Hi all ,I built a weekender finished it and launched it 2011,it's advantages are it's cheap to build and is a lot of fun in protected waters as for disadvantages,Ime 6'3" and my son is nearly the same size,when both of us are in the cockpit it's cramped and difficult to move in,I also find that windward ability is not wow,and when it does blow on suddenly it's not a boat that can be sailed hard no provision for getting on the rail.
I've decided to modify it,I cut off the cabin yesterday and Ime going to change to a balanced lugsail,I got rid of the cabin because to get the best out of the design you have to get weight foward,something you can't do with the cabin in the way,the transom is under water too much with weight all in the cockpit,I noticed that boats of similar design ie the goat island skiff,have their transoms out of the water when saling,this isn't happening in my weekender and causes a lot of drag
The other thing which has been a liability was the wheel,Ime changing that to a tiller,on occasion there has been confusion with the wheel once causing a full upside down capsize,that was another disadvantage,if water spills into the cabin before you have time to right it your past the point of no return in a blink and is very difficult to empty should it happen,any questions?