Thoughts on Blobster and other designs...

[OconeePirate]

I guess it'd make sense to first explain what I want out of the boat since that will make suggestions easier.

Most of my sailing would be done here on Lake Sinclair since it is the closest water. Lake Sinclair is lots of inlets and not much open area since its a man made lake. From my experience if the wind is consistent its usually a headwind. LOL.

Not owning a serious tow vehicle I'm going to have to be able to tow it with a smallish truck or car. Currently we have a Ford Focus and a '63 Mercury Comet.

I've already sailed my little 12' 2 sheet sharpie on the lake enough to know I'd like something slightly larger. If nothing else I want to be able to bring the wife and kid along comfortably and I'd like something that would make overnighting on the lake practical since sailing there is much more fun on night since the PWC's and ski boats aren't out. The night fishermen as a rule seem to be much more considerate of their fellow boaters.

If I'm taking the time and spending the money to build a larger boat I'd like to wind up with something that could be taken to the shore for short term coastal cruising/ camping. Maybe trips from Savannah down to St. Augustine or something similar.

Right now I'm very interested in the Michalak Blobster. It looks like I could handle building it without too much of a headache. His Jewelbox Jr. is also appealing.

One thing about any of the smaller designs that worries me is that I am 6'4", so a bit outside of the usual 95 percentile on the human factors scale that most things are designed to and I wouldn't want to wind up with a boat where everything feels too cramped constantly.

I know that this is a variation of a question that comes up here constantly so thank you in advance to any responders for your time and though.

[Nicholas Carey]

I'd look at Nigel Irens'/Ed Burnett's Romilly SPV

22 ft LOA/19 ft 6 ins LWL
draws 1 ft 8 ins board up, 5 ft 1 in board down.
unstayed carbon spars -- you can raise them yourself.

See also http://www.roxane-romilly.co.uk/

[DGentry]

Jewelbox will be an easier and quicker build, Blobster will likely be more seaworthy. Both have the "Birdwatcher slot top" so you'll have all the headroom you need in the cabins.

Other options . . . there are many, but, off the top of my head, Bolger's Cynthia J catboat, his Otter and the Catfish Beach Cruiser.
The latter is probably the superior fit, as it is possibly more capable than the Cynthia J, and Otter's cuddy looks pretty cramped.


15' boats like these are not fast . . . .

Good luck!
Dave Gentry

[OconeePirate]

Thank you for the responses.

The Romilly boat is beautiful but honestly I'm going to say that it is outside of my skills and budget. I'm thinking that the additional length may also make it harder to launch from ramps that are primarily intended for motor boats.

The Catfish is very interesting. As my primary use would be for lake day sailing it may be more practical than something like the Blobster with its cuddy cabin taking up space.

On further research boats with the high Birdwatcher type cabin/cockpits don't appear to be well suited for our climate. Down here in the summer we usually want to stay in the breeze but out of the sun, and those cabins seem to do the opposite.

I'm really good and spending lots of money and starting large, never to be finished projects due to lack of research ahead of time so I want to be cautious with this one.

[Thorne]

Big boat. Small tow vehicle. Tall crew. Camping with family. Lots of motoring.

Gonna be hard to meet all those requirements.

You may want to first try sailing / motoring your waters in either a rental or borrowed fiberglass sailboat -- as it sounds to me as if you have some rather conflicting needs.

I did a lot of sailing in my old San Juan 21, a production glass boat with a swing keel. Rigged with a bimini that could be left up when sailing, she handled waters from SF Bay to Tahoe to the San Juans themselves (trailered up there of course).


If your budget is limited, you'll need to really experience the conditions to get a feeling for which of your stated requirements are essential, and which can be compromised.

The Catalina 22 has a poptop cabin that might work for you, and a large cockpit that certainly will. The swing keel gives you a lot of leeway for where you go, and can be cranked fully up when motoring for long distances.


Once you actually get out on the waters in question, with the aforementioned crew and camping needs, you'll have a MUCH better idea of what you'll need to build.

Another option is to build the Birdwatcher-type cabin, then make a poptop for the center slot. This boat up at the Timothy Lake Messabout a few months ago had that option -- the center slot cover could either be hinged at the front and raised at the back, or lifted straight up on a frame.

[SMARTINSEN]

Thorne, what boat is this, I kind of like it, (I think). Do you have any more info?

Is that Catfish?

[OconeePirate]

I believe that is one of the Jim Michalak designs. The AF4 maybe? I think that is his cuddy cabin motor sharpie. It definitely has the lines of one of his boats.

[Thorne]

It is a modification of a Michalak AF4 stretched to 20', called "PK-20" by the builder Pat Patteson.


http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/03/...pk20/index.htm
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/04/...tteson/pat.htm

[OconeePirate]

So on further evaluation I'm thinking that the coastal bit is a "it would be nice" sort of thing. Probably should be left out of this decision as I'm much more likely to drag the boat up to the lake for the weekend than down to the coast.

The Catfish is in the lead for designs right now. I'd love to do a strip built boat as they can be so beautiful but my skill and space levels I believe fit the instant boat sort of plan better.

I'm not too worried about the towing issues. Anything that a V-6 truck can pull so can my Comet. Its got a 250 inline 6 and an 8" rearend, fairly stout for an old timey granny car. Its heavier and longer than most mini trucks too. I've never tried towing anything particularly large with it but I have carried 1000 square feet of tile in the back seat and trunk. Not sure how heavy that was, but it was enough to give the car a bit of a cholo stance and wipe out some of the springs in the back seat.

[Daniel Noyes]

Catfish looks like an excelent choice
a beautifull bolger boat similar in hull type to the original chebacco, a real beauty

Dan

[perldog007]

I like the catfish too, also Michalak's Philsboat which has a taller cabin for more seated headroom and a serious motor well as that Lake Sinclair looks like you would be making headway under power most of the time.

State troopers sometimes know a thing or two about towing, best practices, disasters, etc. I might try to chat one up for opinions and throw results in the hat.

Seems like you are on the right track. Dynamite sells the Catfish plans, and he is old school serious about answering any questions by snail mail. I have found Michalak very helpful by email.

Good luck on your quest.

[Woxbox]

Don't overlook the ply version of the Chebacco. Not unlike the Catfish, but longer and more roomy for the family. Also a nice boat for coastal cruising -- and some much prefer the cat ketch rig.

http://www.chebacco.com/

[OconeePirate]

Yeah... Generally I'm worried about the ramps even being long enough on the lake here to be able to float a boat off the trailer. The one spot I usually sail my current dinghy from the ramp is short enough that I've tripped off the end of it a few times. I've pretty much decided I'll worry about the boat first, then figure out how to get it wet.
If I have to I'll just sweet talk someone into getting an invite to the yacht club.

[peabody]

So on further evaluation I'm thinking that the coastal bit is a "it would be nice" sort of thing. Probably should be left out of this decision as I'm much more likely to drag the boat up to the lake for the weekend than down to the coast.

The Catfish is in the lead for designs right now. I'd love to do a strip built boat as they can be so beautiful but my skill and space levels I believe fit the instant boat sort of plan better.

I'm not too worried about the towing issues. Anything that a V-6 truck can pull so can my Comet. Its got a 250 inline 6 and an 8" rearend, fairly stout for an old timey granny car. Its heavier and longer than most mini trucks too. I've never tried towing anything particularly large with it but I have carried 1000 square feet of tile in the back seat and trunk. Not sure how heavy that was, but it was enough to give the car a bit of a cholo stance and wipe out some of the springs in the back seat.

That old inline six will amaze you.. she'll pull it just fine.
I had a old slant six car ...putt motor and tranny into a 63 dodge pickup...
Drove it for years ...and pulled a 16' stock trailer full of cows alot.
Homemade wood flatbed hauled hay with it too.
good old motors...wish i still had it.
Peabody

[skaraborgcraft]

Even Bolger mentioned Catfish was not a particulary good sail boat. Plans are in the book "instant boat building" AND for Chebacco too. Im just completing a Michalak Family Skiff,very easy build....has a 7ft long cockpit with a seat either side big enough to sleep on.....may be easier to rig a boom tent/bimini rather than try to squeeze yourself into a small cabin. Lightweight and a doddle to launch but far more capable than your current 12 footer. Cheers

[kenjamin]

OconeePirate, have you considered Welsford's SCAMP. It is huge boat for it's 11' 11" length. It's self-bailing and can be righted by one person if you should ever manage to capsize it. The little cuddy space can give one some protection from the sun or a bit of privacy which your wife might appreciate. Plus if you build a SCAMP, you could bring it down to St. Augustine and you could race my SCAMP. By the way I believe there's a SCAMP being built in the Savannah area according to the SCAMP build registry if you want to check it out in person. Good luck with your build decision.

[JimD]

Its so ugly, its beautiful...
Peabody

I'll go along with the ugly part. But almost any boat can be made to look special if you do a good job building. A carefully considered combination of paint and varnish might even give a Blobster some comely charm.