Maine Moth Update

Back in April I posted that Moths were under construction up at Cottrell's Boat Yard in Searspoint.  Yesterday Lynn Cottrell sent me some photos of their progress.  Since that initial report, Cottrells have started a second Moth.

The first hull is to the right.  One can immediately see the difference in volume between the two boats.  Hull Nr 2 is shallower and more closely resembles Mint, particularly when viewed from the stern.

Here's a bow shot of the two boats.  Both boats feature a full bow section rather than the hollow bow as in the original Bill Lee design. The full bow should be faster than the original design but also will provide a wetter ride for the skipper.  It will be interesting to see how these boats perform once they hit the water.  Glad to see that it's warm enough in Maine for Dandelions!
  Compare Dale's Moths with the period photo (below) of Charlie Fuller's Presto.

John Z's Mistral; May Update

John is working away on his new boat.  There's no rush as he has the old boat as a back up.  His target completion date is to have the new boat ready in time for the Brigantine regatta (14th of June) but that might not happen.  Let's see how he's getting on since our last update.

This photo shows the installation of the side walls of the cockpit buoyancy tanks.  John has opted for slab sided tanks rather than the"rolled" side tanks popularized by Joe Bousquet.  John indicated that a 3mm sheet would take the bend he wanted between the aft cockpit bulkhead and the main forward bulkhead but a 6mm thick panel would not.  Hence the extra clamps and bits of temporary timber bracing while the resin kicked off between the two layers of the tank wall.

John also added ply doublers to the cockpit sole, effectively increasing the thickness from 3mm to 6mm in the "stomping" area of the hull.  Vacuum bagging ensures that there are no resin voids and/or excess resin between the two layers.  John used butyl tape to seal the bag edges against the previously epoxy-coated surface of the hull.

Shaving down the inwhales to the correct angle for the deck.

Adding wood strips to the top faces of the bulkheads and gussets.  These will provide attachment surfaces for the decking.

John coated the inside of the boat with epoxy.  This not only helps preserve the wood but also increases the stiffness of the bendy 3mm ply and thus helps prevent the hull from "oil canning" as it knifes through chop.

I don't know how John keeps his work area so tidy!

One of several gussets which John has added after receiving some input from fellow builder Joe Bousquet.  This one ties the transom to the stern deck brace.

New Jerseyana, Exhibit 4

This year's crop of Brigantine beach tags.  I'm geezer Nr 1156 this year.

One of the enduring rites of spring is to hot-foot it down to the city beach tag office before the 1st of June in order to buy one's seasonal beach tags at the pre-season rate ($15 smackers apiece this year).  After the 31st of May the price jumps to $18/tag for the inattentive.  The opportunity to buy the tags at a reduced fee is available to all, but basically a good will gesture by the City to residents.  Out of towners rarely arrive before the  price hike.   Seniors (65 and over), including your geezer diarist, get a free tag, as do active duty service members and their immediate family.  Some New Jersey towns, notably Cape May, extend free tags to veterans as well.  My island is a little behind the curve on that last item.

I well remember the days when we swam for free.  Early attempts to impose a fee to use the beach were met with derision and noncompliance by the town folk.  However, those were the days of "swim at your own risk" with life guards at only a few of the most popular locations along the island's Atlantic Ocean side.  With growing crowds coming to the beach, New Jersey communities were not only forced to increase life guard coverage but also had to shoulder the increased costs for beach clean up, and toilet facilities.  Faced with a choice of higher real estate taxes or a user fee, most municipalities opted for beach tags as the best way to pay for it all.  By the mid-1970s beach tags started becoming more and more common up and down the Jersey coast. Now, tags are almost universal.  Atlantic City is still a major hold out.  No beach tags are required for access to the sand or water.  I assume casino gambling helps defray the costs.  Beach tags are mostly associated with New Jersey.  One wonders how other states and their communities handle the costs?