Hi all. Long time, no post. I've been slowly working for most of a year, on a 17-ft Bluefin stitch and glue, by Eric Schade, Shearwater Boats. She's finally done. Actually, I ran the boat in a 12.3 mile local race 6 weeks ago, in bare epoxy, and no hatch covers (float bags in the compartments). Took 3rd place, which suited me just fine.

Weight came in at 42 pounds

I'm not taking her out again until I get thigh braces installed, next week. I felt lost without them. I have tried to do something with minicel, but, the fit is too close to get foam configured to be of any use. I was going to post on here, seeking advice on how to engineer something. Then, I tried a test fit of a brace from my WS Tempest. With some heat and shaping, the WS / Harmony braces will work. I have ordered a set. This will mean 2 more holes through the deck panels, above the sheer, with visible screws/washers. Not a problem for me; I have already used WS / Harmony foot braces and back band, and, I really like having OEM grade fittings on a wood boat. Anathema to many, I know.

Actually, I even acquired a seat pan from a Tempest. But, it was too big to fit the Bluefin. If anyone's interested in buying this piece (from an older T165), let me know. I ended up using one of the pre-dished minicel seat blocks, from Redfish. I like it.

I did some fairing on the hull, which is what led to using Brightside Hatteras White paint, for that part. I'm not a finish guy, and wound up not using Interlux Pre-Kote primer. So, I've got a never-opened quart can that I'd love to sell on for half of the CLC price, if it's legal and not prohibitively expensive for an individual to ship the stuff. Hopefully, someone will advise me on that.

There are a few more beauty shots on my Flickr pages, starting with the one show here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwfloyd/8154502274/in/photostream

Photos from the entire build begin here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwfloyd/6649095671/in/set-72157611497267680