Thanks for the tip, im sure someone will find it useful.... but im over
here in australia in the middle of the desert in a mining town miles form
anywhere.... Anything i need except for really basic stuff needs to be
trucked in from a long way away. I'll probably go with screws ;-)

Shaun

wrote in message
ps.com...
BTW, instead of screws, you might want to use the silicon bronze ring
shank nails (A box with sufficient 3/4" nails is fairly cheap) from
Jamestown Distributors to fasten the stringers to the bottom. Of
course, the stringers should be glued with epoxy as well. When you
fasten the sides, you will use screws (and epoxy) because they will
pull the sides toward the stringers. I should have mentioned Jamestown
Distributors as a source for epoxy and glass.

I dont think I have ever before seen the words "sailing " and "desert"
used in the same sentence.

Have fun and I hope your boat (whatever you build" is a lot of fun.

David

Shaun Van Poecke wrote:
Thanks for the tip, im sure someone will find it useful.... but im over
here in australia in the middle of the desert in a mining town miles form
anywhere.... Anything i need except for really basic stuff needs to be
trucked in from a long way away. I'll probably go with screws ;-)

Shaun

wrote in message
ps.com...
BTW, instead of screws, you might want to use the silicon bronze ring
shank nails (A box with sufficient 3/4" nails is fairly cheap) from
Jamestown Distributors to fasten the stringers to the bottom. Of
course, the stringers should be glued with epoxy as well. When you
fasten the sides, you will use screws (and epoxy) because they will
pull the sides toward the stringers. I should have mentioned Jamestown
Distributors as a source for epoxy and glass.

"imagineero" wrote in message
ps.com...

snip Hi David,
How do you find your minicup handles compared with other small dinghys,
especially to windward? Im a bit on the large side myself at 6'3" and
230lbs, so im wondering if this boat is quite big enough for me. It
looks to have plenty of flotation.

Shaun:

I'm a bit shorter, but around the same weight as you. I had my MinCup for
several years and had a lot of fun with it. I sold it a couple of years ago
though as it wasn't quite the right boat for me.

The boat is incredibly stable for it's design. In light airs I would
sometimes sail it while standing up. I quite liked the lateen sail for it's
simplicity and not having standing rigging (shrouds etc), made things easier
too. You don't see many lateen sails any more other than on a Sunfish, but
they were the favoured sails of Mediterranean pirates. They're still
commonly used on dhows as well.

While sailing it with other boats I have found that it doesn't point quite
so high as a laser for example, but it's not that far off. I was never as
fast as other "commercially produced" boats though.

To review the "cons" quickly though:
- You probably won't be able to build it for less than you could pick up a
used sailing dinghy such as a laser.
- My thighs would ache when sailing in light winds due to needing to crouch
in the centre of the cockpit.
- As a "full sized person", there's not a lot of room to bring a second
person. It was quite a tight fit for my son and I
- Even though it's pretty quick, you won't be winning races against a
production boat.
- With it's weight (135lbs), it's on the high end for a single person to
transport on a car-top.

The "pros" though:
- You can put the money into it as you can afford to so that might make it
more achievable for people on a tight budget.
- It's a great boat to learn to sail on, very stable and simple.
- The great fun in building any boat.

I sold the boat to make room for my new projects and because I built another
boat that didn't require quite the same amount of athleticism to sail.

If you're interested, you may want to check out the MiniCup FAQ at
http://byyb.org/pn761/index.php?name=FAQ&id_cat=5

I've got some pictures and what not at my own web site at
http://www.floatingbear.ca/MiniCup.htm One of my favourite pictures is
being out in about 20knots of wind with my son -
http://www.floatingbear.ca/sailingfi...ough_water.jpg

I hope this helps with your decision. Feel free to drop me a note, or stop
by the BYYB board

Andrew Butchart

I was hoping Andrew would pitch in here. I thank Andrew for the help
when I built mine.

David

Andrew Butchart wrote:
"imagineero" wrote in message
ps.com...

snip Hi David,
How do you find your minicup handles compared with other small dinghys,
especially to windward? Im a bit on the large side myself at 6'3" and
230lbs, so im wondering if this boat is quite big enough for me. It
looks to have plenty of flotation.

Shaun:

I'm a bit shorter, but around the same weight as you. I had my MinCup for
several years and had a lot of fun with it. I sold it a couple of years ago
though as it wasn't quite the right boat for me.

The boat is incredibly stable for it's design. In light airs I would
sometimes sail it while standing up. I quite liked the lateen sail for it's
simplicity and not having standing rigging (shrouds etc), made things easier
too. You don't see many lateen sails any more other than on a Sunfish, but
they were the favoured sails of Mediterranean pirates. They're still
commonly used on dhows as well.

While sailing it with other boats I have found that it doesn't point quite
so high as a laser for example, but it's not that far off. I was never as
fast as other "commercially produced" boats though.

To review the "cons" quickly though:
- You probably won't be able to build it for less than you could pick up a
used sailing dinghy such as a laser.
- My thighs would ache when sailing in light winds due to needing to crouch
in the centre of the cockpit.
- As a "full sized person", there's not a lot of room to bring a second
person. It was quite a tight fit for my son and I
- Even though it's pretty quick, you won't be winning races against a
production boat.
- With it's weight (135lbs), it's on the high end for a single person to
transport on a car-top.

The "pros" though:
- You can put the money into it as you can afford to so that might make it
more achievable for people on a tight budget.
- It's a great boat to learn to sail on, very stable and simple.
- The great fun in building any boat.

I sold the boat to make room for my new projects and because I built another
boat that didn't require quite the same amount of athleticism to sail.

If you're interested, you may want to check out the MiniCup FAQ at
http://byyb.org/pn761/index.php?name=FAQ&id_cat=5

I've got some pictures and what not at my own web site at
http://www.floatingbear.ca/MiniCup.htm One of my favourite pictures is
being out in about 20knots of wind with my son -
http://www.floatingbear.ca/sailingfi...ough_water.jpg

I hope this helps with your decision. Feel free to drop me a note, or stop
by the BYYB board

Andrew Butchart