* Bob wrote:

Find the boook titled, "American Small Sailing Craft" by Chappell.

Thanks, I have a copy and will look through it again.


I I built and sailed the paint off a 15' sprit rigged dory. things I
learned:
It was a work boat.
Designed to sail best with 200 lbs of cod on board .
Did not sail to wind or tack that well.
Looked cool !
Rig was unstayed doug fir pole with lots of splits. I got the mast
from a discarded salmon trolling pole sitting in the parking lot of
Dock 5. Worked great and cheep plus stayed with the historic workboat
nature of the boat.
I learned a lot about boat and rig design cause everything was
traditional "work boat' fitted. ie galvanized awning pullies.

Yeah...thats why as far as dories go I thought the beachcomber type was
good. I can balast is with a couple of sandbags. Parker says he modified
the flat-iron slightly to make it more suitable for recreation(the same
things he does to his sharpies).


If you have kids or a wife I think you'ld have more fun if you bought
a 15' or 19' Potter. I they sail more smartly and are "nicer." AND you
can be sailing that weekend! Besides no need for 200 pounds of cod
sloshing around ur feet. Unless you are one of thoes guys who want to
take a great workboat design and *******ize it by creating a "musuem
display quality" jewlery boat to impress everyone but is too pretty to
knock around and get the 22 top coats of hand rubbed hightech stuff
stratched.

I'm single and like paint. lol Putting bright work on a workboat is
lipstick on a pig to me. Cool boat recomendation though.

Personally, I was poor and wanted to learn. So I used a poor man's
design and fitted it accordingly.
Bob

This is basically the place I am now.

thanks again,
matthew