Jim Bristol's first sail in Elver (Lake Superior).

"Mona (ELVER)gets better and better! Why is that? I swear she handles better, inspires more confidence, goes more places, looks better, draws more attention, etc., etc.

"She is a Florida boat! No draft -- WOW --: shrimping at night. Ducking into incredible gunkholes at night. Sleeping snug at night in little canals, etc., etc.

"And now, something else. "She is a tough boat, man! Stout and seaworthy. Tampa Bay: tidal rips, confused 4-6 foot seas, 30-35 knot wind.... Roaring by dredging barges and watching them watch us. Jib and mizzen only.

"And ready, -- 24 statute miles in 4 hours flat! Surfing with a neutral helm! 50% of the time no effort. Then pump -- pull -- and off, down the face of those little breakers. Scared at first -- then, the kids laughing at the small amount of spray and cheering on the surfing.

"Mizzen a great sail. I don't care what anybody says - she works And at anchor, great. No shearing around. Lays like a wind vane. Also, 1st sail up -- boat lays to wind while you work.

"We find the centerboard to be very effective -- we point to 45 to 50 degrees.

"Generally seizings and ropes and all that are terrific. So simple -- and they look great. We used a gold braid Samson line that looks pretty shippy. Many yacht types appreciated the simplicity and ease of repair -- and the low cost.

"One night, sitting on the deck of one fan's 40 footer, I was given the question, 'Now really, how much do you have invested?' I thought for a moment, looked around at the stainless environment and said, 'Actually, including material, extras, and so on - we did the whole expedition -- boat building and cruising this whole summer for a little more than two of your winches, I'd say.'

"I figure about $2,000, give or take, with sails and motor. That includes an elaborate boom tent that converts the cockpit to stand up space.

"Mona (Elver)gave us unique social mobility "- no snobs bothered us. From the biggest to the smallest -- everyone was interested and appreciative. Steve, you deserve to do well with Elver."

-JIM BRISTOL

(Above excerpted from a letter sent in by Jim Bristol, builder of Elver #3. Jim did a truly lovely job on his bright finished mahogany Elver, completing his boat in 3 months, then cruising Lake Superior during the summer of 1981, and Tampa Bay the following winter. Again, adjust material costs for inflation.)

James Munson's Cygnet at the launching ramp

"Dear Steve,

"Enclosed you will find pictures of the good boat CYGNET of Kenai, Alaska. She was launched for the first time on the twentieth of May, 1990.

"It took me a very long time to build her as I only get an average of two days off a month (I'm the director of maintenance for a small airline) but I don't believe that it took any longer than 7-800 hours on the job.

"As you can see, I did not put the hatch in the cabin due to the somewhat cooler climate and high frequency of rain.

"Before building this boat the largest things I've made are bookshelves, mostly of the plank and cinderblock variety. I can't tell you what a pleasure this has been."

Sincerely,

--James Munson

(c) 2003 Stephen Redmond. All Rights Reserved