Very Welcom Jay,

It has been a big few months for the Viola Sailing Canoe design with a couple of boats being launched every week or so for the last few weeks. My realist self is telling me that these bursts don’t last forever but on the other hand I’ve seen the growth of the Goat Island Skiff and the Oz Goose do something similar, but over a longer timespan.

I’ve contacted you on Facebook to talk about the weight problem with the aluminium tube you have available.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/storerboatplans/

Best Regards,
Michael

Another is top heaviness due to aluminum which I felt in an early yard sail. I switched to hollow wood boom and liked it, so built hollow wood upper mast half which is almost complete with reinforcement in bottom 2’. The yard is a rounded 2×4 half. This may not be ideally flexible, but if I capsize, then I’ll do the mast lower half in hollow wood. Rudder box and leeboard frames are screwed in temporarily so can be moved following sea trials.

The start sailing area will be Matanzas Inlet, S of St Augustine, Florida. We live in Ponte Vedra and I realized there is probably too much sewage in the closer Guana Lake. Gators are an issue – average nine attacks/year with a couple of deaths.

Mik, it has been mind-stretching and physically challenging in 99 degree plus heat, and fun. Thank you very much.

J
SF