Panope

Thanks Max, I'll try and find local refer guy to test it. Steve

Smallest Engel portable cooler running full blast 16 hrs per day (turned off at night) doing nothing but freezing one gallon water jugs (one at a time). Frozen jug transfered to a 2 cubic foot, built in box with 4 to 6 inches insulation. If the clouds stayed away, the above set up worked indefinitely while powered by 100 watt solar panel (PNW, summertime). Seemed like a fairly effeicient set-up. I suppose the crappiness of the Engel insulation was mitigated by the fact that the surface area of it's box was so small, and therefore not losing as much cold as one would expect. Sadly, after only a handfull of summer seasons, the Engel has malfunctioned. Motor runs but no cold. These units have a great reputation for durability. Maybe I fried it with my long duty cycle?

A bit of a coincidence that (nearly) the only non-aluminum structure on Panope's exterior is the belaying pins. I would have happily welded aluminum pins directly to the mast, but these galvanized steel pins from the original rig, work fine.

When I rebuilt/modified the family boat, my father offer one and only one suggestion: Do not have any wood on the outside of the boat. The advice was followed. Steve

Back in the shed.

I guess I grew up (1970's) among folks that were more persistent than typical. All the projects that got started by my family and friends were finished. These boat projects were major components of our lives. Not finishing them was inconceivable. Boat on left: Scratch home built, Steel. Boat on right: Home built from an empty hull (Panope). Home built from an empty hull:

I'll give the Bruces' construction a slightly lower rating than best. If it had a shank of Bisalloy 80 like the Excel, the shank could be made much thinner, and maybe the Bruce would then be able to dive into the seabed and generate better holding power.

DDW, I had not considered that the 2 piece design might be a structural benefit. Thanks for that insight. Taking your thoughts further, a "fillet" at the intersection of fluke and shank might cause sub-strait to collect and foul the anchor (like the wide shank base of the Manson Supreme does chronically). All that said, if Spade sold both versions (1 and 2 piece) and they behaved identically, I would even pay a (small) premium for the single piece. Steve

Russell, Ishmaels' response about the copy anchor is spot on. Which size Mantus did you end up with? Steve

Thanks, Elegua I've also got a soft spot for the Bruce anchor. I reckon if I had a 66 pounder for Panope (15,000 lbs), It would be all the anchor I would ever need. Steve

Thanks for the report on the Excel, Eli. As to welding the Spade together, I would only consider this just prior to a re-galvanizing event. Even then, I would proceed with great caution as any heat-treating of the shank may be negatively affected. Also, welding may create an occlusion (trapped air gap) that might promote hidden corrosion. Steve

This inspires yet another idea: Permanently affix hoops (or loops) to the mast ABOVE the gaff. These would ride up and down with the main sail during normal sailing. The trysail could then be clipped onto these when needed. One would still need to be standing and to reach up, but this could be easier/safer than the current procedure. Steve

Its all good. Another Idea is to "hank" the trysail to a removable "tight line" that would be set up as needed. Could be on a spare halyard or fixed aloft and tensioned with a highfield lever. A cool thing about that idea is the tight line could be anchored anywhere on deck with the potential of getting the trysail away from that big fat turbulence maker (the mast).

I think you are saying to convert the mainsail to a track. Yes, that would work in conjuction with a trysail track. That said, a sail track on a gaff main is sacrelige.