Hey there! I’m about to pull the trigger on the Jimmy Skiff 2 for my first build. I had a couple of questions about prep and construction before I start and figured this is the right place to ask:
- Am I going to need a strong back, or will it suffice to have a couple of saw horses?
- Is the Jimmy Skiff 2 (with the sailing rig) something that I can transport car-top on my SUV? Or is a trailer basically mandatory?
- What all do I need to do for registering the boat in North Carolina?
- What’s something you wish you knew when you started building your first CLC kit?
Thanks y’all!
I can’t answer all your questions, but… If all goes well, finished, the hull alone on the JS2 is 150lbs. It’s much easier to use a trailer than struggle with that weight overhead, especially with an SUV. Strongback and work tables a must. #4- slow down- there’s no rush. and, a boat that loooks good at 10 ft. sails just as well as one that is micromanaged to perfection. Enjoy
A strongback is not needed. Check out the JSII build class video at https://youtu.be/YSW9A4MbzjI and you’ll see that the boats were built on a pair of sawhorses. A separate workbench to provide additional flat workspace would be very convenient but not absolutely necessary - you can use the floor instead.
The first thing you need to do for registering a homebuilt boat in North Carolina is to type “registering a homebuilt boat in north carolina” into a google search bar. That’ll take you to:
https://www.ncwildlife.gov/boating/registration-and-titling
which then tells you everything you need to know.
I wish I’d known about tacking the joints and removing the stitches before filleting, that 6 or 7 very thin coats of epoxy would need much less sanding than 3 thick ones and that painted boats can have their weave filled with epoxy/microballoon mix and proceed directly to fairing from there (thereby skipping 2/3of the sanding).
Laszlo
I’m kind of glad he asked about the registration. I’ve been trying to find the best state to register my boat in and North Carolina is looking pretty good.
Most states have residency provisions. That is, after 30 to 90 days of operating in their waters you must switch your registration to them. Some states have a cumulative requirement. That is , 3 separate 10 day stays in the state waters trigger the registration requirement.
You can get around that and needing to display registration numbers by registering with the US Coast Guard as a Coast Guard Documented Vessel, but that’s only available for boats of 5 tons or more displacement.
Read the rules carefully and make sure that you understand them.
Laszlo