I started building a John Welsford Pathfinder in July 2008. The boat was completed in Oct, 2010.

This blog now records our use of the boat, but documentation of building the boat can be found in the archives.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Trailer Sailor

I took some boring pictures of my trailer. There were some questions on the jwbuilders forum several months ago about a suitable trailer for a Pathfinder.  I was stressed about finding a trailer when I was building, but I think I stumbled on something that works well, though it may be longer than necessary (it was designed for a 19' powerboat).  It is simple, with two bunks to support the boat and a board that I added to support the centerboard.  I adjusted the bunks to lie as close as possible to the chine joint, but towards the stern the bunk is more directly in contact with the garboard.




It has worked well so far.  The only thing I notice is that as the boat floats off the trailer, the bow wants to dip suddenly because there is no support for it as the stern starts to float.  A gentle shove on the bowsprit at that moment is all it takes.  Similarly, when bringing the boat in, the bow wants to lay very low until I pull the boat out of the water, and then I can winch it up.  Not sure if that is something that I need to worry about....so far not much of a problem.






And for the family, a few pictures and a video from our sail:

Divining the winds' intentions!


Looking forward to lunch.


Collecting shells, because we never have enough.


I just like that boat.



Never too old to learn.