Arrived in Wareham at the local ramp and put Blue J in for her first romp in Buzzards Bay. My daughter and I went out in about 30 minutes of rigging/launching and spent three hours on the bay prior to the weather closing in on us. Sorry, no photos. My phone was in the waterproof lock box, and the crew left hers at home. This boat sails well in a 3-12kt NNW. We were able to point within 90 degrees which is quite respectable. It takes very little wind to move her along, and if we were not on a time table, would have left the motor at home. But, due to severe thunderstorms forecast, we opted to have an escape option.
A few little projects are cropping up after 3 sails. One is to move the sheeting arrangement for the mizzen around. I am not fond of reaching behind to trim the mizzen, and it fouls the motor and rudder. Standard end boom sheeting off a loop from the tiller might work. or moving the cleat to the mast. As a temporary solution, I am going to try attaching a fiberglass driveway stake to the motor cowl and point it down the shaft of the motor. This should keep the line from snagging the knob on the Tohatsu that is used to tighten the motor so that it stays once you let go of the motors tiller.
Switching out the clam cleats on the coaming for cam cleats on the seat are also to be investigated. Drink holders are a must as well. We need places to put the water bottles down.
When I started this project, my demands were:
1. It is to be a sailboat to replace the 1969 Enterprise Sailing Dinghy that is too tough on my back and knees. Additionally, winter storm Snowmageddon 2015 did a lot of damage to the Enterprise hull. Yes. This was dead spot on!
2. Able to carry a few guests but not too many! 3 is perfect, 4 a crowd, but doable in up to a moderate breeze.
3. Can be built in a single car garage. Yes, but barely. I did move it outdoors to attach hardware, and finish the coaming / deck. I got tired of moving stuff around it, and banging my head on the ceiling beams.
4. Sails well and can handle Buzzards Bay and Nantucket Sound. So far, so good. We have only had up to 12 kt breezes under full sail, which moves the boat very well without too much panic from the crew. I think 15 and above will require one reef.
5. Easily launched and rigged in 15 minutes so as to encourage using the boat. So far, 30 minutes for a rookie, I know I can get this to 20 minutes with practice.
6. Not too expensive. (ok, not too cheap. This snowballed a little as I went for more expensive stuff, could have lived without the motor). It is the finish work that is expensive. I spent way too much on water based polyurethane, motors, and stuff I could have lived without. The aluminum masts built in sections work very well and are economical.
I think this is as close as I am going to get to perfection here. It is a great boat.
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