BYYB Forums

Hello,
I'm the guy from Stow, Ohio building a weekender in a smallish 2 car garage. I've overcome my minor keel notch error and gone on to make many new errors. Before I make another one I thought I'd stop by to ask a few questions.

1.) I see stringers on the sides of the bulkheads but when I look at pictures and the video it looks like the side panel of the hull are not actually attached to the bulkhead stringers. Is this correct?

2.) How do I get back in the boat if I go for a swim? Do you use a ladder and if so where do you mount it?

3.) I'm considering using Harken blocks. I have nothing to compare them to price or quality wise. I need to get these ordered. Am I doing the right thing by using Harken Bullet and Micro Bullet blocks? Is there a better choice given the price/quality equation?

I'm really enjoying this project. I can already tell when I'm done with this boat I'll want to start on another one!

Best Regards
Mike Speare

Hi Mike -

I did screw into those stringers - don't know if that is the right thing or not but it worked out and so I did.

Getting back in the boat is a bit tricky - i just bought a rope ladder that I will try out in June - i think the ideal thing would be a ladder on the transom (but that i just my opinion....like a step or two hardwood - fastened on.

I went with all Harken blocks on the weekender but that is one of the places that I feel I spent unnecessary money. For the Vacationer - i am going with less expensive or even homemade blocks.

Good Luck and Keep us up to datE!...

a.

forgive the double post - iam out of my mind lately --

in this picture you can see where i screwed into the stringers (crooked in some places) but it all got filled and faired before glass:




a.

Congratualtions on the new errors. It's been said that a real mistake is the one you make twice

I screwed into those stringers, as well. Can't see that it would hurt anything. What else would you use 'em for? Don't know about the ladder, I haven't fallen out of the boat (while in the water) yet. I have no experience with Harken blocks, only to know they are more expensive. Glad to here you're making progress. Post some pictures, will ya?!

Hi Mike,
Only to clarify, stringers run horizontally, gussets are stringers that run vertically. Yes, you do want to screw the sides to the gussets along with glue. The bulkheads an integral part of the entire structure and the sides not only derive their shape from them but help secure them to form a stronger "box". Just be careful with the length of the screws and with setting them in the 1/4" panels. You may find that you would be better off with 3/4" screws in some areas rather than 1".

There is a Nylon Step Handle available from Duckworks that can be mounted on the bottom outside corners of your transom that will allow you to step up and get back into the boat. Also helps you man handle the boat about on the trailer if necessary. I've used them on other boats and am adding them to the transom of my Weekender.
http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/mis.../index.htm
There are rope ladders but they are awkward to use with the angle of the sides of the Weekender or Vacationer. But they do help. There are also folding ladders that can be permanently mounted to the transom or fabricated to just clip onto the transom when swimming.
http://www.bartswatersports.com/catalog....oat+Ladder
But then that doesn't help if you get swept overboard and are trying to figure out how to get back on board.

Since it most likely that you will be sailing in fresh water rather than salt, you can use hardware store blocks. Small blocks from places like ACE Hardware will work just fine and give you a good long life if you just oil them perodically. Now saying that, Harken blocks will be smoother operating and may last longer. (May last longer but not necessarily so.) So it becomes a cost vs. term of use trade off. Same with going to high end yacht rope. Nicer to the hand and smoother running, but a lot more expensive, even if you shop around. Again a trade off. Shop the clearance odds and ends, you might find short lengths that will work for you.

The one place I would spend a little more in the rigging is on the main sail boom blocks and line. You will be holding it a lot and it will get the most use. Some builders opt for a rachet block to help hold tension on the main sheet. They work, in my mind are worth the investment at that point even if they others are hardware store blocks.

Making up your own blocks is fun, extremely satisfying and of course a lot less expensive than Marine Blocks. There are some good articles on making homemade rope stropped blocks and they do work. Of course the better job you do on them the better they seem to work and last but then just make up a few extra and you have replacements. And they do look very "Salty". I've done that for my Weekender, they are plenty strong enough for any of the loading that is imposed upon them and they work really smooth. I followed the examples in "The Marlinspike Sailor".
http://www.messing-about.com/photopost/s...thecat=500
http://www.messing-about.com/photopost/s...thecat=500

Good articles from several sources but here are links to a couple of them.
http://www.eclectica.ca/boatbuilding/blocks.php
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/article...blocks.htm

mikespears Mike here is my .02 worth, Put the screws in the stringers,the 3/4 inch screw for the 1/4 ply is a good idea. #2There are many ladder set ups to choose from rope metal f/g step ect. I have a Sea Step that I like. It is nylon belting with a couple of loop steps in it. It is ez to set upand can be folded up and put away in a small place. O yea it don't scratch up the finish eather. #3 I would go with the Harken blocks an good line. A few extra bucks on rigging is money well spent in my mind and it makes the hole thing work better. If you are like me you will have enough problems to begin with without the blocks and line fouling up. Just my .02 worth Bud

Mike go to the post memorial weekend on BBB and you can see how
Keith get back on board. Bud.

As far as the boarding question goes, it can be as simple as tying a rope to a couple cleats so it is a couple feet into the water. All you realy need is a single step to get your body out of the water. Once you do that it's easy to get into the boat.

I have used rope ladders and they are awful, or at least the one I used was. It was hooked up to a single cleat and twisted all over the place when trying to board. I found that cleating a line over a couple cleats far more stable.

Just my 2 cents :wink:

The fwd bulkhead gussets are a PITA as designed. I have found that getting the bulkhead fabricated and trimmed to fit between the chine and deck stringers is the first step. Next make the gussets fit this structure. They may need to be a bit larger or smaller depending on your boat. This is one of the places that you need to fit to what you have as opposed to making everything else fit to a precut part. Glue and screws are a must as this bulkhead is a major structural component. I have a 4 step Al ladder that fits to the side deck near the chain plates. I had to modify it to contact the hull at the chine log. It is a really poor excuse for a swim ladder. Ladys have trouble using it as it requires a lot of upper body strength. A transom ladder, three step bass boat clip-on type, is one of my pre-programed upgrades. Running rigging can make or break your enjoyment of your boat. Cheap hardware store blocks and line are a waste of money IMHO. Check Cajun Rope for discount line. There are three or four grades of blocks and hardware out there. Shop around. Making your own tackle gives better quality and usability then the hardware store junk. I used Harkin and am very happy with it. Buy a bit at a time as you go along and it isn't such a big bite in the back pocket. Happy building!

When single handing a boat, many experienced sailors will hang a 20 ft. or longer rope over the side cleated off as Shawne mentions. Let the other end go free. If you do end up in the drink you can get the rope and have something to secure yourself to the boat while getting yourself back together. You can tie a loop in the rope with a figure eight at just below the chine level and use it to step up on. The other end of the rope can then be tied off to the cleat with another loop to give you a loop to hold onto while pulling yourself up to get into the boat. Or tied to another cleat and then stand on the rope as Shawne suggests.

If you have raised rails they will help as a good solid grip. It is far easier to go over the transom than over the sides when trying to get back into a Weekender. The sides just have too much of an angle to make it easy unless you can pull yourself up onto the rail with just your arms.

I've never had good results using a rope ladder, the angles end up being all wrong to allow you to pull yourself up as you are pushing the rope away with your feet. If you could get it down straight and then pull up it would be better but it just doesn't seem to want to stay there for me. :roll: