Cox's Bay Skimmer bis

Gave the Skimmer away a couple of years ago (see photographs) to an enthusiast in Putiki Bay on Waiheke Island ... but Mickey hardly used it ... and then he obtained a rare turn-of-the-20th Century, 24 foot Mulletboat that requires many months work in restoration. But in a heavy blow recently the Skimmer, on the hard up Putiki Creek, got blown over and smashed the above hounds area of the forward wing mast. So he facebooked a message saying he was returning the Skimmer and did so yesterday, sailing with double reefed fore main below the breakage and single reefed main. The hull had also sprung a bad leak around the rudder assembly - so he sailed with the boat heavily over ballasted with solid water below cockpit floor. I rowed out and was amazed to see how well the Skimmer still slipped along under this huge load and shortened sail.
So when he pulled up to the beach, we lowered both masts and then he caught the bus back to the ferry.
I don't need another boat. But the Skimmer is too much fun to let die. Have begun mast repair, will also lift the too low cockpit floor, replace the rotten deck areas (Mickey put his foot through two places) and open the interior for better ventilation. Am tossing up whether to go to angled asymmetric daggers in each bilge instead of the single dagger. Also considering DSS and a bow sprit for a reacher. Did I say I don't need another boat?

 

Faster?

That reacher should be VERY exciting
B

 

Gutted the SKimmer; ripped off the patched up deck repairs and scarfed the areas for re-decking, sawed out the cockpit floor areas and cut away the cockpit side decks, threw the rejected stuff onto a big pile beside the hull. There was large quantities of water in the bilges and also in the water ballast tank but now the hull is completely open, no ballast tank, no false floors, that was a mistake. The cockpit will be a curve starting at the gunwhales and dipping down a hand span to the central area then up again to other gunwhale. The weight loss is huge. Cox's Bay Skimmer bis should now be overpowering for one crew, will have to reef early. Also putting on a bow sprit for a masthead reacher and also two curved foils exiting below waterline. There is no room for straight DSS types. Have almost finished the repair of the two wing masts. Will post images maybe tomorrow.

 

Have you considered a mizzen stay sail instead of the reacher?
Seems like it would be a more central area add that would make both the main and mizzen work harder at high angles.
SHC

 

Good suggestions and makes perfect sense, Steve but there is no room for a main mast reacher because the leech of the fore main mast sail is very close to the main, so no room: I even had to cut an angle to main mast leading edge near the base for boom clearance.
This may have been possible if I'd retained the unstayed original rigs but because I bent the reinforced with glass and carbon cantilevered main mast base, pulled my head in, used a hack saw for the reinforced alloy core tube and went back to conventional rigging stays and bases.
Which although three point with fore main mast, has to have four spread stays for the main (mizzen?) mast. If you follow what I mean.
My reacher will have only a short bow sprit, hoping helm and rig balance won't be affected too much.
Here are some early photographs, first with the unstayed then with conventional rigging.

 

Stripped out the useless crap, filled to overflowing two large plastic bins. That's what happens when you design and build for a client and worry about what they would prefer.
Now the Skimmer will be mean and horrible - but much lighter.

 

Brutal back shed mast repair for the above hounds damage when the Skimmer got blown over on the hard at Putiki Bay, Waiheke Island.
Actually the basic fix has gone well, damage looked far worse than it actually was.

 

Cockpits/deck, first with available stone weights and and second image epoxied and semi complete. Some visitors are horrified with the shallow cockpit but I have the same on Frog and Sid. I'll put some foot straps at the curve deck junction later.

 

Chipping away.

 

Nice work Gary. The shallow cockpit works OK on the RS100 which is actually pretty comfortable, it does have slightly convex side decks though. All about how the thighs and leg underside(s) fit, ie strap position. At least as it's not like the Phantom it won't wreck your knees in puffy stuff! courtesy ofa V hull form....

Hope all is OK after a bit of 'quaking'..... I have a brother who lives in Chrischurch and it's OK there at the moment.

 

Kaikoura got slammed really hard; have you seen the video of the near shore coast and the thousands of exposed paua (abalone) shellfish still clinging to rocks?
We're not called the shaky isles for nothing by the aussies.

 

Got the rudder assembly installed, extended the main dagger case, will fit the T foils to appendages later, two epoxy coats over new cockpit, new hatch fitted, working on cleaning up the damaged hull bottom ready for painting, should be launched next week, maybe, ready for the Sloan's Beach regatta in three weeks time.

 

Not seen that particular video Gary, However plenty of other bits with the railway and road washed into the sea or covered by one of the 100+ landslips. I had thought it was caused by the underground telegraph from the US.....

 

Two more days and the Dread will be relaunched.

 

Dread Lives!

Gary, nice looking rebuild.
B