Moonfish 14

[Whameller]

I'm not sure that this is strictly 'in progress' - as I've finished her !

Design is a Moonfish 14 from Bateau Inc.  She is a Sunfish clone (this is a popular class in the USA & elsewhere, filling the same sort of need as Laser does in UK), adapted to take the Sunfish rig and foils, which are slightly larger than the basic design but an allowable option.

Some pics of the completed boat:




and a few of how I got there over 10 months in a rather small garage:

[Whameller]

And a few more:

[Jeremy]

Very nice, and brings back very happy memories of my very first boat, a very ratty Sunfish bought for £25, IIRC, complete with road trailer.  I made a tow bar for my Clan Crusader (an interesting engineering challenge for an all-composite car with no chassis) and used to take every opportunity to take her out, usually in Mounts Bay, after work.  

This was in the mid-70's and that little plywood boat gave me hundreds of hours of fun, and had a surprising turn of speed on a broad reach.

Her only failing was the same as the Laser, if you let the sheet out in a gust to take the power off there was a very good chance that the tip of the boom would hit the water and quickly cause a capsize.

The only other problem I had was failing to pull the dagger board up high enough when crossing the Hogus rock on the way back to the beach by the sailing club.  I think I made at least three new dagger boards for that boat, an well remember scaring the living daylights out of my cousin when returning from a sailing trip around St Michaels Mount and showing off on the way back to the beach, by haring along on a reach towards the beach, only for our progress to be abruptly halted by the dagger board hitting the Hogus at speed...............