Any CC owner sailed a Shrimper?

[Dennis]

Hi Black Sheep

That is interesting, you feel that the Shrimper build quality is better? I think that the additional woodwork inside the Shrimper has always made it feel a quality boat, ........ It is amazing what difference a bit of wood makes.

The bizarre thing about the shrimper is that most people go for the 2+2 which is a very impractical layout. ....... The most practical layout is the original two berth with small galley ...... but at a boat show its all about maximum berths and having a loo!

The cape cutter does at least have a more workable layout.

I am with you 100% on this issue. Hence my mods to "Mary Ann", lots of extra wood (cosy) and extendable (width) quarter berths.

See my albums to see what I have done. http://capecutter19association.org/foru ... tureid=514 Work is not finished (yet), I also intend to cover most of the white GRP with carpet.

With regard to sailing a Shrimper, never done it, but I have sailed past a few in the Capecutter. I remember on my Friesland trip last year, the only other British boat we saw was Shrimper No. 809. Sailed past it (in light airs) we doing 4 kts and it about 2 kts. We were flying full mainsail, staysail and yankee at the time. There is a photo in the log I posted. http://capecutter19association.org/foru ... 1354723076

[x-man12345]

I do like the wood work you have done Dennis, very smart.
Will be interested in how you approach the carpet. I have also thought about this. How about access to the deck fixings? Would you put a covered panel?
Keep us updated on this one.
Thanks
Ian

[Dennis]

Hello Ian

Not intending to put it on the cabin ceiling, I am quite happy with the appearance of the (cream) Flowcoat in that location.

I will (attempt) to cover (most) of the white GRP, exposed since I removed the forward vee berth cushions. I will also run it up the hull sides to the underside of my (wooden) forward pocket replacement units.

I have some rubber backed polpropylene carpet which I will try to use. (Sold as "runners" by ALDI).

Can't do anything about it until I get the boat back from Honnor Marine, it has been down there for four weeks awaiting some TLC plus new additional cushions for my quarter berth extensions.

I will post more pics when the job is finished.

[erbster]

Lovely woodwork Dennis.
We have to sleep 4 aboard, so I'll be keeping the v-berth. I do like the wooden side storage units though- what a good idea!

I notice that the tap is not fitted in the pictures. Is that because you took it off whilst you were working on the boat, or do you not use it?

I'm thinking of removing mine, as the water tastes awful. I am wondering whether to fit one of those origo alcohol stoves on gimbals into the worktop instead of the bowl.

What do you do for cooking?

[Dennis]

Hello Charles

Thanks for the comments.

The tap was removed because I removed everything from the boat before I started the work.

I do use the tap, I store the water in the original HM container, but resited in the cupboard under the tap/bowl.

I have no problem with bad taste I reuse one of the carbon filters from my caravan, it is also sited in the cupboard. One year in caravan followed by one year in boat. http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/carava ... ilter.aspx

I moved the water container from under the vee berth after I had some (undetected) spillage which caused mildew to form on all my sail bags which were stored there.

I use a single burner gas stove for cooking (heating the beans and boiling the water )
This is supplemented by a second single burner camping (gas) stove when necessary, usually when the "crew" is on board and she takes charge of cullinary matters.
We usually cook in the cockpit if conditions permit with the two stoves on the cockpit seat.
I often boil water when sailing using the gas stove sited on the starboard cupboard, again conditions permitting.

[Dennis]

Oops!

This thread has strayed!

Sorry

[erbster]

Again, thanks for the tip.
Frustrated. Boat on the water at Porthmadog, but f'cast for w/end not good.
Sorry, what were you saying about thread drift

[SimonW]

Well, I have now sailed both, so thought it might be worth adding my brief conclusions to this thread for anyone asking the question in the future.

Shrimper pros

One less sail
Slightly easier entrance to cabin
A bit more headroom in the cabin?
Much larger class so more events and racing (albeit only really in Poole, Rock or Falmouth)
Inboard if you want it and have 40k to spend..
Larger cockpit storage lockers which can take an engine or liferaft

Shrimper cons

One less sail, so slower in light airs
Much less accommodation and imho - compromised layout
Cockpit large, but smaller footwell and less comfortable to sail
Less fine bow sections so slams more in chop, wash etc
Outboard version offset and difficult to manoeuvre
Less stable/heels more easily
Less balanced under sail.
Drys out on more of an angle due to hull shape.

General

Whilst I have sailed both (the shrimpers more), I didn't do so on the same day, but would make the following general conclusions. The cape cutter has a more comfortable and useable cockpit due to its layout. The outboard layout on the Cape cutter is much better and the boat is much easier to manoeuvre. The rear of the shrimper cockpit is lockers or outboard and the front is the engine box, so very small footwell.

The accommodation is obviously better in the Cape cutter. Build quality is subjective, I wouldn't put one ahead of the other. The Shrimper has more wood inside and extra mouldings, so is perhaps perceived as more finished than the cape cutter, but structurally they are both good. I think Bob could add some of the bulkhead style panelling that Ru88ell has done and perhaps the side shelves that Dennis did and that would have a real impact for not much more effort and weight.

Coming back to sailing I think there is more difference than one might expect. The Cape cutter is noticeably stiffer, part of which will be the use of lead plus the added form stability of the hull shape, which combined with finer bow sections means a faster boat with a smoother more comfortable motion. Its surprising how quickly a shrimper heels in comparison. The Cape Cutter with three sails is very balanced on the wind with virtually no weather helm, whereas the Shrimper loads up more. In performance terms the Cape Cutter feels a bit quicker pretty much everywhere.

The only true comparison I have seen would be the round the lsland race when the Cape Cutters are faster, but not perhaps, by as much as I would have thought. Based on my sails, I would have thought this performance difference to be more and was trying to work out why this would be.

My conclusion comes down to conditions. The only recent comparable races have been windy and once the Cape Cutter loses the ability to fly the Yankee, the sail area of the staysail and the main are the almost the same as the shrimper (actually 17.90sqm CC19 to 18.02sqm Shrimper) so performance gets closer. Obviously we need a lightish round the island to prove that theory, but in a certain windspeed the boats will be closer than in perhaps sub 15knots where the CC19 should be a fair bit quicker.

Overall I found the Cape Cutter a nicer boat to sail as well as being faster but thats just my opinion.