Thursday, 23 February 2023

 Frame D and C cut but not complete


Today frame D cutting was completed 




 and also frame C was cut but not completed,



 I also wanted to take a sheet of plywood out of the stack but it was raining and the ply risked getting wet in the rain in the process of taking it out of the stack, because the shop door has to be open to accomplish this, so frame gusset making is postponed  -  well tomorrow is another day - also I could not complete frame C as I did not rip enough 60mm framing material  - you can see this in the frame above, tomorrows job as well

Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Build Has Started



Yesterday the planed pine was ripped into suitable widths for the framing,  


and today 
the lofted frame shapes on the lofting board were used to make up frame E, frame E is the smallest frame but has curves on it which were a bit of a challenge to transfer from the lofting board. 

I ended up taking points from each square block and transferring them to the frame piece which was positioned on the board, and using panel pins (again) and getting the curve fair (again) all this was previously done when lofting the frames.



and then cutting the curve on the bandsaw, 


next a little block planing to get rid of the bandsaw marks 


then using the first cut frame curve and checking to see that it was the same port and starboard, a duplicate was made using the first cut and planed frame, next  the deck camber was transfered to a 70mm width piece and cut out as well, all the framing fits well and the pieces are interchangeable port and starboard - so its all great.



 and...



 ...a start was made on frame D which will be completed tomorrow, and once frame D is cut completly a piece of ply will be taken out of the stack to make gussets for both frames.

if you need anything clarified or any parts of the build with more details needed, please feel free to send a message in the contact form on the right hand side panel and I will do all I can to help, Also if you would like to be kept updated please follow - also in the right hand side panel - till tomorrow...





Tuesday, 14 February 2023

SETKA A - Cagarro - where it all began

 In March 2020  - I saw on the internet what I thought was a great idea (at the time), something that I would like to do, a small reasonably affordable "racing" sailboat, in the spirit of the original mini Transat. Self built, not overloaded with technology, not having laminated hi tech sails, no carbon fibre, no great big winches etc etc.



I sent off 300 euros for the plans and then as I learned more about the class, one design mast$$$ one design sails $$$, lots of hardware and fittings, stainless steel fittings that have to be purchased from the Class,  lots of  construction rules, inflexible imo class rules. entry fees for races, registration fees for sails & for boat -  it seemed like a $$$  idea -
 I decided it was NOT for me. 

INSTEAD - I decided to build the boat 
that inspired the CG580 -  
the SETKA A

Setka A is a 5m yacht designed by Janusz Maderski, a boat that is well proven, having had 3 races across the Atlantic, 2012, 2016, 2021 and the next 2025  and over 16 boats having completed the transatlantic race, some even doing double Atlantic. The Setka design was the inspiration of the CG580 (also designed by Janusz Maderski) and the Setka Atlantic Challenge inspired the Class Globe Transat.



 The Setka is not that slow in comparison to the CG580, and in my opinion it is a great well designed boat that sails very, very well according to previous owners, light on the helm, fast and gives the skipper a reassuring safe, feeling. What more is needed from a boat?


The next edition of the Setka Atlantic Challenge starts on 11/11/2025. 



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" Already around 1200, despite a small wind of 10-12kt, an impressive dead wave of about 2 meters started to scare me, I calculated that we would receive a strong wind on the entire foresail and the second reef of the mainsail, I saw a chain of small cumulus clouds approaching us and I expected that stronger ones would arrive with them conditions. As I expected, it dissipated within 5 minutes to about 30 kt, a hundred under such a set of sails flew, leaving water splashes on both sides, the highest instantaneous speed recorded by GPS is 10.7 kt. After about an hour, the wind eased to 25 kt, while the waves built up to regular 3 m, sometimes I had the impression that a lot more🙂  With her stabilizing fins down, the yacht just slid off one wave and onto the next, and so on. Waves like houses appeared behind the yacht and above my head, looking like they were about to fall on me, but each one ended up gliding smoothly under the hull. . After midnight, when the wind dropped to 18-20 kt, I set the Alczento self-steering using the sheet to tiller method and warmed up in the cabin. " *

A quote from https://alczentosac.wordpress.com/ by Jurand Setka Alczento translated from Polish

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I again sent off for the plans - I already had all the plywood for the CG580  Epoxy resin, Glasscloth, fillers, peelply and wood so it was really great that the Setka used the same materials just a bit less of them. 

So it is the beginning of a new build



This will be boat number 4
- previous boats have been a Flamenca 26, designed by Oswald Burckemeyer,
- next was a Wharram Tiki 26 that my wife and I built from a pile of plywood and wood and sailed on for a few years, even living on it, and
- the next boat was a Van der Stadt Spirit 28, 

so 25ft 26ft 28ft and now 5m -  16 and a bit ft.



 Other boats that I had considered were a John Welsford Penguin and his Pathfinder, but the Setka with its Setka Przez Atlantyk - Setka Atlantic Challenge is the final choice - I am hoping that the boat can inspire some local interest as well and can show that you dont need a 42ft beneteau to race here and have fun here. My aim is to inspire young people that can realise that dreams are attainable.


So far my boat has been lofted onto a big piece of melamine  - as I said all the plywood,stringer wood. epoxy, glasscloth,  west fillers are purchased the mast has been found the rigging has been purchased, fittings and sails have been ordered, keel plate purchased  and my keel bulb has been poured - 

This is post number 2 and I will keep you updated as the build progresses, I have given myself a 6 month time frame to build the hull, and even though it is tight I am going to do my best to get it done, at the moment there are 2 jobs in my shop that need to get completed but as of today 14 feb 2023 I hope to start in the next week

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 NMEA connections and the low power interior lights Just some futher pictures from the last few weeks all the NMEA connections are contained...