Greetings and questions

[mattg]

I suspect the few with floating boats are still busy but I wanted to start a thread. Hello all, from Lake Michigan in Wisconsin! 

I’d curious what the comfort level of the boat is under way with the mostly-flat bottom. Does it slap? I know it’s designed to be a racer, but I’m not interested in the lack of accommodations or feel on a modern race boat. I’d like to sail this thing extensively in comfort, solo. 

Second question: I may have missed it on the builders blogs I skimmed, but how is the head being handled? Can a non-structural bulkhead go around it with say, a curtain to close?

Thanks!

[captdan]

Hi Matt,
Good to hear from another sailor on the Great Lakes !!

I find the boat quite comfortable to sail. The helm is well balanced - the daggerboards are a must in my opinion. They make the boat track well in both upwind and downwind conditions. In winds near 10 knots, the boat heels on to the chine and it stays there. I have been in 25 knot winds, heading close hauled and 1.5 to 2 meter short choppy waves ( 5 -7 feet ) and she sits on the chine.
Does the bow slap ? Yes, but only in the biggest of all of them heading close hauled.
She is a dry boat in those conditions as well. A few splashes on the bow but nothing in the cockpit.
As you already know, this boat is designed for downwind and beam reaches - not great performance in the above mentioned conditions but handled it well and it was actually comfortable.

#2 - There are a few Builders using a Jabsco head. It fits in the V berth forward of Frame D1. Im not sure if you want to build the boat to suit Class specs but forward of D1 frame would provide privacy with a simple curtain over the hatch. You can add more "structure" but its tight in there as it is. Be careful adding too much weight to the boat. It is sensitive to weight distribution. I wouldn't put it aft of Frame D1 - just not much room .....

Cheers,
Dan
Hull #20

[mattg]

Thanks for the info! Like many, my plan would be to build this class compliant but then outfit it more for crossings on my own than racing. Or at least for the majority of its time. But to be able to strip it back to the rather Spartan requirements for a race if the opportunity came up. So I’m trying to plan for increasing the comfort and live aboard-ability without major changes. I don’t think I’d try to sleep in the v berth in any case, so using it for storage and a head most of the time might make the most sense.

[iprone]

Hi Matt and Dan.

I just wanted to chime in. I'm over in Muskegon, MI and am planning a go at building this boat. I'm currently evaluating my workspace (unfinished / detached garage) to see what improvements will be needed so that it's sufficient to work year-round. I look forward to tracking your progress, Matt.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Admin]

she has never slapped yet and bucket or dumping over the side is fine for me