I really like the absolute practicality of this design. I also like the motor well, and have experimented with a permanently mount outboard engine in a "before the transom" motor well. Dudley Dix does this on his Cape Cutter 19. It is a much better placement of an "outboard" because of weight, boat balance, and access. It would be nice to see more designers go this route.
Thanks for the shakedown notes. The writing brings back memories. Each boat is different, especially new ones. It was nice to see that all worked out.
Cheers on a great build. Sail it well to your heart’s content. Maybe, I will join you on one of your voyages - your cruising backyard is on my I - haven’t - sailed - there - yet list.
Looks nice but I can't wrap my head around the second photo where (because of the missen mast) it looks like the tiller can't be pushed to port?? Pretty form of the tiller over the motor... Rob
Rob, The tiller is restricted in its swing to port but it moves more than it looks - about 20 degrees. That's plenty for when the boat is underway, either under power or when sailing. Much more than that and the rudder begins to stall in any case. I could use a little more rudder swing when maneuvering under power dead slow, around a dock, say, but I find that the boat doesn't maneuver very well with tiller alone to starboard then either. I find that I can actually get about 15 degrees of swing on the outboard in the well for those times and that, combined with the tiller, is enough for dead slow maneuvering. Once underway I lock the OB again.
Thanks for the great report, Alex! Camas Moon is such a beautiful little cruiser, I'm so glad I caught up with you at the Port Townsend boat festival to see her in person. My centerboard also clunks whenever a boat swell comes through the anchorage, so I always haul it up once anchored. But perhaps that's a bit easier for me (in a SCAMP), it doesn't have that massive steel plate inside it.
Hi Dale. I haven't got round to taking the cap off the CB case yet - it's on my list of projects, though. I did find, when I trial fit of the tiller to the rudder on the trailer, after a tweak to tighten up the attachment point of the tiller, that the rudder blade was making a clunking sound that was suspiciously like what like what I heard from inside the boat. It is also a somewhat loose fit on its pin. I took the rudder apart and added large diameter plastic "washers" to fill the gaps on the inside of the rudder cheeks and remove any side-to-side slack but still leave the pin a little loose. It may be that was the problem and not the centreboard at all. I am still going to remove the CB cap to see if that also is a problem.
I really like the absolute practicality of this design. I also like the motor well, and have experimented with a permanently mount outboard engine in a "before the transom" motor well. Dudley Dix does this on his Cape Cutter 19. It is a much better placement of an "outboard" because of weight, boat balance, and access. It would be nice to see more designers go this route.
Thanks for the shakedown notes. The writing brings back memories. Each boat is different, especially new ones. It was nice to see that all worked out.
Cheers on a great build. Sail it well to your heart’s content. Maybe, I will join you on one of your voyages - your cruising backyard is on my I - haven’t - sailed - there - yet list.
Great read, beautiful design beautifully built.
Looks nice but I can't wrap my head around the second photo where (because of the missen mast) it looks like the tiller can't be pushed to port?? Pretty form of the tiller over the motor... Rob
Rob, The tiller is restricted in its swing to port but it moves more than it looks - about 20 degrees. That's plenty for when the boat is underway, either under power or when sailing. Much more than that and the rudder begins to stall in any case. I could use a little more rudder swing when maneuvering under power dead slow, around a dock, say, but I find that the boat doesn't maneuver very well with tiller alone to starboard then either. I find that I can actually get about 15 degrees of swing on the outboard in the well for those times and that, combined with the tiller, is enough for dead slow maneuvering. Once underway I lock the OB again.
Thanks for the great report, Alex! Camas Moon is such a beautiful little cruiser, I'm so glad I caught up with you at the Port Townsend boat festival to see her in person. My centerboard also clunks whenever a boat swell comes through the anchorage, so I always haul it up once anchored. But perhaps that's a bit easier for me (in a SCAMP), it doesn't have that massive steel plate inside it.
Hi Dale. I haven't got round to taking the cap off the CB case yet - it's on my list of projects, though. I did find, when I trial fit of the tiller to the rudder on the trailer, after a tweak to tighten up the attachment point of the tiller, that the rudder blade was making a clunking sound that was suspiciously like what like what I heard from inside the boat. It is also a somewhat loose fit on its pin. I took the rudder apart and added large diameter plastic "washers" to fill the gaps on the inside of the rudder cheeks and remove any side-to-side slack but still leave the pin a little loose. It may be that was the problem and not the centreboard at all. I am still going to remove the CB cap to see if that also is a problem.