Lysander 17′ Sailing Cruiser designed by Percy Blandford

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

With new found building momentum this is the next project, she is double chine this time a first for me, I have a set of full size plans my dad bought at the 1963 Boat Show 🙂 The idea of using a a stock Dragon Force short keel may encourage others who didn’t fancy casting a keel, so here goes !!

Drawing to follow when I find it !!

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Found it !!

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

That’s nice Ray! Swallows & Amazons stuff.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Colin,

Yes absolutely that’s where it all began for me, god bless Authur Ransome.

So many subjects still to be brought back, they were a very popular home build years ago 🙂

Spitfire by Alan Ekford is on the list, Spring 25 is after this one “Howards Way ”

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

I’m am strangely motivated with this build 🙂 a good day yesterday.

The stringers and chine’s are just perfect flowing curve’s almost position themselves.

I better order some sails from Frank at Nylet.

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

You’re embarrassing me even more Ray!

Interesting and a nice little boat. Looks a bit smaller than the Fisherman at 27″. No complication of having a motor though.

Very interested in seeing how it progresses and how you tackle the sail control etc. side of things.

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

One standard servo with an extension arm for the main sheet control using 2 – 1 purchase block to increace travel 100% , self tacking jib on a horse , job done 🙂

It will also have a Seagull Silver Century 5hp outboard on the transom  🙂

Regards Ray

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All.

This is the tricky part !! but I think it will be alright on the night 🙂

Plenty of pins and 1/32″ ply my favourite part of the build .

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

The double chine looks ok I think, yes Tim no blocks on this one 🙂 just following fullsize practice, all the skins were templated with tracing paper to get the shape, now off the board and on her stand, some supports to the keel box and the foredeck beam in place let the fun begin with the top works, new supply of mahogany sheet just arrived from Mantua models so here we go 🙂

Regards Ray

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

Very Nice Ray

Tim

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Excellent progress Ray and looking good. The DF keel was a good choice for this build.

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Each stage is making the this little one more attractive as a plan I think, I never get tired of the small home built designs of the 1960’s 🙂

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I never get tired of the small home built designs of the 1960’s

Spot on Ray, those little boats had so much character and love put into them and the wood construction gave them a ‘warmth’ and cosiness lacking in their GRP successors.

Bit of a nightmare to maintain in our damp wet climate though…. Always in need of TLC.

Colin

 

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Yeah, when I was young I had a fibreglass canoe which was nice and very practical but a friend had one built by his father and was varnished timber and it was beautiful and smelled lovely. I sold mine after a few years but my friend has kept his even though he hasn’t used it for a long time.

Those old self-build boats certainly lend themselves to being scaled down to model boat sizes.

Chris

[James Hill 5Participant @jameshill5]

Hi Ray,

That’s becoming a very attractive boat as the build goes along and, as usual, built to your high build standards.

Had a bit of a rough time lately so my progress is a bit slow. I’ve started fitting out the wheelhouse after making a few fiddly bits and doing some painting.

Ive also changed my phone so I need to learn how to move the pictures to the Forum ,as before.

Regards…….Jim.

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

Hello Ray

Getting better every day!  Are you going to have wooden spars?

It will be interesting to see your float test.  Are you expecting to have to add ballast?

Tim

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hello Jim,

Hope you are feeling bit better now. Post some photos when you can. I’m a bit bogged down with fiddly bits on my liner too – one step at a time.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello Jim,

Wishing you all the best from Maidstone, If you need anything at all, just email me 🙂

Tim,

Yes it will be interesting to see how she floats with the Dragon Force keel !! she is quite broad in the beam so I’m hoping I don’t have to cut the bulb 🙁

Sod’s law my heating has packed up , it works fine in the summer 🙂 engineer’s coming friday !

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Sod’s law my heating has packed up , it works fine in the summer 🙂 engineer’s coming friday !

Snap! Mine packed up Sunday morning. Managed to get our contract engineer out yesterday lunchtime. Error code indicated condensate pump problem so she brought one with her and fitted it. When we bought the replacement warm air system in 2021 it came with a promotional 5 year guarantee instead of the usual 2 so saved a bit of money there. Fortunately we have a powerful conventional gas fire downstairs and an immersion heater in the airing cupboard. There is something to be said for old fashioned systems when it comes to backups! These latest combi boilers with no HW cylinder are a bit of an ‘all eggs in one basket’ setup.

Colin

 

 

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

We used to have a condensing gas boiler & when it got cold enough, below freezing outside, the condensate pipe would freeze up & flood the boiler, despite the pipe being lagged. Solution was, after several engineer visits, a heater cable run along the pipe under the lagging that warmed up when the boiler was running. (Switched off in the summer)

Stephen

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

My maintenance contract engineer is coming on Friday afternoon 🙂

Blow me down this morning the heating came back on !!  It’s obviously doesn’t like Wednesday’s for some reason 🙁

Good news is the fan heater is in the workshop/garage so production not affected 🙂

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3]

On Ray Wood 3 Said:

Hi All,

My maintenance contract engineer is coming on Friday afternoon 🙂

Blow me down this morning the heating came back on !!  It’s obviously doesn’t like Wednesday’s for some reason 🙁

Good news is the fan heater is in the workshop/garage so production not affected 🙂

Regards Ray

Of course it did, so when the engineer arrives he’ll come out with the classic, “Sorry mate I can’t find a fault that isn’t there”, and then leave you with a nice big bill!  Next day it will pack in again!  🙂

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Richard,

He cost’s me £20 a month, so I’d better get it checked out 🙂

I must say Swale Gas are very good 🙂  You know it only seemed like yesterday the boiler was fitted !! But actually 14 years ago 🙂

Regards Ray (back in the warm)

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

Ray has kindly invited me to join this thread.  In maybe a first on the forumas we are teaming up to complete the Lysander and I am going to make the sails.  They will be in white Dacron supplied by Nylet but equally I could make them in tan.  A friend of mine is coming out to Mallorca on the 5th December and bringing me the jib from a Mirror dinghy.  If anyone has some light blue cloth from an Enterprise I would be interested.

I will go through the process of making the sails from start to finish.

Tim

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Lysander is storming ahead 🙂  Now Tim has kindly said he will make me a suit of sails , many thinks Tim

Now at the trimmings stage with plenty of mahogany brightwork to varnish 🙂

Regards Ray

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