Nov 23rd 2010

Hi Mike,

Just a quick note to say the W17 performed great on the weekend. I had her really powered up and many people commented on how fast she was going. We were not allowed to race with the Hobie 16s so I raced in the PY handicap races. They rated me the same as a Hobie Getaway (that has a much higher SA/Wt ratio), so that was tough.

On Saturday we had 15 knots and at about 13 knots of speed, had to let out the main several times. But the sailing was great fun and the boat was a joy to sail. Nothing broke either ;-)

On Sunday we had 10 to 15 but with some gusts up to say 18 knots. I had a big local crew member with me and with the two of us, the boat was just right in the water and there was no rudder cavitation all day. I had to release the mainsheet twice on a couple of reaches. I was pressing so hard, we had the leeward float underwater and the tip of the bow was almost under. Who knows, we might have been on the edge but she came up fine when I eased the sheet.

Some great pictures were taken of the W17 powered up but I can't get those until next weekend. Once I have something, I will email them for you to see.

So now I can finally get to finishing the boat, put on the spray deflector and the proper mainsheet track. We will finish the boat for display and I now plan to enter race her in a big race in Feb 2011. 200 nautical miles over 5 days island hopping. So do you want to be the crew or the skipper? ;-)

Still lots to learn about the boat but I'm now already dreaming of a racing version … a W17R. Composite construction perhaps and bigger sails. We can build it the same way as the plywood version but would be lighter.

Comments:

1. 4 people could not lift the boat up to bring it out of the water — an unreasonable expectation at +500lbs loaded
2. Lots of spray came into the boat at these speeds and conditions so the spray deflectors are essential when pressing the boat hard. The new scupper venturi drains make funny sucking noises as we go along but work well.
3. The mast tended to over rotate and the mainsheet needs to pull the boom backwards to stop this. Need to rerig the mast tiller.
4. The Hobie mast looked to be inverting when I had the mainsheet on really hard - block to block as for a Hobie. But once sheeted hard, the sails finally started to look flat. Maria noticed a big improvement in sail shape and asked me if I had changed the sails!
5. Nice to have dry feet
6. Wing nets need to be tighter to give sure footing. Will add more eyestraps.
7. Leeward shrouds went slack under load. Could be the Dyneema shrouds or beam flex or both. Normal I guess.
8. Would like to get the boat pointing higher but this is just a tuning issue. I am not the right person to sort this out. My dagger board is also over 4" shorter than on the plan and needs to be more like an airplane wing.

Regards,
Andrew
[Boatbuilder in the Philippines]

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Nov 25th 2010

Hi Mike,

Yes I am slowly coming around… [Ed: to understanding the design approach]. I just need to learn how to handle the personality of a small weight-sensitive boat after previously sailing much bigger boats.

I just checked the updated drawings and noticed you've made the boat fractionally wider at the waterline, slightly deeper, with the cockpit floor slightly raised. That looks like a great mix for a boat built somewhat lighter than mine.

OK. So now when will the W22 be available for building?

I also want the spray deflectors now. When we're going fast, water comes over the side between the gunwale and the forward beam hinge. Not all of it is close to the hull as when the boat is slightly heeled, the water is squeezed outwards on its way back aft. Maybe I will try a light fabric one.

Yes sailing this boat really is fun and I am already looking forward to my next sail. The YC manager and Commodore will also have a chance to sail it over the next two weeks as I'll leave it at the club for them. Then we'll bring the boat back to be painted and put on the proper traveler.

The dagger board moves around a bit so I intend to put a saddle behind the case slot and add a shock cord around the blade back to this saddle so that the board will stay put. (Perhaps it was made too light and tries to float up?)

My crew on Sunday said "you have a really nice boat, Andrew - and fast too". Spectators on shore said they saw the boat really moving and were clearly impressed with the speed.

Regards,
Andrew

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November 29th 2010

Hi Mike,

Over the weekend, the YC Commodore … sailed the boat for several hours over the two days.

After sailing in about 15 knots of wind and pushing the boat very hard, Peter made the following comments.

"Boat planes easily down wind. Up and down wind, even in heavy seas there was no tendency to nose dive. The boat has a comfortable motion and feels very stable. It is early days yet but I am excited about the potential of having an affordable boat of this type at the club for class racing."

I am also enclosing a photo someone took during the previous weekend. Should find more to follow.

Regards,
Andrew

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Dec 13th 2010 from the Philippines

Hi Mike,

Been very busy in the shop lately but I sailed on Sunday for 5½ hours. People are often asking me to take them out but as Sunday was Race day for the Hobies, everybody was too busy to take pictures.

As soon as I got a crew member, I took off and went around the Volcano with a picnic lunch. You may recall, they decided not to let me sail the RTV event with the Hobies so I now wanted to do it with the W17. We completed the 24 miles in a very respectable 3½ hours.

Then I took some other people out. The boat was really flying in 15 to 20 knots of wind. We pressed the leeward float under many times but no drama. I think we hit 15 knots boat speed but no GPS to confirm. Great fun and very satisfying.

We have an amputee sailor here who clearly loves the boat because she is repeatedly pestering me for a sail and has asked me to lend her the boat so she can sail solo 400 nm (!!) from her home province at the north end of Luzon back to Manila. A publicity event to promote disabled sports. Actually it's a great idea but as I still have work to do on my boat, I am trying to persuade her into building her own W17, and if she could, that would make her story so much more appealing.

The other crew/sailor was an engineer from Malta and this was his first time out in the W17. He is building a 24-ft Woods catamaran at home. We had a great time and he rated the W17 as 'fast, lots of fun and a great little boat'.

My painters at the shop are presently very busy working on other boats. But we plan to bring the W17 back there and probably paint her between Christmas and New Year while I am visiting family.

I've finally had 2 spray covers made out of strong white tarpaulin material. I will lash these on like wing nets up forward and see how that works.

As it's the mad time of the year with Christmas parties and holidays, it's hard to get much else done here, so sorry, no new pictures yet.

Regards,
Andrew

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Dec 30th, 2010

Just a quick text to let you know I have survived the worst of my journey and only have a safe day's sailing left to complete this 200‑mile adventure.
Just want to say that I'm very impressed with the seaworthiness of this little boat. I have been in places I clearly should not have been, and in some very bad weather too, partly due to not always knowing where I was at times. Had some rough weather, hit bottom several times, lost my anchor in rocks etc, but thanks to this tough little boat, will be returning home in one piece. Will be in touch later.

Andrew — Island hopping in the China Sea.

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January 2011

See Report on recent 200-mile Coastal Cruise

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FOOTNOTE:
These notes were patched together from several short emails we've received.
"We've finally tried a W17 with canvas spray deflectors each side of the bow.
Oh boy, what a difference! The boat is now as dry as you predicted it would be and certainly much drier than a Hobie at the same speed.
Also tried the curved mainsheet track and that also works great.
Just back from a week-long trip, escorting the Hobies on their tough Philippine Hobie Challenge over some 300 nm. We got caught one night with a wind change and were blown ashore through the surf. We tried to push out but that proved impractical, so we put up full sail and just powered out. The boat was terrific driving out through the breaking waves. Lots of fun. (Next time, I'll know ;-)"

Here's a brief review of the race program and some pics: Hobie Challenge

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July 8th, 2011

Hello Mike,

I live on the island of Romblon, Romblon. This is in the middle of the Philippines where we just hosted part of the 11th Philippine Hobie Challenge Race Tour. Teams from around the world took part in this event that started off Luzon Island, not far from the capital, Manila. The sailors then braved open ocean conditions as they sailed from one island to another. As they arrived on Romblon, we were experiencing big wave conditions with high winds at the time, so I was surprised to see Andrew Johnson (and a friend) had sailed his newly built W17 along with the group of racers, just for the experience, since the race was for Hobie boats only. Andrew arrived safely in Romblon along the rest of the racers, being careful not to get in the way. But his W17 was hardly left behind and handled the open ocean very well for such a small boat. Everybody took notice of his Ferrari red trimaran that he beached on the white sand seashore not far from the port of Romblon. I was amazed at how the boat was shaped above the water and how it had the look of much larger trimarans. Yet the boat is only a fiberglass-sheathed plywood design with no complicated or expensive forms to build. Andrew commented he may very well not even use fiberglass on the sides of his next hull in order to make it lighter, since the fiberglass on the bottom alone seems to work fine. (Ed: a viable option for the main hull but interior glass sheathing is still recommended for the amas.) Andrew is a professional boatbuilder and engineer with many years of sailing experience so he knew just how he wanted to outfit the boat. I was so impressed that I promised to build one myself after I finish my home that is currently under construction. Seeing is believing and the W17 is impressive. What a great design !

Since I have four young children I may even consider building the larger W22 if not more than double the expense of the W17. So how much more impressive will be the W22?

Thank Andrew for visiting and congratulations on making a long but safe journey in such rough conditions. I am convinced the boat design is very seaworthy even if it was not designed especially for such open water. I will be in touch about your W22 plans. Also find attached a couple of pics that I took of the boat on shore.

Sincerely,
David Lubotsky,
Romblon, Romblon, Philippines
www.romblontourism.com