A wise bearded man once sang "You got to know when to hold em, Know when to fold em, know when to walk away, and know when to run." I think he was talking about cards, but the same thing applies to boat projects.

The outrigger project was born out of a desire for a car top, beach launchable sailing machine to use when I couldn't make it down to St Pete to sail the SJ28. When I purchased the hull and outrigger, I fell into the same trap that many discount store shoppers find. I bought it because it was a good deal. It was more than I needed. Yes, ultimately a faster more capable boat could come of it, but if I just wanted a fast boat, I could have bought one of the many used beach cats out there. I did not stick to all my desires and ended up with a project that would be big and heavy, requiring a trailer. When all was said and done it would take as long to pull it to the site and launch it as it would to drive to the Marina in St Pete. With the size came benefits, but those same benefits overlapped the boat I already own and am happy with!

It got to the point that everytime I looked at the faded blue hull I would feel sick to my stomach. I had all the materials, and a great place to work on it, but it just sat there. I was releaved when business picked up and my partner and I had to clear our toys out of the warehouse to make room for inventory. I posted the project to craig's list and got no takers. So I reposted, "Catamaran Trailer for sale" and in the description informed the buyer that they needed to take the project. A nice guy from Largo came in the next day, he had just bought a Nacra 20. I had actually gotten some interest from others in the project so I gave him their contact info. The next day I got an email from a guy in Clearwater who now had the hulls and is planning on setting it up like a Windrider Tri. It is a great consolation that someone is going to get use out of the hulls.

I did finally hear from someone who knows what a sailbird is. A guy with the handle Cudjoeron contacted me from a post I had made on thebeachcats.com. Turns out he has had one for 20 years and lives in the Keys and he was kind enough to contact me and send pictures. So in the end, I have learned an important lesson, a good deal is only a good deal if you really want what you are getting.I think this Sailbird will be a great boat again for someone who will put it back together in the spirit it was meant to be.

Here is his email to me and photos of what a Sailbird looks like.

Hi Jon,
I have plenty of pics; attached are 4 and I'll send more in another email. I love it down here as the sailing is great, and I have a wonderful bay to sail on plus sailing in Hawk Channel where I can catch the waves to surf on. The sailbird is the perfect boat for sailing in the shallow waters, it is quite fast, but very wet in winds over 15 kts. I am actually wearing it out as I sail it over 20 times a month, and it needs some glass repairs at times. I also modified the sails and upgraded the rig simular to a Flying Dutchman which I had raced for ten years. I do have a trolling motor to get in and out of the canal ; no gas or oil mess ,noise nor smell.
Ron