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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    3,388

    Default New Boat 4 Sled

    10/28/10
    Bug Lighters,

    Greetings from Capitola. Well Done, Bill, on your exceptional service to SSS. And welcome aboard Commodore Max!

    We anxiously await the launching of “Wisdom,” Alan H.'s new skerry. His PHRF just came in, and with a rating of 426, we are all in trouble. Meanwhile, I can't let Alan have all the fun playing in sawdust and glue. Read on:

    Most of you know a little over two years ago I abandoned and scuttled WILDFLOWER returning from Hanalei. At the time, shoreside family responsibilities were paramount. To risk going missing, or becoming object of a dangerous and expensive rescue weighed heavily on my ultimate decision.

    Many of you have asked when I'd be getting a new boat. WILDFLOWER was my home, office, calling card, and magic carpet for 34 years since I built her in Alameda. She is irreplaceable.

    As a result of WILDFLOWER being uninsurable, I was set back on my sea boots. I walked docks, visited boatyards, perused ads, and trialed beckoning designs. I was determined not to rush into something. But my goal was clear: to get back afloat where my passion and skill could be returned into play.

    A month ago a serendipitous event presented itself. I drove to Port Townsend for the annual Wooden Boat Festival where a small cruising catamaran called an ECO cat (for "ECOnomy") caught my eye.

    Then shortly after returning home to Santa Cruz, I ran into an old friend, Howard Spruit, one of the original Santa Cruz surfers, ultralight designers and boat builders. I told Howard what I had seen. His response floored me. "We can build one of those. Let's do it!"

    If there are three things you want for a boat building project, experience, enthusiasm, and a flush bank account top the list. I had two out of three. I couldn't afford to build a new boat. I couldn't afford not to.

    Sometimes one has to go with the tide. Though I have minimal experience with catamarans and my learning curve is steep, we are beginning construction on cruising cat here in the garage. Mom, watching from her Sunroom, is not sure what to think. The termites in the garage rafters are dropping cellulose filler into the glue on command.

    The boat, as yet unnamed, will be 22' LOA with road legal 8'6" of beam, and 1100 pounds of displacement, trailerable behind my mini-van. A single daggerboard, kickup C/L rudder, a Hoyt jib boom, a cozy cabin. Power will be a Hobie 18 sailing rig using second hand beachcat equipment. No wing mast, Larry. A 5 horse outboard will push the boat in calm conditions. Construction is Meranti marine plywood and West System epoxy glue. Destinations will be near shore cruises from the Channel Islands to the Pacific NW, the Delta, Lake Tahoe, possibly Alaska. Anywhere accessible by road and launch ramp.

    Attached is a perspective drawing. I value suggestions, questions, and participation.

    If you'd like to donate time, we have glue to spread. If you have gear sitting in the backyard or locker, we are looking for a trailer, anchor, sails, boom, tiller extension, outboard, etc. Or, if you just want to send a couple of bucks, that would help navigate us over some thin financial waters.

    I can't promise much in return but photo updates and participation in an exciting project.

    Stay tuned. Go Giants!

    ~skip allan aka sleddog
    310 McCormick Ave.
    Capitola, CA 95010
    ph. 831-475-0278
    e-mail: skipallan (at) sbcglobal.net

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,721

    Default

    Great news, Sled!

    Having just finished a refit, I have a ton of stuff. Perhaps a more detailed list would help when you get a chance. I have a Spinlock tiller extension laying around, lots of Harken blocks, a bin of SS machine screws, washers and nuts, etc.

    Meantime is that address the right place to send your Vallejo 1-2 shirt?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    2,096

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    I'm bolting a 400 pound steel plate on the bottom of the skerry, and adding a 5 foot bowsprit so that the boat is eligible for a PHRF rating and then you are all in trouble! Besides, my boat comes with oars. I will obliterate you all, in light air!

    Actually I am being tempted, and am looking into bringing a boat out from the East Coast. Why? Well...it's a long story, but it has to do with the book "Blue Water, Green Skipper". Much depends on what trucking a boat out here will cost. I expect the expense will be a deal-killer, but we shall see.

    Mister Sleddog, I think your project sounds like a load of fun, and I'm thinking I might have a few bits and pieces for you.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  4. #4
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    Sep 2007
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    3,721

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    The boat he sailed in the OSTAR? Come on, spill it . . .

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Alameda CA
    Posts
    174

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sleddog View Post
    10/28/10
    SNIP
    The boat, as yet unnamed, will be 22' LOA with road legal 8'6" of beam, and 1100 pounds of displacement, trailerable behind my mini-van. A single daggerboard, kickup C/L rudder, a Hoyt jib boom, a cozy cabin. Power will be a Hobie 18 sailing rig using second hand beachcat equipment. No wing mast, Larry. A 5 horse outboard will push the boat in calm conditions. Construction is Meranti marine plywood and West System epoxy glue. Destinations will be near shore cruises from the Channel Islands to the Pacific NW, the Delta, Lake Tahoe, possibly Alaska. Anywhere accessible by road and launch ramp.

    Attached is a perspective drawing. I value suggestions, questions, and participation.SNIP
    ~skip allan aka sleddog SNIP
    Skip may have been travelling when the Seot 09 issue of Latitude 39 ran an article on the even smaller Catamaran Miss Cindy.

    You can download the whole Sept 2009 issue as a PDF file and reread it yourself. http://www.latitude38.com/ebooks.html

    MISS CINDY Tony Bigras' one-year, 6,000-mile cruise from Vancouver to Florida — via Central America and Cuba — was unusual for several of reasons. For example, the 52-year-old built Miss Cindy in just 450 hours, at a total cost of $8,500 for everything from sandpaper to electonics. He was able to take her from the boatyard to her launch in Baja atop an old station wagon. The cat's main anchor only weighs 11 pounds, yet held the boat in up to 40 knots of wind. He was able to take her 95% of the way from the Pacific to the Caribbean — via Lake Nicaragua and the Rio San Juan — on her own bottom. Because she only displaces about 1,000 pounds, she hit a top speed of 15.8 knots on the way. As you can undoubtedly deduce, Bigras' Turtle Island 16 micro cruiser is a bit smaller than the average cruising cat. Miss Cindy is just 16'3" long, and has a beam of only 8'5". The masts for her bi-plane lug rig are 17 feet tall, and she sets a total of 200 sq. ft. of sail. Able to carry a 500-pound payload, Miss Cindy's typical speed under sail was 3 to 7 knots. She's equipped with a 2-hp outboard for calms, which allows her to cruise at 4.25 knots at 15 mpg. The micro cat's hull was built of quarter-inch marine ply, stitched and glued, then sheathed with e-glass and epoxy. Her masts are hollow fir.


    Last edited by jfoster; 11-01-2010 at 11:16 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    18

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    Hi Skip,
    I've got some various bits laying around, top of a windsurfer rig(tiller?), a robust extruded glass tube that might be useful as the sprit, some 3/8" foam offcuts if that would be useful, and a 4' x 6' laminated carbon/ .725 foam/ carbon setup that could be used as a bulkhead or 2.

    Do you ever get up near SF?

    Greg
    Contour 34 Trimaran

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
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    2,096

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    Quote Originally Posted by BobJ View Post
    The boat he sailed in the OSTAR? Come on, spill it . . .
    dum te dum......

    maybe....
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Capitola,CA
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    3,388

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    6/10/11
    Greetings from Capitola,

    A quick update on the build of the new cat: The hulls are complete and joined. Next up is to lay the bridgedeck, paint the bottom, turn the boat right way up, and begin the cabin and cockpit. The rudder, daggerboard, hatches, trailer, outboard, and rig are on site, with the Hobie 18 mast and boom stepped on the backyard deck for practice.

    Big thanks to all who have supported this project, especially BLUEBERRY, RAGTIME, SECOND VERSE, GOLDEN DRAGONFLY, OEX, and MOKUAKALANA. No name yet. Launch date hopefully this Fall. Standing invite to all SSS supporters to come visit.

    No backyard boat building project would be complete without the story of having to cut off part of the house...true in our case, but nothing a little putty and paint won't fix.

    Thanks, Bob J for the great ride on RAGTIME in the recent Spinnaker Cup. Good luck to all in the Long Pac.

    ~sleddog
    Last edited by sleddog; 06-10-2011 at 04:46 PM. Reason: added factoid

  9. #9
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    Sep 2007
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    San Francisco Bay Area
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    Well, well, well. Look at that!
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    7

    Default

    Interesting Choice. The design reminds me of a Jarcat. I am also interested in a boat that fits your design brief:

    1.) Easily trailer-able, meaning can be be pulled with a car and set up quickly at the dock... quickly enough to be considered a true trailer sailor... No slip required.

    2.) Cheap! Your boat fits that rather nicely, I too was going to use a beachcat rig.

    3.) fast and simple build..

    4.) built as a single handed competitor, capable of offshore racing..

    My solution was an 8 meter trimaran, similar to the 18' sardine run, but using connectives like the L7; extren beams. Basically its a 22' trimaran stretched to 8 meters like Sobedo, to help with pitchpolling. Like Sardine Run, the boat has simple dory hulls and plenty of freeboard. I wanted a dry ride (relative application of this term) compared to an Fboat of this size. The centerboards are on the floats to open up the main hull, and there is standing headroom under the hatchway.

    I live on Lake Michigan, so the solo mac is my immediate goal, and the record for that race is held by an F25c. The L7 trimaran is almost as fast as an F25c, but in my opinion the kit for that boat is very costly. It is a great boat, but I only wanted to spend 5,000US on my first home build. Using a used beach cat rig, Aeromarine epoxy, and Ultraply XL plywood, and treating the ply with boric acid and other inexpensive compounds to further weather treat it.

    What I really like about your choice is the room you have in the cabin, Vs. a trimaran, and you don't have sliding connectives, which are an added expense. Your boat should be fast; much faster than a mono hull of similar size.

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