Boat Builder Central

. . . will it weaken the boat? No, I don't think so. As a PK78 builder (and now frequent user), my impression is that the seats don't add much to the structural strength of the boat. The frames and transoms supply the strength. Use what ever you want for the seat tops, as long as it will hold you u...

It could probably hold four medium-sized adults in perfectly calm water, but . . . . . . but only if all four are holding still! I don't think you should plan on four people fishing from the PK78, for example. My son (8 yrs. old) and I (5' 7", 160 lbs.) are quite comfortable sharing our PK78, ...

Now don't get in a hurry and jump right to the C17.. build the D5 first as it is a great way to build the knowledge and techniques required to produce a top quality looking boat. Let me join that comment. I completed my PK78 (similar to the D5) in February. The project inspired me to drag out a set...

Yes -- at least the line I call the "halyard" is what I assume was also called the "downhaul": the line (on my boat) is secured to the lower end of the sprit, and goes up from there to a small block (aka pulley) mounted on the mast (a few inches above the point where the sprit cr...

The sprit halyard on my PK78 goes to a v-type jamb cleat mounted directly on the mast, just above the front seat top/mast partner. This lets me adjust the tension when sailing, and makes it easy to drop the sprit when its time to furl the sail -- easing the line lets the mast end of the sprit down t...

I laminated the rubrails for my PK78 from two layers of 3/8 ply. The ply was easy to bend to the horizontal curvature (port to starboard) of the sides, but could not be bent to comply with the verticle curvature. I scribed the strip for the first of the four layers (two layers per side) to match the...

Is there a list available of the the specific items which make up the spar kit for the Caravelle? With shipping to my address (in Arizona) adding 25% to the cost of the kit, I would like to try getting a quote from a west coast spar maker for comparison. I'm assuiming shipping would be less, and I'm...

Here is the thread:

http://forums.bateau2.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4494

The drawing looks impressive, but far more complicated than the sprit rig. I built a PK78, with the hope of using it more for sailing than rowing, and have been very pleased with the performance of the sprit rig shown on the plans. The PK78 is very similar in size and shape to the D5, and uses the s...

Yes, the longer dagger board has a some what better foil shape, but I think the length is still the biggest factor. While its only 5+ inches added in over-all length, it results in about a 35% increase in depth below the hull -- given that about the top 16 inches of the board are in the case and cle...