lot of cutting. I built Skeena so good my multi-tool was struggling to plunge into everything. I made quite a mess and she's not a sailboat for now. It will feel better when it's past the negative and to the positive. I am building a new centerboard.   

 

Air conditioning? 

[Don Silsbe]

I vote in favor of a/c, at least in the Gulf States.  Summers on a Mississippi bayou are sweltering.  I would have many sleepless nights, cruising there.

[Designer]

Steve,

 

I did not bother to build a new centerboard for Carlita. I just took off the lead tip and put in a faired spacer and triple glassed the two joints and called it good. That was at least 5 years ago now. I tested it thoroughly back then and I have given it a lot of abuse since.

[Jknight611]

Naw, no AC on Southern Express, did add a spiffy Victron solar controller and a li-on battery.  Boat gained capabilities and lost 25 lbs!
 

But sometimes….. I wish! 

[Steve W]

Progress this weekend. I had to get a new plan of attack. Skeena proved to be built tougher than I thought and it was a combination of drill/fostner bit, multi-tool, chisel and hammer, knife, and trim router that let me progress this far.  I'm obviously committed now.

 

Not shown is that I'm almost past the demo phase and building the trunk extension. I'd kind of gotten out of the building phase for awhile, so my epoxy crystalized, my sandpaper selection was low, etc. The CB pin is more forward than the 17's, so I had to figure out a stiffening technique. I plan to stand on the centerboard when I'm done with Skeena laying on her side. If something breaks we'll start over.  That's a lot of leverage on the trunk, but I think I have a plan that should make things solid. Stay tuned. 

 

 

I also decided to just make a new centerboard. I think it will be faster for me than to piece the old one. I make the original out of some nice Douglas fir posts I got at Lowes and yesterday I found an 8' tight grained beauty for 15 bucks that is more than enough to make the entire board.  

[AmosSwogger]

Thanks for the update, I'm going to do this as well starting this summer (I can't have Skeena beating me upwind during the Messabout ).

[Steve W]

My fitness is definitely improved getting in and out of Skeena. We are making progress.

 

 

Taping starts tonight. 

[Don Silsbe]

Looks great!

[Steve W]

Things aren't going as fast as I want as I am moving to a new house on the banks of the Erie Canal in Pittsford NY. No inside shops, so I'm hyper focused to finish this before the move. Our plan is to have a new house built and of course it will have a big shop, but until then, Skeena will live in the garage in the summer and in storage over the winter.

 

Anyway, here is the latest. I know Graham said I could extend the old board, I got a few 4 x 4 Doug fir posts from Lowes and ripped and glued up the new board. Drawing the profile on the end of the board and using a dado blade to rough shape and then follow with a hand plane makes a great board in pretty short order. I made epoxied in bushings for the pivot and the rope pull last night and I'll glass it tonight. I haven't glued the case together in the boat as I want a test fit first.

 

The size of the new vs. old (better get going Amos):

 

 

It's big! (This rotation thing is new for me, just pretend the board is up!)

 

 

[AmosSwogger]

Nice work!  I may have to resort to a sabotage dive at night to attach an underwater parachute to slow you down.

 

All kidding aside I appreciate the update and pics.

[Steve W]

Things are going slow, but last night I fit the board in and this weekend I will be gluing things together. The end is in sight. I am in a middle of a move to a temporary place with a lousy shop, so I am motivated to get this done. 

Rotate your head to the right. This is the housing for the uphaul. 

Here is the acrylic cover. 

 

And here is a test fit of the big board. When I built Skeena originally, I made the housing a bit wider as I hate stuck boards. I think I have a nice amount of clearance for things. Tomorow I'll start taping and I think with the heat I'll be able to close it up Sunday night. Monday at the latest. 

[Steve W]

Monday never happenned and a week passed by. Yesterday morning I finally got up early before work and closed up the trunk. To keep pressure on the tape I took a piece of foam mat and spray glued it to some plywood. I wrapped the foam with a piece of duck tape. I then made a stick I jammed up the trunk behind it that forced the foam against the joint. 

 

 

I don't have very good pics, but I glued it in and I think Skeena could float right now. Tonight I'll tape the seams. I did decide that I'd open up the uphaul pully inspection port to make it easier to replace the pendant in the future before I glue in the cover. 

 

Things looking up. 

[Steve W]

Skeena is still at the old house laying on her side. Tonight I'm heading back to epoxy coat the final time before I add bottom paint. I still have a bit of fairing to do for the centerboard and I'm going to make a plug to shorten the trunk. I also have to coat and paint the interior. I need this boat water ready by the 7th as that is the closing date on the house and I need to be out. I still haven't figure out how to rotate these files. 

 

 

[Don Silsbe]

I rotate them in my photo app  before I add them to the post. 

[paul_stewart]

Thanks for sharing !!!   No worries, obviously that's the Australian orientation instead of portrait or landscape. 

Good on ya mate, she'll be right, and soon enough shrimp on the barbie.

[Don Silsbe]

@paul_stewart— Agreed!  But some were shot at the equator.  LOL

[Steve W]

Sunday was the last day of the MASCF and I'm still at the CBMM. I launched Skeena for the first time last Monday night on the Erie canal near my home back in NY. My wife put some doubt in my head about not testing the boat before I towed it almost seven hours. I knew she would float, so this was just a formality, but here she is next to my Boston Whaler not sinking. 

 

I took her to St Michaels and the first two days we didn't have much wind, but I could tell the boats balance was much improved. Saturday the race was pretty fresh. 15 mph winds with strong gusts. When I get a better internet connection I'll post some video, but it was pretty exciting.

 

I can say the boat handling is significantly improved by this mod. I got a great start in the race and only had the log canoe and a couple of other boat in front of me at the first mark. Unfortunately I got confused where the second mark is and by the time I figured it out I lost some ground. But Skeena was amazing and had just the right amount of weather helm. There were numerous capsizes around me and I never felt remotely unsafe even though we had no reefs in the boat. Here's what she looks like below:

 

Yesterday I overnighted in Leeds creek across the Myles river from St Michaels. I double reefed to test the helm and with the board down it rounds perfectly up into the wind. 

 

Love this boat!