Mast Building for Penob 17

[Tom W.]

Today I glued up the mast for the arch davis Penobscot 17 that is coming out of the shop soon. Now that I have a trailer to put it on, I'll have it in the daylight this week. I'll post a picture of the boat when it comes out. Meanwhile, pictures of the project are at:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...5788013&idx=33

For some reason I can't compress a picture enough for the forum to publish it on the thread. The lowest I could get the picture was 51 kb, and it says 39.1 is the max, so click on the url at imagestation and it should be there.

[David Gilroy]

You're going to love it. I love mine.

[Adamant]

Nice lines.

[Ocean Spray]

Beautifull job! What is the decking material? How much does she weigh?

[Tom W.]

the decking material is cambera, a south american jaboty, used for house decks. It is nice to work with, and should be ok once it is varnished. Arch Davis says the finished boat is 250 pounds, and I moved it outsdie today, would say it is no more than that. should be done soon!

[kiwidispora]

That deck looks great....and the rest too!!

What did you put in the seams?

Did you hollow the mast or is it solid......havn't started mine yet

[Tom W.]

Kiwi:
I have not filled the seams as of yet, but will use black Teak Decking Systems caulk. I hollowed the mast using Arch's technique, I was tempted to make a birds mouth mast but in the end hollowed it with a skil saw and a gouge. Went pretty well.
I just mounted it on a Trailex trailer, am a little concerned, as the trailer uses relatively small bunks and it can cause some pressure points on the hull.
By the way, have you had any luck posting pictures in this new forum, and if so how did you do it, I keep getting told my files are too large.
New pictures of the trailer are at the imagestation website, now.

[kiwidispora]

I threw some of your photos from image station on my server and then typed in the urls ...should be below.

I want your tractor.....handy things tractors!!

[Tom W.]

Thanks, for some reason it would not work for me.
The tractor has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. It does everything. Great for holdong the boat while I fit the trailer. What do you think of the bunks on the trailer, are they too small?

[kiwidispora]

I'm still fiddling with my trailer and havn't really had it on the road.
What I came away with from my question on trailers was that the keel takes the weight and the bunks just stabilize the boat.
Does it sit without wobbling side to side?
I've not enough boat experience to say they are too small :-(

[Tom W.]

I called the trailer manufacturer. He said the trailer would be ok, they overbuild their trailers anyway, and the keel is not supposed to support the boat, but the bunks. The keel wheels are only to aid in loading the boat. The trailer will buck at high speed if wieght is on the keel supports, especially if they are in the middle of the boat.
The trailer wobbles a bit, but there is plenty of spring flex with the boat on the trailer. I'll just have to see how it tows.
BTW, I wieghed the boat, came in at about 400 lbs without anything in it.

[Omay Elphick]

Tom,

What model Trailex trailer is that? I have a SUT-500, but I think I like your design better.

Thanks,

Omay

[Tom W.]

Omay:
It is the SUT 350, actually kind of light for the boat. Boat's about 400 pounds, I called Trailex and they said it would be ok, so seeing as I already bought it, I'll live with it.

[ddeaton]

Tom,
I just got on the Trailex website and they didnt list any prices. What is the $$ on the 350 or the 500? I am ready for mine to go on a trailer also.
Thanks,
Danny

[Tom W.]

Hey, Danny, I've seen your project on the web.
I paid $950 for the SUT 350, comes in 3 boxes and the assembly instructions are very bad, but it's not hard to out together. I finally chucked the instructions and used the blown up image to put it together. I think you can get it cheaper here at this website, and this is for the 500, which would be better for this boat.
http://www.castlecraft.com/sut-500-s.htm
I called Arch and was told by him that the boat weighed about 250 pounds, but after buying the 350 I weighed the boat and came closer to 400 lbs. The Trailex guys said it would be fine, the trailers are overbuilt, but I still think the 500 would be better.
How is your boat coming?

[ddeaton]

Tom, I have one more coat of white before I turn her over. I have a 14' Handycat that I am getting ready to put in the water, so I had to switch gears for a week. It gives the paint a good chance to dry before I sand and give it a last coat. I will check out the link on the trailer, thanks for the tip.
Danny