The Weekender sailboat is one of the Pocket Yacht series designed by Stevenson Projects (http://www.stevproj.com/) Weekenders, and their bigger brother the Vacationer, are often described as 'a plywood skiff disguised as a Friendship Sloop.' That is a little snippy, in my opinion. A Weekender is what it is: a very small boat that looks friggin' great. It catches the eye. It fires the imagination. It feeds the soul of the lubber trapped in a life on land.

I was shocked - shocked I tells ya - at how well she sailed. There was a small part of me saying she was all show, a paper tiger (or more apropos, painted lady) but no. She sails as good as she looks.

The plans say a finished Weekender should weigh about 550lbs. My Newport 16 weighed in at 900lbs, and I wanted something smaller (and, quite frankly, cuter, too.) On the way to Tahkenitch, the boat and trailer tipped the scales at 950lbs - perfect for towing with my Subaru Forester. The Weekender is light enough for me to push around on the trailer all by myself. - which is very nice.

She is a small boat. She has a small cockpit and a small cabin. She'd be perfect if me and all my passengers were about 4' 6" tall, but as she is, she is fine for one person. Adding another gets things kind of cramped. Again, perfect as I anticipate sailing alone most of the time.

Luottaa means Confidence in Finnish. I can see that. She makes me feel confident. I was asked if she was going to be my permanent boat - wow, what a question. She just might be. She just might.