the Argobuilder; Craftsmanship, Adventure, Enjoying Life!
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      • Making a Large Tapestry Loom
      • Making a Small Hand Loom
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      • Beautiful Handmade Tapestry Beaters
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    • Making Cheese
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    • How to Make Pickled Pike
    • Wisconsin Bluegill Fry
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    • Making Broom-Corn Brooms
    • Making Horsehair Brushes and Brooms
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    • Antique Typewriters >
      • Underwood Standard Portable 3 Bank Typewriter
      • Corona 3 Folder Typewriter Refurbishment
      • Typewriter Platen Replacement
      • Design of Rubber Parts for Antique Typewriters
    • Making an Alphorn
    • Alphorn Gallery
    • Making an Alphorn Bag
    • Viking Lur
  • The Model Maker
    • Making a booknook
    • Krick Alexandra Steam Launch >
      • Assembling Miniature Steam Model Clyde Oscillating Steam Engine
    • Ship Model FD 10 Arnanes Fishing Smack Johanna
    • Artesania Latina, Cargo Ship "Capri"
    • Building a Ship in a Bottle
    • Model of a Disney Water Taxi
    • BlueJacket Optimist Sailboat Model
    • Oseberg Viking Ship Model
    • Making a Cuckoo Clock
    • 3D Print Workshop
    • 3D Printed Object Gallery
  • Tales of Adventure
    • Sailing from Door County to the UP Michigan
    • Sailing Northern Door County
    • Sailing Lake Superior Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
    • Sailing Lake Huron: St.Ignace, Mackinac Island, Les Cheneaux Islands, St Martin Islands
    • From Manitowoc to Algoma and back on a small boat, 2017

The Good Ship Lillyanna

The Lillyanna is a 1981 Compac 16. She was built in Florida, and before my ownership had somehow made it into Mexico and was in Colorado when I bought her. I made numerous modifications to the boat and now use it for family sailing in Wisconsin, as well as for what has become an annual 3 night, four day, adventure on the great lakes with my brother. Below you will see a summary of modifications and photos of the modifications. The Compac 16 is, in my opinion, a fine craft, well above average in sturdiness, stout, well-thought-out, and great for shallow coastal exploration; with the one significant weakness of being a poor pointer into the wind, and a ship that easily yields leeway due to the shallow keel. I love my Compac 16; she is seaworthy, fun to sail, sails well before the wind and on a reach, is great for the family and for adventure, and makes a great little boat for trolling for salmon on the Great Lakes (under wind or gas power).

The photo above is of the Lillyanna at anchor off of Rock Island looking south with Washington Island, the Portes des Mortes passage, and Door Country Wisconsin in the background. We swam ashore and hiked the island.

​Use the information at your own risk, please make safety your first priority, the author does not claim responsibility for the accuracy ​or inaccuracy of information on this site.
​
A fantastic source of information on Compacs, along with a fun online sailing community, may be found at the ComPac Yacht Owners Association forum: http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php

Over the winter of 2016/2017 I added a pilot house to the Lillyanna, including modifications to convert her to a fishing trawler for use on the great lakes trolling for Salmon and Trout.  She has done well in that capacity already, and I think the modifications will make her even better for the purposes I use her for.
LINK TO DETAILED BUILD LOG FOR THE COMPAC 16 PILOT HOUSE MODIFICATIONS
When I bought the boat, well before adding the pilothouse, I made the following modifications prior to Great Lakes Sailing:
  • Storm Jib, 110 jib, and mainsail with a reef. New sails from Rolly Tasker.
  • Home made whisker pole, made from extendable paint roller handle, shown above.
  • Jib halyard and downhaul lines routed with Harken blocks and pulleys to the cockpit.
  • Upgrade of mainsheet blocks and tackle. Stock mainsheet runs through a pad-eye, I added a Harken swivel block, fiddle and camcleat.
  • Stern pulpits, Lifelines and boarding ladder. Lifelines shown above in photo.
  • Two flip-up tether pad-eyes in the cockpit and one fixed pad-eye on the cabin roof that can be clipped to when still in the cockpit
  • Cabin top grab rails
  • Spare fuel storage (two 1.5 Gal tanks)
  • Topping lift
  • Spare lightweight halyard to lift things up the mast
  • Hinges, latch, and seal on the lazarette hatch (stock configuration in 1981 was a bungee cord)
  • Oars and oarlocks
  • Electrical system including Running lights, interior lights, fan, bilge pump, and depth finder
  • Custom wooden bow anchor roller to hold a 11lb Bruce Anchor for quick deployment and a 9lb back-up Danforth on 200ft of anchor rope in the cabin
  • PLB, compass, dividers, protractor, marine radio, charts, GPS, radar reflector, Coast-Guard required safety equipment, first aid kit, heavy weather suit
  • Spare: rope, hardware, bulbs, bungs, fittings, flipper and mask
  • ……and don’t forget a bucket!
  • All the additional detail, and much more information on Compacs, may be found at the Compac Yacht Owners Association website: http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com
Picture
Anchor roller, 11lb Bruce, and bow attachment of lifelines. Lifelines and stern pulpits from hutchins. Installation guidelines at: http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=7349.0
Picture
Cabin-top grab rails. Homemade from teak.
Picture
Stern boarding ladder, from Hutchins
Picture
Pad-eye mounted to the port-side of the mast tabernacle on the cabin top. Used for tethering in when going forward of the mast. 3/4" Oak backing plate on the inside.
Picture
Two flip-up pad-eyes for tether attachment. In the cockpit. For tethering in when in the cockpit area, and positioned such that you can reach the motor and mainsheet controls while staying tethered in. Mounted with 3/4" oak backer blocks.
Picture
Spare fuel storage. Have never used all of it, but like to have it.
Picture
Cruising boots, heavy weather gear, PFD with built in harness/tether attachment point. Shown here reducing sail as the wind picks up in northern Lake Michigan. Water temps in the 50sdegF (and this is mid-summer) so don't go in accidentally.
Picture
Electrical system powered from 12V battery. Cabin light, fan, anchor light, running lights, 12V charger, bilge pump. Marine floating VHF radio.
Picture
Added lazarrette hinges, latch, and seal on the inside
Picture
Oars are fantastic on a boat this size!! and a great safety feature, I know from experience.
Picture
Sailing on a variable gusty day on Pewaukee Lake, Wisconsin. Taking it easy with the family aboard and under reduced-sail.
Copyright 2016 - 2022 www.argobuilder.com ALL photos and writing are by the Argo Builder and his crew, unless noted otherwise. Contact jason@argobuilder.com to request permission to use any writing or images from this site. Thanks. Use the information at your own risk, please ​make safety your first priority, the author does not claim responsibility for the accuracy ​or inaccuracy of any information on this site
  • Home
  • The Shipyard
    • Building SCAMP "ARGO"
    • Compac 16 Pilothouse
    • Building a Kaholo SUP
    • Making a SUP Paddle
    • Ships' Provisions
    • True Seafaring Tales: Book Reviews
    • Nautical Fiction: Book Reviews
    • Seafaring and Boat Building Reference Books
  • The Woods of Arcady
    • Wisconsin Mushroom Hunting
    • Wisconsin Wildflower Photo Gallery
    • Making Apple Cider
    • Making Maple Syrup
    • Building a Stone Arch
    • Making Traditional Wooden Skis
  • The Homestead
    • The Warp and Weft >
      • Making a Large Tapestry Loom
      • Making a Small Hand Loom
      • Weaving Projects for Small Hand Loom
      • Beautiful Handmade Tapestry Beaters
    • The Merry Blacksmith
    • Making Cheese
    • Wooden Cheese Boxes
    • How to Make Pickled Pike
    • Wisconsin Bluegill Fry
    • Making Wooden Spoons by Hand
    • Handmade Wooden Dustpans
    • Making Broom-Corn Brooms
    • Making Horsehair Brushes and Brooms
  • The Muse
    • Poetry
    • Antique Typewriters >
      • Underwood Standard Portable 3 Bank Typewriter
      • Corona 3 Folder Typewriter Refurbishment
      • Typewriter Platen Replacement
      • Design of Rubber Parts for Antique Typewriters
    • Making an Alphorn
    • Alphorn Gallery
    • Making an Alphorn Bag
    • Viking Lur
  • The Model Maker
    • Making a booknook
    • Krick Alexandra Steam Launch >
      • Assembling Miniature Steam Model Clyde Oscillating Steam Engine
    • Ship Model FD 10 Arnanes Fishing Smack Johanna
    • Artesania Latina, Cargo Ship "Capri"
    • Building a Ship in a Bottle
    • Model of a Disney Water Taxi
    • BlueJacket Optimist Sailboat Model
    • Oseberg Viking Ship Model
    • Making a Cuckoo Clock
    • 3D Print Workshop
    • 3D Printed Object Gallery
  • Tales of Adventure
    • Sailing from Door County to the UP Michigan
    • Sailing Northern Door County
    • Sailing Lake Superior Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
    • Sailing Lake Huron: St.Ignace, Mackinac Island, Les Cheneaux Islands, St Martin Islands
    • From Manitowoc to Algoma and back on a small boat, 2017