One thing I've been planning on doing with my Weekender is to build a hard cover for the cockpit to protect it from snow/rain and while being transported.
I had a thought earlier today that a cockpit cover if constructed properly could also double as a tender. The cockpit shape could lend itself to a small scow type hull.
What does everyone else think?
need dimensional drawings. I'm word challenged
Interesting idea Andrew. I made a simple boom tent for my Vacationer, it keeps the cockpit fairly dry. On overnight trips it provides a dry place to store equipment from the cabin, to make more sleeping space inside.
Greg
Andrew,
Scott built a mouse boat that he modified to be a luggage compartment on the roof of his car. It seems like a very simmilar idea maybe Scott will chime in.
How far are you from Peele Island, how about a mess about next year at Scudders marina on Peele, we could rent some summer cottages and drink at the winery? Bushfire Bob are you reading this also? Sorry to change the subject but sometimes these things just jump into my head.
Jim
The main difficulty would be getting a good seal up against the aft cabin bulkhead. Another might be the length of the dingy. I had a one-sheet-skiff I used as a tender in my Pocket Cruiser with oversized cockpit and it would barely fit in with the nose hanging out of the outboard cutout. What is the length of your cockpit? In order to have a dingy that is long enough to be usefull you would have to have it extend past the transom in which case you would have to build a boom gallows to hold up the mast and boom when trailering.
Now, what I might do is go ahead and build a hard cover as only a hard cover for your cockpit. Then, design a dingy that would fit over your cabin trunk and possibly extend out and over your hard cover. You could have a much longer and more usefull dingy this way. Be great when it came time to trailer the boat. One more thing on the hardcover, I would give it an arc for strength. Then, you could attach some legs or extensions to it and pop it up when sailing as a hard bimini. Add a window to the middle so you can see the sails when sailing or look into the cockpit when storing or trailering.
Quote:Andrew,
How far are you from Peele Island, how about a mess about next year at Scudders marina on Peele, we could rent some summer cottages and drink at the winery? Bushfire Bob are you reading this also? Sorry to change the subject but sometimes these things just jump into my head.
Jim
Jim,
One question, you planning on sailing there? From Ontario, it's a good 8-12 mile open water jaunt across Lake Erie, and a good 3 miles and 6 miles doing the old island hop from our side. What have you got in mind?
I just looked - it's about a 13 hour drive from here according to Google maps. There's a ferry from the Ontario side so I wouldn't necessarially have to sail across.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?daddr=Pelee+I...7&t=h&om=1
I'm hoping to have the Weekender launched by next June and am open to a weekend in August. Alternate locations closer to the border crossings might be good too. Southern Lake Huron is closest for me. Around the Niagara region would perhaps be the closest for everyone but I have been unable to find any good spots on this side of the border.
I did certainly miss getting out with everyone last year.
Quote:The main difficulty would be getting a good seal up against the aft cabin bulkhead. Another might be the length of the dingy. I had a one-sheet-skiff I used as a tender in my Pocket Cruiser with oversized cockpit and it would barely fit in with the nose hanging out of the outboard cutout. What is the length of your cockpit? In order to have a dingy that is long enough to be usefull you would have to have it extend past the transom in which case you would have to build a boom gallows to hold up the mast and boom when trailering.
Now, what I might do is go ahead and build a hard cover as only a hard cover for your cockpit. Then, design a dingy that would fit over your cabin trunk and possibly extend out and over your hard cover. You could have a much longer and more usefull dingy this way. Be great when it came time to trailer the boat. One more thing on the hardcover, I would give it an arc for strength. Then, you could attach some legs or extensions to it and pop it up when sailing as a hard bimini. Add a window to the middle so you can see the sails when sailing or look into the cockpit when storing or trailering.
Scott (and others). Excellent comments.
I did some measuring and the area to be covered - which would be outside the coamings is:
- Length - 59"
- Width at cabin bulkhead - 58"
- Width at stern - 36"
- Height at cabin bulkhead 14"
My original plan was to make the cover so that it can be put on the boat for storage, trailering, and possibly while overnighting on it for extra "cabin" space out of the weather. I agree that an arch on the roof of it is a necessity - either that or a "V" on it although the arch would provide more strength for a lot less weight. My original plan has the roof of the cover overlapping the cabin bulkhead so sealing that wouldn't be a problem. The problem then becomes keeping it from blowing off while trailering. I was also hoping to get this built before snow flies (our word for the start of "real" winter) but I don't think I'll get there and the boat will have to stay in the garage until spring.
I think the idea of using it as a bimini is a bit more than my engineering skills are up to though.
As a skiff it doesn't necessarially need to be 14" deep. A regular or partial tarp would protect the joint between the cover and the cabin and the structure of the cover / roof / hull would keep snow from building up. I may do up some drawings based on external chine log construction (which is my preferred method) of a scow - type hull. I would be a bit worried though that it would be a pretty akward shape being so wide. It would probably need to be rowed rather than paddled.
I think I might dig though my drawings of the Micro-Mouse though - it might fit "inside" the cockpit ....
I wouldn't sail to Peele, like Andrew I thought about the ferry. Scudders is at the northern edge of the island and there is a semi protected bay there. Not lots of protection but a little. I am just throwing out ideas for next year.
What about Presque Island outside of Erie PA? Further for Stuart but closer to the Canadian folks, or is it, should we head further west?( we could move this to the erie fleet page is anyone is interested)
Jim
There's a long drive for the Ohio folks, but on the way to my Mom's from Michigan to Ontario, there's Rhondeau Park, which I've heard is quite good. There's a protected bay, and it dumps onto Lake Erie if the weather is good. It's on the southern edge of southwestern Ontario, probably about an hour or so from Windsor.