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I typed "has anyone built Autumn Leaves?" into Google and what a pleasant surprise! I have an Eastport Pram cut out from plans in my bedroom (a.k.a. workshop) waiting to be assembled and as I will be "retired" in a couple of years am looking for a mother-ship to tow it around the Bay of Biscay. I'm a rower and so I love the Faering Cruiser but that isn't going to happen for various reasons - Autumn Leaves looks to be my "B plan" though not as a rowing boat of course.

I have been looking at the online renderings and interestingly you have implemented a couple of deviations that I had came up with as well. I will buy the plans this summer and as soon as the pram is finished I'll start cutting wood - building the bulkheads etc. and storing them, my issue is finding space to assemble the hull...

Looking forward to more photos and a sailing report - Lake Superior is pretty choppy I imagine? A real test of the flat bottom, flat sided hull!

While I was taking a break the other day, I tossed everything together and set a tape measure to it.  Indie is 22 feet nine inches sparred length.  In my shop, I have to squeeze by her if I want to move anywhere.  She makes up for her inconveniences by the fact that I can  build her right on the floor.  I laid out a big piece of thick carpet and that is all she needs.  I still need a ladder to get into her, but not much of one, 

Yesterday, I finished applying the glass to everything that I can until I finish assembling the stern.  Now, I don't have to feel bad for climbing all over her.  I build wearing a pair of insulated slippers, but I am still reluctant to tromp around on her.  I really like this stage of any build.  I feel like I have done something because the boat is so sturdy.  For a while now, the work gets real picky, but when I take a roller to her, I got a feeling that I am going to be pretty happy. 

For anyone that is on the verge of cutting bulkheads, pay special attention to bulkhead 7.  That  bulkhead is so highly loaded by everything around it that it can't hold itself straight without a little  beefing up.  I myself didn't notice that until I got too far into the build so I maybe went a little over board building it up.  If anyone gets going this year, I will try to remember the places that surprised me and add them to future updates  before I really forget them. 

Al

I was thinking about closing 7 off up top and having a hatch on the deck to get at the storage. I would leave access to the mast step on the bottom but build a "7.5" to close off the rear bit behind the mast and fill that with more foam flotation.

If you close off the entire stack of the stern assembly, you will run into a bunch of issues that you will have to deal with.  You will have to design a new way to  mount the boomkin and link up the rudder to the tiller.  Both of those assemblies penetrate the hull and cannot be reliably sealed.  I left everything above the shelf level open and scuppered.  Indies shelf is full fit of that level instead of a small shelf.  You can see in some of my pics that I have a deck plate placed in the middle of it.  I came to the conclusion that the mounting of the boomkin and the connection for the tiller in the plan are the easiest and most effective so I went with them.  Think twice about that shelf.  I think it is one of the handiest things about that boat.  You can't have too much available storage in the cockpit.

It looks like the guys at CLC put a lot of time into laying out this plan.  Over the course of this year, I have made it my policy to very carefully consider any further deviations from the plan.  My double tabernacle setup is an unreasonable deviation just to satisfy my laziness which I won't back away from.  I know that I won't use this boat if it is any harder to rig at the landing than my weekender.  Even if it takes until next year to make that so.

There are lots of issues that I could talk about, but I won't until I have wetted her  butt.  I am  pretty busy right now and I don't want to slow down.
 
Al

Oh the shelf it stays, you access it through a hatch on the deck, it is an ideal place for trolling lines and other fishing stuff! And the tiller linkage has a slot and is unchanged as is boomkin mount. I'll get to drawing the change when I buy the plans next month.

What I really want to do is close off the bottom under the shelf leaving just the mast step area access reducing the volume of the cockpit and the water it can hold. I wont be closing off under the seats as you have done but cutting a large scupper / foot step for boarding in the rear.

I also have a couple of design modifications at the bow (Samson post on bulkhead 1, closed anchor well,...) but everything in between stays exactly as John's plan.

Okay, that is pretty much what I did.  I thought for a long time about how to step the mizzen and drain it.  I didn't go to a tabernacle right away.   It seemed that any scheme that I had come up with that uses a mast  box  would be too much work and the seal would be unreliable, so I just sealed it all off and put everything above the shelf level.  My scheme is not perfect insofar as access to the sealed area will be difficult, but I don't intend to use it for storage, only floatation.

Sampson post eh?  I hadn't thought of that.  Here's one.  I don't know how old you are, but at my age I am thinking about a step to descend into the cabin.  It is quite a step.  Also, watch out for this.  The way bulkhead 5 is drawn out in the plan ends up putting the opening for the storage area under the cockpit even with the cabin floor.  You will not be able to have a rim along the bottom of the opening making it hard to seal the door.  All you would have to do is move the opening up 3/4 inch when you draw it out.  That may not be an issue for you, but I am trying to seal up as much as I can for floatation.  And in this case keep all my stuff dry. 

It may seem like I am going overboard on the floatation stuff, but it makes the sleeping much better.

I have had a wonderful time building this boat so far and I hope that you have the same.

Al

On a non-rotating mast I use an open ended mortise on the step (tabernacle or not) with the tenon built into the heel of the mast. The tenon has an internal weep hole or two at each end to let accumulated moisture within the mast to drain out and the open ended mortise lets this and any other accumulated moisture fall out of the step. It's a non-moving part assembly and is easy to clean. If the mast rotates, the mortise and tenon joint is replaced with a ball and socket affair, which does the same thing and permits rotation. A centerline hole for mast condensation release gets the moisture out of the mast. The tenon is usually made from HDPE, for less friction and a few shallow grooves will permit any accumulated moisture to drain off. Lastly, in recent years I've made all mast heels from HDPE, to eliminate rot issues. The step also is lined with HDPE for the same reason, again with holes or grooves to let moisture get out.

(03-23-2018, 04:07 AM)Al Stead Wrote: [ -> ]Here's one.  I don't know how old you are, but at my age I am thinking about a step to descend into the cabin.  It is quite a step.  Also, watch out for this.  The way bulkhead 5 is drawn out in the plan ends up putting the opening for the storage area under the cockpit even with the cabin floor.  You will not be able to have a rim along the bottom of the opening making it hard to seal the door.  All you would have to do is move the opening up 3/4 inch when you draw it out.  That may not be an issue for you, but I am trying to seal up as much as I can for floatation.  And in this case keep all my stuff dry. 

That is a question I had asked myself and was waiting on plans and measurements for confirmation:

- raise the door sill a little
- install small bridge deck/step in cockpit
- install folding step in cabin

Installing a bridge deck would allow anchoring the main sheet there on a short rail also. I am a huge fan of rails for controlling main sail shape downwind and also de-powering upwind (when trolling for instance).

I like where the sill is.  It is just above the height of the seats which is plenty for me. 

No bridge deck because it will get in the way of rowing. 

Bingo.  I will be doing this.  I am trying to figure out how to make a door for the storage compartment double as a step.
I just checked the plan and it is about 20 inches from the sill of the companionway  to the cabin sole.  That is a bit much for my mechanical hips to lift me up over. 

My mainsail is going to be a loose footed gaffer.  Sheeting from the middle of the boom might be a bit too much.  My weekender sheets from the end of the boom, then rides to a block in the middle of the boom and hangs down.  I will be repeating that scheme. 

Some of these issues can't be addressed very well until you can actually climb aboard and play with them.

Al

Al, great job ! I just found this tread/website tonight. You mentioned that this might be your last build - would you mind if I ask for your age ? I am thinking that Autumn Leaves might be as well good choice for my last boat ... it could be pulled with my old Skoda car and I could explore most of Europe with it. I am 62 and I will probably use my current sailboat for some time, but this would be almost perfect boat to end my sailing life..... I looked at many designs, but most small boats either do not have usable cabin, or there is no cabin, or they are just plain ugly..... this design was a love at the first sight for me ....