Finished my Trac 14 after 80+ hours of restoration and finally got to take it out this Tuesday. Here in Florida, it was about 78 degrees and moderately windy--a perfect day for a
shakedown
cruise on a boat I'd never sailed before. The result? I love it!! It's a neat design, with a number of well thought out features. It's easy to rig alone, but can take 2 with good performance and even 3 with moderate speed. (Think I could pile 4 on if I need to sometime.)
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my questions over the past 6 weeks or so. From how to finish to hulls to repairing chips or sealing fittings, it was great to not face figuring out everything alone. So again, thanks to the catsailing community! I'm very happy with how the boat came out.
Can't wait to get out on a really gusty day now. <img src=
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Kevin
Congratulations and welcome to the cult, uh er club! Hope to see some pics soon!
Where are you launching? I'll look for you. Describe the boat...hulls and sail colors. Photo?
I'm launching at the Dunedin Causeway, although I usually sail on a weekday because of my day off (typically Tuesday or Thursday). The Trac cat has higher volume hulls than a Hobie 14, and mine are still just plain white (although I might put the striping back on that I removed during the restoration process--not sure yet). The sails are multicolored w/ yellow, red & blue, with
TRAC 14
on the main. (The jib would probably be furled (sp?) on the beach.)
Maybe see you out there sometime...