Re: [bolger] Centennial 11 sails very well, a defence.!

Hi

Thanks for the reply, I'm glad to hear that she's a
better boat than you would think from the article.

When were you in Cocoa? I grew up in Rockledge, and
sailed Hobies on the Banana River and Indian River and
off the beach in the late 70s. We probably buzzed by
each other at least once.

Thanks again for the thoughts. I think you're right,
that fixed heavy boards don't belong in a shallow
water area, but I wonder about adapting the design
some. I like the hull shape. Perhaps I'll look at
how much righting moment I need with the rig I'm
thinking of using and see if an unweighted board would
work, or if I could add ballast or something.

best

Kevin

> Please let me add my personal experience to the
> Centennial 11 file
> for posterity. I have defended her before but want
> all to know she
> has been wrongly maligned. I built perhaps the first
> after finding
> the drawings in the pilot issue of SBJ.I was a young
> lifeguard at
> the time and built her in the yard or a co-op hair
> salon located on
> the oceanfront of Cocoa Beach, Fl.What days! With
> the help of an
> elderly retired Navy guy WW11 shadowing battleships
> in a P.T. who
> had settled there I did a much better job than would
> have been
> expected. Ralph Netterstrom was the man and i met
> him when i spotted
> a folding schooner in the canal out his back yard. I
> knocked on his
> door . We had many good times. On his Bolger
> sailboard in his
> eighties. On his Brown 25 trimaran. What a boat,
> thats real
> sailing. The only ones out on the whole Banana River
> on windy days
> then tacking back thru the canals, almost
> unbelievable to me a
> former small boaqt racer.Ralph was a great help and
> mentor. He hqad
> dozens of clamps to give and dadoed my coamings on
> his band saw. The
> sheer on this boat is heavenly and the vbarnish
> shone (briefly).WE
> smoothed out the cabin front and I cut down a pair
> of old North
> Star Boat sails for the rig. They are frequently
> almost given away
> by old racers, are huge , light always folded, never
> stuffed into
> the bag. The rig was tuned well, I faired all the
> underwater
> surfaces to racing dinghy standards and had a long
> extension on the
> tiller so i could sit well forward. She was very
> fast and sailed as
> sensitively as a laser ( a boat a raced for years) I
> literally
> sailed rings around most small cruisers. There is
> nothingh wrong
> with this hull if its rigged right and im positive
> that goes for all
> Mr Bolgers small boats. They have great hulls. What
> I have noticed
> however at the Messaboats I have attended is that
> blue tarp sails
> can easily ruin a boat. Sailmaking is a skill and
> art as is sailing
> and a designer can get a bad rap from an
> inexperienced sailor with
> bad sails. There are many complex factors learned
> over years which
> make a boat perform well. Lots to learn is what
> makes sailing a
> fascinating lifetime addiction. Th Centennial 11
> looked great ,
> always drew a crowd and sailed great so I wrote SBJ
> offering to
> write an article on this great boat. "Sorry," they
> said we just
> purchase an article by another builder. Well, I was
> stunned when my
> subscription arrived several months later and that
> article came
> out. They were describing a terrible sailing boat.
> It stunned me, it
> must have been heatbreaking for Mr Bolger. I wrote
> him and
> recounted my experiences sending a beautiful
> picture. He was kind
> enough to respond. Imust also relate that when i
> first purchased the
> plans he gave me unsolicited advice to chose a
> different boat. I
> should have listened. He suggested the Black
> Skimmer as a better
> boat for the shallow waters of the Indian River. I
> was foolish and
> spent much of my time running aground with those
> heavy fixed keels.
> I shortly sold that beautiful sailing boat as it
> just wasnt good for
> the shallows, I would probably still have the Black
> Skimmer.Every
> time i have messed with one of his designs I have
> messed up. We are
> very fortunate to have a person of his wisdom and
> common sense to
> learn from. I"m grateful he"s interested in small
> boats.
>
>
>
>
>

What a joy is such good news unlooked for. Thankyou captjbturtle, so
much. A favourite design...

Please, do as Bruce suggests. Publish. Here and there, not much,
Bolger refers to Centenial ll in a positive way, and your experience
may further balance the record.

Cheers
Graeme

--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "captjbturtle" <captjbturtle@...>
wrote:

>
> Please let me add my personal experience to the Centennial 11 file
> for posterity. I have defended her before but want all to know

she

> has been wrongly maligned. I built perhaps the first after finding
> the drawings in the pilot issue of SBJ.I was a young lifeguard at
> the time and built her in the yard or a co-op hair salon located

on

> the oceanfront of Cocoa Beach, Fl.What days! With the help of an
> elderly retired Navy guy WW11 shadowing battleships in a P.T. who
> had settled there I did a much better job than would have been
> expected. Ralph Netterstrom was the man and i met him when i

spotted

> a folding schooner in the canal out his back yard. I knocked on

his

> door . We had many good times. On his Bolger sailboard in his
> eighties. On his Brown 25 trimaran. What a boat, thats real
> sailing. The only ones out on the whole Banana River on windy days
> then tacking back thru the canals, almost unbelievable to me a
> former small boaqt racer.Ralph was a great help and mentor. He

hqad

> dozens of clamps to give and dadoed my coamings on his band saw.

The

> sheer on this boat is heavenly and the vbarnish shone

(briefly).WE

> smoothed out the cabin front and I cut down a pair of old North
> Star Boat sails for the rig. They are frequently almost given away
> by old racers, are huge , light always folded, never stuffed into
> the bag. The rig was tuned well, I faired all the underwater
> surfaces to racing dinghy standards and had a long extension on

the

> tiller so i could sit well forward. She was very fast and sailed

as

> sensitively as a laser ( a boat a raced for years) I literally
> sailed rings around most small cruisers. There is nothingh wrong
> with this hull if its rigged right and im positive that goes for

all

> Mr Bolgers small boats. They have great hulls. What I have noticed
> however at the Messaboats I have attended is that blue tarp sails
> can easily ruin a boat. Sailmaking is a skill and art as is

sailing

> and a designer can get a bad rap from an inexperienced sailor

with

> bad sails. There are many complex factors learned over years which
> make a boat perform well. Lots to learn is what makes sailing a
> fascinating lifetime addiction. Th Centennial 11 looked great ,
> always drew a crowd and sailed great so I wrote SBJ offering to
> write an article on this great boat. "Sorry," they said we just
> purchase an article by another builder. Well, I was stunned when

my

> subscription arrived several months later and that article came
> out. They were describing a terrible sailing boat. It stunned me,

it

> must have been heatbreaking for Mr Bolger. I wrote him and
> recounted my experiences sending a beautiful picture. He was

kind

> enough to respond. Imust also relate that when i first purchased

the

> plans he gave me unsolicited advice to chose a different boat. I
> should have listened. He suggested the Black Skimmer as a better
> boat for the shallow waters of the Indian River. I was foolish

and

> spent much of my time running aground with those heavy fixed

keels.

> I shortly sold that beautiful sailing boat as it just wasnt good

for

> the shallows, I would probably still have the Black Skimmer.Every
> time i have messed with one of his designs I have messed up. We

are

> very fortunate to have a person of his wisdom and common sense

to

> learn from. I"m grateful he"s interested in small boats.
>

On 5/10/06, captjbturtle <captjbturtle@...> wrote:

> Please let me add my personal experience to the Centennial 11 file

...

> SBJ subscription arrived several months later and that article came
> out. They were describing a terrible sailing boat. It stunned me, it
> must have been heatbreaking for Mr Bolger.

Even now, decades later, I am certain that the magazine
Messing About in Boats would welcome your submission of
an article to set the record straight on the Centenial II. Please do!

Please let me add my personal experience to the Centennial 11 file
for posterity. I have defended her before but want all to know she
has been wrongly maligned. I built perhaps the first after finding
the drawings in the pilot issue of SBJ.I was a young lifeguard at
the time and built her in the yard or a co-op hair salon located on
the oceanfront of Cocoa Beach, Fl.What days! With the help of an
elderly retired Navy guy WW11 shadowing battleships in a P.T. who
had settled there I did a much better job than would have been
expected. Ralph Netterstrom was the man and i met him when i spotted
a folding schooner in the canal out his back yard. I knocked on his
door . We had many good times. On his Bolger sailboard in his
eighties. On his Brown 25 trimaran. What a boat, thats real
sailing. The only ones out on the whole Banana River on windy days
then tacking back thru the canals, almost unbelievable to me a
former small boaqt racer.Ralph was a great help and mentor. He hqad
dozens of clamps to give and dadoed my coamings on his band saw. The
sheer on this boat is heavenly and the vbarnish shone (briefly).WE
smoothed out the cabin front and I cut down a pair of old North
Star Boat sails for the rig. They are frequently almost given away
by old racers, are huge , light always folded, never stuffed into
the bag. The rig was tuned well, I faired all the underwater
surfaces to racing dinghy standards and had a long extension on the
tiller so i could sit well forward. She was very fast and sailed as
sensitively as a laser ( a boat a raced for years) I literally
sailed rings around most small cruisers. There is nothingh wrong
with this hull if its rigged right and im positive that goes for all
Mr Bolgers small boats. They have great hulls. What I have noticed
however at the Messaboats I have attended is that blue tarp sails
can easily ruin a boat. Sailmaking is a skill and art as is sailing
and a designer can get a bad rap from an inexperienced sailor with
bad sails. There are many complex factors learned over years which
make a boat perform well. Lots to learn is what makes sailing a
fascinating lifetime addiction. Th Centennial 11 looked great ,
always drew a crowd and sailed great so I wrote SBJ offering to
write an article on this great boat. "Sorry," they said we just
purchase an article by another builder. Well, I was stunned when my
subscription arrived several months later and that article came
out. They were describing a terrible sailing boat. It stunned me, it
must have been heatbreaking for Mr Bolger. I wrote him and
recounted my experiences sending a beautiful picture. He was kind
enough to respond. Imust also relate that when i first purchased the
plans he gave me unsolicited advice to chose a different boat. I
should have listened. He suggested the Black Skimmer as a better
boat for the shallow waters of the Indian River. I was foolish and
spent much of my time running aground with those heavy fixed keels.
I shortly sold that beautiful sailing boat as it just wasnt good for
the shallows, I would probably still have the Black Skimmer.Every
time i have messed with one of his designs I have messed up. We are
very fortunate to have a person of his wisdom and common sense to
learn from. I"m grateful he"s interested in small boats.