Square Knot

Hey Chuck,

How ya been? It’s been a couple of years since I last contacted you. I thought I’d send along some pix of the boat I was building at the time. I’m happy to report that she sails beautifully. I wish I’d been more conscientious when I built the hull. I don’t know if you recall, but I started building her as an expendable ½ scale model of a cruiser I designed to see how well the hull form worked.

Consequently, I sort of threw the hull together. However, as building progressed, I liked the look of her so much that I went overboard with the finish. I’m glad I did – I get a lot of compliments on her. I’m also thrilled with her performance under sail. She’s very well balanced and really fast. She’s also very stable. I gave her Pau Lope floor boards and they make great ballast.

The one qualm I have about her is her tendency to pound. In smooth water, this hull shape is fantastic but in a chop, she’s somewhat less than comfortable. I’ve had her out in Buzzard’s Bay in 15 to 20 knot winds and while it was exciting to say the least, she damn near rattled my teeth loose.

My thoughts are turning towards a round bottom and cold molding. It’s disgusting work compared to traditional boat building or even tack-and-tape, but the end product is, I think, worth it. Anyway, I hope all is well with you and Duckworks Magazine.

Take care,

David Telles