Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

[Driver Mark]

Anyone with first hand knowledge of these boats? Very cool looking IMO but how well does that full length keelson work? Said something on thier website about having to sit on leeward side of boat when tacking to get it to "dig in". Wouldn't that make you more prone to knock down? Any info appreciated.
Thanks
Mark
http://http://www.stevproj.com/PocketYachts.html

[rbgarr]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

I guy around here built one, sailed it once, was hugely disappointed, left it on its trailer for a long time (rotting), then tried to sell it for $5K. He ended up donating it to a charity auction where it was bought by a local boat builder for $100 who put it out in the meadow behind his house for his kids... like a playhouse.

"Best use for it," he said.

Probably not a consensus view.

[David G]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

One of my fellow boat club members bought one and fixed it up a bit. He's perfectly happy with it. He likes the looks. So do I. Feedback about the sailing prowess and stability is less favorable.


"Competence, like truth, beauty and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder" -- Lawrence J. Peter

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

.
There are some real fans of these boats., and I know at least one of our Forumites has one. I think they have a sort of jaunty, salty look that appeals to some.

The Stevenson website used to (and still might) run a forum for their boats that was pretty well-patronised.

But the boats are essentially flat-bottomed dinghies with lids, and rely on initial stability to keep them upright. They definitely shouldn't be sailed in any but protected waters.

Mike

[JimD]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

.
...at least one of our Forumites has one...

Then it capsized on him. He had a devil of a time trying to get it right again and I don't think he's sailed it since.

[Thorne]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

I hope this is a serious question, as these designs have their detractors (see above and lots more) and their rabid defenders -- so it can be a hot-button topic.

Personally I think the Weekender is a fine "character boat" if you want to build one new from plywood. Personally I'd add a centerboard as I don't care for the keel (or lack thereof) as designed.

If you are looking for a relatively new design for a boat this size with a huge "Yarr" factor, they are worth considering. If you want to cruise more challenging waters or sail in more extreme conditions, something designed for those conditions from a current designer like Davis, Welsford, Oughtred, Storer, or Bolger may be called for.

[rddrappo]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

I bought the plans and dvds for the Weekender, I like the looks a lot. But after watching part of the dvd, I can see how small the cockpit is. Doesn't look too comfy for a guy my height (6'1"). As Thorne said, there are many who hate them and many who will defend them to the death! Looks like a fun little boat for lake camping/sailing weekends.

[Driver Mark]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

I've checked out thier forum and websites and of course they say they are the best things on the water thats why I asked here. Curious to see what other people had to say.
I was curious about that keel, it seems like there there is nothing to keep it from blowing sideways while tacking. However they do have a really cool look to them.
Mark

[JimConlin]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

If you want a functioning sailboat, there are better designs.
What are your wishes and limits?

[capt jake]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

The keelson works fine. You won't slip when tacking.

You only have to sit on the leeward side in light winds. This induces a slight bit of heel which help he boat get a little more speed. Once the winds pick up, you sit on the windward side.

The original plans called for a center board. It was discovered that the boat performed better without it.

Yes, sail it in protected waters, though I have been out in a SCA twice. White knuckles both times, but we stayed upright both times.

I am several hours from you if you want to look at one in person. Let me know via PM.

Yes, there are other designs I pondered and maybe even should have built, but it all depends upon what you want and where yo are presently in your desires and thoughts.

[Old Sailor]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

Better to build their paper models.
Old Sailor

[alkorn]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

At 54 years old, having never sailed or even been a passenger in a sailboat, I set out to build a Stevenson Triad (http://www.stevproj.com/SailDingh.html). The Triad is is a half-decked 12-foot sailing skiff with lines similar to those of Weekender, Vacationer, and Pocket Cruiser. It has a daggerboard, but depends on a board keel for much of its lateral plane. This keel is a trademark of Stevenson's designs, as the keel plus a few bulkheads basically determine the hull shape.

I've now been sailing and rowing Brigit for three summers now, and she has been my training ground for sailing. I can't speak definitively on her abliites, since she is still the only boat I have ever sailed. But by comparison with the various plastic boats on the lake near me, she doesn't do too badly. (She's fitted with a polytarp balanced lug of larger area than the lateen Stevenson specified, with the mast stepped further forward to keep the same center of effort.) She doesn't point as quite high as the plastic bermudian sloops on the lake, but under some reaching and running conditions she can pass longer boats.

She's pleasant to sail in 5 knots of wind, exciting in 10 knots (reefed about here), and scary in 15 knots. She pounds badly and looses way quickly in a chop and can easily get stuck in stays if you tack close to the lake shore where the wind is reduced and the chop is still present. With the balanced lug she can really move downwind, but steering gets unstable as the stern starts to lift.

At low angles of heel she's very stiff, but (as I have learned the hard way) her righting moment goes negative very quickly if you heel too much in a good breeze. I've learned to never cleat off the sheet. When a Triad capsizes you just drop the sail, climb on the dagger board, right the boat, and bail out. In a similar situation with one of the larger Stevenson boats you'd have a big problem.

The Stevenson boats are all pretty, and I get a lot of compliments on Brigit.

The Stevenson boats are easy to build, and most of the materials can be bought at the local lumberyard and hardware. They are a good way to get started in boatbuilding with limited skills and resources. I built the Triad thinking that once I had that experience I would build a Pocket Cruiser, but instead I'm building Laurie McGowan's Nahlah (http://mcgowanmarinedesign.com/cruiserssail.htm), a boat of more sophisticated design and construction.

Not everyone is up to tackling a sophisticated design as a first boat building project, and building a Stevenson glue-and-screw boat will probably teach you more about boatbulidng than you would learn by building a stitch-and-glue design. I wouldn't be surprised if Stevenson boats have a higher completion rate than those of most other designers. My Brigit has her limitations, but she lured me into what looks like a long-term obsession. Read the posts on the Stevenson Projects forum (http://byyb.org/). These people love boating and boatbuilding, and aren't too worried about what the folks down at the yacht club will think.

[Tim Diebert]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

I adopted one of these boats a few years ago.
A friend of mine built it over one winter, scared himself....and traded me for an old motorcycle.
I sailed it for part of a summer in it's stock configuration. Over a couple of years I altered the boat until it actually became a functioning sailboat. Once I had it sorted I had a lot of fun with it. (I sold it a couple of years ago)

As someone said.....this design and these boats are defended to the death. I could never sort that one out. I have no clue what they have based this strong following on.....my guess would be the whole Warner Brothers cartoon pirate ship vibe I expect.

Mine would not tack without a paddle. That deep 'forefoot'....which is really just an outer strong back / former that is never removed......seemed to prevent the boat from coming smartly around. Once I removed that, it tacked nicely. Plus beaching the boat became easier / safer and it went on and off the trailer easier.

These boats might have some magic aspect to them that mine didn't, but I don't see too many sailboats that don't have some form of lateral resistance. The defenders swear their boats are on rails to wind. I could feel and actually see the leeway on mine. I added a case and dagger board. I made the case a bit long which allowed some adjustment fore/aft. This made for a slightly adjustable CLR ....which worked out wonderfully. With a new rudder, some 180# of lead bread, and a new light weight Spruce mast the boat became a sailboat. (the stock mast is *HUGE)

The thing is, these boats attract first time sailors and first time builders. The building process is quite unconventional and designed to be put together by folks with almost no experience with working wood.
So you then have a combination of super pride in accomplishment (first or near first woodworking project completed) and their first sailing experiences.

I am 52 and have been a professional woodworker for over 30 years. (I now teach Joinery apprentices) A few of those years were spent repairing and building boats at the coast. I have sailed since I was 20. When this little boat came to me it was brand new and shiny, I was 8 hours from the coast and boatless....and had a guy who offered my this boat for a bike I could not sell. I figured...."how bad could it be".....anything that didn't work or that could go wrong I would fix. And I did.

I recommend looking at other designs that are more serious. For all the work one puts into a small boat I would want a solid and well respected design. I suggest looking into anything by John Welsford and the other designers Thorne mentioned.

You asked.

[Swidm]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

My first boat was a Stevenson Pocket Cruiser which I subsequently heavily modified until I got it to the top performance I could get out of a beamy flat-bottomed hull. The Stevenson designed boats are actually quite good for their target market of first time boat builders and sailors who are looking to build something salty looking. They go together easily and quickly and have "cruising boat" performance. The shoal keel is a compromise as are shoal keels on production boats giving simplicity and a clear cabin at the expense of leeward drift.

The Vacationer is quite fast off the wind with its flat hull and big gaff rig but is slow tacking into the wind due to leeway. My Pocket Cruiser with its centerboard (modification) would fall far behind downwind but pull far ahead sailing upwind. Several builders have contemplated adding back the centerboard for this reason. The Weekender is a nice little one-person lake cruiser (two if they were real close). All these boats are very quick and easy to launch except for the crowds they tend to draw. The 14' Pocket Cruiser was more stable to move around it with its beam and flat bottom than my production 26' boat and makes a very comfortable smooth-water one to two person cruiser. However, she didn't handle rough water with sporadic or no wind very well.

My follow-up boat was a 12' V bottomed catboat (C12 by Bateau.com) and I was amazed at how much better the beamy V bottom handled rough water. So much more fun to sail in when the wind pipes up! If you like the looks of the Weekender, consider building a Chincoteague skiff and add a low cabin to it. It has a V bottom and is beamier that the Weekender making it more stable on the water. It has the bowsprit and rig that makes the Weekender look so salty and, with a cabin, will look very similar on the water. It also is more complex a build for first-time boat builders than the weekender but still more doable than many plans out there. http://www.selway-fisher.com/OtherDB.htm#CHIN

[capt jake]

Re: Concensus on Stevenson's Projects Vacationer and/or Weekender

Different opinions, different people. I have no problems with tacking, unlike Tim does.