|
How well does it sail? How does it compare to the Melonseed?
The Zephyr sails great. It's fast and stable, and it will plane in winds over 15 mph. It's an ideal boat to learn
to sail on, and it's not difficult to build. The sprit sail gives the boat a low center of effort compared to
other similar boats. The result is that the Zephyr is astonishingly well behaved in strong winds. I've had the
boat out in winds gusting to 25 mph, and the boat flies along without ever coming close to capsizing. The sail,
being relatively short and wide, quickly spills air when it begins to heel over. The boat sails upright without much
heel, and sails very fast. With a good wind, I average about 5.5 to 6.5 knots, sometimes topping 7 knots. I sailed
Lasers in my younger days. I'd say that in light air, the Zephyr would be slightly faster. In medium air, the Laser would
tiptoe ahead. But in heavy air, the Zephyr sailer would be comfortably sailing while the Laser sailer would be doing all he
could not to capsize. The Zephyr also comes with a comfortable back rest (you usually sit inside on the floor with your
back against the combing), and a comfortable rowing seat. The boat rows easily, although the rowing seat is up a little
high, being located on top of the centerboard trunk. In rough weather, you will get wet. Waves of about 2' or more tend
to throw spray into the air when the bow strikes them. I've never had a wave come over the deck, but I've gotten a bit
wet from the spray. I always wear rain gear and bring along a bailing bucket and a big sponge. I use the sponge a lot.
In good weather (up to 15 knots of wind) the boat stays dry. It's easy to get on and off the trailer, weighing only
about 150 lbs. The boat is simple to rig. I keep my sail permanently lashed to the mast. I roll it around the
mast for storage. To rig it, I unroll the sail, tie on the sprit pole, pick up the mast and insert it into the boat, and attach
the boom. I can be in the water in under 5 minutes. The rudder stays on the boat all the time.
The Zephyr is nearly identical to the Melonseed in size and sailing characteristics. Google "Melonseed Sailboat" for
more info. You can build a Zephyr for about 1/4 to 1/5 the price of buying a Melonseed. Mine ended up costing about
$2000 including custom built sail, trailer, some tools, and all top grade materials and took 4 months of evenings
and weekends to build.
 Does the Zephyr carry one passenger or two?
Short answer: She carries 1 1/2. Long answer: The cockpit deck opening measures 6' long by 3' wide. The mid bulkhead
divides the cockpit area into two halves about 3' square, which I'll call the forward and aft cockpit. The centerboard
trunk (which also doubles as a rowing seat) divides the forward cockpit in half giving you two spaces about 13" x 3' on either
side of it. The tiller protrudes about 6" into the aft cockpit. The end result of all this is: The aft cockpit
has plenty of room for one adult, regardless of size, with plenty of cargo space in the forward cockpit. The aft cockpit could
carry two people, if they were small enough to fit in a 3' x 2 1/2' space. It's certainly possible to sit on the side decks.
In fact, some always do. I do too, but only when it's real windy. Sitting on the side decks increases the risk of capsizing
or falling overboard, so I prefer to sit inside, using the cockpit coamings as a comfortable backrest. The boat could carry
two with one person sitting in the aft cockpit and the second sitting on the side deck of the forward cockpit or maybe on
the rowing seat, BUT the person in front would have to be nimble. When tacking, he would have to scramble over or around the
centerboard trunk and under the boom. A kid could do it but I couldn't. I'm a big guy at 6' tall & 290 lbs, so I
consider my Zephyr a one-man boat. My friend Larry and his wife sail together on his Zephyr. She is small
enough to sit alongside the centerboard trunk, on the floor facing forward. Their combined total weight equals mine.
Devlin lists the max load carrying ability of the Zephyr at 425 pounds. She handles 290 pounds quite well. Two full sized
adults & some gear could approach the 425 pound max load, which could be a problem if coupled with high wind or chop.
Did you find the plans adequate? Were any of the shapes full size, or did you loft all the panels yourself.
The plans consist of 4 sheets measuring 24" x 36". They are drawn at 1/8 scale. Sheet 1 is the study plan,
which Devlin also sells seperately. It shows the completed boat along with the sail dimensions. Sheet 2 shows
plan and side views of the boat plus the details for the mast, boom, tiller, rudder, and centerboard. Sheet 3 shows
the detailed cross sections for the centerboard trunk, deck-to-sheerclamp joint, keel-to-skeg attachment, cockpit coaming
attachment, and fiberglass lamination details. Sheet 4 shows fully dimensioned drawings of all the bulkheads, bottom panel,
side panel, deck, frames, and centerboard trunk. All dimensions are in feet and inches. Also included are a list
of materials, a diagram showing how to layout the pieces on the plywood, a 28 page building instruction booklet on stitch
and glue construction, and a list of sources for materials.
None of the shapes are drawn full size, nor do they need to be. Using the dimensions on the plans, the parts are
drawn full size on the plywood and cut out. Most all of the shapes are simple, straight lines or simple curves. Curvey
shapes like the rudder have a 3" grid drawn over them on the plans so that you can transfer the curves to the plywood.
Devlin also sells a book on stitch-and-glue boatbuilding and Joel Mill, who works for Devlin, has a very useful website
at http://boatbuilder.org which was my primary source of information.
How much does it cost to build?
I spent roughly $2000. Other builders that I have spoken with tell me they spent around $3000, and one builder
spent over $4000. Naturally, the cost depends on a number of factors. Here is a list of the materials I used, the approximate
cost in 2006, and where I purchased them.
|
|
|
|
22 yds 6oz fiberglass cloth, 5 gal epoxy, fairing compound, pumps, freight |
|
|
Douglas fir for mast, coamings, tiller, poles, seat |
|
|
Meranti marine Plywood BS1088 5 sheets @ 1/4" 1 sheet @1/2" |
|
Midway Plywood, Lynnwood WA |
Interlux brightside paint and epoxy barrier-kote primer, thinner |
|
|
Fittings (cleats, oarlocks, rope, padeyes, ss screws, blocks, pintles, gudgeons) |
|
duckworksbbs.com, boaters world, home depot |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DuckworksBBS costom sails
|
|
|
|
|
|
