: Hi all.,

: I bought Nick Schades book to get the pattern for the adjustable foot brace
: which I want to put in my CH17. Just how hard has the wood for the rail
: have to be? For example, will douglas fir be okay?

: Will the foot brace stand up to occassional surf (as I live in Oz, there is a
: lot of surf) as per the plan, or will I have to beef up parts of the foot
: brace.

: For any direct emails, remove the no spam from the address above.

: Thanking you,

: John

I've wondered for awhile if using a Yakima track, or, better, a Seal Line track for the Nick/Eric footbrace wouldn't be a good idea. Very strong, proven designs, and you get enough for two boats when you buy a pair. I'm leaning toward the Seal Line since it has the simple fore and aft adjuster built in. If I built a wooden track I'd be tempted to go with ash, but I'd use a simple hauling tackle and cam cleat instead of the elaborate notch-and-rope business, which strikes me as a bit tough to build while not producing superior functionality.

Comments?

--Scott