Re: Becky Thatcher modification

Thanks for the comment. The hull paint is Kirby's #7 C Green.

Tom Andrews

--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "ellengaestboatbuildingcom" <peterlenihan@...> wrote:
>
> Very,very well done!Nice choice of colour too!
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Peter Lenihan
>
>
>
>
>
> --- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "tandrews621" <tomandrews36@> wrote:
> >
> > Pictures posted in Photos. This is a heavily modified Bolger Becky
> > Thatcher, mainly with no paddle wheel or its pedal drive; the bottom is carried straight back. In plan view, the boat is close to the drawn lines, same at bow and stern, but with a foot extra beam amidship. It's built of 4' x 10' MDO. It's about 20' x 6', 5' bottom.
> >
> > The inside arrangement is much influenced Jim Michalak's designs, including the motor well, rudder and port-side leeboard guard--fantasies of a future balanced lug plus mizzen. I'm thinking I can beef up the cross bar at the back of the two cabin tops as a place for a main-sheet block. Batteries for the trolling motor are inside the thwart(?), along with storage boxes. The top comes off/on, 5
> > minutes each way, not intended to be watertight--giving access to my garage.
> >
> > The boat is a delight to use on the Erie Canal between Pittsford and Fairport, NY--Phil Bolger/Susanne Altenburger designed BT for a proposed Erie Canal trip. With presently no board down, it can blow away a bit when doing a 180 turn with the wind up and using the trolling motor--not much of a problem so far. Both the 55# Minn Kota trolling motor and the 3 hp Yamaha do well--would prefer a quiet
> > 4-stroke. My phone gps shows a little over 5 mph with the Yamaha. With the electric, I can just keep ahead of the canal walkers. Before it died, my 27#(?) Minn Kota was ok.
> >
> > I steer mostly from a lawn chair with a monkey stick (whipstaff) forward of the rear box. To make that 180 in the canal, I have to put both rudder and motor hard over and, for that, I'm sitting, comfortably, on the box. So, I'm glad I ran the bottom straight back, rather than sweeping it up some 6" as I originally planned. Sometimes I steer with the front-compartment monkey stick. There's a stub tiller on the rudder connected to the monkey-stick cable. I also use a
> > longer, slip-on, tiller. I don't have a picture of it now, but there is an about 16"x60" bench across the forward end of the front compartment.
> >
> > As the pictures show, I'm still working on the inside. I plan removable vinyl and acrylic windows, removable slot-top covers, etc.
> >
> > When I wrote of what I had done, Mr. Bolger sent a gracious reply--a treasure in itself.
> >
> > Tom Andrews
> >
>

Very,very well done!Nice choice of colour too!


Sincerely,
Peter Lenihan

--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "tandrews621" <tomandrews36@...> wrote:
>
> Pictures posted in Photos. This is a heavily modified Bolger Becky
> Thatcher, mainly with no paddle wheel or its pedal drive; the bottom is carried straight back. In plan view, the boat is close to the drawn lines, same at bow and stern, but with a foot extra beam amidship. It's built of 4' x 10' MDO. It's about 20' x 6', 5' bottom.
>
> The inside arrangement is much influenced Jim Michalak's designs, including the motor well, rudder and port-side leeboard guard--fantasies of a future balanced lug plus mizzen. I'm thinking I can beef up the cross bar at the back of the two cabin tops as a place for a main-sheet block. Batteries for the trolling motor are inside the thwart(?), along with storage boxes. The top comes off/on, 5
> minutes each way, not intended to be watertight--giving access to my garage.
>
> The boat is a delight to use on the Erie Canal between Pittsford and Fairport, NY--Phil Bolger/Susanne Altenburger designed BT for a proposed Erie Canal trip. With presently no board down, it can blow away a bit when doing a 180 turn with the wind up and using the trolling motor--not much of a problem so far. Both the 55# Minn Kota trolling motor and the 3 hp Yamaha do well--would prefer a quiet
> 4-stroke. My phone gps shows a little over 5 mph with the Yamaha. With the electric, I can just keep ahead of the canal walkers. Before it died, my 27#(?) Minn Kota was ok.
>
> I steer mostly from a lawn chair with a monkey stick (whipstaff) forward of the rear box. To make that 180 in the canal, I have to put both rudder and motor hard over and, for that, I'm sitting, comfortably, on the box. So, I'm glad I ran the bottom straight back, rather than sweeping it up some 6" as I originally planned. Sometimes I steer with the front-compartment monkey stick. There's a stub tiller on the rudder connected to the monkey-stick cable. I also use a
> longer, slip-on, tiller. I don't have a picture of it now, but there is an about 16"x60" bench across the forward end of the front compartment.
>
> As the pictures show, I'm still working on the inside. I plan removable vinyl and acrylic windows, removable slot-top covers, etc.
>
> When I wrote of what I had done, Mr. Bolger sent a gracious reply--a treasure in itself.
>
> Tom Andrews
>