BYYB Forums

i never wound up in the water, just found the boat sluggish and very unstable, having sailed alot of small boats i was just surprised, and i guess a little disappointed. having said that, i loved the process and there is no better feeling then crossing the water in a boat you built. i'll do it again, but next time i want to do a small powerboat for island hopping as we are moving to the southern gulf islands soon and i want something for fishing, running around.

I'm seriously considering putting my Skipjack up for sale since I've turned my attention to larger boats.  Anyone interested?

After sailing my $100 Glen-L 21CB for a week in the San Juan Islands and experiencing its superior sailing qualities, I just can't seem to bring myself to take the skipjack out of the garage anymore.

I'm also thinking of selling the Glen-L 21CB and replacing it with something like a Catalina 22 or 25 or similar production boat.  The Glen-L sails great but that swing keel trunk is annoyingly in the way when using the cabin.

When I started building the Skipjack my tow vehicle was a Toyota Camry.  Now that I have a Ford F-150 truck I have a lot more options available to me, and can tow up to 5000 pounds.

I can say from experience you'll love the catalina 22, we had the swing keel version which trailers really well. we live around the corner from you on pender island and sailed the san juans a couple of years ago, just loved the area.

Bob, did you have the pop-top version of the C22? How much of a difference in cabin usability does it make, and in your opinion does it make the boat any less seaworthy?

I've had both versions of the Catalina 22 and the pop top version is less stable, because of the pop top, which weighs a lot, at least 250 pounds. With it as high up on the hull as possible, it really affects the stability, though the boat is still quite safe and has a good stability curve, it is noticeable in high angles of heel.

I found I didn't sail the boat all that much, because of setup time. Boats that you can get in the water and underwya in a few minutes will get used a lot, while boats that take a while, just sit in the carport. Whichever you select, make sure you take it to the water and time setting it up.

(09-20-2017, 04:09 PM)Mark Shank Wrote: [ -> ]Bob, did you have the pop-top version of the C22?  How much of a difference in cabin usability does it make, and in your opinion does it make the boat any less seaworthy?

we had a 22 sport, not the pop top. as for pauls comment he is right, it was a fair amount of work to do the setup each time. stepping the mast , dealing with the rigging etc. I'd be inclined to store it near the water with the mast up if at all possible. the sport model was very stable, we ran a 9.9 HP outboard on it, I know there is also a wing keel version out there, no idea if it is more or less stable. the 22 sport was fine with the swing keel lowered but a curling rock on the water with it raised haha (just realized what a Canadian comment that was)

I've only sailed my Skipjack three times since I first launched her in Summer of 2017, and haven't sailed her at all this year for various reasons.  Tried to sell her, no takers.  So I guess I'm stuck with her, like a bad marriage to a beautiful woman.  ("Take my wife...Please.")

So to make her less frustrating to sail I'm preparing some modifications.  Here are some teaser photos.










Pretty ugly welds, I know.  First time welding stainless steel though so I hope you'll cut me some slack.

The new-to-me mast is about one tenth the weight of the original solid wood mast.  I'm rigging it without drilling any fastener holes so I hope it will be strong enough considering that it's taken from a sailboard.  There will be no tabernacle.  Instead, shrouds and forestay will be disconnected at deck level to allow the mast to be lifted out of position for transport.  Gaff jaws to be replaced by the large ring shown, and goose neck to be replaced by the sleeve shown.

Lashings are Dyneema rope (Dyneema doesn't stretch) soaked in epoxy. A band of fiberglass/epoxy cloth is added to further prevent slippage. Standing rigging and halyards will be attached to the lashed rings.

By the way, for anyone in my area who might be interested , if this new setup works out I'll be willing to sell my original mast with all its attachments. It's a beautiful solid clear Douglas Fir mast with my own tabernacle design. You can see it in earlier posts to this thread. I think it would work equally well with either a Skipjack or Weekender since both boats use the same sails. Actually, it might be even better on a Weekender since it's a larger and wider boat, so the weight of the mast won't be as much of an issue as it is with the Skipjack.

Phase one modifications are complete, and I got her back in the water this past Sunday.  Mods so far include a lightweight mast from a sail board, a homebuilt sliding sleeve gooseneck, ring gaff, mast lacing, adjustable boom height, all running rigging to within reach of helm, jib downhaul, a slide-on mast step and a mast holder for trailering.  While there was very little breeze Sunday, I could tell that these upgrades collectively make a big improvement.  The boat is less unstable with the lightweight mast, and I have much better control of the sails, which can now be raise and lowered without jamming, with one hand, while the other hand remains in control of the tiller.

Phases two and three will be ballast and electric motor.

Photos of the upgrades:

Well Mark,

Your rigging is nice and tidy.  Way more than mine is.  I have two questions.  One, is your mast  bending back?  Two is your gaff solid wood?  If it is, you might want to consider getting some more of that fiberglass mast material and swap out the wood.  When I lightened up my gaff it was a very noticeable improvement. 

Al

Thanks for your comment Al. Yes the gaff spar is the original solid wood one. I have an eye peeled for a lighter alternative but will make due with the original for now. It's clear Douglas Fir so it doesn't really weigh much anyway, just a few pounds without the attached rigging hardware. The new-to-me mast is more flexible than the original solid wood mast, and is affected by the opposing push of the gaff and pull of the halyard block. So yes it's bending. I was wondering if anyone would notice. Obviously this lighter mast, which only weighs about 5 pounds, will not take as much load as the original. So I'll have to be careful about the wind loads I'll be subjecting it to. I even went so far as to use lashings and rings for attachment points rather than drilling holes for bolts in order to avoid weakening it. I'm thinking of replacing the gaff ring with a cylinder similar to that used for the boom goose neck in order to spread the push load over a few inches rather than the ring's single point.