BYYB Forums

I am buying a Weekender that needs a little work (hope that buyers posting permitted here and this is not just for builders; if not encouraged, sorry for intruding)  and one of the things I found odd was the lack of a drain plug in the stern. My current boat is a laser-clone, so I am used to having a drain. My question is: is that universal on Weekenders and is that a specific design mandate or a "Do it if you want it" sort of thing.

Also, there are some bubbles in the tape at the keel, which I was assuming would be fixable by either removing the tape and re-taping or by filling with resin as I might with a bubble in gelcoat on a fiberglass boat.  Is  this a significant enough defect to prevent me from buying it? (They are not immense, but the tape in a couple of areas just has some puffiness to it).

For what it is worth, I had purchased the plans for the Weekender already, but it became clear to me that I could not build one to the quality this one already is for the same money. This is only my second sailboat, and I honestly doubt my resolve when it comes to the 8-month commitment to building something at this point (I am month-to-month in my current house and not sure if we will have build space for it if we move).

Thank you for your response. I would hate to buy a lemon (the cost is $2000, which seems excellent for this boat compared with other boats I have researched).

There is no cockpit drain in the Weekender as per the plans.  The Stevenson's have a post build add-on drain plan on their website.  Here is the link:

http://www.stevproj.com/Planlets.html


Dave

I used the idea on the Stevenson site but installed a standard drain plug tube and use a standard plug available most anywhere.

I also added a drains.  However, the drains were in the cockpit sole and near the panel joiner in the cabin sole; which is where the rocker is on the boat.  Not on the transom like a Laser.

(07-20-2012, 03:56 AM)angiewilson link Wrote:I also added a drains.  However, the drains were in the cockpit sole and near the panel joiner in the cabin sole; which is where the rocker is on the boat.  Not on the transom like a Laser.

Thanks Angie, I forgot to mention that under the wheel wasn't the best place unless you always park your butt on the transom. :-)

It just makes good sense to have garboard and/or transom drains in trailer boats. I prefer transom drains to garboard and always park the boat bow high. We get enough rain in an hour here to fill a cockpit, so it's very common to see everyone's boats with the bow as high as the jack will permit. I usually have a concrete block or two under the jack to get them higher. Garboard drains are better suited to boats will deep bilges and those that are fairly heavy. On my power cruiser, I can't tilt her up enough, as the shaft and wheel prevent it, so a garboard drain is a must. Lastly, a transom drain can be completely flush, but a garboard drain usually has a bit of a lip on it, plus the nut, so you'll always have some amount of water, pooling around it. I suppose you could drill a hole, epoxy it crap out of it, then use a transom plug. This would drain well if mounted on the bottom planks of a Weekender.

Has anyone used something like an Andersen self bailers on their boats? I have had good success with these on my Star... even at low speeds. But what size/kind of self-bailer would be best on this type of build? I understand the external flange is what is recommended for plywood type hulls... but how big and which type? Any ideas?

]http://marinestore.co.uk/Self_Bailers.html

The Anderson bailer will not work very effectively on a Weekender (or Vacationer, PC, etc.) as they don't go fast enough and have too much rocker in their underbelly.

http://marinestore.co.uk/Self_Bailers.html

This link will work, as the one above has incorrect syntax. Again, none of these will work very well on these types of boats, so a transom or garboard drain is the logical route.

Thanks Paul for the info,

In light of yuor advice, I'll probably stick with the Stevenson drain....

I don't like the drain through the deadwood arrangement. Just too much potential for a problem across separate elements.





Consider a traditional garboard drain, mounted slightly off center, so it doesn't have to pass through the deadwood.