Hi Jose,

I am trying to catch up on all of the stuff on this site.  Brilliant information and stories.

I also just spotted that your boat is based in Plymouth, but you are in London.  We must get together and share experiences of sailing and fixing.  My boat is actually based near Exeter so you must drive past me to get to Plymouth.

I'll be hopefully launching again at teh end of March. Drop me a line when you next around.

Cheers

Paul

Hi Jose,

Thanks for the call, sorry i missed you. When do you want to sail to Chichester?

Cheers, Rory

OK Jose,

Why don't you email me on - roryandcookie@yahoo.co.uk and see if we can sort out arrangements, etc

Cheers, Rory

hello Jose- I am in CI.  The original artwork is by my son Hugh www.hughrose.co.uk   I am topcoating the starboard hull just now, so he will soon be painting the other side. In a month or two I am shipping the boat to the UK where she will be assembled and launched this summer. Alloy masts are waiting there already. A bientot Ian

Ian 

That´s why the boat is a piece of art... You have left me thinking on several options - is it on vinyl? He painted it on the boat directly? Quite a statement - congrats. 

I might need to ship mine sometime  as well. If you manage to let us know how or who will ship it please do so - will be quite helpful. Congratulations again,

Jose A.  

Jose- Hugh painted it with International (conventional yacht paint) over the International 2pack(4 coats over the boat). The other side will be a different design. We thought a lot about the salt because he would usually use acrylics I think. He has work on Flickr too. I will take another photo soon of the stern area which looks nice (big waves there).

I am shipping because I am moving back to UK. I can shift hulls in two trips with Condor Freight for around £1600 incl my towing vehicle. A bit cold in shed today but still managed paint. A bientot Ian

Jose- I am in Channel Isles. After many years here of hard work in my own business I am leaving because the place has got too pressured and overpopulated. Also I now have a base in France and UK. My business was 7 days a week and I have completed many major projects in that time, but the boat always had to come second (ie not at all).  I sailed a bit, now and again. Ironically, now I have free time and nearly finished the boat I will be sailing in UK and elsewhere I hope, full- time if I want to.

I have got a few building tips for people, but the main one is: don't build a boat without a very good shed, and preferably build in a team so morale and motivation stay high. Another one is to cover right up when using epoxy (ie all over). I started getting reactions to WEST and nearly scrapped the project till I discovered FLAG. I have mostly used a powered airmask which is a must. The building method doesn't suit me at all, as a pro-woodworker. I can't speed it up beyond a certain point; getting a good finish is difficult; and it's mostly unpleasant to work with. Given the number of hours spent building, I could easily have bought 2 boats with my professional rate in that time. However, I still like the Tiki 31 design, which makes it worthwhile. A boat has to be beautiful for me, as well as practical.

What is the origin of your boat? In some ways she looks like Phil le Maitre's Tiki Sunrise which he built here and I have sailed on.

Ian -- Nice job.  I have a 31 as well.  Getting ready to touch up it's paint and raising the water line.  I am dockside in Southern Florida, very tough on wooden boats.  The river is dirty, so the water line needs to be another 4" to keep the hulls looking cleaner. 

I fond of your trailer -- looks like a rather great solution to moving about.  How long is the trailer overall?  I am thinking a pair of them for haul outs would be good for me.  The going fee in my area seems to be based on minimums, $400 each way. 

cheers,

Tiki Thom