Intro from Great South Bay

oysterman23 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-18-2011

Hello all I have been lurking on Sailnet now for about four weeks and thought it propa to post an intro. We came into a Menger Oysterman 23 a year ago through a friend who had way too much going on and not enough time to care for the boat. She had been in fair shape until she crowned a dock and got half sunk.
The boat is a little skipjack based on Howard Chappelle's "Blue Crab" design. It needed a new rudder but rigging was intact and the sails were functional (and red!) It's been an adventure relearning everything I had forgotten about working on boats...(14 years away from the water) So Ive been reminded of the subtleties of West System and the itch of glass dust on a hot August night. But it has been good; Sailnet has been a great place to study and is helping me make the deliberate transition from power to sail........I suspect loving Conrad as I did it the shift was inevitable but I love the fact that once the sails are up Im "there" .......and each day I learn something and am abit more able.....
Thanks for sharing your experiences
ChrisCod

DRFerron · #2 (**permalink**) 08-18-2011

Welcome and congratulations on the boat and taking on its challenges!

bljones · #3 (**permalink**) 08-18-2011

Welcome. The Oysterman 23 is a pretty, pretty boat.

DRFerron · #4 (**permalink**) 08-18-2011

Welcome and congratulations on the boat and taking on its challenges!

CalebD · #5 (**permalink**) 08-18-2011

Oysterman 23
Wow! That is a classic look.
Since it was designed for the relatively shallow Chesapeake it should be great on the quite shallow Great South Bay.
Have you checked out the wooden boat forum also?
Welcome.

Tempest · #6 (**permalink**) 08-18-2011

Welcome to Sailnet! Wow, cool boat. I've got some reading to do!

http://www.allhandsandthecook.com/me...sterman_23.pdf

oysterman23 · #7 (**permalink**) 08-19-2011

Thanks all the boat was pretty much a god thing...unsolicited but right on time....and I'm a wood craftsman so it isdelightfull to have a salty boat with nice workboat lines to fix up gulp....modestly! Thanks to all. The boat turns out to be an absolute dream sailing in 3 ft of water on the flats....very little leeway oddly enough. Also stff in chop but she likes to be reefed@15-17 then she handles very sweetly with an easy helm sailnet helped me realize its time to have the sails recut this fall....nice tomeet you all
Oysterman