1980 Drascombe Lugger ONKAHYE Bootstripe

28 Feb 20:

We have a friend restoring his Drascombe Lugger and he needed information on where to place the bootstripe, so here it is. 1980 MKII Lugger Bootstripe ONKAHYE Style, applied by Capn Jack. Measurements taken from a galloping horse. Bootstripe "approximately" 4 inches wide, with variations for optical illusions.

32 inches down from the bottom of the gunwale along the curve of the stem. Or about 7 inches down from where the bottom of the third strake hits the stem. 4 inches high.

Place the bootstripe right about there...

Corpus Christi, TX T-Heads.

"Approximately" 4 inches wide. Sometimes it might look better for the bootstripe to be a little wider at the bow and stern and/or to rise up a touch.

7 inches down from where the bottom of the third strake would fair into the stem.

32 inches down from the bottom of the gunwale along the curve of the stem.

Put the bootstripe even with Skipper's shorts pocket.

Put the bootstripe just above the waterline, with the boat unloaded.

Bootstripe barely touches the bottom edge of the scupper strake.

These 2 hooligans will be of no help whatsoever, they can't even spell butestrype.

Transom, bootstripe lower edge touches bottom edge of third strake. Measure 4 inches up from there.

This is what the bootstripe looks like from inside the boat.

Fair Winds!

Log of ONKAHYE.

Alcort Catfish x 2

27 Feb 20:

A postcard from the late 1960s, 2 Alcort Catfish chasing a Sunfish. Marketing wise, maybe it would have been better if the Catfish were leading the race?

Log of SMEDLEY.

Ramp Recon

26 Feb 20:

The County was out at one of our local boat ramps today scooping sand off of the ramp. The sand tends to collect on the South side of the ramp, so we like to use the other side. It is not an issue for the trailer so much as it is for a tow vehicle that gets the rear wheels down onto the sand, we have seen a few people get stuck there as the sand can be so thick that the tires lose grip.

There are a few other things we look for before we launch, we even have a checklist on the iphone, we call it "Ramp Recon." The Ramp Recon Checklist gets used at unfamiliar ramps before we even rig the boat, as we might discover issues or hazards that cause us to adjust our plan or even wave off on the days activities.

Ramp Recon Checklist:
Powerlines
End
Sides
Slime line
Wind and current

We rig a lot of sailboats and have found plenty of parking areas and ramps that have powerlines strung above them, not very friendly. So we look to see where those are and make sure we can stay clear of them. Next we walk down and check out the ramp and try to determine where the wet end of the ramp is, we don't like to get the trailer wheels past that unless we are familiar with the bottom condition. We also locate the side of the ramp, there are places where the approach to the ramp is wider than the actual ramp, and it is not good to put a trailer tire or tow vehicle tire off of the edge of a ramp.

Next on the list is to look for the slime line, we plan to stay clear of that with the drive wheels. Fortunately our tow vehicles are front wheel drive and the trailers are light. Then we look to see where wind and current might help or hurt our launch plan, we prefer for the wind and current to be pushing the boat to the side of the ramp that the dock, trailer and boat handler is on, vs pulling the boat away from them.

We like the docks where Skipper can walk the boat down to the end and around the corner, that frees up the ramp so other folks can launch while I park.

Boat smart!
Clark and Skipper

Alcort, Inc Sailfish Assembly Instructions

25 Feb 20:

Alcort, Inc Sailfish Assembly Instructions. Time to gather up your hammer, wood rasp, plane, screw driver, hand saw, square, counter sink, hand drill, brace, wood bits and twist drills. The jump into your 1950s time machine and go order a kit!

Boys Life Sailin Surfboard by Glenn Wagner

25 Feb 20:

We got this message from Dave Mc a few weeks back - "I am going through years of accumulated papers, and came across a set of plans for a “Sailin’ Surfboard - reprinted from Boys’ Life.” Looks like a plywood Sailfish clone. No idea where I got this, but it’s been in a plastic sleeve and looks to be in good shape. Yours if you want it, or feel free to offer it to your other readers. Fair winds - Dave" Well we got the documents in the mail yesterday and they are awesome. We are thrilled to add these to the Library, and Thank You Dave Mc! (Credit Boys Life and Glenn Wagner).

Small Boat Double Stack Trailer

25 Feb 20:

We have identified that our Armada needs another double stack trailer, to carry a combination of Sunfish and kayaks, or Sunfish x 2, or the Penobscot 14 with a canoe, or the Sailfish...you get the idea. Back in 2013 Eddie English Boat Trailer in Milton Florida set us up by adding 2 pairs of steel trailer guides and aluminum crossbars to a MagicTilt double jetski trailer.

We padded the crossbars with large pool noodles and set off on a 2,348 mile road trip from NW Florida to the Niagara Sailing Club in Grand Island, NY to gather our wooden 1953 Alcort Sunfish ZIP and the 1977 AMF Sunfish NEPTUNE. The trailer rode great both with and without a load of boats.

The trailer also made a 1,234 mile round robin trip to Marshville, NC to pick up our 1963 Alcort Sunfish CHIP, with stops on the way back to pick up our wooden 1950s Alcort Super Sailfish ZSA ZSA and a 1963 Alcort Super Sailfish MKII SWEETNESS.

ZSA ZSA top rack and CHIP on bottom.

SWEETNESS was suspended on cargo straps below the top rack.

We sold the Magic Tilt trailer a while back with CIEL and put the guides on WILLOW's trailer, but WILLOW wants her trailer back for a road trip. Eddie is going to set us up again with one of his galvanized trailers specifically designed for Sunfish, he has made a lot of them for our local Sunfish dealer Key Sailing. He will also add the upper rack. The trailer comes complete with a bow stop, winch, fenders, bunks, 12 inch tires and LED lights. MADISON will be the Sunfish nominated for fit testing.

FMI: Eddie English Inc Boat Trailer