Bufflehead Sailing Canoe Plans Available

Hi Chuck.

BUFFLEHEAD click to enlarge

Plans for the cruising sailing canoe Bufflehead are available. $40. As you know, she's been developed through long experience and research, with the help of many knowledgeable people. She is meant for the experienced builder and sailor.

Many choices, from scantlings to deck form and rig style, are open. She's 15 feet 6 inches, by 33 inches. Cartop weight is 45 to 60 pounds.

~Hugh

Horton Small Boats, Solid Comfort Boats
29474 Old North River Rd
Harrison Twp MI 48045
586 468 6456

hortonsailcanoe@wowway.com -

Google: Hugh Horton Bufflehead Canoe

Gordon Brimhall, 1942 - 2008 RIP

Further to the Around-in-Ten report in August 2008 Duckworks Magazine. I am sad to report that shortly after pulling out of the race, Gordon Brimhall died suddenly. Condolencies to His Wife Linda, his son and daughter and to his "Best Pall" Tina (his little dog).

Steve Carey
AiT Webmaster

Fasting, Prayer and Perfect Balance

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for 'printing' the "Fasting, Prayer and Perfect Balance" article by Paul Austin. It will help me in the on-going design of the sail for the Toter series. I especially found the information on 'leed' to be of great importance. Thanks again.

Ken Simpson

Explicative?

Your new article says #*#&$Explicative(*&*^ when it really means "expletive". I was raised in a print shop, used to get cash for proofreading the work. Hehehehe.

Rich Green

Thanks, Rich, we changed the typo immediately to save Skip further embarassment. He may not appreciate us publishing your letter, though.

Scupper Follow-up

I mentioned in the article about installing your scupper valves that I would report on the results after a season. I am happy to report that they held up just fine through an entire season of sailing and there was no problem with flaps being torn off by passing current. The cockpit floor did not stay perfectly dry—sometimes a little water got in before the flaps closed, but there was never anything but a little dampness—never puddles like I got before with open drains when passing waves rose above the floor level. Of course I’ve never experienced a wave breaking in over the stern but I am confident the 1 ½” holes (x 4) would drain much faster than the old 1” restricted holes. In addition I raised the fixed board between the cockpit and the cabin by about 6”. The opening to the cabin is still lower than the deck so if the boards were out the permanent one would not keep all water out of the cabin. I had to compromise with getting in and out of the cabin having only sitting headroom.

Tom Schultz

Goat Island Skiff Build

Thankyou for the excellent rundown Gary and Olivier! 

One thing that I have slowly come to realise is that ANY amount of glass on a light boat can be almost as effective at preventing abrasion damage as quite a heavy layer.  So while I don't recommend glassing the GIS, if a builder has compelling reasons, I would recommend a very light 2oz (75gsm) cloth.  The glass cloth can be wrapped around the chine by a good old inch so you won't need the glass tape there either.

I don't like glassing boats because it is the single biggest weight contributing factor beyond the basic structure.  It is six times the weight of timber!  And you have to add more epoxy resin which adds cost and more weight.

Is 2oz glass cloth effective?

What put me onto this was speaking to a builder of Ross Turner's Jarcat trailerable cabin catamarans.  They are hugely popular with many hundreds of boats built over a 25 year period.  One of the few trailerable width accommodation cats that can sail quite well (by my standards).

Anyway the boats are quite big - ranging from about 18 to 32 feet and much, much heavier than the Goat Island Skiff.  As you probably all know, saving weight is the single most important thing you can do with multihull design.  This is a function of the large amount of surface area.  A tiny increase in the per square metre weight increases the weight of the whole structure dramatically.

Mostly 4mm (3/32") ply with 2oz (70gsm) woven cloth over the top.

The 18 and 20 footer are built out of 6mm (1/4") and 4mm (3/32") ply with surprisingly little framing.  The ply is glassed with 2oz (75gsm) glass cloth.  This saves a lot of weight over the normal 4oz, 6oz or 10oz that people (including me) tend to use.

Like I said ... hundreds of boats launched using this very light glass and they are highly regarded for performance and durability.  Made me think!!!

BTW 2oz glass is a DREAM to work with.

Not a criticism of anyone's builds ... but I find the graphite mysterious as a "abrasion resistant" coating.  Generally it is possible to tell how tough a surface is by how easily it is to sand it.  Compare sanding epoxy glue mix to an epoxy filler mix or glass/epoxy!!!  Graphite powder/epoxy sands fine.  At least when I have done fake laid teak decks or centrecase linings. 

Best wishes
Michael Storer

Clarence River Dory

I am helping teach a local Senegalese carpenter how to make boats. The Clarence River Dory looks like just the thing for our contitions here. Thanks for great website and company. I read your stuff everyday.

-Jonathan

Question:

I am getting little or no responses to this question in several places and I want/need an answer... maybe you can help! Sam Rabl (Boatbuilding in yr Own Backyard)  has a design for a Chesapeake skipjack called "Kittiwake"(sic) in the same size and construction type(s) as Weston Farmers "Poor Richard". Can the "Poor Richard" be built in stitch and glue,in the design w/o the cheek badges (twisted bow staves "whittled to shape") and the sharp bow? Many Tx any help.

Chas Beard

You got me, Chas, maybe one of our readers can help - Chuck

Which Boat?

Dear Duckworks,

I built a Mayfly 14 (Michalak) and it is just dandy (with your sail) I am getting rid of a Bolger Payson Surf because it is too heavy and has rolled me into the water too many times. I still have the 59 square foot triangular sail. I am thinking of a Piccup (Michalak) or a Puddle Duck Racer. Would you recommend either one as being light, stable and able to use my 59 sail? Or should I consider something else. I am 63 and heavy.

Thanks,
Warren Newbury,

I think either boat would be more stable than your Surf and either would make good use of your 59 sf sail - Chuck

www.obx130.com

Hi
   My father, and I, Bill and Paul Moffitt, finished the Texas 200 this last summer with great success. We met a bunch of incredible people enabling us to put faces to internet handles. We got a chance to spend some real time together doing what we love best. We sailed 200 miles in an untested prototype boat, christened Embers Watch, a design by Michalak. The first day was also the maiden voyage for the boat. We were inspired and had more fun then a couple of drunks at Mardi Gras.  So thank you Chuck for being an enabler.  (Our wives might disagree!) We were able to make a lot of new friends who share  a common love and helped each other out to make some very special memories.  

When we left we were determined to come back the next year... and I had promised several people who were in the know that I would return with my own love, SERENDIPITY, a catamaran designed by Jeff Gilbert, a very original and beautiful design in her own right. Well, I got to pondering, then thinking, which invariably leads to planning. The problem for me is a 30+ hour drive from Philly to bring SERENDIPITY to the Texas200. That's a hell of a long haul. So if I couldn't bring SERENDIPITY to Texas, maybe Texas, or more specifically an event like the Texas200, could come a little closer to me.  

My father, brother, and I have sailed in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a few summers. The islands and capes are gorgeous sailing. Even more inspiring than the outer banks of Texas in some ways.  There are problems though. The course can, and most likely will, have contrary winds which means we may have to use alternate camps for certain conditions.  We also want to go to places which will give us a wide variety of experiences.

We do have some route information set up of possible places we want to include.  This summer of 2009 we will have a small test fleet that will do a wet dry-run of the event to finalize the route.  There may be a small number of experienced sailors with us who know the waters and who won't hold each other up as we dash from place to place scouting potential places that can take up to 30 boats.  This trip will not resemble the real thing in 2010. We will go to as many selected places as we can each day, scout them out, and go to the next.

The first event will be held in 2010.  We are starting this forum and website now to drum up interest and find people who know the waters to help us plan. Steve Early, Graham Byrnes, and Chuck Leinweber  have already been helpful and I am sure that with some of you others out there we will have a lively forum in no time.   Please check out all the information we already have posted and help enable a sailor have some fun.
cheers
the Moffitts
Paul  thatmoffitt@gmail.com
Bill    wpmoffitt@gmail.com

www.obx130.com

Hi
   My father, and I, Bill and Paul Moffitt, finished the Texas 200 this last summer with great success. We met a bunch of incredible people enabling us to put faces to internet handles. We got a chance to spend some real time together doing what we love best. We sailed 200 miles in an untested prototype boat, christened Embers Watch, a design by Michalak. The first day was also the maiden voyage for the boat. We were inspired and had more fun then a couple of drunks at Mardi Gras.  So thank you Chuck for being an enabler.  (Our wives might disagree!) We were able to make a lot of new friends who share  a common love and helped each other out to make some very special memories.  

When we left we were determined to come back the next year... and I had promised several people who were in the know that I would return with my own love, SERENDIPITY, a catamaran designed by Jeff Gilbert, a very original and beautiful design in her own right. Well, I got to pondering, then thinking, which invariably leads to planning. The problem for me is a 30+ hour drive from Philly to bring SERENDIPITY to the Texas200. That's a hell of a long haul. So if I couldn't bring SERENDIPITY to Texas, maybe Texas, or more specifically an event like the Texas200, could come a little closer to me.  

My father, brother, and I have sailed in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a few summers. The islands and capes are gorgeous sailing. Even more inspiring than the outer banks of Texas in some ways.  There are problems though. The course can, and most likely will, have contrary winds which means we may have to use alternate camps for certain conditions.  We also want to go to places which will give us a wide variety of experiences.

We do have some route information set up of possible places we want to include.  This summer of 2009 we will have a small test fleet that will do a wet dry-run of the event to finalize the route.  There may be a small number of experienced sailors with us who know the waters and who won't hold each other up as we dash from place to place scouting potential places that can take up to 30 boats.  This trip will not resemble the real thing in 2010. We will go to as many selected places as we can each day, scout them out, and go to the next.

The first event will be held in 2010.  We are starting this forum and website now to drum up interest and find people who know the waters to help us plan. Steve Early, Graham Byrnes, and Chuck Leinweber  have already been helpful and I am sure that with some of you others out there we will have a lively forum in no time.   Please check out all the information we already have posted and help enable a sailor have some fun.
cheers
the Moffitts
Paul  thatmoffitt@gmail.com
Bill    wpmoffitt@gmail.com

Texas200

I gotta admit that the Texas 200 has really captured all of my daydreaming lately after hearing your reports.  I have really wanted to do the everglades challenge with one of my homebuilt boats just to test myself, proove I can do it, and.... hard to explain and the wife definitely thinks I am nuts!  I talked to both of you for a bit 2 years ago on Magnolia Beach about your experiences.  However, I now have switched my aspirations to the Texas 200 because I like the format (stopping each night and visiting) so much better.  Seems more cooperative than competitive and I just like that atmosphere better.  This year I chose family and the BEER cruise over the Texas 200 with the plan to do the 200 in 2009.  Now, Chuck went an posted that participation would be limited and I am collapsing in worry and doubt about being able to participate in 2009!  How can I get on the list???  Will there be criteria?? 

After reading the Miller family's experiences I begin to question the wisdom of having folks sail newly built and new-to-them boats on that long of an adventure.  Maybe along a route where dropping out of the cruise is easier.

My plan now is to bring my 12' self-designed dory "Plum Crazy" which I am familiar with and can practice with prior to coming.  I am attaching some pictures if your are curious.  It has forward facing seating (one of those sport-a-seats) with a push-pull tiller and I have enough room under the sail to rig a bimini (luxury).  Sail is the same one I used on the Puddle Duck racer I built in 2 days for the PD races.  Again, I am both sharing my thoughts and not-so-sub bid to get added to the list for next year....

Back to work....
Scott Widmier

Scott: We are not limiting participation in the Texas 200 next year, but we will be selling tickets for the shuttle bus, in case you need that, after the first of the year. Watch the Texas200 website for info about that. We can charter as many busses as necessary - Chuck

Duckworks

Let me add to the sincere congratulations on the Duckworks Magazine, I was even a subscriber; been a fan since the day I found it.

Larry Hewett
Mobile, AL

Google Earth Databases

I think it would be awesome for Duckworks to publish and maintain a database of readership location and trip report locations in Google earth.  Then, anytime you consider traveling with (or without) your boat, you can lookup someone or a report on a place you might consider sailing.  You need another project, don't you!?

Tom Hamernik

Paul Fisher's Sailmaking Book

I have been slowly gearing up to make a set of "real" sails for my Bolger light schooner, from real sailcloth. Accordingly I have been reading all the books on sailmaking I can lay my hands on. Regrettably, the majority are voluminous tomes aspiring to be the definitive, exhaustive work on the topic. This encyclopedic breadth might be useful to the professional sailmaker who runs into a difficult problem. But for the average handyman who wants to make a sail, it is quite difficult to dig the applicable how-to out of the surrounding history and voodoo.

Yes, voodoo indeed. Too many canvas books are afflicted with the idea that working with cloth occurs in a magical parallel dimension where measurements have no meaning and only long-bearded, pointy-hatted sages can contemplate the mysteries of where to place a seam. Thankfully we can turn to authors like Paul Fisher.

Receiving this book is a different experience than we are accustomed to in North America. It ships from the UK, so shipping takes longer and costs more than usual. When the book arrived I was underwhelmed at first. My first glance revealed a slim self-published volume with several typos and no color photos. It actually sat on my shelf for a month or two before I looked again.

I guess I should have gotten to it sooner, because it would have saved me a lot of time. In 53 pages Mr. Fisher tells the home sailmaker everything he needs to know, illustrated with crisp, explicit line drawings. After reading (or trying to…) some of the other books on the topic, this feat seemed impossible. But he can do it because of what he leaves out.

First of all, there is no history. He focuses only on materials you will use today, and how to get the most out of them. No cotton, no flax, no square rigs. He addresses only the sail types common to modern homebuilt boats, including gaff and lug – vital information missing from many larger works.

Best of all he removes the hocus-pocus. As the author points out in the introduction, if sailmaking was truly a black art, it would be impossible to use computers to both design and cut modern sails. We can do the same with tape measures and pencils, and he shows us how. What more can one ask?

Well, maybe we could ask for some practical hints from someone who has made a lot of sails. Again, Fisher delivers. Who knew that when hand seaming, you should twist the thread after each stitch to keep it from unlaying itself? I have seen sail twine do this in my own stitching, but never has it occurred to me that the remedy would be so simple and obvious. Or that I wouldn't find it in the thicker books.

In short, this work is exactly the kind of writing the do-it-yourselfer needs. No nonsense, no mystery, and straight to the point with useable how-to.

Rob Rohde-Szudy
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
robrohdeszudy@yahoo.com

Sprit Sails

Here's a performance tip for sprit sails.

In the northern hemisphere rig the sprit on the right hand side of the mast. When a gust of wind passes it makes the boat go faster and change direction. The gust is a column of cold air falling from on high. As it falls the earth's rotation causes it to spin. In the northern hemisphere boats on starboard tack get lifted to windward, boats on port tack get knocked to leeward.
The sprit sail is most efficient when the sprit is not laying across the sail and spoiling it's shape. So rig the sprit so it's off the sail on starboard tack when the boat speeds up and gets lifted. In the southern hemisphere gusts spin in the opposite direction so rig the sprit on the left side of the mast.

Enjoy the website and visit it most days.

William R Watt
ag384fm@fastmail.fm

Surprise

Hi Chuck

Imagine my surprise when I saw Emmersyn's baby cradle in the November reports. Thanks, my life is complete. I'm famous!

Stan Kowalski

Around in Ten Withdrawal

Further to the Around-in-Ten report in August 2008 Duckworks Magazine. I am sad to report that shortly after pulling out of the race, Gordon Brimhall died suddenly. Condolencies to His Wife Linda, his son and daughter and to his "Best Pall" Tina (his little dog).

Steve Carey
AiT Webmaster/Forum

Florida 120 Proposal

Chuck and I have been talking about expanding the concept of the Texas 200 to another challenge on the Florida Panhandle. The Florida 120 will go from Perdido Bay to Santa Rosa sound. Tentatively, we will launch from a marina in Wolf Bay and return to that marina so no shuttle needed. This also means we will have windward work hence the 100 miles rather than 200! The itinerary is:

Day 1: Wolf Bay to Sand Island in the Big Lagoon.
Day 2: Big Lagoon to Navarre area on Santa-Rosa sound.
Day 3: Navarre to Sailboat Cove on the Big Lagoon.
Day 4: Sailboat Cove to Wolf Bay.

There will be four classes within which you can finish the Florida 120 challenge each with its own "I done it" shirt and plaque. This is in part to keep people coming back and to encourage people to ween themselves off motors and/or to go in smaller boats.

Class 1: Motorless

Anyone who does the challenge without a motor in or on the boat.

Class 2: Motor Contingency

For people who have motors in or on their boat but do not use them for the entire course... some may ask why these two classes? However, there is a huge mental difference between having motor as backup and not having a motor at all.

Class 3: Limited Motor

For people who use their motor within 300 yards of the nightly stopping points. Especially needed for those with larger boats

Class 4: Unlimited Motor

Just like it sounds... those who want to accompany us and do the challenge but want to use their motor rather than bob n bake or want to do the challenge in a motorboat.

What I am hoping for is an indication of how many would be interested in attending this event with a tentative date for mid-April starting on a Thursday and ending Sunday. I plan on forming a planning committee to iron out the specific details.

You can follow the thread at the Texas200 Forum.

Scott Widmier
Atlanta

Hope

Hi Chuck,

Duckworks is still the one web site I visit the most (next to my email provider). Keep up the good work!

I have a question about the "Hope" (See October Splash). Seems like a neat little boat. There was plenty of info on the owner's knee problem and his capsize but what kind of boat is Hope? Are there any plans available? Who is Stacy Smith?

Thanks,
Best Regards,
Al Straub
Ann Arbor, MI

Al: Captain Ron reports that the original design is a Benford 7-1/2. Stacy Smith is a friend of Ron's and a contributor to Duckworks. - Chuck -

What's Wrong with those Crazy Aussies?

What's WRONG with those crazy Aussies? "Live is too short?" Twice? (see Ross Lillistone's "Life is Too Short for Broken Dreams") Tell him it's "Life is too short" and get him to change it!

Mike Connelly

Mike: It's not the Crazy Aussies at fault, it's the Illiterate Texan. I made the mistake. It's corrected now, of course. Thanks for letting us know. - Chuck

Wooboto

Hi Chuck,

Wow, what a fun surprise to find the wooboto/delta piece tonight. Thanks so much for putting it all together. Hopefully it'll generate a few more plans orders for the Wooboto. I've been sailing it a lot lately and am feeling more comfortable all the time. Lots of interest from other small boat folks. Still working on its tarptent, and will send fotos/info in a few weeks.

Steve Chambers

Sail Rigs

There is no doubt that modern technology has allowed the Burmudan/Marconi sloop rig to become the very fast and powerful racing machine that it is today. Along the way, the intense drive to win races at all cost has changed sailing into a much more expensive and as a result, exclusive and declining activity.

Basic sailing philosophy driving boat design, along with sail and hardware design began to radically change around the early 1970s. Prior to this time, most sailboats, including racing classes, incorporated some traditional ideas of seaworthiness and broad purpose of use. Older designs, like the Cal 20, Catalina 22, Columbia Challenger, Interlake, Flying Scot, and Lightning, could be raced in competition in addition to daysailing and cruising. These boats could be sailed and enjoyed off the race course by multiple owners and their families for decades of use.

Many later designs incorporated more radical racing influences. One example would be the IOR influenced hull designs that led up to the 1979 Fastnet disaster. Higher aspect ratio mainsails, with taller, lighter weight masts and more complex rigging, more lightly built hulls with weaker rudder systems, deeper fin keels, more complex and expensive sails, additional and more expensive hardware for racing tweaks. Along with being faster around the race course, these changes not only made the boats less seaworthy, but more importantly for the future, the added expense and complexity of operation made sailing more difficult for beginning sailors to join the sport.

Many of the newer designs also had very limited lifespans in comparison to older boats, which meant they were not later available on the used market to younger sailors on a budget. Part of this is due to the higher cost of boat building materials in general after 1970, but designers leaning toward speed instead of durability, chose to create very light weight, fast, overly complex, and fragile boats. In doing so, they began a cycle that is probably killing the sport in general. On the other hand, the movement toward basic, simple hull designs and traditional rigs is going in the opposite direction. The development of the PDRacer, for example, has brought a opportunity for beginning sailors to try out the sport without breaking the budget or dealing with a bewildering assortment of strings and gadgets.

Stan

Petro Gel

Chuck,

I use 90 gear lube for tune up tank stuff. Once it is ready to go to the lake, I drain,inspect & fill with 105. This gets the bearings & small parts lubed before initial stress of wide open run. Have you heard of petro gel? It is used for soft freeze ice cream machines as a lube. You have digested some in your life if you have stopped at D.Q. ever. It is also mineral oil like 105 + it is sanitary. Restraint supplies sell for 3 bucks a tube. Good assembly grease & mixes with 105. 105 is mineral oil with zinc to make thick, super match. You are right, I resealed a 1946 Firestone 3.6hp lower unit & the 105 was black it was so dirty. It saved the internals of the gearcase, once clean, it looked like new gears & shafts. That's 62 years of protection. Not bad!!!

Add the Petro gel to the list for assembly if you try you will see & a guy can lick the extra off the fingers when done.

Enjoy everyday & have a super weekend,

Jeff Register member AOMCI

Thanks from Rome

My compliments for your site is realy fantastic, I know many site but never, I see update every day.

I live in Rome and I have a small sailboat in Civitavecchia (port at nord of Rome).

Many thanks for yours advices and good wind.

Best regards
Claudio Mei

Bravo Zulu

Good Day Chuck - I am a 79 year old x-boater - too old, too arthritic and too slow to be on the water. I get the greatest pleasure - relive times past - and dream a lot - through your great internet magazine and all your contributors. Bravo Zulu?? In the Nato navies and their signal book - BZ = a flag hoist or signal lamp means ' Well Done'.

BZ from YOS* - Barry Camp

* your obedient servant - not nautical but good manners!

Congrats to John Wright

Congrats to one of our own, Bastrop's John Wright, who is featured on the cover of this month's Messing About in Boats cruising along in his Puddle Duck Racer in this year's Texas 200!

Way to go, John!

Steve Lansdowne

Biminis

Hey, Chuck!

Is Rob on the payroll or what!?? Another great article on Biminis. But, I gotta wonder, "best price to quality ratio around" (sic)? Every new article and BB posting includes a testimonial for Duckworks! If not on the payroll, you might consider tossing him a cap or something to keep up appearances... <grin>

Anyway, the real reason I'm writing is to encourage both of you to keep it coming!

Best,
TJH

Sand Shark

Chuck,

I just received the Sand Shark, and although it is dark outside, I had to give it a go on the gunwales (uninstalled as yet) for my Welsford Truant. Without going into detail, I have to say that if you are trying to smooth epoxy to ready it for paint or varnish, YOU NEED THIS TOOL!!!! In the 30 seconds I had to use it on the stock, I made more headway than 10 to 15 minutes and unnumbered pieces of sandpaper would have made on the same piece of stock.

Chuck...buy more of these... if I had money, I'd buy stock!!!

Boatbuilders... BUY THIS TOOL!!! It will make your life easier, and maybe save your marriage!!!

Chuck, if there is a way to put this message onto some kind of forum, or the Duckworks page, let me know, I'd gladly do it!

Normally I'm not this relaxed, but I'm trying to ease into it.

Best, Eric Allen

Eric: I am sorry to say that you got the last one! I love mine too and I would love to find another source, but the Cooper folks discontinued this item. I would love to hear about anything that comes close - Chuck

Green Epoxy

Chuck,

Check out the September issue of Forbes Magazine (page 58), with an article titled "Green Wave". The surf board builders in California are working with pine-oil based epoxy, hemp cloth, sugar-beet oil foam and carbon nanotubes. Far out!!!!

Bob Patterson

Two Cents

Hi Chuck

A couple of things. I just tore apart a rusty old 'bolt together' trailer to repaint and fix up, and used my battery powered impact driver to do so. I'm 99% sure it was your recommendation I read which encouraged me to pick the thing up a while back. It has been a workhorse drill driver betimes, but dismantling all the rusted ruination of fasteners on that old trailer really proved its mettle. So I'm owe you a thank you for that - I'd still be out there now cursing and bashing otherwise.

As a sidebar to Don Craigs fine article on making a palm, I'd mention that a pre-1982 Lincoln penny will give something approaching a copper "iron" instead of the plated zinc of recent coinage. [You have to go a lot further back to get them, but US pennies were once bronze, a suitable metal for a seafaring man]. Canadian pennies are worse, now being plated steel. They too used to be a decent copper. The old ones are cheaper than buying copper washers, but don't ask how I know that - defacing coinage is a crime hereabouts. If you cut the end off a plumbing pipe end cap you can get a useful, larger diameter copper piece that a single hammer blow will shape into a 'pre-dimpled' plate. Were I not behind on my promises already I might think to write a 'follow up piece showing the "thumble" thus produced.

I looked in the store for D section bronze [or even brass] to use as a rubstrip, but didn't find anything in the materials section. Am I looking in the wrong place?

cheers
Derek

Derek - We have not been able to locate a wholesale supplier of rubstrip in either brass, bronze or stainless. Can anyone help? - Chuck

Resp-O-Rator question

Hi,
I was just about to place an order for a few items, one being a resp-o-rator, but I'm confused about the replacement filters.  Duxterity offers two different kinds of filter.  One is a hepa filter (99% efficient) which fits the JR-7, and the other is only 97% efficient, and fits the Resp-O-Rator Jr..  I would like to order the larger model (JR-7), with the hepa filters.  Does the "Two Pack Replacement Filter" you offer contain the hepa filters or the 97% ones?

Thanks,
Colin

Colin - we weren't sure so we asked the Duxterity folks. Here is what they said:

Colin:

The same replacement filters are used for both models. The filters for both of the Resp-O-Rators are exactly the same. When you use a single filter (on the Jr. model) twice as much air has to pass through it and the filtration efficiency drops just a little. It’s actually 98% but we say 97% just to be safe.

With the two filter system on the bigger model, HEPA quality, a minimum of 99.97% at 0.3 microns is attained. This is the best filtration made.

This is explained in the replacement filter instruction sheet contained inside each filter package.

Hope this will answer your questions. Please let us know if you need further explanation.

Again, thank you.

Jim and Rita Duxbury

Small Craft Advisor Blog

Hi Chuck,

We've started a blog with one of our regular contributors, Steve Haines. He's going to do most of the posts, and we'll be able to post occasionally to tell readers about something coming up in the magazine or solicit feedback, etc. It will be nice for us to have some sort of a more immediate outlet when we need to get the word out.

You can see the blog here: https://smallcraftadvisor.blogspot.com/

Joshua Colvin
Small Craft Advisor
PO Box 1343
Port Townsend, WA 98368
www.smallcraftadvisor.com
PH 800-979-1930
PH 360-379-1930

PDRacer Pan-Galactic, Inter-Dimensional, World Championships

Chuck, I thought you and your readers might like to see a photo essay of the the 2008 Puddle Duck Racer Pan-Galactic, Inter-Dimensional, World Championships that were held August 23 in Toledo, Oregon.
https://waderweb.com/events/080823_champs/08pdr_start.htm
Andrew

Boat Sold

Chuck,
 
I sold the Kelpie 15 so I am notifying you so you can remove the Classified ad. Thanks, again for the listing! Hopefully someday I can find the time to build a small boat. Your site is an inspiration.
 
Cheers,
 
Mark Gipson

Forum

Hi Chuck!

I was wondering if you'd like to know how to put a link on the Home Page of the discussion group that will take folks directly to the Magazine?  I know you have the link in the "links" section, but this might make it easier for people who arn't necessarily making that connection. I do bounce back and forth and think it would be helpful.

If you go into edit mode on the home page - and then "edit" under description - then copy and paste the code as written below - that will create a link that's titled "LINK TO DUCKWORKS MAGAZINE"

<a href="https://www.duckworksmagazine.com" >LINK TO DUCKWORKS MAGAZINE

Of course you can change that to read however you wish.

Hope this is helpful!

Tim I

Tim - thanks for the suggestion. We have had a lot of trouble trying to set up a secure comment section that would live at the bottom of each article, blog-style. Now we will try to get folks to post their comments on the forum. We hope that the link at the bottom of newer articles will help - Chuck

Texas 200

Glad to hear that the Texas200 went well.

These events seem to be grand fun. Tom Jackson of WB sailed in several European raids and started one out of Brooklin, Maine, upon his return. His Small Reach Regatta enjoyed great success in its first year, and I believe it's fully enrolled for this summer. A course on beach cruisers that Al Fletcher and I will teach at WB School this season will coincide with the event. The raid should provide a ready-made "boat show" for our students, and I expect that several of them will find berths for the weekend portion of the raid.

The success of these events points, I think, to healthy things happening along the waterfront.

Mike O'Brien

Chuck, as a long time lurker, I was gutted to hear of what happened to
Charlie Whipple, I had assiduously been following his build and was looking
forwards to ''participating'' in the voyage. Please forward my deepest
sympathies, my boat isn't even in the water, but the thought of losing
it....

...antoine

Such a shame about Whipple's boat. After following his progress for so long in SCA, you have a stake in his success; very disturbing. I'm waiting for the complete story as to how and why.

regards,

Dunewood

Ed,

I would add many free paint stirrers (especially the five gallon size you have to ask for) from the "big box" home improvement store. In addition, at least ten five gallon plastic pails and lots of 3/4 inch carpet tacks. A "Rope Wrench" (TM) is handy, and you can also fabricate one from a piece of 3/4 inch thick oak and a couple 1/2 inch dowels. Gives you lots of leverage to use rope as a tightening device.

Bob Patterson

Hello Chuck,

First, thank you very much for the link on my website within your page :
https://www.duckworksmagazine.com/08/webwatch/aug/index.htm

So you wrote : "I don't have a clue what it is talking about"...
Well, in few words I'll try to explain to you :

1) About the Nauticaerium (www.nauticaerium.com) it is my new loved "R&D" activity about yachting, which have given my first invention called "godyoto".

2) About the Godyoto (www.godyoto.com) :

She is the best means to scull (or to learn sculling) easily, with a standard oar.
Easier than Yulow, Ro, VeScull, traditional sculling and so on.
Yes it is very simple and it is astonishing this did not exist yet!

nb: the name "godyoto" comes from the French words "godille" (scull) and "automatique" say "auto" for automatic. The contraction gives "godille-auto" so the "godyoto" is born O:o)

I apologize for my bad English writing, as I'm not English fluent as you can see, but if you have questions it will be my pleasure to try to answer to you.

Best regards,
--
Guy Capra

Tyson McLeod went right by the place I owned (McAnnally Fishing Camp, just below Hwy 21 bordering the Davy Crockett Nat'l Forest) on his float trip. I have made the same trip MANY MANY times and even one from Hwy 84 to that spot and one from 294 to that spot and one from Hopson's Crossing to that spot.

Some think of floating the Neches as easy stuff, but I assure you the ole Neches can be a "real hoss", especially when it is at the stage he talks about - slightly below bank full. Lots of stange and powerful currents, obstacles, snakes, skeeters, etc etc etc, but it really is pretty and worth the effort.

good article - lots of old memories stirred!

Bill Tosh
T C Boats
www.tcboats.com

Chuck and Sandra,

It was really a pleasure to peruse the Texas 200 photos, especially the Port Mansfield scenes. I patrolled that area for ten years and know just about every inch of that bay from Port Isabel to Baffin Bay, I miss messing around in the area very much. I can see lots of changes in Port Mansfield looking at the photos but it looks good to my eyes. I knew Fred Stone, whom the county park was named after. Fred was an AVID bay fisherman, practically lived on the bay, that whole group did.

I was kind of hoping some mention would be made of "El Toro" island which has (had?) oil cuts that give a boater some access a bit farther West from the ICW. I used to hunt that hump of land on foot for Nilgai antelope when that was legal. El Toro was a point of contention with the King Ranch because a number of "outlaws" would drop off trail bikes from skiffs in the oil cuts and hunt the ranch by motocross type bikes and sometimes 3-wheelers (the early ones, remember?). Those were the days of 70cc--100cc bikes that cold flat move in those mud flats, skinny tires and all. They would head hunt the ranch, just cut the head off, leave the rest to rot, and beat it back to a pre-arranged time so the boat would be waiting. We caught quite a few when we caught on to their methods, MISSED quite a few too! The trophy heads had a quite a price on the "unsung" market (still does) of those unethical types that would buy one for their "trophy wall" and then brag about how the hunted it. There was some "interior decorators" using that "hunting" method too, probably still are, truth be known.

I would've loved to have made this Texas 200--I would've camped at El Toro just for memories' sake. What a great collection of photos, I continue to enjoy them, thanks for the hard work. I can feel those strong SW breezes and smell the sea weed on the lee shore at Port Mansfield, aaaaahhhhhh!! What a bouquet....

Ron Bennett

Chuck:

Interesting to read in the story by Christer Byström, that he is getting bad figures from his computer boat programs.  Its one of the reasons I design the way I do.  I make sure all the panel seams fit from stem to stern, by building scale model after scale model, and personally building a prototype. 

I debated whether or not to put in the small "side seats" in the O&P for sailing.  Put them in, and am loving them.  Only way to sit sideways in a round bottomed hull.

Warren Messer
Stitch and Glue and Stylish Too.

Chuck, Sandra,

G'Day there from a wet, stormy and cold Downunder..!!!

Now you may remember that i bought a whole lot of fittings for my Pathfinder from you last in early July year. She was launched & has been enjoyed this summer, however, I am now moving to Australia & will be selling her.

John Welsford has kindly agreed to have a link from his website to my auction here on "Trademe" and he suggested I contact you to see if you'd be happy with having a link from the "Pathfinder" article on your site...?

Trust you are enjoying fine Summer weather

Warm reghards
Richard Forrester
Wellington, New Zealand

I got my OZ PDRacer plans printed out at the internet place, and thank god I did. I never dreamede there would be 95 pages. A fellow from Arizona talks about ordering the pdracer and the Goat Island Skiff, and be sure to top up the paper in yopur printer, but 95 pages! I didn't have that much paper in the house.Might I suggest that you say somewhere that there are that many pages, so buyers can be sufficiently prepared. I'm very happy with the plans and am waiting for the lug sail plan from Michael. Thanks so much for you time and help.

Bill

I just wanted to say how sad I am to hear of Charlie's complete loss of Resolution.  As a true reporter Charlie reported the facts very professionally.  I know he has to be heart broken about this turn of events.  I share his pain.  My profoundest sympathies are with him and I wish him well.  So sorry for your loss Charley, but so glad you came out ok. 
Larry Whited
Stone Mountain, GA

Proud of you Chuck, for getting Charlie story out on Duckworks so quickly.

Mark Steele

Hi Sandra and Chuck, I've had a long chat to Charlie on the phone, he's in better shape than you'd expect, a few minor bruises and scrapes but physically fine. The phone is still running red hot, and emails are flooding in but he sends his regards and regrets that his mistake has wrecked the dream that so many freinds and supporters shared with him.

John Welsford

I was looking at the maps again this morning. The point I hit is the easternmost piece of land on the island. But for a few miles, I would have just continued on, adjusted my course for Tauranga, and made good the problems with the boat, then carried on. But that's not what happened.

Chuck, you as much as anyone have been a supporter from word go. There's a book to write about the Little Boat that almost Went Around the World. That will help get this sense of loss out of my system.

Charlie Whipple

We are all disappointed that we will not be able to follow Charlie around the world in Resolution but there is a 16 yr. old on a 36 ft. sailboat trying to be the youngest to do so. You can follow him on Google Earth. He has been out 11 days having left Marina Del Ray in California on June 17th. His home page is https://zacsunderland.com/

Gene L

Chuck,

just looking at your site and forum, looks live you have a great trip coming up. I'm impressed by the number and variety of boats.

I wish I could join you guys, but I'm short on time (not to mention money for fuel to get down to Texas). But I will be following your progress. On your forum one of your group mentioned Lydia Ann Channel and Mud Island near Port A. That brought back fond memories of waking up there one June morning in my old boat, waiting for the tide to rise to continue on my trip, watch small schools of redfish or trout working along the edge of the grass while a pod of dolphins swam out in the deeper water. Just beautiful!

I'm heading out on a five day trip along the western shore of Pamlico Sound this week. Won't cover any great distances, but will explore some shallow bays and small islands, maybe do a bit of fishing and read a book or two.

I'll be getting back just as you guys start your trip. Best wishes for the Texas200.

Steve Earley

Howdy again, Chuck...home safe and sound and hope you are too, as well as all other participants...can't tell you how much we enjoyed it...already planning to do a lot of tuning and practicing for next year...if we can ever figure out how to get the most out of Greg's boat ( the Venture-Newport 23 ) and how to avoid gettin' lost and running up on reefs and mudbanks and crashing into other peoples' boats we oughta be fairly competitive...yes, I know, it's not a race, but my hunch is it will sort of evolve in that direction....again, thanks to you and all your efforts to make it happen...if I can ever be of any assistance give me a holler...

Tyson McLeod
Galveston

Chuck - enjoyed seeing you at the Army Hole - fine buch of folk you had in the sail.

FYI - I sent this to the local chamber of commerce and mayor of the city of Seadrift and Victoria Advocate newspaper - the website for the YC is: www.ssandyc.com - you really might consider having Seadrift as a waypoint on the next Tx200 sail - not that far off the course and I think you would find the folks most helpful and really nice.

It isn't very often these days that one meets strangers that are really nice and accommodating right up front. Well, I and the group I sail with did just that last week. There were 5 sailboats of us that sailed into Seadrift, TX. late one afternoon, looking for a place to get a shower and hot meal. Within just a few minutes of tying up to the docks at the Marina, we were greeted by a gentleman by the name of Jack LaBarge who introduced himself as Commodore of the Seadrift Sail and Yacht Club, and shortly thereafter Wesley Hunt and a fine gent by the name of Kelley.

Jack let us know immediately that we were welcome at Seadrift and insisted that if there was anything we needed or somewhere we needed to go, that the Yacht Club would be at our disposal and they would consider it an honor to be of help to any of us. We were also invited to the weekend's festivities and were invited to return to Seadrift on our next cruise in the area. We dined at a local restaurant and stayed at a local motel and spent a few dollars at the Marina as well.

Upon leaving, there was also another turnout to see us off and ask us back again.....things that you just don't see happening any more, or at least rarely..... As we sailed off, we could see them in the distance, still talking to each other and waving at us.

Personally, my hat is off, to the guys at the Seadrift Sail and Yacht Club, their wives and friends....they made all of my group feel really good about returning to Seadrift. I think the City of Seadrift and the Mayor and Council should be really proud to have that group representing the town. We will very likely return next year and I wouldn't be surprised if the Texas 200 sailboat race picks Seadrift as one of it's many waypoints.....

Fair winds to you too Jack, Wesley and Kelly et al's........see you again soon!

Bill Tosh

I think the Texas 200 will mean a lot of reassessment about the PDRacers.  Andrew Linn reckons it was a stunt - a really hard thing to do with boats that were not quite suitable - but John Wright seemed to have a much easier trip in every way because his boat could go to windward reliably where the other two were struggling with their shoal keels.  I admire them even more in light of that!!!!

I think that stuntmeister Shorty has done very well and it has set the class up for other stunts as Andrew, Jason, and John showed, lots of different stunts.

Michael Storer

Hi Chuck,

Dave here from Ausy-land (Sydney) I hope you and your wife are well and business is doing great, anyway I was just looking over this months Duckworks news letter/ web site and noticed an article from Kellan Hatch from Salt Lake City UTAH, his inflatable sailing kayak looks great, do you know if he is thinking about going in to production to sell them or may be sell some kind of building plans for this great boating idea?

I also wish you and your friends a good and safe time and trip on the Texas 200 adventure, we don't have anything like that down here to go to I wish we did, it would be great, some one should start one up, may be I should have a go at trying to see who down here would be interested- including home made boats and small production ones, a real fun / family affair who knows what could happen. After watching and seeing your personal adventures over the past couple of years you have shown that any one can have a go, even if you don't have any boat building skills at all, I take my hat off to you and your followers from everywhere around the globe. I bet you get far more pleasure out of your comradeship then all the wealth that your business has given you and I reckon you and your family deserve both.

Any way I talk to much sorry for rambling on good luck have a good day- Dave

Dave - I have no idea whether Kellan intends to put his little inflatable trimaran into production or not but I can report that he completed the Texas 200 in it and that he did it in style. Afterward, he took his little boat apart, put it in a suitcase and flew back to Salt Lake City with it. Hats off to Kellan for an incredible trip.

Howdy Chuck,

I think a few people have found the hollow mast for the OZ PDR a bit scary. So there is a new mast for those who are time poor.

It is a solid mast which is about 35% heavier than the hollow one.

The hollow one will be better in most conditions because it will make the boat easier to hold up and get back upright after a capsize and will be faster in choppy water because of less pitching and less general weight.

However I have calculated the sizing of the solid mast to have the right bend characteristic to work well with the sails in the plan. The additional notes available below will work with both the standard sprit rig and the optional lug rig.

If a person already has the plan, this page explains what to do.

Best wishes
Michael Storer

I got my oz_pdracer plans printed out at the internet place, and thank god I did. I never dreamed there would be 95 pages. A fellow from Arizona talks about ordering the pdracer and the Goat Island Skiff, and be sure to top up the paper in yopur printer, but 95 pages! I didn't have that much paper in the house. Might I suggest that you say somewhere that there are that many pages, so buyers can be sufficiently prepared. I'm very happy with the plans and am waiting for the lug sail plan from Michael. Thanks so much for you time and help.

Luis G

Luis - you just said it. There is no question that Michael Storer's plans are complete.

Chuck,

Glad to see I'm not the only one proofing your copy. Obviously it should be "It is designed for the home builder who can even be cartopped." Maybe Mitt Romney can help us here. Didn't he do something like that with his dog?

Ross

For those who missed it, here is what I originally wrote:

Long time boat builder, designer and DIY writer Paul Butler has come up with a nifty little drift boat for up to three guys. It is designed for the home builder that can even be cartopped.

A CIRCUMNAVIGATION RACE IN TEN FOOT (3 meter) BOATS

• With 200 Days to the race start in the Bahamas, the support boat is about to be launched in Portugal and in preparation for the Trans Atlantic passage en route to the start line.

• Racers Kristofer J. “Harley” Harlson who has been unable to find Sponsorship and Matt Layden who is dropping out for family reasons were both founding racers. Gordon Brimhall who joined as a racer more recently is dropping out for health reasons.

• Dutch Architect Han Van Ardenne joins the race with his self design boat “Azzurro” (pictures attached.)

• Current list of racers is at  https://www.aroundinten.com/racers.htm

• The event does not have a main sponsor and it is certain to offer exceptional value with enormous media coverage for forward looking brands.

AroundInTen.com - the biggest challenge in the smallest boats.

Event Contact
Nick Dwyer.
nick@dwyer.ie

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