tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52598241760546993762024-02-19T06:36:13.955-05:00Alaska Mike: Boats & FishingA journal of the construction of several boats, various fishing activities, as well as musings related to the subject.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-51416619520996033132012-01-23T13:23:00.000-05:002012-01-23T13:23:40.575-05:00Gone FishingI took my sun out fishing for a short while Sunday morning... short, because it was less than pleasant... that is, it was freezing... low 40's & windy. Did get a chance to cast a few times, but it wasn't much fun. We'll try again in a week or two if it warms up.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-22909303451933192402012-01-12T12:20:00.001-05:002012-01-12T12:20:36.174-05:00A change of titleYes, I've changed the title of this blog to include more than just boats. Unfortunately, at certain times of the year I get away from boat building... and winter turns out to be one of those times. I'll get back to it in a few months, but for now, the fever is off.<br />
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<br />
Instead, let's talk fishing, since the two are not mutually exclusive.<br />
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Last Sunday, I took my boy to the local Fishing Expo down at the fairgrounds. He's been bugging me to take him fishing, so I figured I should get some gear. Haven't been fishing for years... OK, decades, and while I was never into fishing as much as some people (for instance, my sister), I enjoyed it on occasion. Also went an signed up for a fishing water (freshwater only).<br />
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Needless to say, I was unsurprised at my ability to spend close to $100 on tackle... and I didn't get much beyond the bare necessities. Since I've no experience fishing the local water, we'll have to see if I guessed right as far as the types of lures and such goes. Hoping to get out in a week or so on one of the local ponds.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-91284732176750794982011-08-22T12:47:00.001-04:002011-08-23T08:44:19.227-04:00Working on my sun burn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NtVlNKt2TETpsnUps_dV-8LHq0cabVPEjzm033k8hBPZ5UStmPR7NCOZw8vYkIM0S-RnTcfQT7o6fwi3tgxxnYrR3hyphenhyphenokf3GmCQj93KoV0E4OoShRRtPxq_lnGHOnhtNn_FHk_k7AUY4/s1600/Bran+Sail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NtVlNKt2TETpsnUps_dV-8LHq0cabVPEjzm033k8hBPZ5UStmPR7NCOZw8vYkIM0S-RnTcfQT7o6fwi3tgxxnYrR3hyphenhyphenokf3GmCQj93KoV0E4OoShRRtPxq_lnGHOnhtNn_FHk_k7AUY4/s200/Bran+Sail.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>OK post isn't about my boat plans exactly... I took my boy down to Bond Park for the little sailing class they offer. We spent a few hours out on the water playing around on little sunfish. The idea was to familiarize him (and re-familiarize myself) with small sailboat handling, preparing the way for the day that I actually get my boat in the water. Lots of fun.<br />
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And yes, it has got me thinking about the boats in my future. I'm thinking now to forgo building the Tango in favor of the smaller <a href="http://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboat/gl14.html">Glen-L 14 sloop</a>. No cabin, but plenty of seating. It will fit in the garage, take less time, and overall cost about half as much (or less) than the Tango. Still want to build the larger boat(s), but I can determine what, if any, later. Come to think of it, this takes me back to my earlier plans.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-1479326545599322432011-07-26T10:28:00.002-04:002011-07-27T08:12:48.432-04:00ConsiderationsI posted my thoughts on shortening the Tango a foot on the <a href="http://www.glen-l.com/phpBB2/index.php">Glen-L forum</a>, and only received one response, that recommended against it. I did an engineering analysis (regarding balancing the boat) and concluded that I <b>could</b> shorten the boat by chopping a foot off the back, where it wasn't in the water anyway (I'd have to mount the rudder on some sort of post so it would provide the same leverage as before). However....<br />
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On second (or is it third?) thought, it really is probably better NOT to mess with a successful design. So I am left with the conundrum of how to fit an 18'-6" boat into an 18'-0" space. I thought about it a bit, and concluded that the boat only needs to have the 18'-6" while the hull is upside down. Once the boat is righted, the bow could overhang the workbench I mentioned (yes, I'd have to build the supporting cradle a little higher than I otherwise would, but this was entirely doable). For those months (about 10 by my estimate) that I needed the extra space, I could use the other side of the garage (the one my wife usually parks in), and let her park on the shortened side. Since she drives a <a href="http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/echo/">Toyota Echo</a>, the length doesn't matter to her. The only time when I would need BOTH sides of the garage would be a very short (< 2 weeks) period while I actually shifted the completed hull onto the cradle.<br />
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Of course, this is still not an ideal solution. HER side has a freezer that will have to be moved. Putting a boat there will also make getting to the door to the house a pain. But it is doable, and that's what its all about.<br />
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As far as the 8Ball build goes... delay delay delay. Money and Time. I've just about finished off the various work on my honey-do list (see my <a href="http://pam-n-mikes-house.blogspot.com/">House blog</a>), but the bank account needs a break. I figure I can buy a couple of sheets of marine plywood in August (19th?), by which time I should also have the garage cleaned up (see House blog re: Shed).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-43075017676250014182011-07-14T13:21:00.000-04:002011-07-14T13:21:59.769-04:00Maybe not quite THAT big...Ok, I remeasured the garage. <br />
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The total length of the garage is almost exactly 20'. Width isn't a consideration, but if I take up too much such that my wife can't park her car inside, it is a non-starter. Unfortunately, earlier this year I built a really nice work bench on my side, shortening the usable length by 2'. So any build can be no longer that 18'.<br />
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This doesn't preclude building a Tango. I will just have to modify the build to make the hull length shorter than 18'. I'll just shorten the build by 1' (17' - 6"). This is easily within the 10% allowable. It won't affect the boat much... and the difference will mostly come out of the cockpit. Cabin space should be unaffected.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-36851175535095273982011-07-12T14:10:00.002-04:002011-07-12T14:14:41.648-04:00Getting Antsy... Gotta Go BiggerI'm getting frustrated having to wait to resume working on my sailing dingy (<a href="http://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboat/8ball.html">8-ball</a>). I started thinking (again) about what I'll be doing next year, and I (once again) changed my mind as to my next boat.<br />
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Last time I posted, I was planning to move on to the 15' Glen-L <a href="http://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboat/minuet.html">Minuet</a>, which would easily fit in my garage, with plenty of space to work. The only problem is that it would easily fit in the garage, and didn't really have enough room for me inside. The ideal solution would be to move onto a boat like the 36' Glen-L <a href="http://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboat2/gl36.html">Delphine</a>, like I still hope to tackle some day... but as I've mentioned before... that ain't gonna happen anytime soon.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">So instead, I'm thinking that I should go back to my ORIGINAL idea, and build a 18<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">½' Glen-L <a href="http://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboat/tango.html">Tango</a>. Yes, it will still fit in the garage... barely. I will have to evict my wife's car to the other side (the side shortened by 2 feet by my tool bench) for part of the build, and I'll have to rig up a larger rolling platform to drag the beast outside any time I actually want to work on it. The advantage is that there is actually room inside the cabin.... an extra 11" of headroom over the Minuet, and a similar increase in beam and cabin length. Plus, this thing will be quite a bit more sea worthy, in case I ever decide to take it out to the coast. The fact that it provides an extra 600# of displacement (call it 400# of usable load) is a bonus. Sure, the price tag is another $4 - $5 K, but I should be able to live with that, since the build time is similar (~3 years).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Either way, it will be 9 months or so before I would be ordering plans. Stay tuned as I birth this idea.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-16884444578653708752011-07-08T12:59:00.000-04:002011-07-08T12:59:06.832-04:00Tic Tic Tic...<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two weeks before I can start back on the boat.</span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">As you will read (if you follow my other blogs), I am almost done with my other summer projec</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">ts. In 14 days (next payday), I will have no excuse not to run down to the lumber yard and buy two pieces of marine plywood. Actual construction time for the 8Ball should run me about two months.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-53784860094261805472011-06-07T15:45:00.000-04:002011-06-07T15:45:19.630-04:00Change of Plans... Again<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I know. I'm as bad as a kid trying to decide what he should get for Christmas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Looking through the list of available sailboat designs, I've once again changed my mind about my "ultimate sailboat". I've now set my sights on the Glen-L 36 "Delphin", a central cock-pit, molded plywood design that will provide a lot more sea-worthiness than the Francis Drake (27), while not being quite so overwhelming as the Starpath (44). Admittedly there's no way I can even consider building this vessel while I'm living in the Raleigh area (pending winning the lottery), but a guy's gotta dream.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Still have my sites set to continue work on the 7' - 10" Eight Ball (tentatively named "Drifter") effective July 16th. But this is always subject to change, depending on the Honey-Do list.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-85839608771407307952011-05-09T14:25:00.001-04:002011-06-07T11:17:21.180-04:00Working through the Honey-Do List<span style="font-size: large;">I'm slowly working through the Honey-Do list. See my other BLOG for details.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Did I mention? This weekend is the <a href="http://toastmasters-nc.org/conference">Toastmasters District 37 Spring Conference</a>, hosted right here in Cary, NC. Since it jumps all over the State, I figured I'd better jump on it while it was so close to home.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I really do want to get back to working on my boat... certainly no later than the 4th of July weekend. Even with the major slippage in my schedule, I hope to have the work done by October. This will give me a couple of weekends to throw it in the water before putting it away for the Winter.</span><br />
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-65629334368019158322011-04-18T11:21:00.002-04:002011-06-07T11:19:20.563-04:00Wondering Where I am?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, its been a while since I've posted... and it will probably be a while yet before I have time to do any more work on the boat. Real Life has intruded, and I've got a few other projects (via "honey-do" list) that jumped the line:</span></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Back yard patio</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Reset back yard drainage line </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Painting two rooms & outside railing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Garage shelving (this will actually benefit the boat project)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Garden shed (more junk out of the garage!)</span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've set up a separate blog to talk about that stuff. If you're interested, check it out there.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></ul><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am hoping that I can get back to working on the boat in June... I'll be lucky to finish it before it gets cold again.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-6426496430823927002011-03-13T18:27:00.001-04:002011-04-18T11:24:55.403-04:00Sawed Some Wood<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">No, I did not take a nap. Set up the table saw with a 1" offset and ripped three strips off of my mahogany. Looks good.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr16m43JfEz1LjIUSfM9ywupOikotgnPU1JGmNgQcC0a8rNb_zolSBNkWt_qcvwhF9KBmb-eTXgOz4gSxwg9UlnHgfpx4hHmPJwOFPL246PDwwsJuW4lS6_P6V0pez02xyPfaVvgxLquV/s1600/Mahogany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr16m43JfEz1LjIUSfM9ywupOikotgnPU1JGmNgQcC0a8rNb_zolSBNkWt_qcvwhF9KBmb-eTXgOz4gSxwg9UlnHgfpx4hHmPJwOFPL246PDwwsJuW4lS6_P6V0pez02xyPfaVvgxLquV/s400/Mahogany.jpg" width="298" /></a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-89439317363381553052011-03-13T11:38:00.000-04:002011-03-13T11:38:55.884-04:00Honeydo First<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Friday afternoon I went over to <a href="http://www.capitolcitylumber.com/">Capitol City Lumber</a></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">to pick up my mahogany. Three eight foot boards of 3/4" thick lumber six inches wide... $120. Brought it home and brought it into the garage... and there it sits, two days later. The honey-do list caught up with me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I did take a few minutes yesterday to cut the mast sections. Angle slices at the ends of the 1x2 Aspen at about a 5:1 taper. I could mix up some epoxy and glue them together today, but I rethought it, and decided that I should wait and catch it when I have a bigger batch of epoxy mixed to glue up my frames... hopefully next week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today... maybe I'll be able to cut the mahogany frame sections. Most of it is 1" wide strips, with some 2" or 2-1/2" elements. The stuff that isn't 1" I'll just trace off of the template. That's assuming I can finish up the honey-do's... </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-69088567382857793602011-03-09T22:05:00.002-05:002011-03-09T22:05:40.899-05:00Epoxy In<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Received my package of epoxy. Ready to go this weekend on the mast.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-1641466420950124752011-03-06T20:04:00.002-05:002011-03-13T11:40:50.566-04:00Finished Frame Cutouts<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I did. Used up the remaining section of 1/2" ply too. I know that Frame 3 and the Seat Sections (4) were originally intended to be cut out of 1/4" ply, but what the hey. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm set up for next week's work too. I expect to get my epoxy in the mail sometime in the next few days... so next week will see me working on the mast. I came up with a rig on the table saw to allow me to cut narrow angles on the mast lumber. Two quick cuts will let me splice the 8' and 6' sections. I should have the entire mast blank glued up by Sunday.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nothing going on after that until the following week's pay check hits.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-12728127145063433542011-03-01T23:05:00.003-05:002011-03-13T11:43:25.248-04:00Getting Into Gear<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Actually feel a sense of accomplishment tonight. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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That hoist that I've been fiddling with for the last few days finally came together. I added the last pulley (for a total of 5), restrung it with rope, and up it went! Slick as could be. Only changes I made was to put a length of split hose along one end of the platform where it rubbed against the wall. The thing doesn't want to come down once its up without encouragement, but I can live with that. I still need to add a couple of cleats to coil the pull rope on when the hoist is in the up position, but that will have to wait until they come in the mail from Glen-L this week. Here is a series of 6 shots showing the system in operation.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxnZH72HzeNEulpsF4NDEeReIg8GezaS3D4uIqZneWc5DQUHRTG9J2PHOPOvq6lPEmSSW1r5xZmUBlQBiytGvaTam_jfgA9iOiVCoJD9IgYMkMAgACYlTA8fslFGKRJF_Tb2tWnCYGABW/s1600/Hoist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxnZH72HzeNEulpsF4NDEeReIg8GezaS3D4uIqZneWc5DQUHRTG9J2PHOPOvq6lPEmSSW1r5xZmUBlQBiytGvaTam_jfgA9iOiVCoJD9IgYMkMAgACYlTA8fslFGKRJF_Tb2tWnCYGABW/s400/Hoist.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And as the guy on the infomercial says, "and that's not all!" When I was at Lowes picking up the pulley (and some more rope!!), I decided to pick up some wood to make the mast and boom with. The problem is that the specs call for a 13' 2"x2" Sitka Spruce mast as a blank. Just about impossible to get out here. So I started looking at what was available. Yes, I could do better at Capital City Lumber, but I figured that the mast wasn't that critical. So...</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">White pine.... uh uh. The 1"x2" looked like crap, and I'd already decided that I'd splice the out of shorter lengths of 1"x2", with offset angle splices for maximum strength. But not white pine. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The red oak looked nice, but I know that its sucky for marine uses. Yellow pine MIGHT work, but I didn't really like the boards they had in stock. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fortunately, I found one more species of lumber at Lowes... Aspen. Decent strength, and nice clean boards, even in the 1"x2" stock. Picked up 2 8' boards, and 3 6' boards. That should give me enough for both the mast and boom.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now the plan for the mast.... First, I'm going to splice the 8' and 6' sections into two 13' pieces. Then, the two sections are slapped together and clamped to make the mast blank. There is additional shaping to give the mast a taper, but that is later...</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Got my work lined up for this weekend, but I'm really looking forward to the day I can put in my next order for lumber and epoxy to really get started on this job.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-83780394484879658902011-02-28T23:29:00.001-05:002011-02-28T23:31:36.072-05:00Slow progress<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ok, so things aren't going as smooth as I'd hoped. Still, its better than I'd feared...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was looking at the plans for the 8-Ball framing, and see that the bow panel is shown as being cut from 1/4" ply in two sections. This is to allow the section to be cut from scrap from the side planking. I've decided to use some of the remaining 1/2" ply instead, which I've got plenty of, allowing me to cut it as one piece, and not have to assemble it. I know that this means it won't be marine plywood (as the 1/4" would have been), but then again, neither was the stern section. C'est la vie. I'll make it work, and since the whole thing will be encapsulated and glassed, it shouldn't matter.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the work platform hoist: I've taken another stab at it, but thought it through some more and redesigned (again!!!). Tomorrow, I need to get another pulley (just one more!), and re-rig the system so that there are four lines coming off of the platform hook (two pulleys attached to the hook), leading to two more pulleys and an anchor on the wall. The loose end won't have any pulleys (other than leaders). If I can ever get the thing finished, I'll snap some pictures of the hoist in action. Of course, it won't be finished until the 3" nylon cleats I ordered get in. Only need one for this project, but I figure I'll need some for the 8-Ball when its complete.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-36304471391468777522011-02-27T12:55:00.001-05:002011-02-28T08:03:04.297-05:00Cutting Up<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cutting up the first sheet of plywood into frame elements went really fast. About 45 minutes, including sweeping up the saw dust and scraps. Here is the result:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnRYG6Ro1VZf6w3cQZ6rw5x3JrR2e6-P1K6eQMOKIz7lpDN63HlMgRpGTv_qg4cmBnjmqVer5wtqXh1CI_tWk9oU_ou6cwrZC9_ZL_-jVB8H9ub2txix2kvY7bpTTmTtskD9BjJrto7jt/s1600/First+Frames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnRYG6Ro1VZf6w3cQZ6rw5x3JrR2e6-P1K6eQMOKIz7lpDN63HlMgRpGTv_qg4cmBnjmqVer5wtqXh1CI_tWk9oU_ou6cwrZC9_ZL_-jVB8H9ub2txix2kvY7bpTTmTtskD9BjJrto7jt/s320/First+Frames.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not so successful was my first test of the work platform hoist. Stupid me forgot that that thing is heavy... probably about 80 lbs. That results in about 50-60 lbs of pull in the rope to get the thing off the ground, which is more than I want. Its back to the store this after noon to get a couple more pulleys and some various other hardware to re-rig the hoist with some extra leverage. I figure that I can get the required tension at the human end down to about 20 lbs. </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-63909160654788936962011-02-26T14:51:00.001-05:002011-02-26T14:53:33.570-05:00Drawing Practice<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This weekend is a little warmer than it has been, so I finally got out into the garage and started work on the boat. Yes, it was warm last week, but I had too many things on the honey-do list. Got enough of those off the list now that I can spend a few hours working on MIKE'S PROJECT LIST. Thus the boat.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Actually got two small boat-related tasks started today. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First, I mounted two hooks on the wall, and strung a rope with assorted pulleys to act as a hoist to pull my work platform up against the wall and out of the way when not in use. It isn't done yet, since I have a 3" boat cleat on order to tie things to when not in use. I think I may need to buy a longer piece of rope though, since the 20' section of 3/8" nylon braid may be a little short when the platform is in the full down position. I'll post a picture when I've got the cleat installed and the correct size rope.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On the boat itself, I finally marked frame elements on the piece of 19/32 A/C ply that's been sitting in the garage for the last two months. Since the plan called for a 3' x 8', and it comes in 4' x 8', I've got lots of extra. I decided to use some of the extra to make a couple of the small braces that the plans call for in 1/4"ply. Since I plan that plywood to be marine grade, and these are inside components, I figure I'll reserve as much of that for other uses as I can.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tomorrow, I'll be cutting out the frames I just finished marking out. Again, pictures to follow.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-16546584726598134332011-02-16T15:37:00.000-05:002011-02-16T15:37:56.325-05:00Keeping Interest UpNot exactly on topic, but I thought I'd record it here. Just enrolled in the Coast Guard Auxiliary Boating Skills & Seamanship course being offered over at Bond Lake Community Center here in Cary. Yes, I took the same course back in the early 90's, but it doesn't hurt to take it again. I'd also like to take the Sailing Skills & Seamanship course, but unfortunately it is at a different location at the same time. Maybe next year...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-52438356007295438132011-02-14T09:37:00.001-05:002011-02-14T09:39:41.194-05:00Coming Outof the Deep FreezeOK, it never really got THAT cold here in central North Carolina, but I've lost a lot of my motivation for going out in the cold. Yes, I could have worked on the boat this last weekend, since it was in the 60s during the day. Unfortunately, there were those darn chores...<br />
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Anyway, the delay is inevitable, since Pam says I can spend money yet. I'm just to the point I need to buy epoxy and a 16' mahogany board. That's about $150 out of pocket. Not going to happen before mid March. So I've got lots of time to finish the stuff that goes before that. Hoping to finish cutting up the plywood frames over the next two weekends, but there's no rush.<br />
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Did I mention my thoughts on what to build (next) have changed? I've decided to scrap the Three Amigos in favor of the Travelers:<br />
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7' 10" <a href="http://www.boatdesigns.com/8-Eight-Ball-sailing-dinghy/products/435/">8-Ball </a> DRIFTER<br />
15' <a href="http://www.boatdesigns.com/15-Minuet-overnight-sloop/products/459/">Minuet </a> NOMAD<br />
29' <a href="http://www.boatdesigns.com/29-Francis-Drake-world-cruising-sailboat/products/424/">Francis Drake</a> VAGABOND<br />
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You will notice that the boat I previously called "Dusty Bottoms" is now "Drifter". Same design. I've still continued with the proportionate size increase, except now the proportion is 1.92. I could continue this sequence one more size to the <a href="http://www.boatdesigns.com/55-Lodestar-steel-cruising-sailboat/products/457/">55' LodeStar</a>, but that is more boat than I could ever want. However, if I was to build such a boat, I would name it WANDERER. <br />
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Anyway, had considered the Minuet before since it was small enough to easily fit in the garage, while still providing a small cabin for overnight trips. I was shying away from the small cabin in favor of the larger one of the Glen-L 25 because it would allow me to be more comfortable, but there's no way I could build the larger boat any time soon. I figure that I could build the NOMAD starting next year, with a completion date sometime in late 2013 or early 2014.<br />
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And the Francis Drake? Hey, it would be nice to have a larger boat, but I'm realistic. I will probably NOT be doing any around the world voyages, especially since Pam has an aversion to boats that will have to be overcome. I believe that the VAGABOND will provide sufficient capacity if I ever do, and it will be a heck of a lot less expensive than the AMIGOS would have been. I had glanced at this plan before, but had dismissed it since it was a deep keel vessel with a small cockpit. But I've been reconsidering my position on deep keels, and I do like the lines.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-4816317487292019392010-12-31T19:33:00.001-05:002010-12-31T19:34:36.022-05:00Prepping the workspacePardon the mess. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_ymzwuB1jM5_VRZgPZMflzh2l5gtdNi_0DL2nvBj169WZ9fOON-JA_AM2KlJQyXxy6trLnjv1I9XTTNMTWd_aWKiEzuHamYTAPOlSwSB9azssaIGyxReeCK2941Wn9z6lbsxt44sYgkb/s1600/IMG_20101231_160356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_ymzwuB1jM5_VRZgPZMflzh2l5gtdNi_0DL2nvBj169WZ9fOON-JA_AM2KlJQyXxy6trLnjv1I9XTTNMTWd_aWKiEzuHamYTAPOlSwSB9azssaIGyxReeCK2941Wn9z6lbsxt44sYgkb/s320/IMG_20101231_160356.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><br />
See the plan up on the wall? Used to be a cheap bookshelf there. Obviously, the shelves are gone. All the junk that was on it is on the floor next to the workbench. Cleaning follows. Tomorrow I will be tracing out the patterns.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-29145768673736323772010-12-27T17:26:00.000-05:002010-12-27T17:26:48.459-05:00I'm just a cut upWell, actually I decided that it would be easier to handle the templates if they weren't in one huge 3' x 8' piece. I used a pair of scissors to cut the template into four sections... carefully avoiding any sections. OK, so the pieces aren't pretty, but the biggest one is only about 2' x 3', and much easier to handle.<br />
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Although I started tracing the frames on my plywood before Christmas, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=290607&id=100000787523377">the snowstorm that rolled through the day after dropped about 7"</a>, and brought freezing temperatures that discouraged working in the garage. Needless to say, I found plenty of excuses to not finish the job up just yet. But never fear... the prediction is for 60 degrees on New Years, and even if it rains as the forecast says, the Garage will remain dry. I plan to take my newly portable templates back out to the garage, and finish the job in short order. <br />
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And yes, I have already learned something. I also plan to take a straight edge with me, so the lines are straight this time!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-67913766785842093502010-12-23T07:34:00.002-05:002010-12-23T07:37:35.098-05:00I did itStopped at Lowes. Bought plywood. 19/32" BC was the closest I could get to what the specs called for. It looked like A/C, so no complaints. I figure the extra thickness won't hurt.<br />
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Broke out the carbon paper and the plans, and started laying out the first two shapes. Got the rear seat and the rudder. The template for the rear seat was displayed 50%, and needed to be drawn one half at a time. I probably have to touch up the rudder, since the template shows a cutout for the flip-up rudder, and I haven't marked that on the plywood.<br />
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Still, it was an interesting beginning, and now that I've done it I have some observations. The carbon paper that I got from Glen-L came in a sheet 2 feet wide and 16 feet long. This is unwieldy. After trying to maneuver this around intact, I decided to cut it in half, and stored one 8 foot section back in the packaging for later use. The plan was also 8' or so long, but so far I have decided to leave it intact. When I get to the side planking, I may change my mind, but I'd hate to loose a section if I cut it up.<br />
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One final point. Now that I've got the panel for the rear seat marked on the edge of the plywood, I can begin to imagine how large this little boat will be. I know that an 8' dinghy doesn't sound that large, I can sit two people on that seat, side by side (tested with my son and I). It is conceivable that I could load 6 big guys in this little dink. (1200+ lbs shouldn't swamp it). Good to know that I can use it safely with a lesser load.<br />
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Pictures of the panel forthcoming.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-51082882366859702932010-12-22T13:18:00.000-05:002010-12-22T13:18:06.912-05:00I must be crazyOK, I admit it. I can hardly wait to get started on my boat. Even though the weather is about to turn nasty once again, I plan to run over to the hardware store on the way home and buy a sheet of plywood to get started. With any luck, I can get it marked and ready to cut before Christmas. There isn't really a big rush, since I'm only going to be able to buy the really expensive stuff (fiberglassing kit, hardware, and sail) so fast. Regardless of how soon I get started, I won't be able to buy the final gear (the sail) much before May.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5259824176054699376.post-63828050179476764022010-12-17T17:27:00.001-05:002010-12-17T17:27:48.501-05:00Aw NutsActually, I should say "Aw screws!" My Bronze screws came today, courtesy of UPS. Not that I can use them just yet.... I plan to go over to Lowes next Thursday (Christmas Eve Eve) to buy a sheet of 1/2" AB Exterior Plywood to use on the framing. That way I can get started laying out some of my work over the holiday, and generally get a jump on the project.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05935898813735054785noreply@blogger.com0