Fall 2000

My dad built a small plywood sailboat when I was a toddler and I grew up on ever larger sailboats since then. At about the age of 17, I decided to build one too. In late 1974, Rudder Boat Plan was selling a neat little Bruce Bingham 20 footer and my dad suggested that design. I paid $110.00 for a complete set of lofting sheets and drawings for a ferrocement Flicka. When I started, I naively thought I could build this boat in a few years for a thousand dollars. Hey, I was only 17. I figured that I could build a nice boat for about half the price of buying one and it be that hard, right? Thirteen years later, I launched the QED and it cost about half of what it would cost to buy one, sort of. See, when Pacific Seacraft purchased the Flicka plans and started production, the boat cost about $15,000 (back in the late 70’s). By the time I finished, in 1987, the Flicka was selling for about $30,000 and guess what, I built mine for about $15,000 in materials. So in a way, I was right, I built the boat for about half what it would cost, never mind that I could have taken out a loan in the late 70’s, bought a Flicka and sailed it for 13 years for about the same cost. But then I wouldn’t know every inch of that boat and I also wouldn’t have as much to write about. I saw a homebuilt Flicka about the time I started (I think it was in Annapolis) and decided to build the hull out of fiberglass, rather than ferro-cement. Ferro-cement is obviously very strong, however, you have to lay up the cement in one day and then you can’t make any changes,

Attaching the lathe to the mold frames - the QED begins to take shape, but there is still a long way to go to complete the mold (let alone the boat). add through-hulls, or easily repair it. I had heard horror stories about homebuilt ferro-cement hulls that didn’t turn out well and it was recommended that add through-hulls, or easily repair it. I professionals lay up the cement after had heard horror stories about homebuilt completion of the wire mesh. ferro-cement hulls that didn’t turn out well and it was recommended that I decided to avoid all that by building professionals lay up the cement after mine in fiberglass and went out and completion of the wire mesh. bought a 55-gallon drum of resin, rolls of woven roving, and tons of sanding I decided to avoid all that by building discs for my grinder. Actually, I didn’t mine in fiberglass and went out and need any of that for a while, while I built bought a 55-gallon drum of resin, rolls the mold. of woven roving, and tons of sanding discs for my grinder. Actually, I didn’t I hung up the full-size lofting sheets on need any of that for a while, while I built the dining room wall (my parents were the mold. very understanding) and, after tracing these onto wax paper and cutting them

out, transferred the lines onto 13 or 14 mold ribs cut out of plywood. These ribs were then set up in the side yard at about 18” intervals to form the frame of the mold. I hung up the full-size lofting sheets on dining room wall (mysecretly parents were Ithebet my parents were very very understanding) and, after happy when I finally moved outtracing of the these onto wax paper New and cutting them house in Rochester, York (after out, transferred the lines onto 13 or 14 college) to Connecticut (and my first full mold ribs cut out of plywood. These ribs time job) and they got rid of the messy were building then set up in the side yard at about boat project. 18” intervals to form the frame of the mold. the frames were then covered Anyway, with lath to form the shape of the hull. I wasn’t bet mysure parents whatwere to dosecretly next andvery my happy when I finally moved out ofwith the dad suggested screen covered house in Rochester, New York (after cement (I guess I just couldn’t avoid

Some time ago, Jill Geary proposed putting together an issue of Flicka Friends dedicated to the women who sail Flickas. This sounded like a great idea and I offered one of the next issues for this project. There are roughly thirty women on the mailing list and hopefully there will be enough interest and support to fill an entire issue.

If you would like to help Jill with this effort, contact her at: Jill Geary 10077 Riverhead Drive San Diego, CA 92129 or flickas@pacbell.net

There are two great stories about s/v RAPPORT’s Passage to Hawaii on the internet (see the Flicka Home Page).

The first is by Jack Harding (“Captain”) and the second is by Don Marken (“crew”). Both are about the same trip and provide great reading about an extended trip offshore aboard a Flicka.

Next Issue One Way to Get a Flicka, Part 2 By Dave Kenyon

Our new magazine is featuring a review of the Flicka in the current issue. If you own or have owned this fine sailboat, we would love to send you our questionnaire. We rely heavily on owner feedback for our reviews.

Joshua Colvin Managing Editor Small Craft Advisor 907 Anchor Morro Bay, CA 93442 (805) 771-9393

If you are interested, please drop me an e-mail and I’ll return the survey.

www.smallcraftadvisor.com llcraftadvisor@thegrid.com.net Volume 5, Number 3

A New Flicka! By Tom Davison In August, Bruce P. Bingham contacted Flicka Friends Publisher Dennis Pratt and Flicka Home Page WebCaptain Rod Bruckdorfer about his plan to build a new Flicka. He also expressed an interest in sending a number of unpublished Flicka articles to this newsletter for publication. This is great news Bruce described the new Flicka as a larger cruising boat that will sail very well. It will be larger than the current Flicka, allowing for improvements in speed because of the longer waterline. This change in length will also allow additional space below. The two Flicka

interiors (open and enclosed head) types will be blended together so that the head of the new Flicka does not infringe on the salon area. One thing Bruce would like from current or former Flicka owners are comments about what is right about the Flicka. He is also interested in hearing about what might be changed or added and of course any suggestions for improvements. You can forward your comments directly to Bruce via the e-mail address listed below. Look for more information in future issues of Flicka Friends. Bruce_Bingham@ij.net

s/v KAWABUNGA! By Tom Davison In the previous issue of Latitudes & Attitudes, I noticed that their BoatBooks review section included Charlie Dewell’s book “KAWABUNGA!’s South Sea Adventure. This is (of course) the story of sailing a Flicka into the South Pacific from San Diego and returning to the mainland via Hawaii.

If you do not already own this fine book, contact Charlie for your copy at: South Sea Publishing 14025 Panay Way Marina del Rey, CA 902092 (800) 440-8001 www.southseapublishing.com

Small Craft Advisor Article Joshua Colvin

One Way to Get a Flicka cont. 4 Dave Kenyon

Recently, there was some great news on the Flicka Home Page, Sail Net and on the Pacific Seacraft Home Page. Pacific Seacraft is putting the Flicka and the Dana back into production. There was enough interest in both designs to bring this about. Pacific Seacraft sent me the specification sheet for the Flicka. The base price is $59,000 with a Yanmar diesel inboard and enclosed head.

About Flicka Friends Flicka Friends is a subscription newsletter written specifically for the people who own, crew aboard or are interested in the Flicka, a Bruce P. Bingham design. Based on the Newport Boats of Block Island Sound, this little ship has been built from various materials since the 1970’s and remained in production today. Hulls have been completed by home builders using plans supplied by Bruce Bingham. More than 400 plans were sold and many Flickas can be found in New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. Commercial builders for the Flicka include Nor’Star, Westerly Marine and Pacific Seacraft (Fullerton, California) has built more than 430 Flickas. Flicka Friends is published quarterly. Please note the date next to your name on the mailing label. It indicated when your subscription needs to be renewed. The cost of an annual subscription to Flicka Friends is $1.00 US and can be mailed directly to the editor.

The initial comments made it sound like the Flicka might be spartan. After review-ing the information, there are still plenty of options available ranging from roller furling to shore power, a lightning ground, a B & G instrument package and a trailer.

You can find the specifications on the Pacific Seacraft Home Page:

Tom Davison - Editor P.O. Box 922 Sutton’s Bay, MI 49682-0922 (231) 271-5111 flickafriends@traverse.net

Dennis Pratt - Publisher 8537 N. Milwaukee Ave., 2-West Niles, IL 60714-1909 (847) 736-0066 dennis1492@aol.com Flicka Friends - Fall - 2000

One Way to Get A Flicka... Continued from Page 1

mixing cement). That worked pretty well but the mold wasn’t real fair. So I covered the cement with plaster of paris that I could then sand (endlessly) to get a clean, fair mold. Finally, I painted the plaster and applied a thin coat of mold release agent (it turned out to be too thin) and my mold was complete. Of course, I was already well over a year into the project since I could only work on the mold in the summer (Rochester, remember) and I was busy graduating high school, starting college and working as a waiter in a restaurant to pay for all the materials. For the next two years I laid up between 10 and 12 layers of woven roving, sanding the rough edges endlessly between each one. Successive layers of roving were applied in alternating directions, vertical, horizontal and diagonally. After building up about 3/8 inch thickness, I decided extensive sanding between layers was too time consuming (not to mention itchy!).

After framing the mold, I attached screen to provide the foundation for the cement and plaster which then completed the mold

Also, I had read about the favorable strength of using alternating layers of fiberglass mat (fiberglass stands pressed together in random orientations) together with cloth, where the strands are woven together. I decided to flip the hull over and continue adding layers on the inside without the need to sand each layer smooth. I tested the separation of the hull and mold and found that there was no way I was doing to be able to lift the hull off. I previously had ideas of saving the mold and selling it, however, I ultimately ended up removing the mold from underneath the hull, piece by piece. The mold had to be destroyed and in some spots scraped away from the hull. After adding a few temporary cross braces (the empty glass hull was very flexible) I got as many friends as I could gather and we lifted the empty hull up,

Wetting out the cloth with resin requires quick work and a proper mixture of resin to hardener - too slow and it does not set properly, too fast and it hardens in the jug. Volume 5, Number 3

Start With The Hull moved it onto the grass and basically rolled it over into the wooden cradle I had built on top of the upside-down hull. This wasn’t actually that difficult with a lot of hands as the hull was relatively light. Now that I could work on the inside, I added four to six more layers of glass, alternating mat and cloth (a lighterweight cloth than the woven roving). The mat was laid first and thoroughly saturated with resin and then the cloth was laid on top with the mat still wet.

Here I am sanding (again) the hull - notice the long sleeves, gloves, hat, and mask, all in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the itches.

By squeegeeing the cloth onto the mat, any excess resin was soaked up by the cloth to make a very solid double layer. I had to work with small sections to complete this process before the resin hardened, however, it worked very well and I was able to quickly build up the fiberglass thickness, especially in the bilge. Next, I considered molding lead for the ballast, however, I decided it would be easier to use lead ingots instead. I bought 10 - 100 pound ingots that looked like large bricks with interlocking ends. These were placed in the bilge and then filled in with cement. Finally, the ballast was covered with more fiberglass to securely enclose it so it could never move. I think I ended up with about 1200 pounds of internal ballast. This completed my hull, about the time I graduated from college. I got my first job working on the Hubble Space Telescope at the Perkin-Elmer Corporation in Danbury, CT. I paid a few hundred dollars to Orville Mill of Lakeview Boat Haulers to move the hull to Connecticut for the next phase of the project - the deck.

The partially completed hull after removing the mold and rolling it over. My son says I was a lot thinner then!

This is the first in a series of articles about the construction of a Flicka from from the ground up. Adding Another Room to By Tom Davison Since 1985, Richard Shepperd has been sailing BEN MAIN, Jr. (Pacific Seacraft Flicka # 315) out of Sutton’s Bay Marina in Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan). He is the second owner of this Flicka which was ordered new from the factory and sailed on Lake Michigan by Ben Main. Richard Sheperd was been aboard this Flicka since its arrival in Michigan. Two years later, he purchased the yet to be named Flicka from Ben Main’s widow and named her BEN MAIN, Jr. in tribute to the original owner. Looking up and down the docks of the marina, almost all of the other sailboats here are marconi sloops. The exception to this observation is the Bristol Channel Cutter that is berthed almost directly across from BEN MAIN, Jr.

BEN MAIN, JR’s. dodger / bimini / side curtain enclosure adds a considerable amount of living space. The grey sunbrella matches the hull of this classic little yacht.

The grey hull color is something you don’t often find on a sailboat. Bruce Bingham couldn’t recall hearing of another one. The gold scroll-work and matching cove stripe stand in contrast to the hull color. As one of the eight Pacific Seacraft Flickas that were built with a gaff rig, this sailboat doesn’t share its sail plan with most of her class. This Flicka is really a gaff rig with a stays’l and roller furling 120% genoa. The varnished wood mast and boom stand out in the forest of aluminum masts that line the docks. All of the lines are lead aft to the cockpit, eliminating the need to go forward for sail adjustments or changes. To help balance the gaff-rig, Richard has added a small trim tab to the aft edge of the rudder and uses it to overcome any sail imbalance. Interesting enough, the sail reduction chart contained in The Sail-maker’s Apprentice by Emiliano Marino recommends a trim tab for the

The wooden mast, gaff, and boom rest in the lazy jacks and clear the top of the bimini. The sails are already stored for the end of the season and the boat is being readied for indoor winter storage. Volume 5, Number 3

s/v BEN MAIN Jr. primary helm trim for gaff rigs. Richard developed a single cable system that pushes and pulls. The cable is really a short motor boat steering cable. The control end of the cable is run to a brass plate located on top of the tiller. Loosening a single wing nut allows the trim tab to be adjusted. His Flicka is one of only eight built by Pacific Seacraft with gaff rigs and may well be the only grey Flicka out there. Bruce Bingham couldn’t recall another one. BEN MAIN, Jr. is equipped with a dodger, bimini, and with side and aft curtains that enclose the entire cockpit. It adds another room to the boat. (This is the subject of a future article).

Like many other Flickas, the name is located on the aft quarter rather than on the transom. A small star adds to the finish of the bow sprit.

Richard has a matching Trinka dinghy named LITTLE BEN. It has matching hull, waterline, and bottom paint colors. It currently has air bladders known as Dinghy Dogs located along the gunnels, improving the stability and buoyancy. The dingy is often used to reach his “other” sailboat, a Sea Pearl tri-marran that is located out in the bay on a mooring. Richard says this little sailboat can reach fifteen knots if sailed in a good wind. A number of years ago, Richard and BEN MAIN, Jr. were the topic of a locally produced television show about small boats. They featured a story about his Flicka and another story about his Sea Pearl. Sailing BEN MAIN Jr. is a joy. The trim tab gets some use when only a main sail is flown. Unfurling the 120% genoa easily balances this classic Flicka and makes sailing easy.

When sailing with a main and no head sail, Richard created a trim tab that helps balance the tiller. A single solid cable pushes and pulls the trim tab as required.

Regretfully, Richard may be selling his beloved Flicka next spring because of health concerns. He is often described by many of the boaters and marina workers as a very nice guy. I hope that he and his Flicka will again be one of the familiar faces and boats in the harbor this summer. Flicka Friends - Fall - 2000

Dennis has been very busy this summer. After retiring last spring, he traveled to Puget Sound to help with his son’s charter business. While there, he put his Illinois house on the market and began building another one. By fall, he was moving into an apartment, getting his daughter off to college and sorting everything else for the move west. In another year or so, the family will relocate to the Seattle area.

In Michigan, several feet of snow blanket much of the state. The water is beginning to freeze along the shore of Lake Michigan with temperatures falling below zero and summer seems distant. This issue and the previous one are the largest issues of Flicka Friends so far. It is great to be able to print issues this big and I’d like to continue if at all possible. Thanks again to all of the people who have taken the time to send an article or photo to me.

I sail s/v HOTSPUR (Flicka #386, formerly “SENIOR FROG”) on San Francisco Bay. I have done a fair amount of short-handed sailing (Single-handed Transpac, Double-handed and Crewed Pacific Cups) and wanted a strong, small cruising boat with trailering capability, low draft for rivers, canals and shallow anchorages, and an ocean pedigree. I had always admired the Flicka and found mine through California Cruising Yachts in Alameda (who did an excellent job as the broker and act as a hub for Pacific Seacraft sailors in our area). My previous racing boat had a radar that I took with me when I sold it and I decided to mount the radar on the Flicka. I know that a number of Flicka’s have radar but I had not seen a specific article so I decided to recap my installation as a possible solution for other skippers. Bob Sansone, a great sailor, medical doctor and boatwright (what a combination!) helped enormously on the planning and installation. As you can see in the photos, the Furuno 1621 Mark II Radar is mounted on an Edson Standard Radar Mast with an Edson Basic Radar Platform and an Edson cockpit flood light. The low-end radars in general have small radomes, small LCD displays and low power consumption and are also the least expensive! The radar mast is mounted on an Edson Pivoting Mast Mount so it can be stored for trailering or for low bridges with about three minute’s effort. The decision for a mast mounted, backstay mounted or tower mounted radar is a series of tradeoffs. I like the idea of a tower mount, particularly on canals or rivers, so that the radar can be used independently of the mast being up. Also, the windage aloft is reduced and the installation is a little easier. But I can also understand the approach for a mastmounted radar including lower overall weight and greater radome transmission visibility.

The radar was installed on an Edson post located on the starboard side of the cockpit and is supported by the aft pulpit.

The picture shows the base of the Radome support post and the watertight electrical connections. The wires run forward to the display located just inside the cockpit. Volume 5, Number 3

s/v HOTSPUR, # 386 One aspect of a tower mount is the decision of what height to mount the radar. Each radar will have an angle of transmission that must be taken into consideration. Ideally, the higher the mast, the better the installation but there are real world tradeoffs. Since the Flicka is initially tender, a taller mast increases the weight aloft in terms of absolute weight and position. Also, a taller mast needs greater support. I have the mast relatively low but at a height that still keeps the heads of crew out of the radiation near the radome. Equally, we feel that while the radar is on, the crew will be in the cockpit or below, probably seated or the radar will be off or in standby mode. These are all tradeoffs that each owner needs to take into consideration.

The picture shows the swivel mount for the LCD display. The pivot arm is mounted very close to the companionway bulkhead with just enough room to adjust the arm.

The picture shows the backing plate for the LCD mount. The cable routing into the locker just behind the head. The excess cable is coiled there next to the holding tank hoses.

We mounted the radar on the starboard side because of ease of cable routing and battery connection. The radar tower is near the stern ladder but doesn’t really interfere with the ladder’s infrequent use. The tower is outboard and aft of the split backstay so it doesn’t interfere with the mainsheet or tiller. We mounted the mast pivot abeam vs. fore and aft. We preferred a fore and aft orientation but the possible locations and hull curvature made this installation preferable. Edson provides a backing plate for the pivot fitting. You will probably need a deep socket to tighten the nuts as well as a socket extension. To drop the radar mast, disconnect the pulpit supports (necessary in any case) and pull the pivot pin and lay the mast down. Be sure to allow enough slack in the cable before the deck connectors. CableClam connectors were used as through-deck fittings (Blue Sea Systems and available from West Marine). There are two connectors: one for the radar and one for the deck floodlight. It is possible to use one connector but it won’t be as water-proof. Leave a little slack underneath the deck as well as enough slack above deck to lay the mast down. The deck floodlight has a separate watertight switch. Please add my name to the Flicka Friends and those who are interested in the Flicka, a Bruce P. Bingham design. Your name will not be given to any other publication at any time. This newsletter is not for profit. Any fees collected will be used to produce and distribute the newsletter. To start a subscription, make a $10.00 check payable to Flicka Friends or Dennis Pratt and send to the address on the bottom of this page. The date after your name on the label is the expiration date of your current subscription. Thank you all very much. NAME

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Do you own a Flicka? YES NO Year: _________ Bingham / Nor’Star / Pacific Seacraft Hull Number: _________ Boat Name __________________________ Home Port ______________________ Rig : ________________ Fractionnal / Marconin / Gaff / Cutter / Other Interior: ________________ Open / Enclosed Head / Custom Engine: ________________ Inboard Diesel / Outboard Hull Color: ________________ All Rights Reserved

Dennis Pratt Flicka Friends 8537 N. Milwaukee Ave., 2-West Niles, IL 60714-1909