From: Richard Spelling:

New issue of Chebacco online at https://www.chebacco.com 

From:  Joseph L. White   [email protected] 

Stephenson Projects ran out of printed Mini-Cup plans and rather than retire the design they let a customer scan the plans, and the Mini-Cup plans are now available free as an Acrobat Reader file from the Stephenson Projects page:

https://www.stevproj.com/FastSailrs.html 

Nice of them.
Joe

From: Geoffrey Saliba   [email protected] 

I have built a mini-cup with my father and restored a 20-25 year old swordfish which had been abandoned in a field for about 10 years. As I sailed around the coast (Malta ~90 km south of Sicily) I saw a couple of abandoned boats amongst them a ~20 foot day cruiser , which I would like to restore. The problem is that this is not a wooden boat , but a fibreglass one and neither I nor my father have the experience or know how to restore it. It belongs to a company which closed down before they finished it (amongst other boats ) so it is not finished yet - just a hull, cabin was started but all that is ready is a couple of fittings.

I was hoping you could tell me from where i could get information on this type of boat so as to restore it. Maybe you could be so kind as to recommend a book or give me some links.

Geoffrey Saliba

Editors note:  Anyone who can help Geoffrey with his problem, please write him.

From: Bruce Armstrong  [email protected] 

I finished building a Tolman skiff in '97 and have all the building jigs and fixtures plus the building frame.  I have about $650 invested in the frame.....half price sale?  Let me know if you are interested.

Bruce Armstrong/Santa Barbara, CA

From John Bell  [email protected] 

Chuck,

We launched our AF4 'Mister Moon' over the weekend. Putting a boat in water the first time is always special and this was no exception. What made this launching special was that reaction she elicited from bystanders and other boaters. This boat really gets  people's attention, and I mean in a good way.

Everyone wanted to know more about it:

"Where did you get it?"
"I built her myself."
"No s***?! Wow man that is so cool!"

or the guys who motored over from half a mile away as soon as they saw us:

"What year boat is that?"
"Huh?"
(louder) "What year was that boat built?"
"Oh, 2001..."
"No s***! Very cool!"

Or the two guys driving by who saw us as we came under the bridge heading to the ramp who waited around for 45 minutes as we took the boat out to see the boat and ask about her. Or all the other boats who changed direction to come by and give us the thumbs up. It was almost overwhelming.

click thumbnails to enlarge

The other boats I've built never got anywhere the response that AF4 got on Sunday. My theory is that because my other boats were a sailboat and rowboat respectively, they do not register with the fish and ski crowd on my local lakes like a motorboat does. Or it may just be the bright paint, who knows? Anyway it's fun to be different!

 John Bell in Kennesaw, GA

From: Jim Betts  [email protected] 

AT LAST! A boat in the water. A GP-16 launched June 29. It was built by Fred White and Dan Anderson In Ohio, but was launched In Canada where Fred has a summer home. Boats in Florida and Australia are completed too:

Fred's boat Is actually a GP-18, stretched 2 ft. by simply spacing out the frames. All went well and the boat hit 21 MPH with a Honda 50-hp motor. It would have done maybe 28 MPH, but the propeller was the standard that came with the motor and this is really for something like a 16-ft. runabout. If you build and buy a motor, be sure to tell the dealer about the boat's design and displacement so that he can supply the right prop.

Robert Bruce - the builder In Australia - has a nice 15-page website that shows the boat in various stages of building, nearly finished and painted.

https://www.hotkey.net.au/~robruce/ 

The design Is now featured on the website: www.bateau.com . They have done a very good job of helping me sell plans. In fact, on July 9, I received three orders. I think that must be a record for sale of do-it-yourself boat plans of one specific boat in one day.

On the bateau site, there is a chat feature that covers a lot of subjects from plans to methods and materials and building techniques. GP-16 is a regular subject, ranging from wheelchair access to the possibility of a DXF CNC computer program that would allow the cutting of parts with a router controlled by the computer. But why complicate a simple project? Anyway, such a program would cost about $1,000 to develop and is really only good if you plan to build 10 or more boats. Keep it: simple!

As far as I know, there are six more boats a'bullding at this time. Ted Brewer and I are at work on a GP-20, which some people want. If you are interested, let me know. This could have inside bunks, enclosed head and other features. In brief, this will be stretched with a couple of added frames and can be 8 ft. or so wide simply by cutting the bottom frames longer.

I would like to hear from you if you are building, or plan to. Also add your comments and suggestions.

Jim Betts Yacht Design
P.O. Box 1309
Point Pleasant Beach NJ 08742-1309
PHONE (792)295-8258
FAX (792)295-8290
E-MAIL [email protected]