Kawabunga

[Norm]

Hello All:
I am just finishing the Charles Dewell book, Kawabunga's South Seas Adventure.  It is a worthwhile read in many respects.  First, he and his wife accomplished a cruise of note on a 20 foot Flicka-design sloop and do so with reasonable comfort.  Second, it is remarkable to read about places that are available to cruisers who are willing to skip the typical cruising centers.

Although I was in Tahiti at the same time as he we didn't meet.  He did meet my skipper, Warwick Tompkins, and mentions that.  As I read the story I cannot help but think about how well he portrays the places I knew.  I admire his ability to tell the story.  Writing about a voyage is not such easy work.  Hat's off to Margaret and Charles.

Snow in Boston tomorrow!

Norman

[Frank]

If I remember correctly...he sailed it back too (to windward). Now that's worthy for a flicka ;-).   PS  no 'too bad' on the snow coming comment..it's been snowing for 3 days here at home !!!

[skylark]

I enjoyed that book a lot.  Makes me want a Flicka, for sure.

[Norm]

Yes.  The Flicka is an impressive boat.  Our new boat is a bit longer and weighs the same and has the same amount of ballast.  I think the interior volume must be similar given we have no head room. 

Elizabeth and I are paying close attention to his remarks about stowage, etc.  His book makes the point well that little boats can do the job.  He seems a good sailor/seaman and that counts for a lot.

I am starting the Guzzwell book, Trekka.  Other 20 footers that voyage, Shrimpy and Sopranino, capture my imagination.

I found a source that shows our righting angle as 135 degrees.  I wonder what it is for a Flicka.  He doesn't write of frequent fears of rolling over.  One storm had him worried but the boat took care of him.  The boat knows...

Best,
Norman

[AdriftAtSea]

Norm-

There's a good story on the Flicka, over on the Small Craft Advisor website.  It is about Bruce Bingham and his Flicka.  He is the designer of the Flicka, and based the design on that of some old Newport fishing work boats.

The Flicka has always impressed me as a very solid, if small, bluewater boat.  The thing is built like a tank.  It always amazed me that it had 6' of head room in a boat only 20' LOA.

[CharlieJ]

Good article.

What they do not mention is that the Flicka was originally designed for building in ferro cement. Bingham entered the plans into a Rudder magazine competition for a boat design to be built for under $1000 ( tells you how long ago the contest was  ;D) The Flicka design was the winner.

Jay Benford also had a boat in that contest. A cat boat called Puffin if I recall correctly..

There was in fact at least one Flicka built to that price. That was for the hull and deck of course, NOT fully rigged and ready to go.

As originally designed, the boat was to have a hull 3/8 thick, using welded wire mesh instead of the chicken wire armatures common at the time. High strength, thin hull.

Some time after that, Rudder ran plans for the boat as a model, built as a ferro boat would be built. I started to build one, but got off onto other things and never did it.