Russell Brown

That's quite an interesting powerboat. Am I right that it rides on it's underwing at low speeds and rides on it's ski's at speed? That one's a power hog, but maybe it doesn't need to be.

Hi Guerdon, I never knew Ollie was Jan's grandmother. It's one hell of a family is all I know. Quite a photo eh?

I went up past the Northern end of the Straights of Georgia (between Vancouver Island and the mainland). It's quite beautiful and feels like going into mountains on your boat. I also have friends that live there that I like to visit. They have kids and are building a big catamaran so there's always something to haul up there. An excuse to go always helps. This trip was quite windless and I wasn't thinking it would be so I had only the three gallon tank for the outboard. Three gallons is good for about 75 miles, but I was running on fumes a couple of times. It was also quite cold. I did have a serious issue with my mast that I was able to fix while I was up there. The bolt rope track failed at the bottom end from having too much outhaul tension when reefed. Because the bottom end was stronger than the rest of it, I was worried about yanking the whole length of the track off, so I had to bond on some thick G-10 plates to the sides of the mast, which I got done about five minutes before it rained for a couple of days. Anyway, that's where I went and sailing season is now over, so that's it. Is sailing season over where you are?

There's also the opposite extreme; the smallest, slipperiest, low-volume hulls. I sailed a lot on a 35' Walter Green tri named Humdinger, (sister ship to Olympus Photo) and the ama's were less than 100 percent buoyancy. I liked it because of the reduced volume and because it was quite obvious when the boat was being pressed to near capsize. Ollie (in the photo) is self-righting and very competitive.

That boat looks like a gem. Hopefully it becomes a favorite family get-away machine. Hoping to get away on my favorite next week. It's getting cold here.

I think the fact that it's only good in tension makes it only good for halyards, etc. I know that it would be nice to have a layer in there for when something makes a hole in the side of the boat if just to hold the broken bits together and it also has some sound deadening qualities. It's such a bear to work with that neither of those things would make me want to use the stuff. I heard also that the dry fiber will absorb lots of moisture. Is that true?

That was great! Got any photos?

It's so great that you got to really use the boat, especially with your family along. Those experiences are priceless, even when it seems like a bit of a struggle. Cruising on smaller boats is more rewarding, I think. Was your mast damaged? Having new wires made is pretty inexpensive.

That's a Bieker designed retracting shaft and prop. There's one universal joint, but the driveline is always straight as the motor is aligned with the shaft when it's down. He built the original (in his garage) for one of the 35's.

I did it in 9 days in 2017 and 7+ in 2018, but was sleeping every night.

The guys that did so well on the Inter 20 in 2017 had to have been very good beach cat sailors, but they were also fearless. Fearless means no fear of dying, which can be helpful at times I guess, but ripping at night with a gale warning in open water with logs everywhere seems over the top. I could see doing it in a beach cat if winning wasn't the goal and night sailing was out of the question, otherwise it's just a bit close to the bone.

With all the extra distance and still having to pass through Bella Bella it doesn't seem like it would be an advantage. What do you think Wayne? You of anyone would have an educated opinion.

Actually doing something in your garage is more than most people do these days. Taking photos and sharing what you are doing is good. You have been doing some cool stuff.

The water is really cold here, but I have a drysuit which keeps me and my clothes and socks toasty and dry.

I used a copper/epoxy product from System Three on the proa. It was applied in the shop before the hull was turned over. It was a bear to apply but I did multiple coats and burnished it. It was not a good antifouling in that it was very hard to clean. It was a good base for bottom paint, but bottom paint is a pain too. My G-32 has a copper/epoxy coating that was applied in the mold before laminating the hulls, which seems very sensible, but it has oxidized where the sun hits it and is thin in spots. I apply Eelsnot to make it smooth and shiny and can go a few weeks in the water before tiny barnacles start to form. I very much like the idea of copper coat, but I also usually enjoy scrubbing the bottom.