Hello Guys,

I am still around.....as in I still want to be sailing (preferably a harryproa, especially a bigger one than Sidecar).

Not been posting at all here or anywhere on other sailing forums.

Sold Sidecar to someone in Thailand who hopefully has been able to get some use with it.

No regrets in general, but obviously loads of building mistakes that added long time/money that could have been better spent elsewhere.

Thought I should post here again since it is interesting still and wouldn't mind being an armchair adviser and reminiscing about the good and bad points from the sailing days.

Currently am saving etc not building. Not really up for the effort required to start a new project.

Actually enjoying not having to do more than drive to the beach to go surfing.

But if I was to start a new Harryproa, then it is likely to look like the 40' "camper version" , but not trailerable or foldable. Just cruising in the water full-time.

No real design worries as I had sidecar pretty much doing all it needed to and should be able to scale up.

Mostly things that I never bothered with,like a motor, would take some getting done well.

You could provbably still beach a bigger Harryproa and anchor easily close to shore.

Getting under way was usually pretty easy, you just had to make it so that you pulled the anchor up from close the the lw hull so that it would back away on an angle and you end up the right way round and not "backed".

These are the sort of things you get used to very early in sailing a Harryproa.

I still don't understand how other people's rudders work (eg using 2 down at the same time), I expect I would stay with what worked on Sidecar - which was back down and front up.

Simple. I don't see why that wouldn't stay feasible at larger sizes of boat.

Well, good to see some other people building like the big original one in the Arctic circle. Seems slightly strange there being so few of us still.

Maybe people should try starting smaller as with Elementarry camper. It was a very good small cruiser which could quickly reach the offshore island here called Rottnest, only a few hours from Rockingham.

Accomodations could be made efficient.

I remember getting a bit of spray in the cokpit, though one of the cabin enlargements the blocked that off.

Maybe a bow deflector or skinnier/longer bow would help.

Doug