Coastal Cruising in a Pathfinder

Cape St. Mary's (August)

2011-12-12T13:29:00.004-03:30

There's one place on this island that I have made many attempts to reach and this summer I finally managed to get there. Cape St. Mary's.

"Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is one of the best and most accessible places in the world to see nesting seabirds." http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/parks/wer/r_csme/index.html

The reason we have been kept from coming here is barely visible in the above picture (left side offshore)
This place is regularly shrouded in fog and even on nice days fog quickly moves in making even walking out here somewhat difficult. Even on this day we were here only an hour and the fog bank moved in and soon visibility was reduced to only a few feet. But not before we got a few pictures...

This ledge and walking area is 1km from the tourist Chalet and this particular spot has no railing and only warning signs regarding the cliffs which plunge hundreds of feet below. If you go here with your kids, hold their hands for everyone's piece of mind.

Well worth the effort to reach this isolated place.

Vacations and gems (August)

2011-12-12T11:45:00.000-03:30

I made no particular plans to travel on my vacation this year but to stay home and just put around the yard and bay. Knowing that there was a stretch of fine weather ahead, me and the missus struck out early one morning to make a run to Brigus, a town I've mentioned before and have sailed out of. However the winds were a no show and not to be denied a boat ride I struck out with the motor running.

It's not a long distance to Brigus and with the flat water it was easy to spot the dolphins, porpoises and the scattered whale.

After an approximate 2 hr run at 5 knots we made the point to turn into the harbor that the town is situated in.

There's very little to call beach area around here so many of the houses along the sides had small roads that lead to the town docks.

The wind picked up a little but since we were only a short distance from the docks and heading straight into the wind, I figured why bother.

Other boats had already been here for some time and had secured some nice berths inside the small island that sits in the harbor.

It's a fairly barren area with only the occasional crop of trees but the town does sit in a nice protected valley and out of the harshest winds.

Now this is a spot to dock your boat for a time, and close to the road.

The goal for the day besides getting to the town of Brigus by lunch time was to get to have lunch here!

http://thecountrycorner.ca/index.htm

The Country Corner Restaurant & Gift shop. Listed in Frommers "where to eat in Canada". Anyone who knows me at all know that I LOVE to eat and love good food. What I like so much about this place is that they have a small menu. Not many items and, no deep fried food. If that disappoints you let me finish. They do have a bunch of relatively simple local dishes with local deserts. But these dishes are to die for! I regularly have the Cod Chowder that is made right in the building (not shipped in frozen then thawed) It's thick with a creamy texture to the broth with lots of chunks of potato, cod and other veggies mixed in. Most importantly to me is the taste, no one item overpowers the chowder and they all blend well to create a taste that I have yet encountered elsewhere on the East coast of Newfoundland. When you have this in their "Lunch Special" you also get a fresh piping hot tea biscuit, and their blueberry crisp served with blueberry ice cream and all covered in blueberry jam. Of course home made and absolutely delicious, but what topped it off literally was what I can only describe as true blue home made blueberry jam. A simple concoction of blueberries, some sugar cooked in a pot to make jam, this then poured over the desert. No apparent additives like thickeners or freeze-dried berries. A tell tale sign of the fresh blue berries is how it quickly turns the ice-cream purple with it's natural dyes... awesome! here's a look at the pictures from their site.

http://www.flickr.com//photos/eaglechickgrey/sets/72157626729656094/show/

Chasing dolphins (August)

2011-12-12T09:54:00.000-03:30

Another day on the water and some decent winds to pull us along. The reefing system works well and I only have to trim some of the excess rope to clean things up. The winds were not strong, just gusty and I'm more comfortable with the sails reefed with my wife aboard so when the gusts come there are no surprises.

This was also the time for the annual recreational food fishery and there were plenty of boats in the bay chasing the few cod.

Along the way however we spied a pod of what I assumed were dolphins on their way in the bay. I was at the tiller spotting and my wife shot the video of them passing by.

A fine day on the water and making up for the lost month of July.

Back to the Spot (August)

2011-12-06T15:24:00.001-03:30

We finally had summer arrive and to kick off the days of summer, Me and the missus went to our local favorite spot to relax for the day. The winds were lite and only the slight patches of cloud.

Nothing to do but sit back and listen to the radio.

time away (Mid June)

2011-12-06T08:55:00.001-03:30

With June weather still cool and rain the norm, I took Bill up on a fishing trip to the Gander river in central Newfoundland at a guide camp. Me and the guys were there a week just getting away and fishing, No salmon (they ran the following week) but plenty of trout.

It's nice to escape from the world for a little while and just sit and relax.

Oddly enough MP Peter Mackay (Defense Minister) thought so too when he hitched a ride on a rescue chopper from this same river in 2010. I guess he must hitch a ride on an ambulance in his own district from time to time, it being more convenient getting through that pesky traffic. You stay classy Peter.

June test run

2011-12-06T08:29:00.001-03:30

Cabin additions made, new boom constructed and new reefing system in place. Time to try it all out.

On a not so sunny day Myself, my wife, buddies Bill and Adrian set out from the local marina and gave the Pathfinder a good test run.

It' was fairly cold but if your dressed for the weather it's not so bad.

We were on the water about an hour when the forecast winds arrived. It pushed from the North West at bout 20 knots with gusts at 25, but with the weight of 4 adults and a fully reefed main, it actually was fairly comfortable.

The cabin shielded us from the cold winds as we beat around the bay trying out the rigging modifications. Reefing can now be accomplished mostly by standing in the cabin with hatch slid forward and hauling the sail down to its reefing points.
A couple of hours of this was enough of a try out and we eventually turned with the wind and cruised home on a broad reach at over 7 knots, its fun to hit the 7 knot mark in my little boat.

The summer that wasn't

2011-11-29T10:32:00.001-03:30

As everyone who lives in Newfoundland knows, This past summer was practically non existent. Us Nefoundlanders comment and complain about the weather as if it were a sport, but this summer was exceptionally bad. May was cold (no real surprise) It rained through most of June and was also cold. July, what can I say about July... for the records we had 6 rain free days in July less if you count threat of rain or fog. 150mm of rain fell which is no surprise, needless to say July was wet. Tee shirts are now available "I survived RDF 2011"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2011/09/26/nl-video-ryan-snoddon-hole-926.html

But enough of the complaining, We all live on "The Rock" for other reasons than the wonderful weather.
Time to catch up on what places got explored this summer in my sailboat...

Just waiting for some sun

2011-06-16T15:05:00.000-02:30

The shed is down, the tools put away and my rigging is mostly installed, now I just need a weekend of some nice weather to check things out.

The whole boat is still covered in a layer of dust so she'll need a good cleaning before launch day, as well as putting the supplies back aboard.

Time to go sailing.

Final assembly

2011-06-11T16:50:00.000-02:30

At what seems like a snails pace the cabin is finally complete and I'm setting up the rigging. It's just as well because the weather is not particularly good right now.

The grip paint worked pretty good and there will be no issues with slipping on this.

Time to take down the shed put up some sails.

Home stretch on the Pathfinder modification

2011-05-29T20:04:00.000-02:30

I am on the home stretch now, Varnishing near completion, most fittings installed, and the new boom ready for fittings.

I do need to make some adjustments to the hatch and door though. It fits a little too tight for my liking.

The stainless steel solar powered vent will keep the air flowing while the cabin is closed up.

It will be interesting to see how well this new tabernacle and rigging setup will work on the water.

More to come. Much to do yet and my greenhouse needs attention as well.

Finally something to show

2011-05-15T10:10:00.000-02:30

Its been a while since last post, but I have been working on the boat. Off and on it's been two messy weeks of sanding, filling and sanding again. Once it got to a point that I was satisfied, I gave the boat a coat of clear epoxy. let sit 5 days before washing, sanding and prepping for primer.

The bright finished areas were taped off so I wouldn't have to be tedious with my roller and brush.

The Primer as before when I built the boat was fairly thick and rolled on just the same, though it done a nice job in covering blemishes.

Once the primer cured I done a light sanding of the primed areas and cleaned it off with a rag soaked in thinner. The Interlux Brightsides paint went on very nicely and though thin and requiring several coats, it makes me look like a pro. It is rolled on with a foam roller but it levels as if you had sprayed it on. I can't say enough about the quality and durability of this stuff, and a gallon goes a long ways.

Several more evenings of light sanding and overcoating lies ahead, and as that cures I'm busy at my other little projects down in my main workshop. I should take some pics and show that.
4 deg C.... May... rain drizzle, fog.... not exactly in a mad rush to finish.

Rescuing a piece of outport history

2011-04-23T17:04:00.000-02:30

My brother has been chasing this guy who has an old trapskiff in a town near his place. Last week he finally managed to talk to him and come to an arrangement and now the boat is his. The age is not determined yet but the last time it was licensed was in 1983. It's been sitting on dry land for decades and in pretty rough shape, but not hopeless.

The Newfoundland trapskiff is 30ft long, 9ft wide and over 4ft deep. They are mostly made by the fishermen themselves and from local timber. Usually a mixture of spruce, fir, and juniper. They could be built over the course of a winter and be ready for spring fishing season. The motor was just transferred from the old boat to the new.

This one has been laid up for so long, and water left inside that she's well rotted. Most of the planking is good but the main timbers need to be replaced. This one was later fiberglassed and it added to the rot. (keeping the water in)

It's got a fine shape to the transom and my brother says it was an easy tow to bring it to its current location. yes it still floats and apparently slips through the water like a dream.

Both me and my brother have been looking for a boat like this to restore and he's found himself a nice one. He'll get the forms from this one so there is a record of the shape for a future build perhaps. There will be more history dug up on this boat and it's builder in time, but for right now just keeping it from deteriorating further is the main task.

Polka dot boat

2011-04-23T16:36:00.000-02:30

When coating and fairing it becomes a tedious process. When using epoxy you don't think too much about room temperature... unless your doing it in a giant tent in April, in Newfoundland. More snow two days ago best sums up the past two weeks. The filleting and fairing job last Saturday took a long time to cure and the little wood stove just couldn't keep up with the cold temperatures and high winds. This past week was a write off with other things on the go and poor weather. But this long weekend I finally got to sanding the first coat and am filling in more spots today. Much sanding had to be done. the results are below.

I couldn't find any Eppiglass filler powder and substituted it with microballons. I'm not particularly fond of this type of filler, especially compared to the Eppiglass brand. The Eppiglass brand don't sag as much, is very smooth in texture, and applies much easier. In a strange twist of fate I ran out of microballons this morning and cursed my lack of preparedness in doing my filler work. I scrambled into town and found out that the marine store I frequent was open for the season and has a good supply of fillers and other things on hand. I picked up the last/only jar of Eppiglass filler (its now discontinued!) and got back to work. I'll keep the stove pumping out the heat to let this cure and do some other work until its ready. As always, it will eventually look much better when it's painted.

Epoxy marathon

2011-04-10T19:27:00.000-02:30

The time finally came for me to epoxy coat the cabin section inside and out. The catch is that it's best to lay 2 coats within 5-6 hours of each other. The prep work was done in the morning and by lunch time the first coast was applied. The second coat however never got applied until sundown and it was cooling down fast.

I went through a quite a bit of fire wood to keep the shed warm while the epoxy cured and it dropped to -8C by the time I finished.

The powerful halogen light makes the shed glow as the night closed in.

The work is done, now I just have to wait until it all cures.

The fire went out and it cooled a great deal so the epoxy basically suspended it's curing. So I had to "spark er up" and warm the shed in the morning. A few hours later the temperature was around 25C and holding and the epoxy cured pretty quick then. I took the warm period to install and glue on the coaming that runs from the cabin to the back of the boat.

It looks pretty good but was a pain to install solo.

This picture was a little blurry so I'll have to take another. More work is needed to finish this part but the hard part is now complete.

Note the wax paper and the scrap of wood. It's there to keep the edge of the plywood flush with the cabin until the glue cures. I'll add a batten inside later to strengthen it, as well as put a layer of cloth on the outside in this area to reinforce the seam. all this will be hidden by a filler layer and paint.

Enough work for one weekend, time to relax a bit before a week of filling, filleting and more epoxy work to make the whole job look presentable. Then comes the sanding and finally painting. Hopefully the weather will be warmer by then.

Spring and wood heat

2011-04-09T16:00:00.000-02:30

The snow finally melted but the cold is still here. Though the wind is a little bit less today. The epoxy work can commence now with a good fire going in the wood stove, a nice comfortable heat, about 25 deg C. The cabin was sanded, parts fitted and window cut out. Two large batches of epoxy were made for the cabin coating and inside work.

The compression post and roof beams make the roof nice and sturdy and I have no hesitation with stepping onto it now.

The rails and hatch work will be installed near the time of painting, thats several weeks away yet.

The coaming/ seat back is in the basement with a coat of epoxy on both sides. This will get installed tomorrow when I get the fire going again.

A steady pace

2011-03-28T21:15:00.000-02:30

Its been a little while since last post so I figure I would give folks an update on the Pathfinder destruction and rebirth. The stove is getting a good workout and keeping the shed at a nice temperature. It makes work in the sub zero temperatures and snowstorms bearable.

The cleanup is complete and the construction of the cabin is well under way. The sides and bulkheads were installed with no problems and things are looking up.

The compression post design changed for the availability of wood on hand but it looks better than my original idea, not to mention much stronger.

Once the compression post was installed with a new oak king plank support beam, the roof panels were installed.

Of course no fillers or coatings are applied until all my construction is complete so the screw heads and seams will be seen until then. Only a basic trimming of the extra plywood has been done yet. With my limited daylight after work and shed warm up time, I save my epoxy work for weekends. All measuring, cutting and fitting is done in my main workshop as much as possible until then.
It's looking as I expected would. But progress pace must be kept, spring is technically here and it won't be long and it will be sailing season.

Order in the chaos

2011-03-15T20:48:00.000-02:30

The 10ft x 20ft car shelter is up. and turned into a temporary boat shed for my spring modifications to the Pathfinder. The little wood stove was picked up at my fathers place. Its a recycled old hot water tank... with some modifications. I sat in the cockpit for a while before I made the first cut to the boat. It's a shame the spray rail has to go.

Within a short time, I had completely torn the railing from the Pathfinder and made a big mess. Chaos. But it has to be done to make room for the supports and cabin structure that is to come.

The cabin parts were shipped out to the boat shed and some initial cutting was done to the deck to accommodate the fore and aft bulkheads. The wall jig was installed and used to mark where the cabin walls go through the deck. The walls were temporarily installed and marked for trimming in the main shop later.

Once everything was sorted out I disassembled everything and brought it all inside to get a couple of coats of epoxy. The remaining side rail bits and scrap was ground off with the disk grinder with a 24 grit disk and the jigsaw. It was cleaned up with the sanders after. The cabin will get installed this weekend and it will start to look better.

I have been busy, and I kept putting off adding this to the blog. This is hardly cruising, but its a necessary part of this coming seasons journeys. More to come soon.

Blog upgrade

2011-03-02T15:11:00.000-03:30

I have been toying with the idea of making some small changes to the blog. If anyone who visits this site has suggestions of what to add, please feel free to do so. I will try to make a separate section for the build and a area for logging trips. Other than that it will be mostly cosmetic.

Enough to get excited about

2011-03-02T14:43:00.003-03:30

This is an up to date forecast for this weekend in my area. To some it may look sour, but it's the best stretch of weather I have seen in some time. The area around the boat is cleared, the shelter is partially assembled in my basement, and I picked up my little wood stove. Time to get the temporary boat shed up and get this cabin put on. Spring is definitely in the air.

Today

-2°C

Thu

0°C

-5°C

60%

Fri

-8°C

-8°C

60%

Sat

-4°C

-12°C

Sun

3°C

-6°C

Mon

8°C

-1°C

Tue

2°C

2°C

40%

The poor blogger, and some updates

2011-02-23T14:45:00.000-03:30

So sue me, i'm a poor blogger when it comes to having much to say during the winter months here in Newfoundland. Work has kept me busy as it should and in my spare time I have been moving snow. Yeah, winter finally showed up and is making up for the past 3 years of non winter. But some good has come from my absence from construction. I managed to snag the elusive 10ft x 20ft car shelter on sale at Canadian Tire. This will serve as my temporary boat shed so I can get a jump on the cabin installation. With that I have enlisted the help of my father who's building me a wood stove for the boat shed. I plan to pick that up soon. This will keep the temperature up so the epoxy will cure. This shed will need a place to go and so a LARGE area in my yard will need to have snow cleared for it to fit. I'll also need to clear a path to move the boat and trailer to the shed. Much snow to clear for this. I was intending to remove the boat from the trailer by setting up my "crane" that I built last year. But time and weather has persuaded me to forgo that idea and simply remove the wheels from the trailer to lower the boat once i'm in final position. It will let me get aboard easier and the trailer will be easier to level.
I am also nearly out of epoxy supplies and will need to make a run to the store to pick up that as well as a supply of stainless screws, poly strip (hatch slides) 3M 5200, and other small items.
In an unrelated note Peter Croft has given me some great reviews on his own Pathfinder cabin and is encouraging. His own version is captured in a couple of pictures I posted here a little while ago.

Hatch work

2011-01-30T09:17:00.000-03:30

The hatch turned out pretty good, no finish or varnish yet. That will wait until later when I have finished other parts. The top layer was glued to the lower plywood layer so the screws would be hidden.

The handle was made and located but I have yet to decide if i am to put holes or some other grab feature in it. The slides are cut but I don't have the Teflon/poly strips made for the tops yet.

The poly strip will keep the hatch from falling off or lifting. The outside piece of oak will hold it in place.

All these parts are held temporarily until the cabin is installed on the boat. Whenever spring decides to show.

Until then there is plenty of small jobs to do, building a aft bulkhead ready to install once the deck is modified is just one. The other is a new boom. A new boom only because the other one is in my opinion too large and I am making a new setup for reefing my sails, a thing I seem to be doing a fair bit of. I don't like getting dumped in +2 C water. Sunny or not thats COLD.

Cabin progress and the absent winter

2011-01-22T20:07:00.000-03:30

The East coast of the US and Canada have been steadily hit with bitter cold and snow storms. With the notable exception of us here in Newfoundland... Eastern Canada. Forgotten by the major news media, maybe I sound bitter, I'm not. Well, not really. Where I live there is no snow, I mean none. Not enough to make a snowball, and the temperatures are consistently above 0 C. Though winter is far from over and may smack me in the head any day, the days are getting longer and the amount of "wintertime" left grows shorter. Perhaps I should have picked up that tarp car shelter for working on the boat, I would have had an easy time working so far. But I'm in no rush.

The cabin sides are now installed and I've sent my first article on this modification off to Duckworks for approval and publishing. Much of the material has been salvaged from the boat build and the building jig itself.

The pine shown is from the lifts on the jig. it will make the forward bulkhead doubler.

The side doublers have been installed, and the ridge beam placed. The rear wall is only temporary for building this part, the real one will be built separately and installed before this is put in place.

The starboard side roof has been screwed in place and its fitting well, the pre-curving of the parts helped a great deal and only a couple of screws are needed to hold the sides down.

Roof panels complete though rough cut. Trimming will take place when cabin is finally installed.

The edge has placed nice and cleanly along the wall, this will make a cleaner job when the trim is added later on.

The hatch is currently being worked on, but no pictures to upload yet. I am making the hatch and the sliding rails from oak and will be all varnished as a finish. This will show off some of the lines and break up the white of the roof and deck. Plus it's nice to see some hardwood on a wooden boat, I don't mind the maintenance it creates.
I was planning to do some winter camping in the snow... but with no snow and no ice it would just be a wet weekend in a tent and I would be unable to venture far being unable to cross ponds and rivers.

Christmas holiday and the non winter, Building a Pathfinder cabin

2011-01-07T15:33:00.000-03:30

Christmas has come and gone for my household and all without snow. The rest of Canada and even the United states are getting their share, but here on the East coast of the east coast, all we have is rain, more rains and yes. rain. Moss has taken a hold of the rocks in the yard and the daytime temperatures have occasionally reached above +10 C.

But I have been busy in the workshop. After the head scratching and drawing I have come up with a set of usable plans to build the cabin for my Pathfinder. The initial sketches are below and the one on the right winning in the end.

This is the cabin that is taking shape in the shop right now, while the boat is in the back yard under a tarp. Speaking of tarp, I managed to get in under it to find a critical measurement for the cabin length. I soon started cutting my parts for the cabin including the hardwood corners.

The roof panels were cut over size and steam bent over a common piece of 2x4. This is to set a curve so when installing it won't cause too much trouble.

The building form will do until I can get the boat into a temporary shop this coming spring.

It's made level and wood added to attach the corners and wall panels.

The corners are cut to fit my cabin corner blocks and be flush with inside cabin walls

Within a few hours I had a solid cabin frame and ready to install some battens for the roof panel.

All of this is just screwed together, no gluing. I won't permanently glue anything until its installed on the boat.
More description to follow as I progress in building the Pathfinder cabin.

The overpowering need to be near boats

2010-12-04T08:05:00.001-03:30

My young friend (70+, Thanks for the correction Jamie.) Frank Cashin gave me a call the other day, he needed a hand rolling over his 15ft sailboat. Excited to show some of my non boat friends what kind of work Frank does I called up my boat roller veteran Travor Miller, his son Sebastian and my other buddy Bill Foote. I'm not sure what Frank expected for help but, well he got a complete crew when we showed up. Burly Bill and Trav's now trim mining muscles grabbed the rear of the boat, I held the front and the others were there for moral support. Frank counted the customary 1,2,3 and in a moment the boat was lifted and rolled as if it were my 16ft canoe. It was kind of funny seeing the ease of its roll. The boat is only a hull so at most it weighed in at 200 lbs.

This shot was taken just after the roll and Trav in his customary shyness had to leave to bring his son to hockey. Heroes never sleep. Thanks Travor. Bill and Frank are near the stern admiring the work. His neighbors are near the right side.

Frank (Left) now can see what shape the boat takes, after a year of being a series of frames, timbers and ribs.

Of nothing but fine wood, Franks boat has some very cool features. such as the custom centerboard haulup. Which in a way is like mine. A flanged pipe with a screw on cap in stainless and Galvanized steel.

The centerboard case is solid wood, there is no plywood on this boat, anywhere. All traditional construction when it comes to the style. The ribs were lovingly steamed in a steambox just outside the workshop. 6" spacing.

The Transom was fine enough made from solid wood, but his knee shown here is made from a laminate of dozens of pieces of wood then cut to shape. It was bolted in place by silicon bronze bolts no less. On of my favorite parts of his boat so far. This done poorly can in my mind ruin the look of an otherwise fine craft, but Frank is no slouch. The transom and Stem will be trimmed at the time of adding the gunwales later on. My god thats beautiful!

Frank picked up all his cast fittings right from England and they are works of art in my mind. The guys are admiring the box of fittings as I wander and snap a few shots.

From left to right, Franks Neighbor, Chris the boat builder, Frank in the blue hat, and Maxwell Patten (my friend who built my mahogany tiller)

Frank was the most hospitable by having a big spread of food and drink for us after the roll. We spent several hours after just talking boats, my favorite topic. This was a great fall day and as the saying goes,
"There is nothing, absolutely Nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats"

As Frank progresses I'll post some more pictures of this fine craft. With luck both of us will be on the bay in the spring.

p.s. Thanks Jamie for correcting me on Franks age, I never had the nerve to ask him and young Max made an estimate, a poor one.

Under wraps

2010-12-02T18:27:00.000-03:30

I moved the Pathfinder to a better location for the winter, out of the wind more. It will have less snow collect on it as well. It will stay here until spring or until I make up my mind on the whole cabin thing. That whole situation is still stewing in my brain.

I made a trip to central Newfoundland a couple of weeks ago, likely my last before the cold grip of winter takes hold. I took this picture on the lawn of my brother in-laws house in Embree. His spot is only a stones throw from the beach and slipway and has a stunning view of the bay.
The Pathfinder will visit there next year, for certain.

Winter is coming

2010-11-04T19:23:00.001-02:30

A simple phrase from George R.R. Martins books (A Game of Thrones) with powerful meaning. Here though it just means the boats are out of the marina, and the leaves are falling. We had our first snow here yesterday, so its time to put the Pathfinder away for the season.

I never got to do as much sailing as I would have liked this year mostly due to my vacation time being used up in my trip to Greece, but it was worth it. Each sailing gives me more confidence with my boat however and I get more comfortable with having people aboard and not be too concerned.

I wrapped the boat in the same fashion as last year since the beam and pole system worked so well.

If there are any more posts it will be on upcoming project for the Pathfinder and plans for next year. What projects you may ask?.... Well I have thought of this idea last year this time and now it has raised its ugly head again. Dangerous ideas so to speak. I have had it in my head for some time to modify the Pathfinder and install a cabin on the forward section as shown in optional plans that John Welsford sells. I have seen a couple like it and don't think it looks too bad. Below is a couple of pictures of these.

Since I had drawn the pathfinder on the computer and used it to make all my parts etc. I have detailed a cabin to install and am working on some preliminary hatch details. This is still just an idea and may not come to be. The boat looks fine as it is and once I start modifications there's no turning back.

However! If I go this route and decide to put one on. I'll post my detail drawings, sketches and of course a full spread of how I do this modification. Feel free to talk me out of this folly. I'll be posting some discussions I have had with different folk on the matter and give the pros and cons of having a cabin on the Pathfinder. but that's for another time.

I apologise guys for not getting out in the boat enough this season and more so for not getting near enough pictures. That will be rectified next year with a more durable digital camera.

Oh and one more thing, Frank Cashins boat. I'll be visiting him soon and have a look at his work of art. you'll know what I mean when I post some pictures of it. Makes a boatbuilder drool.

Sometimes its good to just have a nap

2010-10-09T14:22:00.000-02:30

Myself and two friends made another short trip one Saturday with a nice breeze blowing from the northwest. The summer sun hits with more force and some of us need to cover more than others. It may look it but its not cold.

We cruised out to Bacon cove and dropped sails for lunch near a swimming hole that ran into the sea. The lunch didn't survive long with us hovering over it and the sun was beaming down upon us. With the little crank radio playing some tunes we decided to have a nap. Bill and Adrian took the front floor area where there was lots of room to spread out, while I rolled up the life jackets and bunked down in the cockpit. Soon enough the snores were coming from the front of the boat, I was barely settled in when I first heard them. We spent a couple hours catching some rays and listening to the radio and finally growing restless we hauled anchor and moved on.

The afternoon wind was quite light for a change and was blowing only about 5-10 knots in little puffs. but we still made good time in skirting the coastline.

Later on in the evening the wind just quieted to a whisper and as we neared the marina I dropped sails and started the motor. We cruised under motor power around the harbor for a bit and took a look at the salmon river on the other side of the point in Holyrood. The water is shallow but a lot of salmon run that way trying to jump the rapids that are near the shoreline.

All in all another good run out the bay just having some fun. And a good nap will never hurt anyone either.

Another run I hope before winter draws near.

Igors wrath

2010-10-01T08:29:00.001-02:30

The storm ended with one fatality, and there was a lot of damage to bridges and roads. 90+ towns were cut off from the rest of the island. Winds clocked at over 170 km/h and rainfall for the day at over 200 mm. The Canadian Military was called in to help repair roads and build temporary bridges.
We have had many storms in the past that have caused localized damage to one town or another, and it was taken in stride but this affected a very large area and it will take some time to repair everything. I would post pictures of the flooding in my area, but their so pitiful compared to what happened across the bay from me. I was lucky. I attached a link to someone who compiled a mass of pictures taken that day. that says it all.
http://www2.swgc.ca/npritchett/

It's been just over a week since the storm, and there is a fleet of trucks and heavy equipment working to repair the roads so supplies can be brought into the communities. Out of the 90 that were cut off, only 3 remain isolated.
I'd go sailing tomorrow but winds are to range from 20 to 35 knots.
another day.

Hurricane Igor hits

2010-09-21T10:35:00.001-02:30

Hurricane Igor has begun to make it's presence felt here on the East coast of Newfoundland. St. Lawrence has flooding, as do Come By Chance and Marystown. Here in St. Johns the rain is intensifying and the wind is now picking up. It's only a category 1 Hurricane, but it's enough to cause grief with flooded basements and property damage. These are some area pictures taken by locals and sent in.

Clarenville has declared a state of emergency, as did Sunnyside. It's shaping up to be a wet day here. My hatches are battened down and gutters cleared. Wind gusts to hit 130 km/hr later today, certainly a windy day, but the Pathfinder is secured and covered.
UPDATE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86pNkK0uVMI
washout of shed and road.

A quiet day to whale watch

2010-09-18T15:06:00.000-02:30

Mid July weather cooperated very well, with warm southerly winds and less rain than June brought us. With conditions just right, I took my wife out to a secluded beach (which are very hard to find around here with our coastline) that was not facing the wind. We sailed most of the morning and came to this spot which incidentally was my first time here. The Beach was mostly made of small granite stones and easy to walk on.

Dropping sails and drifting right to the shoreline was easy and with the winds light I just pulled the anchor up the beach with a length of line.

Our island shows an impressive amount of detail in its rock formations and a paradise for the geologists.
Lunch here was mostly of the cold sandwich and hot coffee variety. But the weather was in our favor today and too warm for a hot meal.

While we were eating the winds dropped out completely and it made for a very peaceful bay for a while.

Lunch ate, a short nap, and we were ready to head out to look for some whales. No rush with the winds still very light.

We coasted south west back into the main bay near Holyrood and started to spot some whales also going in our direction.

The winds eventually picked up to a comfortable 10-15 knots and we made good progress, we were averaging about 6-7 knots and enjoying the view.

The tell tales are helping me set the sails better than I have been, I tend to sheet too tightly, RELAX.

A perfect day.

Many sailors came out in the afternoon to enjoy the winds and there was talk of caplin (A small fish similar to a sardine) in the bay.

We entered the harbor in Holyrood as the sun was setting and beached Pikake, sure enough the whales were chasing the caplin near shore and the town folk were out in the hundreds collecting them with their cast nets.

Slowly but surely, the whales would make passes and herd the caplin near the beach to where there was no escape.

While we collected the caplin as they came close.

The picture don't do the scene justice, there are millions filling the harbor and breaking the surface. The seagulls get in on the action too, waiting for them to come near.

The caplin is a sweet meat when fried fresh and pretty good eating when dried or smoked. even the ones that die on the beach are used for fertilizer on the many gardens in the area. The humble caplin, a very practical fish for many purposes. These little events really drive home my pleasure in building this boat, getting a chance to see this from several perspectives.

Side tracked

2010-09-13T19:43:00.036-02:30

This blog is supposed to be about the original building of my John Welsford Pathfinder and the trips I make after. Well today I'm running a little off track. I picked up a 16ft cedar strip canoe 12 or so years ago and have done a fair bit of camping and fishing with it, but I never had much of a chance to have it on the water since I moved back to Newfoundland some 9 years ago. Anyhow with my buddy Bill back in Newfoundland and eager to get back to nature, it made for a good excuse to take the canoe out for a day of fishing and a "boil up".

We loaded up the car and canoe on the rack at 6:30am on A Saturday morning. The goal was to catch one fish and not get eaten by the flies. The pond I scouted on the map was only about a 15 minute ride from the house, so even if things got real bad with the flies or if it rained, we would be home in no time. It may be close to home, but once you paddle from the shore, all civilization evaporates. Very quiet, peaceful and... no flies! I won't complain but was mystified to why there were none. It might have been due to the cool weather but I've been eaten in cooler weather than this. but I won't dwell on it, it was a fine morning and about to get much better.

We paddled across the pond trolling as we drifted, getting a bite here and there. I would paddle over to areas where I see the trout jumping and Bill would cast. Sure enough in a short time there were fish in the canoe.

In short order we had conjured up enough fish for a nice meal. bill caught the most and the largest trout of the morning. If nothing else this was a successful day. We were not prepared for such success, I had left the salt, pepper, and flour as well as other nice fish cooking items back at the house. We'll have to improvise. I got my little one burner stove going and cooked our bacon and eggs for breakfast, and got a kettle of water on the boil on the open fire near the beach.

But how to cook the fish... Bacon grease! This is my stomach not yours. With a sizzle and splash we had a fish fry in progress. And the smell, heavenly.

The fire of course was leftover lumber from the boat build from a year ago, I'm still burning scraps. Besides, nothing in this area would burn on this day, not after the rains that we have had. A cup of tea to chase it all down, this was one of those trips not soon forgotten, quickly planned and perfectly executed, this don't happen like this all the time.

The weather couldn't be better and the food was terrific!

Some fine fish indeed. But to be honest, the smallest trout tasted the best.

We'll be back here for sure.

Friends, food, fun

2010-09-13T19:09:00.000-02:30

The weather improved enough on this day to take a run out around the coastline with two friends of mine. The wind was light and occasionally would just fade away. A nice day for a leisurely sail.

All systems check. Motor running, were all set. Set up time has been reduced to about 20 minutes from the time I enter the marina area to hull wet and motor running. Bungee cords around the rigging as i disassemble keep everything where it should.

Adrian really hates this, I can tell. Like me, he simply likes being on the water, no mater the conditions. though today its ideal. The wind came out of the south west and was a steady 10+ knots. Comfortable.

The improved gaff jaws let the gaff be raised ans set much easier and put less strain on the mast ant the point where they meet. The lazy jacks keep the sails where they need to be when I'm taking them down.

We headed out to the Bacon cove area where the wind was best and the scenery better. Just a few miles past the bluff in the picture. The GPS is tracking us at about 4.5 knots beating into the wind.

Once we passed the bluff, well, the wind died. what to do? break out some food. We started the day light with coffee and donuts, but moved onto coffee, tea buns (care of Bills mom), and sandwiches. Yeah life can truly be terrible.. I kid.

Adrian had no trouble horking down tea buns as we chatted waiting for the wind to return, but no rush. We just sat back relaxed and listened to the radio.

Bill shown here has a simple philosophy, "Friends, food, and fun" And This years events in his life and Career, has strained that some, but he's back in full form enjoying life again. Great to see you living back on the rock buddy! i'm sure theres more sailings on the horizon.

Bacon cove had a fairly large population at some time to be able to construct and populate such a large church. Days long gone.

We dropped sail and motored to a cove for lunch. I never took a picture of the chuck box in action. cooking up a feed of beans, bacon and loads of coffee. I'll remember the next time.

From far off the whaler don't look like much but as you get closer, you can see that it is quite large.

The days winds improved to speeds I figure I would need to reef to manage, but with the mass of us three, we sailed white knuckled. With spray over rail no camera was out to record the afternoon, but we can vouch that we honestly reached 7.1 knots on my GPS even with all our gear aboard. A fine day to enjoy a good wind.
Note to self: I must acquire a waterproof digital camera for my trips.

Bacon Cove

2010-09-12T12:20:00.000-02:30

Bacon Cove is in Conception Bay and has some great shore line for exploring. This day was pretty quiet and the wind occasionally dropped off all together. A group with their kayaks took advantage of the calm conditions and made their way around the shore.

This wreck was an intentional beaching of a whaling ship back when the whaling industry died and this style of ship became obsolete. There is another next to it, but it is completely submerged.

When the winds completely died, we hauled ashore and took some pictures of the area, its not often it gets this calm around here without being shrouded in fog.

The wind will return I'm sure of it.

Brigus

2010-09-12T09:07:00.000-02:30

Brigus is a small village not far from my home, but it has historical significance to Newfoundland.

The name Brigus comes from the Brickhouse which was the name of an old town in England. Brigus' history dates back to around 1612, when John Guy sold half of the Harbour to the Spracklin family. At this time Brigus was mostly settled by people from England, Ireland, and Wales.

Brigus is famous for its sea Captains, it was in 1819 when Captain William Munden built the schooner Four Brothers, the first one hundred ton schooner in Newfoundland (built 1819). Many "Arctic Heroes" that came from this historic town:

1/ Captain John Bartlett sailed with the American explorer Isaac Israel Hayes and also with Admiral Robert Peary
2/ Captain Sam Bartlett who sailed with Peary

3/ Captain Robert Bartlett who was in charge of the S.S. Roosevelt when Peary reached the North Pole, who later survived the wreck of the Karluk, and who later helmed the schooner Effie M. Morrissey

4/ Captain Arthur Bartlett

5/ Captain William Norman who rescued Admiral Adolphus Greely

6/ Captain Isaac Bartlett who rescued Captain Tyson and crew after drifting on an iceberg for 1500 miles

7/ Captain William Bartlett, known as "the Commodore of the sealing fleet in Newfoundland". That is a whole other story that I'll save for another day.

They all made their way through this hole which connected the towns main road to the large docks that accommodated the ships of that period. The docks have long since been removed but the tunnel and road remain.

Speaking of tunnel, my first trip to Brigus with the Pathfinder involved launching it and steaming under this low bridge before i could raise the mast and rigging. A chore to say the least but not impossible.

The bay is sheltered, but outside its clear ocean across to Europe. Not a place for small craft, I didn't venture far from shore and kept a wary eye on the weather, in fact not long after launching A wall of fog forced my to retreat back to the shelter of the bay.

If you want to learn more about Brigus I have attached A link below.

http://www.brigus.net/index.htm

Late is better than never

2010-09-12T08:31:00.000-02:30

This is my first post since April. Truly sad. No real good excuse, I simply didn't get to doing this, but better late than never and my apologies for being a slacker.
I did manage to get the Pathfinder into a shop to fix my poor paint job on the blue section from last summer.

The bottom rub strip will do nicely for beaching on the shores of Newfoundland.

All I need to do now is get the boat back and put the rigging back on her.

I finally like the paint job. That really bugged me since last year. All modifications are now complete, note the jib sheet block near the stern.
Time for some sailing.

Overdue tasks

2010-04-25T08:15:00.000-02:30

With unending bad weather, I made time to shave down the centerboard a bit so it sits into the case better. It was a little snug before.

I had made keel shoes and now it is time to put a curve in the piece that attaches to the stem. I used a torch to gently heat and add curve to the front.

The roller on the front of the trailer was removed and replaced with a nicer bow "V" made of rubber. I added a piece of leather just to keep the boat from having black marks on it and to give a little cushion to the part.

I had earlier removed the jib cleats and made up a lift block for them. they are screwed from the underside and epoxied in place. This will keep the rope from chaffing the spray rail and to make handling the rope easier.

With a break in the nasty weather I towed the Pathfinder to a shop and finally got to fixing the mess I made with the deck and the blue top plank last year. The deck and top plank was sanded, as was the hardwood trim. After a wipe down the deck got a coat of paint and so did the top plank. It looks much better than last year. The poor touch up I had done was a source of irritation for me since the launch a year ago. Now that too is out of the way. Pictures to be taken and posted soon of that.

Not just yet

2010-04-15T08:31:00.004-02:30

We have had a non winter here on the east coast of Newfoundland, and have gotten somewhat used to a mild spring. I've had several BBQ suppers and even had my company eat out on the deck on these nice days.

But.... this is Newfoundland and well... weather patterns change. I had snow on my boat and car this morning and the forecast for the next week looks a little dismal.

No outdoor work on PIKAKE for the next week. There's a few small items to work on that i'll add to the blog, and I'll start planning some trips to areas of the island that I have not seen before.

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/nl-24_metric_e.html

2010-04-04T20:40:00.000-02:30

I've been busy building a cradle for lifting the boat from the trailer. So much so that I neglected to take any pictures of the process. I'll get to it this week. The cradle is built, the boat is off the trailer and the centerboard removerd and some minor work already done with it. Last year the centerboard used to bind a little when let down. I made it a bit to thick done near the lead slug. That is no longer a problem. I'll post some pictures of the mods this week.

In other news...

The gaff jaws have been completed. All thats needed is the rope with roller beads on the rear.

The rudder blade got a touch up and a coat of varnish for the summer. Note the color difference in the area that was inside the rudder case. UV rays have power for sure.

Summer approaches and a fair bit left to do.

No fear

2010-03-21T13:00:00.002-02:30

Spring has officially arrived and boat work now commences. First up, the gaff which was a weak point in my set up from last year. The jaws have to be changed to a more flexible pitch, which means this has to go!

Not an easy feat when you plan it to be a permanent installation. It had to be first sawn, then the left overs chiseled away, and the remaining sanded to the original gaff wood.

Yeah it looks nasty at this point

A new gaff jaws was laid out and the base cut and fitted to match the curve of the side. The ends were shaped to match the profile of the mast. In my case my mast it approximately the same diameter of my epoxy glue powder jar. much easier than taking the whole thing over to the mast for trial fitting.

It's tapered towards the forward end to allow the jaws to spread around the mast better. It was epoxy glued in place.

The temporary jaws were made from templates I had drawn up and test fitted. Some adjustments were made before committing good wood to the jigsaw.

The final jaw set was cut from a good quality 1/2" plywood and screwed/glued in place.

Once the glue set, it was given a coat of clear epoxy. As usual it will get 2 coats of epoxy before I apply any varnish.

The other end of the gaff was found to be longer than needed, so I did what made sense, I made it shorter.

I cut off approximately 8" of unused weight at the top of the sail. I sanded the end and also gave that part a coat of epoxy.

While in the shop I put two countersunk holes on the tiller to allow for a stronger fit of the tiller tamer.

The next couple of weeks will see some flurry of activity about the marinas and more importantly, my shop. Much to do and the burgs are on their way.

Jib sails

2010-03-12T13:44:00.017-03:30

The maiden voyage of Pikake had the jib attached to the shroud by cheap plastic snap on hanks. Not easy to install or remove after the sail. The style was a non removable type. A furling drum and swivel was on order but had not arrived in time for that first trip. The furler was easy to install but with no wire through the leading edge of the sail I got a flapping of the leading edge when close hauled, an annoyance to me. I had hauled the sail tight on the haul up but I fear that the tension would eventually tear the sail.

Many Navigator and some Pathfinder sailboats have a furler similar to mine and do not have a wire on the leading edge, so they should have the same issues as I do. However, since I have had little experience with furlers and their issues, I have opted to go to brass hanks to attach the jib to the forward stay.

I might even add a down haul to bring the jib to a full down position, this will keep people off the forward deck to bring it down. It’s simplicity will also ease my mind for longer trips which I hope to take some day. It has also crossed my mind to add a jib boom, (if that’s what they call it), to control the shape of the jib. It’s used on many gaff rigged boats including the big schooners and looks very salty indeed. But right now it’s just an idea.

Another winter with little snow

2010-02-28T13:14:00.004-03:30

We normally have a large amount of snow here in Newfoundland when winter shows itself, but for several years now, (I may have posted such during the building of the Pathfinder) we have had very little of the white stuff. In fact, this is today in Holyrood Newfoundland. The temperature is another factor. It's consistently above 0 degrees Celsius making the grass grow, and giving a spring like feel to what should be the dead of winter.

Indeed, spring is coming.

It's only a matter of weeks when the tarps come off the boats and the spring tune-ups begin in earnest. Some modifications will be done to improve Pikake's performance and handling as well as some short test runs before the sailing season goes in high gear.

Trips are being planed right now and I hope some serious coastal will be done and some great shots to be taken of our wonderful coastline.

2010-02-28T12:58:00.004-03:30

With spring approaching and planning to come, getting a GPS for navigation is one important step in making the longer trips happen. After picking up the GPS you have to learn how to use it properly and know how to get the most out of your GPS system. You can't just take it out of the box and go. This is the one I decided on for many reasons.

GARMIN GPSMAP-60CX (MAPPING)
This unit features a removable microSD card for detailed mapping memory and a waterproof, rugged housing. The microSD card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment. I can load map data and transfer routes and waypoints through the unit�s fast USB connection. In addition, this unit features a new, highly sensitive GPS receiver that acquires satellites faster and lets users track their location in challenging conditions.
Considered the mainstay among serious outdoor enthusiasts, the GPSMAP 60Cx and GPSMAP 60CSx offer a large color TFT display and turn-by-turn routing capability. Each unit comes with a blank 1 GBmicroSD card. I picked up a 2GB card for the extra space, as well as the Garmin Blue Chart for Newfoundland.
Features:
� New high-sensitivity WAAS-capable GPS receiver by SiRF
� Built-in quad-helix receiving antenna with remote antenna capability
� Unit dimensions: 2.4� W x 6.1� H x 1.3� D
� Display: 1.5� W x 2.2� H, 2.6�-diagonal, 256-color, transflective TFT (160 x 240 pixels)
� Supports English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French languages.
� Weight: 7.5 ounces with batteries (not included)
� microSD card slot allows for storage of optional MapSource detail (64 MB microSD included)
� LED backlit display and keypad
� Battery life: up to 18 hours using two AA alkaline batteries
� Includes a built-in Americas autoroute basemap with automatic routing capabilities, including highways, exits, and tide data (U.S. only)
� Internal memory is preloaded with a marine point database
� 1,000 user waypoints with name and graphic symbol; 50 reversible routes
� Trip computer provides odometer, stopped time, moving average, overall average, total time, max speed, and more
� 10,000-point automatic track log; 20 saved tracks (500 points each) let you retrace your path in both directions
� Water resistant: IEC 60529 IPX7 standards

Another much needed addition to the Pathfinders equipment inventory.

VHF addition to the Pathfinder

2010-02-28T12:24:00.005-03:30

Though I will rarely lose sight of land and won’t be making any long trips soon, having a VHF radio aboard will give me peace of mind in case I got into trouble or need to get updates on weather. A cell phone is always aboard but those things don’t handle water well and salt water even less. The unit that’s being used for the Pathfinder is a Uniden “Atlantis 250” handheld. It’s waterproof, and has a range of 5 miles with its normal antenna. The reviews show it as a reliable lower cost radio with good reception.

"ATLANTIS-250" HAND HELD VHF RADIO
� All USA/International and Canadian Marine Channels - Covers all USA, International & Canadian marine channels keeping you up-to-date with all the latest marine activity.
� JIS4/CFR46 Waterproof Level
� 1 Watt/5 Watt Switchable
� NiMH and Alkaline Battery Capability
� Instant Channel 16/9/Triple Watch
� Backlit LCD Display
� Backlit Keypad - Offers you added visibility for dialing at
night or in low light.
� All N.O.A.A. Weather Channels with Weather Alert
� Memory Channel Scan
� Optional Speaker/Microphone
� Flexible Rubber Antenna

I'll be attaching a mount to the hull to place the VHF in, then I know where it is at all times.

The wrath of winter

2010-02-06T15:15:00.006-03:30

St. Johns has some spectacular views, and among them is out around the battery area towards the harbor entrance. Earlier this calender year a fierce winter storm battered the shoreline of this area and I went out as the sun rose after the storm. There was some serious damage to the local wharves and supports under the shed that are right over the ocean, but the sheds stood firm.

However last night another winter storm with a stronger storm surge and same wind direction battered the now weakened sheds and wharves that remained. What you see below is before last nights storm and after.

Looking out the harbor entrance after storm #1 in January

After last nights storm in same area. The damaged wharf is now completely gone and so is the supports under the shed. Debris from the other damaged sheds and wharves float near by. (This image taken from local news site)

Looking into the harbor at the twine loft after first storm in January. A damaged wharf pushed over 50ft from its original position.

After last nights storm and high winds. Note the height of the storm surge is still apparent. The first floor has collapsed and mostly washed away. the damaged wharf is completely gone. (This picture taken from local news site) This shed stood against the sea for over 60 years, now no more.

It's sad to see some of these old historical buildings be claimed by the sea, They don't have the fancy moldings or were owned by wealthy fish merchants that St. Johns is known for, but they stored fishing gear for generations of hard working fisher people who are now becoming as rare as the sheds themselves. At least I got some pictures before it disappeared completely.

Chuck Box finish

2010-01-19T21:36:00.009-03:30

(Edited)
Back to the Chuck Box. This crate will be hauled around Newfoundland next summer and tossed upon the rocks and beaches to serve up meals fit for a king (Provided he has a cast iron stomach) With the parts all glued and varnish applied the hinges and other components were installed using rivets instead of screws.The Latch bolt fits into a hole in the underside of the top.I didn't like where the original latch was installed and it works better in this spot. The shelves had the brackets riveted on as well.This is what fits inside the Chuck box, all the necessary gear for short trips to a remote cove or a weekend.
More gear can be stored in the box, this is just what the normal load will be. The side shelves remove and are stored inside. The shelves will serve as a work space while cooking and eating area once done. Everything packs inside neatly with room to spare. Fully loaded, the chuck box weighs in at just under 47 lb. A shoulder strap makes it a little easier to carry by myself if the need ever arises.

I have attached the basic plan for anyone who would dare build it. It's basic but beats cooking right off the beach and I don't have to wonder what I left home on the counter anymore.

Frank Cashin, boatbuilder

2010-01-17T15:24:00.007-03:30

I met Frank Cashin a few weeks ago through a mutual friend. (Maxwell Patten) and He gave us a tour of his boat shop in Mount Pearl. Frank is one of those craftsman who makes nearly as many tools as he buys. He's in the beginning stages of building his own wooden sailboat designed by Paul Cartside from BC. The plans are on the wall and he's laying out the lines and lofting the frames. Jessie is a 15ft long centerboard sloop with 2 layers of planking. It has beautiful lines and will be completely built in traditional fashion with belaying pins and cast brass fittings. He even plans to make "dead eyes" for the shrouds instead of turnbuckles.

The Ducks on the floor were cast by him and has adjustments on the ends for the hold down pins. As I said he makes as much as he buys.

We discussed at length the fun of building you own boat and what places he intends to visit once he's finished building. He fully plans to sleep aboard and have a boom tent to keep off the rain. It will be quite a site to see both our boats sailing into a small harbor for the night. I'd rather see a dozen but 2 will do for now.

I'll be dropping in on him from time to time and marvel at his progress. He's retired so it won't be long before he's got frames stacked in the corner of his shop.

Chuck Box construction

2010-01-17T13:17:00.007-03:30

Refer to previous post regarding the chuck box and its intended use.

The Christmas holiday gave me enough spare time to start building the chuck box for Pikake. The plans have been drawn up as much as I dared and there was bound to be some changes made along the way. I picked up some wood from a local building supply store for the construction of the chuck box with a gift card I received from my brother for Christmas. The ¼” plywood left over from the boat build was not suitable for this so 5/16” ply was used for a majority of the box. ½” birch ply was used for the top, doors and small support areas. 1/8” merianti plywood was used for the drawer’s sides and the drawer support. Its A mish mash of wood sizes but no big deal, whatever is lying around and suits the task. All the parts were cut to size with small adjustments for the revised thickness.

A rim of pine was glued to the underside of the top as a joint section for the back and sides. The rest was glued and tacked together with brad nails until the epoxy kicked off.

The drawer bottoms and ends were constructed of 3/8” thick pine and the merianti glued to it.
The front doors which still are not ideal, opens like a cabinet hinged from the sides. The shelves and inside parts were also held by brad nails until the epoxy set and a fillet of glue epoxy was added to the sides for strength since there were no supports under or behind the plywood pieces. This was done to keep the weight down as much as possible while still keeping it strong enough to sit on or heaven forbid, drop. The epoxy was left to cure.
End pieces were cut out for where the rope handles pass through.

More to come...

They come for the whales

2009-12-15T18:51:00.002-03:30

Newfoundland is known for its icebergs and for it’s whales, particularly the humpbacks. For the tourists who come here I can only imagine they are somewhat sceptical that they will see whales if they go on a whale watching boat tour. It’s not like they’re in a small area, or that we have a small coastline (28,956 km to be exact) But I can assure you, There are whales around here, and plenty of them. For those who live in Newfoundland and work or play on the ocean, whale sightings are like moose sightings, common place to the point of nonchalance. It’s generally only the close encounters that get the mention in conversation. “Out fishing today, some whales came close so we took some time to pet them”, That sort of thing. I have seen several species of whales in my life but I still get a thrill when I see any in their natural environment. Greg Smith sent my brother these photos of a couple of Humpback whales playing last August near his home in Trinity Bay.

wave for the camera

The main thing is to remember to bring the camera in the first place and second... batteries.

Gaff Jaws

2009-12-15T18:38:00.002-03:30

The gaff jaws that I hurriedly made for Pikake served their purpose, but I failed to realize until after installation that the angle of my gaff was steeper than I planned and built. The main haul up block at the throat was too close to the mast and the screw that passed through the gaff to attach the sail from underneath was also striking the mast causing premature wear. Since my mast gets treated with great reverence, I needed to make changes to my gaff jaws set up. John Welsford sent me a couple of ideas on how to make a suitable set of gaff jaws and one in particular is pretty easy to build. The plans I had purchased for the Pathfinder had included the gaff jaws plans, but since I deviated and didn’t make my mast, boom and gaff from aluminum tube (As per plan), I had to come up with something else.

The new gaff jaws will let me raise the sail easier and the peak will go to the proper angle allowing for better sail shape. I had noticed in pictures taken of Pikake that there was a wrinkle from the end of the boom at the foot up diagonally up to the base of the gaff (not enough peak hauled up)

This will be no longer an issue with the new jaws.

That is a New year project.

The Chuck Box

2009-12-15T18:23:00.003-03:30

I’ve finally reinstalled my door to the workroom and put up the wall board. Other household chores now demand my attention as well but in the back of my mind is the chuck box, my boat kitchen. I’ve began some initial design sketches and after a while had to pause and figure out the box’s exact purpose. Most chuck boxes are large wooden boxes with configurations so a person can stand at the box with attached legs and cook their meals. They are also the sort to be carried by two people to a vehicle. There are many styles that can be found on the web, and they are well designed for the purpose their intended, however... Mine is a little different. I need my chuck box to be suited for use on Pikake or other small boat.

What it needs to do;

·Compact in height in order to fit under the deck, and be able to set up in the boat.

· Light enough for me to lift it over the side of my boat and hand off to a shipmate.

· Able to carry all the equipment needed for a camp kitchen such as the stove, dinnerware, utensils, pots/pans and cleaning gear.

· Able to have shelves fold out or attach to sides and serve as a small table.

· Rubber feet to prevent box from sliding on a wet surface.

· Weather resistant, not necessarily water proof.

The design has gone through some changes already with the removal of pockets for attachable legs. Whether on the boat or beach, having the box at a standing working height is not a necessity for me, as long as it’s not right on the ground. This saves weight and some space. One of my most important decisions was to use my trusty ole fuel powered Colman stove. I had thought of getting a new propane stove, but I really, REALLY dislike those disposable propane cylinders and their cost vs cans of fuel is high. (Just a personal thing) Sure I have to fill and pump up the pressure in order to light my stove, but it’s reliable and I know how much cooking time I have left. This stove was my starting point in the box design. Other design points included space for my kettle, pot kit and dinnerware set, all to accommodate the needs of 4+ people. The rest of the space is for everything else that can squeeze in.
Bear in mind that this box is built to suit my needs and may not at all suit other sailor/campers. It is also sized to fit under the deck my Pathfinder.

The first models changed from a large size to a smaller more compact design once I decided what would go inside the box.

I had intended to have the front and top cover to open up like a mechanics tool chest. And use the opened configuration to make a rain shelter to cover the top section where the stove sits. But knowing weather being as it is, a gust of wind would make short work of a nice wooden lid like that.

Once a general layout was figured out, how it all would fit together was the next step. What gets notched, what gets reinforcing blocks if any, and how it opens.... I don’t particularly like the way it opens but it’s all I can think up right now.

This design has again changed to a 2 drawer model since Less drawers means less weight and more can go in the larger ones. I'm still not happy with the front door arrangement but I'll figure something out.

Packaged for winter

2009-10-18T13:36:00.006-02:30

A week after the Random Island trip I decided it was time to put My Pikake away for the winter. I removed all the rigging, rudder and cleaned off the leaves that had collected in the past little while. I picked up a 16ft length of 2x6 and built a brace for the back end and another for the front. the front one was mounted on the mast step and used the pivot pin. I read from some post online that someone used plastic water pipe for their roof and I did the same. I screwed the middle to the top of my 2x6 ridge beam and held the ends down with bungee cords. I then covered the whole boat with a heavy duty tarp. I opened the hatches to air out the inside and removed the drain plug just incase. I tilted the forward end up so any water getting inside would run out the back.
Now I just have to wait for spring... in 6 months... Ah well I have other projects to keep me busy.

Random Island scouting trip

2009-10-18T11:12:00.018-02:30

With the sailing season quickly coming to an end, I just had to get out one more time and put Pikake through her paces. I Wanted to try and get to Random Island near my brothers place in Clarenville. It's supposed to be a great spot for fishing and sailing. I called Travor once again and he was definitely up for a Saturday trip. The weather was supposed to be fair at best Saturday and Sunday called for a steady rain and high winds, so what else is new. This was to be just a scouting mission for a good slipway and to check out the area for sailing and camping. A day trip.

It's an hour and a half drive to Clarenville from my place and to get the most from the day we left early, around 7 am. The drive was a nice way to wake up and We found a public slip just north of my brothers place near Shoal Harbor.

While unloading and setting up the skies grew dark and threatened of rain, but we expected this and had our rain gear just in case.

The spot we had found on the map was to the south east and was directly down wind. This was inland waters so even if the conditions deteriorated it would not pose too much trouble for The Pathfinder.

Though its October, the trees are still holding onto their leaves. The beaches are all accessible and there are even a few brooks and waterfalls to get fresh water from if need be. It was a short trip to one of the possible camping areas, but it was shallow, very shallow and choked with sea grass to the point where we had to paddle through it. My first time encountering this in Newfoundland waters. We figured we would be marooned for a full tide turn if we stayed here long, so we made note of the spot and its possibilities and then moved on. It was a great spot for Kayaks however and Travor having a pair would do well to visit this place next year. We pushed along the shore line and found the triangular point that had a nice cove and sand/pebble beach. It was full of dead sea grass from the batch of fall storms that battered this coast in past weeks but still a nice spot. I can see this being an ideal spot for a base camp next year. Apparently just on the other side of the bay is some fine fishing grounds that would only be a short hike in the pathfinder. We put ashore and loosely tide her to a rock and set up for a lunch.

Getting a fire going without the aid of large amounts of gasoline was not easy today. But A small fire was lit and kept the sand flies at bay while we cooked up a small lunch of Beans with wieners chopped up and added. basic fair but fills the hole. Chased with Travors home brewed coffee... sweet nectar. The beach was easily accessible and posed no real threat to the hull even with no rub strip yet installed. The direction of the wind made this cove particularly sheltered today and in our spot there was hardly a draft of wind.

We finished our meal, and relaxed a while before cleaning up and packed the boat for the trip back. There is a small brook only a hundred feet or so from this spot and made for a convenient place to clean the dishes (no chemical added)Travor and I had one last look at the beach before we left and promised to come back here next season. By then a half a hundred storms will have scoured this beach clean again and make for a great camping spot.The motor was started up and we headed out into the bay and homeward bound. The fishermen that were out on the bay in force had all gone home by now and I knew why. We were not going to be fishing this afternoon. Dark clouds now dominated the skyline and the wind was up quite a bit. In the cove it was still quite peaceful though.

The waters were now choppy but nothing serious. Just right in our face as we headed back.

The winds had picked up fast so the waves were as yet still small and with a narrow bay, not able to build to any size. yet.Our progress back was hampered by the fact that we wanted to hit the slipway where the car was parked before dark, and tacking back and forth the bay would not do it. So no sails. Motor only. The wind speeds were about 40 kph sustained with 50 kph gusts. Windy but still quite comfortable. I have had the Pathfinder in this wind before. Wind speeds increased, and bands of rain could be seen on the other side of the bay, We were going to get wet today it seemed.About 20 minutes into the trip back then wind was now quite gusty and putting a 4ft swell on the waves with breakers. I knew this would be about as bad as this bay would get being inland some so I wasn't worried. Pikake rose and fell with the waves and cut through more sending spray flying, but not in the boat. We were comfortable and as yet still dry. If we were not Travor would hardly be using his wife's camera to take these pictures. She'd kill him for certain. As strange as it may seem, it was actually kind of fun riding the surf and all the sea crashing about. Hardly ocean cruising but fun all the same. The sails down, centerboard partially down and motor chugging along, we were in no danger of capsizing. or even taking on water.Those rain bands were surely to nail us eventually though. Wet skins on, and gear pushed forward out of the coming rains, we were ready. But it was not to be, the rain bands split and we motored up the middle and hardly a drop fell on us. It was very cool to watch all around the rain and wind yet be dry as we neared the slipway. Back do dry land and ready to load up, the wind and rain in the far off distance. Even a rainbow capped off our trip. What a way to end the season. We are definitely coming back here next year. I even told my neighbour Peter about this area. Him and his wife are avid kayaker's and this inland waterway would be the perfect spot for a kayak camping trip. Random island I figure would take 2 days to navigate in a kayak and plenty of places to stop for a night.I made a note of the ramp conditions and taking a picture helps me remember. Low tide actually works best here for launching Pikake. But high is good too. We headed home and discussed next years many trips we'll take and the other new places we'll explore. but that's for next year.

I have to unload the boat and prepare it for the oncoming winter. We will be getting snow soon.

Upcoming projects

2009-09-28T08:50:00.013-02:30

With summer officially over and days growing ever shorter there's probably 2 or 3 good full sailing days left to enjoy. I will still try to get a primer trip to Random Island for a day sail to scout the area for future trips, but time is running out quickly. A sharp eye will be kept on weekend weather for sure.
But with winter coming my attention is turning to winter storage issues and projects to tie me over until next sailing season. I have house issues to attend to I know and that will take some time, but its an afterthought in time compared to building the boat. One of my small projects will be a "Chuck Box" or camp kitchen or kitchen in a box. Chuck box is what the southern US folk seemed to have labeled this. It is as simple as it sounds, literally a kitchen contained within a box. Their easy to find on the Internet and are customized for their owners uses and tastes. They normally contain space for a propane or gas stove, all the pots, pans, utensils, cooking aids, cleaning agents drying and cleaning cloths, spices and other items. Mine will be built to be used on Pikake and on shore. On board it will sit on the floor and have the stove on top. The doors will swing up for table surfaces. Below is a picture I found as an example of what one looks like.
The Pikake version will be even more compact and lighter to make carrying ashore easier, and hopefully water resistant. I will draw up plans based on the Colman fuel stove I have and my pot set. More details will be shown as I develop them.
In an unrelated topic, Rick Coreless has been progressing on his Pathfinder over in BC. His deck looks very professional and the time taken to get to this point is certainly paying off. His site can be found to the side in my links list. Keep it up Rick.

Kelly's Island run

2009-09-24T11:31:00.014-02:30

One Saturday morning I awoke early to a rising sun and no cloud. I could not let it go to waste. Our summer conditions here in Newfoundland are short and it's now in its final warm days. Night time temperatures are now dipping to only +7 degrees C. It was only 8am when I called my friend Travor "Were going sailing" He responds "Give me 45 minutes". I speed pack a bag with water, canned stew, teabags, sugar, milk and all the essentials for a day on the water. I slapped some butter on bread and unceremoniously dumped that in the bag as well. I stole one of the "good" frying pans from the cupboard and tucked it away. I had no time to find the camping stuff so the kitchen utensils would do, If I loose anything, I'm dead. The safety gear has been left in the covered boat so all was needed was the food and such. A quick inspection of the trailer and off I went. Today's destination was Kelly's Island, a small uninhabited island that lies just off the coast. Travor met me at the Foxtrap marina not far from the island and we set to putting up the mast and rigging. With a few trips under my belt now each setup takes a bit less time. The biggest hindrance are the strangers who come around for a chat and ask where I got the boat and all that. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare for launch and with a quick shove Pikake was floating and ready. The bay was flat when I was driving to the marina, but by the time we launched the winds had picked up to a respectable 15 knots. With Travors son along for the day I reefed the sails knowing he was a little timid of sailing, and the fact that as the day wore on the winds would only get stronger. It was a simple single tack to Kelly's Island and the winds out of the north east, in winter that meant a blizzard, but today it just gave us a strong cool breeze. Kelly's Island is mostly cliffs and steep bluffs with very little shoreline, but there are a couple of spots suitable for landing a boat. With the wind in the direction it was, we couldn't land at a cove frequented by boaters, and the winds now kicked up a swell with breakers on the beach areas on the north east side. With the sun beating down we sailed around the island taking pictures and marveling at he cliffs. It's the closest I have been to this island and it's much higher than I had thought it to be. The rock was also loose so we didn't venture too close, we could hear rocks fall every once in a while. The south side of the island had a suitable beach to put our gear ashore, I dropped sails and started up the motor. The winds in this area were light and almost still near the beach. Travor went forward and brought the anchor to the rear, I prepared it while he took out the forward line that would go to the beach. Not wanting to get his feet wet I ran aground and he hopped out. He held the boat steady as his son put all the gear ashore. I then reversed the boat and set the mooring anchor. A following sea prevented us from landing and beaching properly, and the rocks would not be kind to my new hull. Once I got ashore I found a big enough rock and tied the boat to it. It would do well enough for the afternoon. The stove was set up and A quick lunch of stew and fresh bread was chased down with a cup of coffee that Trav had made for the trip. (He's the coffee maker and always has a thermal bottle of the good stuff) Lunch done we just had to explore this island. Travor found a rope that lead to the top of the bluff, it was old but strong, and the slope at this point was not hard to climb. I even managed to take my cup of coffee with me. We explored, took pictures, and chatted about if anyone had once lived here. It was certainly big enough, but we didn't see any fresh water so that would pose a problem for any settlers many years ago. There was an abandoned camp site from where some campers had been earlier the summer and ready for new residents. With exploring done, we headed back to the beach and packed up our things for an afternoon of sailing. The winds were now strong and gusting at times to 25 knots, but with sails reefed and our weight aboard, we were hardly listing. The pictures seem to make a Lier out of me in that they seem to show a nice calm sea state. Close hauled she sliced through the waves, and broke over the top of many. On the broad reach and running reach we managed to surf a couple of waves, now this is sailing. Travor's GPS was clocking us at 6.2 knots and an average of over 5.6 and we figured that was pretty good, not like we were racing. The whole afternoon was spent tacking up the bay, cutting across and then running with the wind, just fooling around. All within sight of 3 yacht clubs with about 60 sailboats and twice as many motor cruisers. We were one of only 4 hulls on the bay and the only boat with sails up. Sebastian (Travors son) asked why they had their sails down, "I guess it's too windy" was my reply. He looked at me oddly then smiled. We sailed, snacked, drank coffee from the thermos and chatted our day away under a September sun. The haul out location was at the public launch at the Newfoundland yacht club. A steep yet poorly maintained launch way, I nearly got stuck pulling the boat out. We left the marina (yearly dock fee's in excess of $2000) satisfied that we rung every moment out of the day and hoped that the rest of our future sailings would be half as good as today's.
(My thanks to Travor and Sabastian for the photos)

No random island trip

2009-09-16T14:42:00.004-02:30

Hurricane Bill came and went. Not even a real storm by the time it reached here. The following weekends had one event or another that prevented an overnight trip. Life happens while your making plans. However, last Saturday Pikake hit the water for a day of fun. Details to come.

Next stop, Random Island

2009-08-23T18:08:00.002-02:30

With the success of the bay trip to Embree some 4 hours drive away, I set my sights on the next trip. Random Island. Random Island sits in a bay near my brothers community of Shoal Hr. in the Clarenville area. It has high bluffs and cliffs but boasts some beautiful scenery and a few great sandy beaches for beach camping. I need to dig out the charts and scan them for this post. I also need to make up my list of essentials to take along. My buddy Travor will be coming along and if I remember correctly will be our first weekend boat trip since our childhood. I'll keep an eye on the weather through out the week to see if it's favorable for the trip.
But right now I have to keep an eye on a little hurricane "BILL" bearing down on me as I type. It is supposed to hit after midnight. To be honest, I think it's hyped up a bit in the media, It will make landfall here as a tropical storm and dump less than 100mm of rain on us. I've seen these conditions this past spring. Other than some washouts on the shoulder of the road and some displaced patio furniture, nothing too major. Not that I haven't taken precautions.
We'll see.

The islands

2009-08-20T13:12:00.009-02:30

With very little planning I decided to take an extra long weekend and take PIKAKE out over the highway to Embree. A small community where the in laws live. My Corolla had no trouble towing the 800lbs of boat and trailer and I never broke the 3000 rpm mark the whole trip. I just let the speed fall off on the large hills. Back to about 80 kph or so. I launched her on Friday morning from a beach not far from the house. Not a true slipway, but close enough to do the job of one. The winds were gusting to 50 kph and I was running with the wind. To be honest I had too much sail area up and it made me and my wife uncomfortable with an unproven boat. (I'm still getting a feel for how PIKAKE performs) after a while of the crazy sailing downwind I dropped sail and motored to her uncles cabin. There's a narrow "tickle" or run between 2 islands and the wind speed is even higher there, and so is the sea. It took about an hour of motoring but quite enjoyable. with no danger of capsizing with sails down she broke through the chop with ease. As John Welsford said, "she's a dry boat" I agree.
The afternoon winds were no different, but I was determined to sail in it. I reefed the main to it's second set of points (smallest area) and headed out with my father in law and uncle. Both are used to these conditions and it was sunny at any rate. We sailed around the nearby islands and I kept an eye on how the boat performed in these winds. I could have gotten away with more sail area out and have more speed, but this was good enough. Even with the wind the reefed sails kept us upright all the time. We had the sails down and tried some fishing but this time of year the cod are full of caplin and are not biting. With sails down and us fishing from the sides we were all impressed with how little PIKAKE tipped when we were up and about. We returned to the cabin for supper but after the wind was just right and myself and the father in law went out for an evening run. Idea conditions. A light breeze and no sea. It had calmed down a lot from earlier. This is why I built the Pathfinder...The next morning there was not a breath of wind. I was up early, anxious to start the day Everyone else was asleep so I wandered around snapping some photos. Me and Nadine motored back to Embree and picked up a load of relatives and shipped them down to the cabin.

As we were heading to Embree Nadine snapped this shot of us cracking the water of the bay. Not a soul around, not a sound to be heard. By late afternoon a small breeze had developed and I managed to get my nephews out for a sail. They thought it was pretty cool to sail into the wind and not just away from it. Totally enjoyable.We sailed about the shoals and small islands for an hour or so before the wind died again, but it was still so satisfying to do this with my nephews. Later that evening we gathered at the cabin for a large BBQ. Steak, pork chops, sausages, salads, oh my, the food. Once all the food was eaten everything was packed and we shipped out. With very little wind in the evening it made for a quiet trip back to Embree.

I'll add some more shots when I download them.

Road trip to the Exploits isles

2009-08-13T07:13:00.006-02:30

The north east coast of Newfoundland has some incredible scenery and fantastic sailing areas. The many sheltered coves and harbors make it ideal small cruiser territory. Which is where PIKAKE is being trailered to this weekend. This is why I built the Pathfinder, to explore.I will be launching from a slip in Embree to the south west of the islands and head to Sewards island first. The weather looks to be favorable and the winds light and from the north. Just as well since I 'll have kids and possibly in-laws aboard so no crazy seat of your pants racing for me. Perhaps when everyone is dumped ashore in the afternoon, i'll take my nephews out in the small bay and give this Pathfinder a good workout. My wifes uncle has a powerboat so perhaps I'll get them to do some on the water shots of the Pathfinder in action.

I continue to add to the boat as I get moments here and there. This evening I'll be at my brother in-laws house and he has a large garage. He don't know it yet but I'm going to hang the boat in there and install my rub strips on the keel. This will make for easier beaching on the rocky shores and give me some piece of mind. I finished cutting the strips to width last evening, and all the holes were predrilled before the boat was removed from the house. If you recall the moving cradle from last month, the same runners used in the sled are the ones im using now. The holes I drilled are a match to the keel plugs I made before turning the boat over in the shop.
I'll give a report when I return.

Sea trial #2

2009-08-08T16:39:00.003-02:30

Modifications made, all tightened up, I planned an overnighter, but some prior commitments, a poor forecast of 25-30 knot winds and heavy rains called for some adjustments. Not wanting to waste any time on the water I asked my wife if she wanted to go out and she was all up for it. I got out on the water early but no high winds as of yet. With a strange calm we motored out of the harbour.It didn't take long for the clouds to form and look sinister.

But there was a scattered break in the cloud and the winds picked up a little. As I stated a long time ago, this part of Newfoundland has few places to beach you boat.

Winds a bit more steady now and we managed to get to Brigus and turn around to head back.

There must have been a large storm on outside the bay by the size of the ocean swell.

The mood of the winds and the rain showers passing by was enough to send us back to shore but All in all a fine trip out. No mishaps and the furling system and other add-ons worked flawlessly.

Some final thoughts on the building of the Pathfinder named "Pikake"

2009-08-06T11:43:00.007-02:30

With the build behind me and life returning to normal, I finally can reflect on what I have done. It has taken 11 months and 500 hours in that time span to completly build this boat. I started building in September of 2008 and averaged about 10 hours a week in my shop, but after the Christmas holidays I nearly doubled that to get in the water this summer.
The completed boat has cost me $10,000 approximately. About $1500 over my estimate. The cost which I have kept pretty much to myself is higher than some might think, but you must consider it's all new. (example; 5hp Honda $2100, Sails $1400, Trailer $1500. That's $5000 before I include any hull or rigging.) You don't build a boat of this size to save money.
I have average building skills and none of this build was technically challenging. What it was though, was a lot of hard work and patience. People tell me I must be very proud of what I had done, but to be honest I don't really feel that. I feel relieved that it's over, and very, very satisfied. It's not until I got up to my neck in the build that I realized that it don't take a master boat builder nor a cabinetmaker to build a boat like this. People looking in from the outside at this project see the final product and how it seems to be somehow a major feat. When I get the "You must feel proud" I can't help but think of the fishermen of not too long ago would spend the winter building bigger boats to replace their previous smaller ones, and launch in the spring with a nod an "Hope she floats" murmured. Half a dozen would be launched in nearly every community across this island with no more thought than if they had fixed the wharf. It's just a lost skill that used to be common place like making nets or mending them.
It's been a goal since my teenage years to build my own boat and now that its been accomplished it's gratifying. But I can see how a person could get down because it is taking so long to finish their boat. Moral I think is the biggest killer of boat builds. You just get tired of it. So you better be sure what your getting yourself into before you commit large sums of cash to the project.
I thank my wife Nadine for agreeing to let me take on such a large project and for putting up with the huge mess in the basement work shop that migrated out so far as the laundry room. But she no longer will need to endure me pouring over plans and telling her in minute detail about what this boat can do and what that boat costs to build. I bet she's as relieved as me that it's done.
I have a sailboat again, but this one I built...

More upgrading

2009-08-05T21:23:00.004-02:30

I finally got my furling system installed today. It is much better then hauling up the sail on the forward stay in the jib hanks. Not only that, when not under sail it doesn't catch the wind and get in the way. I ran some fairleads back to the cleat so it would run smoothly and not hook up in any other rigging. I'll us it in this configuration for this season and see how it performs.

I have all the rigging checked and tightened, I so changed my centerboard haul-up so it would run smoother and not bottom out before it was all the way up. It's a single block tied to the main centerboard line, that a leader line runs through and through a double block then back to a cleat. It's a bit of weight to haul on it, but not too hard to cause any adult problems. it's only used occasionally anyhow. I left extra rope on nearly all the rigging until my sea trials are complete, then I 'll trim it all off. In case you may have noticed all the odd ends hanging all over the place.

A nice afternoon casually playing with the boat in my yard. I think I have all the minor things done so next is another day in the water trying things out. I'll only take one other person this time so I don't have all that weight/ballast aboard. I would really like to know how she performs running light and fast.

Finally... The tiller

2009-08-05T19:35:00.003-02:30

While working on my rigging I managed to get a couple of shots of my tiller.
Made by Maxwell Patten Sr. only weeks before I launched for trials. Made from mahogany and ash sandwiched and varnished. It's a fantastic piece of work and I'm proud to have this specimen on my little boat. I attached A tiller tamer for my excursions to the front of the boat.
The tiller is mostly to plan and in generally the same style. A wooden plug is in the end to keep the tiller in place.

the tiller sits in a good position and don't interfere with my knees when bringing it across.

adjustments

2009-08-04T19:37:00.003-02:30

With a little time on my hands, I set to making small adjustments to the rig where I see improvement. The first was the bowsprit hold down "Widow maker". The lower end interfered with the wench haul-up and roller, So I drilled a 3/8" hole through the stem and glued/bolted a 3/8" bow eye in a new spot just above the roller. With a quick shortening of the cable I reinstalled the unit and i'm pleased with the result. Strength not an issue. This will stay taught. From the first sea trial and the stay that broke loose, here's why it did so. Note the picture below and the uneven spacing of the jaws that grip the cable. It basically slipped out the side. Lesson learned.

It should look like this below if you can see my point. I removed the stay and brought it into the shop for reattachment. It won't break loose this time. I will do a once over on all the rigging tomorrow and make sure all the swaggless fittings are tight and secure. If there is little wind I'll set up the boat on the trailer and make my adjustments to the gaff. I already took it off the boat and did some prep work on the back end near the mast. The dry run tomorrow will test it.

Tomorrow... yeah A day off. Regatta Day in the city, the oldest longest running Regatta in North America.

R&R

2009-08-02T14:07:00.004-02:30

Only a day after the first sea trial I was off on the second leg of my vacation. (the first week was spent outfitting the boat from daylight til dusk) Out "around the bay" doing some fishing, whale watching and water skiing. (The later was mostly me driving the boat) My wife got some shots of the bald eagles who now number near as many as the sea gulls in the area. She really needs a zoom lens to get clearer shots.

Now it's clean up time in the shop and man... there's a lot to clean up. That will take me a day or so, but then it's back to making adjustments to the boat.
1/ Fix port side stay. (my fault for letting it go like it was, lesson learned)
2/ Install additional bow eye for the bowsprit. (this one is above the wench bumper)
3/ Install newly arrived furling gear.
4/ Modify gaff for better haul up and to better slide on the mast.
5/ Try to add the rub strips on the keel if I can.

These are in order of importance. I will be on the water this coming weekend. I'll also need to make adjustments to this blog now that the build is complete. Not to mention getting some more shots of the boat completed.

Time.... aaah nice! No time to log anymore, that is a pretty cool feeling :)

Launch day and sea trials.. episode #1

2009-07-25T21:23:00.010-02:30

A lot of work goes into launch day. last minute details and safety equipment go load aboard. Secure the trailer, check and re check. The new motor ready for its first ride. Secured. I just need some gas!

Out of the driveway and to the gas station for gas and a check.

I was warned about Johns boats, that they tend to draw a crowd... I was delayed a bit by well wishers and folk catching a peak of this unusual looking boat. My favorite an now standard response to "Where did you get that!" I respond... "My basement" "NO WAY" ... "way"

With all rigging set up and checked we backed her in the water for first time... plug in boat check.

The trailer was hardly in the water when the boat practically leapt into the salty green. Anxious I see are we.
A quick check of the center board pin arrangement for leaks and then all the gear and tools were loaded aboard. This after all was a work day not a "pleasure day" Only expendable crew were allowed on board :) I kid of course.
I had some difficulty with the motor but it was found to be in the storage that oil got into the cylinder top end. A quick removal of the plug, a few pulls and replace again and were in business.

This caption should read ... "Someone got a spare plug wrench?"

I look at my shoes... I know I'm going to get them wet... I just know it.

I have yet to take delivery of my furler system so I had to jury rig my jib. Not the best set up mind you. I noticed a couple of other things which I need to fix to make dockside set up faster as well.

My wife.... Who has endured 11 months of me toiling in the basement. I owe her so much, It will take a lifetime to repay. But you know what.... It was worth it!

You know how much water Pikake draws?... I could practically step aboard from where I stood.

In the water. No leaks yet. OK, now lets load her up. Myself, My father in law Austin who's helped with some of my tasks and as excited as me to see her launched. My long time friend since practically birth Travor Miller and his son Sebastian. A nice load. They all kept a eye out for potential problems. The motor was kept down and idling just in case of trouble once sails were up.

Centerboard down, rudder down, lets start with something safe, motor to top of harbor and raise mainsail, then go from there.

Small waves, and chop, but quickly as on cue, the wind picked up to a gusty 18 knot with 10-15 knot sustained winds. These boats were just out past us, their leaned out a bit. It was an offshore breeze so though the wind was high the shop was small and it did die down again after.

As I said, it died down after. With some small hick-ups to the gaff the mainsail got raised and tested then the jib was raised. Perhaps it was the load of men aboard or the design but she stayed upright pretty much the whole test.

The gaff pitch needs some work I noted, I'll fix that. I really like the fact that while sitting in the cockpit you seem very secure, I wondered what it would be like. Now I know. Still a bit surreal that we sailed today.

Notice something missing in below picture? ... no?

I'll let you in on it.... Left side of the picture... no? OK compare left side to right side of picture....

OK I'll tell you...

While cruising back across the harbor at a good clip I might add we tacked onto a broad reach. We were on that for a minute or so when a snap and everyone looked skyward! Mast still there, but the port side shroud had snapped! Without a pause I told Trav to take the tiller, I rushed forward to take down the mainsail and as I moved forward I told Austin to take down the jib. within second all sails were down. OK check for damage... other that the busted swaggless fitting at top everything was fine! The mast stayed up with only a forward stay and a side stay, under full sail... I've never thought it possible until today. the mast should have toppled into the ocean like a tree but no. I can only attribute it to the strength of the mast and the stainless steel mast tabernacle bolted firmly to the deck. No damage to speak of. Nobody panicked. It after all was a trial for such things. Everyone performed well during the unexpected problem. Great work guys! We sat there for a moment discussing it, then I said, we have lots of gas, let just motor out the bay a bit for a cruise. And we did. very nice in a sea I might add.

Don't they all looked stressed out aftward a near demasting? Everyone agreed, no big deal. Short but adventurous.

Back at dock side she slipped on the trailer with same ease... I did get my shoes wet, I knew it.

Thanks guys for making the day fun.

Maxwell Pattens Tiller was magnificent on the boat and I'm ashamed to say I have no picture yet. Sorry. But I will, it's worth a story in its self.

p.s. There's no more building. after 11 months its done. But there's adjustments to be made, and half a summer left of sailing. I have already planned for some projects for the winter in my now seemingly massive work shop. After the pathfinder build nothing is too big now. I now have to catch up on some fishing.

Launch day/ sea trials ... Saturday July 25th 2009

2009-07-24T22:08:00.003-02:30

Yup.
It certainly seems that way.
A couple of tweaks and installations and the boat is ready to push off the trailer. The floating part we'll work on. Once in the water I have to test a few things before the test pilots jump in for a run. The Centerboard pivot pin area mostly needs attention for possible leaks. And check the running gear and shackles to make sure everything is tight.
Sun up I'll be getting prepared. the crew will be around not long after. My guess buy how long it has taken to get the other things ready, I should be ready to get her wet by noon.
No big ceremony, no fanfare. I thought about it and I just can't bring myself to "kick up a stink" over launching my boat. what can I say, I'm an introvert.

Til tomorrow.....

pre launch details

2009-07-24T21:34:00.007-02:30

More details.

Up early today with a small arts and crafts project. Gaff jaws needed leathers so I attached it with brass furniture nails. It worked nicely.

The rest of the day was spent rigging the almost 600ft of various sized rope into a gaffed rigged sloop. A great deal of knots, and re knotting. trying out something then adjusting and trying again. Luckily Weather was on our side. Overcast with absolutely no wind... a very uncommon thing around here.

This is one of my swagless turnbuckles up close. they work very nicely and all you need is small or nimble fingers to place the jaws properly.

My jib sheet is held by my cam cleats. The boom needed many fittings to accomidate my reefing system and my lazy jacks.

My plastic jib hanks were too small so I'll pick up some better ones tomorrow.

Later in the day we attempted to fit the centerboard in place. But it came apparent that the trailers cross beam wouldn't let us. What to do....

We strapped er down, and trucked er in over the road to our work shop and lifted it with the crane. That made things easier and much safer.

One long day, I think the centerboard fitting was more work than moving the boat from the house.

Time: 8 hr

Odds 'n' ends

2009-07-22T20:50:00.006-02:30

I didn't forget I have blog duties to attend to. I got a little carried away with basement cleanup and getting the many parts installed on the boat. I also got to visit Maxwell Patten and pick up my Tiller and my name tag for the boat. No tiller shot until later... It's going to look pretty awsome on the finished rudder assembly. The horn cleats were all bolted on with adhesive.

The hatches were installed mostly by Travor who's as picky as me. Also bolted with 3M 5200 adhesive. Austin was helper getting all the nuts and bolts plus the drills etc.

Bit by bit parts get added.

Jam cleats and deck blocks installed. Motor mount, and gudgeon's mounted.

Bowsprit had all the hardware bolted in place before being installed on the front. Very nice.

The cable has to be attached to the bowsprit yet.

The mast tabernacle that I designed and finished in stainless steel. Deck rigging to each side for halyards.

All hatches installed. And floor drains from front floor to cockpit.

Main sheet block moun in place. The large hatches are 16"x18"

Time: 14 hours over several days

Moving day arrives

2009-07-19T17:55:00.011-02:30

For those people who came to see the project and doubted and chuckled at the notion, whether I could get the boat out of the basement.... "I fart in your general direction" :0
Friday evening we set to work and quickly dismantled my staircase. The shop door and surrounding framing was removed at the same time I set up a jack post and steel support beam just for safety sake. It all only took about an Hour or so to complete.

The tolerances were tight and it even included me removing the 2" foam insulation in the area of the turn.

I used the locations at Frame #3 and frame #5 to make a reversed frame that would become the cradle for the boat. cutouts for the plank laps and gunwales were added so the hull carried the loads. Most of the mass is in the bottom of the boat so I had the sled runners under that area. Teflon strips which will later be used on the keel were screwed to the underside of these sled runners. This shot was taken before it was finished.

Saturday morning around 9:30 we picked up where we left off the evening before. finishing the sled and putting the boat down into its new shipping cradle. Friends from near and far came to help and help they did. More on that later.

Carpet was stapled to the frame to cushion the hull from scratching and straps to bind the boat to the sled. Black plastic strips borrowed were laid on the flood to have the sled slide on. Very slippery stuff.

Let the move begin!

Plenty of room.

Just a few feet at a time, A very controlled move.

Everyone did their part in moving this. I had no concerns with what was going on ,on the other end of the boat.

My move buddy Nathan (on the right) gave me advice on proper lifting technique and job safety.

One hole passed through. It was to me the trickiest.

Is that proper safety foot ware? Gladiator sandals Bill, really now, what were you thinking.

Second porthole, a new 42" door. I figured 1/2" clearance on either side.

Pop through the door. No problems.

It of course rained for the first time in many weeks. So I set up a 20 ft X 20 ft tarp roof. Note how my house thew up on my lawn. most of the basements contents are now outside in the rain.

We slid the boat down the driveway to where the trailer was parked. The upper part was too steep to attempt a roll over.

We ran slings under to pieces of 2x4's so we all could lift the boat.

In a few minutes we had the nose on the trailer.

And then it was there. I had to make adjustments to the trailer wench.

Nice party tent.

And there you go. Complete. What did you do Saturday?

"Oh nothing much, just moved a 17ft sailboat out of my basement and onto a trailer."

credits.....

Travor Miller........Chief load lifter and idea man

Irving Pelley..........2nd load lifter and scaffold

Bill Foote................3rd load lifter safety advisor and main credited idea man

Maxwell Patten.....4th load lifter, clean-up and tent maintenance.

Nathan Patten.......Site foreman, Juice drinker, and personal assistant to me. (Max's son)

Sebastian Miller....Camera man, cradle/sled contractor. (Travor's son)

My sincerest thanks for these men who showed up to help on this wet day. We got a critical job done with plenty of time to spare. (enough to have a chicken Picnic and watch part of a Pixar movie. It was in Nathans contract)

I had lots of fun and the guys did too. I have very sarcastic and fun making friends. Lord help the person who ties a "granny knot" with someone looking.

Though it was a key moment in the project and some doubted its results, it was a stress free day for me anyway and many laughs.

Me and my family Thank you all.

Time: 6 hours

Last official varnish and Site #2 shut down

2009-07-17T08:28:00.002-02:30

Last varnish was last evening. It's a matter of removing tape, some touch ups and remove some drips of caulking etc. Once the boat is outside, I figure i'll put a scratch or two on the boat in the move tomorrow. Speaking of which, the wife returns tomorrow, just in time to see the basement stairwell removed and a portion of wall. MOVING DAY!
In the meantime I have to shut down site #2 workshop before she returns. Put all the furniture back and air out the house of the smell of varnish or i'm a dead man.
I ordered my name plate from a local sign shop, they will also engrave my brass builders tag. Little details.

Time: 2 hr

Varnishing

2009-07-16T08:42:00.001-02:30

3 coats of varnish have been applied to the many parts of the boat with light sanding in between. I'm using Interlux Original Spar varnish. It levels nicely and dries within a 12 hour cycle. Over my bare sanded Epoxy coated transom the varnish has worked very well. On the mast/boom/gaff it looks awesome. If anything i'm more proud of the mast work than the boat. I've never attempted to build a mast before and it looks like anything I'd see in a book. Whether it's strong enough time will tell.
Regarding the type of brush I use for my varnishing... some craftsman and "boat builders" may choke at this, but I'm using cheap brushes bought on sale by the 5 pack. so I pay about $1 per brush. 1" and 2" for gunwales and other parts, and 2 1/2" - 3" for transom, mast, boom and gaff. The reason is simple. An expensive $10 brush in which i'd need 2 sizes would need a thorough cleaning after each use. Then there's the possibility that it could be stiffened up by the time I use it again. My time is valuable to me, so I buy bulk and dispose of the brush at the end of the job. Every evening I put on an additional coat i'm using a fresh brush. and I can't complain about the results. The odd hair come from the brush but I pull it out when I see it hanging, no big deal.

Time: 6 hr (2 hr per coat)

Idle Fiddler launches!

2009-07-15T10:32:00.003-02:30

"Idle Fiddler" is a Pathfinder built by Alan C and Paul across the pond in England. They started in January 2005 and launched a couple of weeks ago. The quality is really something to be admired and I just had to steal a pic to show what i'm talking about.The level of detail is incredible and it's almost a pity that it will be exposed to the elements. It's worth the time to go look at his blog and the launch pictures. A big congrats on the build Alan!
A head turner for sure.

Tabernacle design

2009-07-15T07:27:00.004-02:30

I have had a sailboat with a mast that went through the deck and a one that had a tabernacle/ mast step on the deck and I like the mast step/tabernacle better for single handed set up. It also lets me make a shorter mast. I looked at different stlyes on various boats and made my own to suit the Pathfinder. It only needs to be high enough for the mast to pivot, and strong enough not to pull apart with a side load or tear off the deck (highly unlikely)
This is what I came up with. The rod and plate is on the rear end. The rod is a bumper of sorts for when I drop the mast I don't damage it against the sharp edge of the tabernacle.
It is made from 3/16" stainless but thicker can be used or thicker aluminum.When it's complete i'll show a picture of it. If anyone chooses to use this, it's at their own peril :)

Time at 475 hours

2009-07-14T14:18:00.003-02:30

I checked my numbers and it looks like I spent about 475 hours on the project so far. With the work remaining I figure I have about 25 hours or so left in varnishing and installation work.
500 hours to build a boat. Similar to the number of hours I spent building a full planked model schooner some years ago. Very tedious work if I do say so. Being said, I think there was less frustration in building this boat than in building the model.

Countdown

2009-07-13T14:30:00.007-02:30

I find it hard to come to terms with the fact that I have no more major construction to do with the boat that I can think of. It's all varnish and paint now. Though it has drying times that I would rather be shorter. The count down is on for next Saturday for boat extraction. So what have I been at?...

The gunwales are on, plugs installed, sanded down flush with the sides. End trim pieces cut. Though I didn't like the chips on the ends after I decided I would leave them "Oh natural" So I cut a second set. I epoxied the trim pieces in place and to hold them I used my trusty air nailer with a short nail to hold it in place, I used a piece of softwood as a washer to keep the nail from going too deep. This was naturally removed once the glue kicked off. Care was taken not to have any epoxy come in contact with these washers for fear of them becoming a part of the trim.

I've been wondering how the boat might look with the wood trim on the ends....

Now I know. I have painters tape on to protect the paint from my sloppy varnishing.

I'll varnish it like the rest of the gunwales and if I decide I don't like it I'll paint it white. I have been at other things like sanding and varnishing the mast, Boom, Gaff as shown below, as well as the bowsprit, rudder blade and the transom. I'd show more but the location is to be kept secret for fear of death. My wife is out of town and I've set up "Site #2" as my varnishing station (wink & nod).

Each evening an additional coat is applied after sanding.
There is one item that has not been shown or discussed much, the tiller. Well Maxwell Patten Sr. is currently in the process of making my tiller of Ash and Mahogany of all things. I would have been content with a slab of most any hardwood or even laminated ply, but I know him and he's a stickler for detail. He's retired but builds all kinds of fine furniture and things in his spare time. I'd certainly classify him as a cabinet maker. He makes joints look perfect. Something I could never do. I dropped my rudder case off at his house a few days ago so he could test fit the tiller and though he claimed it was "rough" I would have been delighted to take it as it is and varnish it. I've paid him in bottled moose meat so far but I think I'll need something more significant for final payment on an item that will be likely the highlight of the boat. Maybe even draw attention away from the many flaws :)

Time: 16 hrs

Whats in a name..

2009-07-10T14:22:00.003-02:30

This has been a source of much discussion in my house since the whole boat idea turned into an actual boat in my basement. As noted earlier there were many names bounced around. My daughter turning down her name being on the boat deterred me, but not for too long. I did a little research and found there's a flower in Hawaii that's a "Jasmine" species.
In Hawaiian it's "Pikake" pronounced "Pee-ka-kay".
I told my wife and she liked it, I then told my daughter the name, she looked at me curiously and asked where I got it, I said "look it up". She went to her computer and a few moments later I heard from her room a shout.. "AAAH CLEVER" So With her not contesting the name, PIKAKE it is.
She avoids the phantom embarrassment of her name on a boat. And I get to name the boat after her (though in a disguised form)
Everyone's happy.

Time: 5 months *phew*

Work does continue

2009-07-10T14:03:00.002-02:30

I'm still at it. Just not much new to show. I'm currently sanding and varnishing the gunwales and coaming that can be seen in a previous post. These get installed this evening. Then more varnishing after. The next 5 or so days will be spent varnishing and sanding. From looking at the schedule I might be ready to extract the boat from the basement by Next Saturday July 18th. I have the 42" main door in, a steel beam from the shop for a back up reinforcement for my floor joists, and I'm preparing a special sled to have the boat sit in on it's side for the move. Needless to say a flury of activity over the next week.

Time:... I've lost count... lets say 12 hr +

Side jobs

2009-07-07T21:41:00.005-02:30

It's been a bit of time since the last post. Not that I have been Idle. Oh contrary!

I spent Saturday with my good friend Trav and my father in-law Austin destroying my basement wall to install a new 42" wide steel door. The old door was in need of replacement so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and put in a door large enough to extract a 17ft boat.

We (Travor) cut the wall with a rented concrete saw which by the way performed excellently. Preparing for and doing that took the morning. The rest of the day was spent installing the door and insulating it.

Sunday was spent cleaning up the massive mess we made in the door job. I finally had to cave in and burn my pile of scrap wood that was now crowding my alley.

Coaming Part deux

2009-07-03T21:18:00.004-02:30

I picked up another piece of wood and cut my new coaming. I steamed/wetted it well before clamping it in place. I had barely enough clamps to put both of them in place. Once it's all dry and such I'll remove it and varnish the back side before gluing and screwing it back.
Time: 2 hr

Some small changes

2009-07-02T21:12:00.003-02:30

I had intended to use a product called "Interdeck" it's a paint with grit in it to give a grip for foot traffic on decks etc. I opened the can and just dipped a stir stick and let it dry. it had the traction, but I checked it out and saw that it was going to be hard to clean the dirt off. I'm not a particularly clean person or neat freak but I hate a dirty boat. And the area that I planned to cover was going to be a large on to keep clean. So I looked for an alternative. I seen on a well known Navigator down south that the guy had grip strips on his deck and it looked ok. I decided to go the same route. This way I can control to some extent where people put their feet. I picked up some 3M safety strips 2" wide selve adhesive backed. Done. I know I won't slip on these areas and I still get to show off the nice paintjob, though bright. That bright white might need to be ivory next year, but thats next year.

No, It's no flood

2009-07-02T21:00:00.004-02:30

Nope, not a flood. Just steaming and soaking my gunwales for installation.
Both sets of upper and lower gunwales were steamed and bent for temporary installation on the hull. To make sure I had no issues with screwing them on, I used my stud finder to find the screws now well hidden under the layers of paint. I put painters tape on the hull so i could mark with a marker where the screws were. I spaced the gunwale screws accordingly. I only put screws in at double spacing until the wood dries out. Then I'll remove the gunwales for varnishing and permanent installation with 3M 5200 adhesive.

I had steamed the coaming top caps that I had routered a slot in the other day, but the installation failed horribly and I need to make another set in a different design. Next post I'll show what happened.

Time: 3 hr

Painting, and more painting.

2009-06-30T21:38:00.004-02:30

The first coat of paint after the primer took 2 full evenings to complete. Getting up in under all the little nooks and crannies. A few bruises gained trying to contort myself to access these areas. The next two coats went progressively easier. I finished the 3rd coat of paint on the top sides, centerboard and the rudder case tonight. Tomorrow it July 1st, CANADA Day, so I'll have the whole day to work on trial fitting the gunwales I have rough cut and shaped. they'll be removed and varnished then reinstalled.
Time: 12 hrs (over 4 days)

Just a lick of paint

2009-06-24T20:16:00.004-02:30

I can multi task can't I?
With all the adjusted duties, less time is spent at this project, not no time. Everything got washed down, sanded and the first coat of primer added to the topsides. The biggest hurdle was the under side of the deck... what a pain! But the topsides made up for it. I have been waiting to see how she finally looked with a lick of paint.
I managed to prime the centerboard and rudder case as well. Time: 6 hrs (3 evenings)

Curve balls

2009-06-24T20:03:00.003-02:30

It has been a bunch of days since my last post. with exception of the one I just put on.
With all the work going on Last weekend I made a massive mess. and before painting could begin, I needed to to a major clean up. Saturday evening I started it, My wife wanted to help so she came down and swept as I tossed wood out the door in a selection process between good scrap and "burn it" scrap. She went out the door with a box of sawdust and slipped on one of the boards. It seemed harmless enough a fall, bumping her knee, hardly a scratch. She sat for a few minutes to let the pain pass then like a trooper kept on cleaning up. I made her put some ice on it later that evening and everything seemed normal. then next morning however, Sh awoke with a knee the size of a elephants! and couldn't put any weight on it. I knew something was not right and I took her straight to the hospital. Long story short, after a long wait, we found out she has her knee cap broke in 3 places..... Oh shit.
Since then needless to say priorities have shifted to keeping her off her feet, and keeping the household running. Life has a way of throwing curve balls. The boat is not going anywhere, and i'm now in no great rush since she can't go out with me (at least for the time being)
I'll pick at it when I find time here and there.

Odds-n-ends

2009-06-24T19:49:00.006-02:30

Saturday got a bunch of little things done. I first made a bowsprit from the maple My brother and father cut.

That didn't look so good with some flaws in it, so I made another one. That one also had some flaws in it. Mostly large knots and some indications of core rot. So I cut out another one from a previously disgarded piece of maple. It turned out prett good. I need to let it sit and finish curing a bit more before I router the edges and finish sanding.

I took the unfinished bowsprits and cut one up for the gaff jaws. it was a matter of making a template, finding a nice spot and then cutting it out with the jig saw. it was finished with router and sanding. I glued and screwed it to the gaff. it will get some additional shaping later.

The Centerboard got an additional layer of glass cloth, then some epoxy filler. I sanded it smooth and mounted the pin holder made from bronze ore locks. it was screwed and 3M adhesive glued in place. alignment was checked with a 1/2" bolt.
Time: 12 hrs (over 2 days)

pre paint work

2009-06-19T20:58:00.007-02:30

Final sanding was done to the inside, all touch-ups done. I finished the first coat of epoxy by 9 pm, but had to wait until 12am for the second coat. Now 3 days must pass before i can prime the first coat. This shot shows my recessed drain. My bulkhead fitting will go here with an attached hose to the cockpit.

The compression post has a base plate screwed to the floor in addition to the post its self.

In the meantime... there's a few odds and ends that need attending to. But that's for this weekend.

Time: 6 hrs (2 evenings)

Touch up

2009-06-17T22:24:00.002-02:30

The topsides got finished sanding this evening, then I checked for spots that need an additional layer of Epoxy filler. Mostly at plywood joints.
Tomorrow evening, final sanding, clean up, a once over then 2 coats of epoxy.

Time: 3 1/2 hr

Odds and ends

2009-06-17T09:24:00.004-02:30

The centerboard needs to be hauled up via A pulley system, and the first point is at the centerboard case. That's where I made a haul up block mount. It's tilted to allow the line to go to the base of the compression post where the pulley system will be. The haul up mount is made of Maple from my stash cut near my home town. I spent some time making it look nice and drilled some pilot hole which I don't think I'll fill. (Stephen here's another area where the maple is being used)
The transom got a reinforcing pad for the motor mount. Little chance of the motor ripping loose from this. The cockpit got its' sanding and rounding off of the edge so as not to be sharp on the legs.
The forward floor edge also got rounded off just because I thought it looked cool.
Then the evening of sanding began.

Time: 3 hr

Pace yorself

2009-06-17T08:43:00.004-02:30

I've been working a great deal of hours on the boat lately, and last night I hit one of those walls...
I was sanding away around 10:00 last night when all of a sudden I stopped, and shut the sander off. Not in frustration or anger, but in a realization that it's my boat, and it's supposed to be fun, like a hobby. I'll get this done, but I'll get it done at a pace that I'm happy with. If I push it too hard, too fast I'll burn out and not enjoy it, or worse get pissed off and walk away for a day or so. I'm also at a point in the build where "rushing it" will show in the final product so none of that please.
But it's looking good so far, unlike my yard which has overgrown with my lack of attention. I'll get to that this weekend... perhaps.

Epoxy filler (deck and cockpit)

2009-06-15T21:04:00.005-02:30

I took one of my annual vacation days today to work on the boat. Epoxy filler to the deck and cockpit. There are a lot of small cracks and crannies that are hard to get too. Needless to say it took me most of the day to do all these little patches. I couldn't have got this done in one evening. That would have delayed me in getting the 2 coats of epoxy that hopefully will be Wednesdays Job.

All the deck holes for cleats, bow chocks, and blocks have been drilled oversize for epoxy coating.

Time: 8 hr

A lot can happen over the weekend.

2009-06-14T19:04:00.009-02:30

Where Was I? Ah yes, 4 coats of paint, and 3 coats of Blue on top plank, Then tape was pulled off. Saturday morning with the help of Travor we once again set up the slings and prepared for the roll over. Only this time with the outer hull painted we had to be much more careful. We attached carpet to the slings and taped wax paper to the hull. This would allow the boat to slip in the slings easier. Also it protects the fresh paint. Bit by bit the boat was rolled over to deck side.
Blocks of wood on the deck to protect the coaming.Rolled over 180 degrees, fresh paint, not a scratch. Travor Miller is now a certified Journeyman "Boat Roller" Thanks for the aid Trav, it couldn't have been done without you.
No, that is not the finished product you see here. I taped off the lower edge to keep me from rolling blue onto the precious white. Same with the rear. These edge areas will get some hardwood trim items.Sundays list of things checked off... Seat supports, both forward near the centercase and the cockpit seat edges, compression post assembled and installed, bowsprit mount holes located and drilled, fuel line hole through the transom. Gunnel's cut, lower rubstrips cut, coaming caps cut. Holes drilled through the deck for the bowsprit.Compression post is a laminate of 2 pieces of 5/8" ply, sandwiching a piece of 1/2". this is mostly for gaining the necessary thickness for the boom vang mount and centerboard haul up mount.
With all those parts cut and sanded, glued and installed, it leaves a big mess.... A REAL BIG MESS! I'd clean it all up but I am spending tomorrow at cutting more parts so it will be a waste of time to clean up now. tomorrow evening i'll clean up. (yep thats the centerboard down on the floor, it's safer there. (just it tipping over can cause bodily harm.. I know from experience)
Time: 10 hr (including painting, sanding and all this part work.

Rub strips and Top planks

2009-06-10T21:54:00.006-02:30

The boat is going to have a 3/8" Teflon rub strip running the length of the keel. I have the Teflon and this evening I match drilled the oversize holes to be filled with epoxy. (yes thats my reflection in the cured paint... Now thats a shine )These holes will have the screws set in them. The top plank is to be painted Sapphire blue and have a rub rail on the top and bottom of that plank. I taped off the lower edge to prevent the blue paint from going below the rub rail and onto the nice white I so carefully laid down.The blue being the same as the white is thin and goes on in the same way, in thin coats. I sanded and prepped this plank like the rest of the boat was done

3 coats should cover the white pretty well I think.

Time: 2 1/2 hr

4th coat on

2009-06-10T08:14:00.004-02:30

Before my 4th coat of paint, I had to install a new fan in my shop window. I had issues with fumes spreading to the rest of the house and the natives got irate. They must be obeyed! The fan I was using earlier was small and only lodged on the window sill. This was very inefficient and wind could blow in and push the fumes through the house too easily. I picked up a cheap yet safe fan that I quickly made a frame for and mounted against the window frame. It took about 20 minutes to rig up just before supper. An indication to how well it worked was when I started to smell supper down in the shop. Most Excellent! I applied my 4th and hopefully final coat to the hull After supper. I kept a close eye on the hull for a while after, checking for possible runs. I found a couple of sags here and there and touched them up with the roller. The next couple of evenings are for the top plank blue.
I'm thinking I might, just might use a high grit wet/dry sandpaper on the hull to clean up the dust specks and such. I remember using a 1200 or higher grit on my 15ft flying junior to do the same with great results. It felt like cloth it was so fine. I actually sanded my finger prints off a couple of fingers unknowingly. (temporary I know)
I'll leave that decision for later.
I'll post pictures when my wife lets me have the camera again, I'm apparently getting it dusty :)

Time: 3 hr

3rd coat on

2009-06-09T06:10:00.005-02:30

I tried out the foam roller last night. Other than it soaking up extra paint due to its thickness, it works really well. It leaves no lint obviously and the bubbles from the rolling quickly break in the first 10 minutes or so. I'm very impressed with the properties of the "Interlux Brightsides" paint. It's runny but it enables it to flatten to a sprayed on look with no tipping. (Tipping is when you use a brush to crisscross over the rolled on paint to make the finish flat) But I must be very careful with how thick I apply it. It runs very easily.

Time: 6rs (2 coats sanded & applied)

Paint week

2009-06-08T10:43:00.003-02:30

Ah yes. Painting... Looking forward to the process, but hate the wait times.
I sand and paint, then have to wait a day before I can touch it for next coat. This week will consist of painting/sanding and repeating the process. Each looking like the previous mostly. It's just building up the thickness and durability. (I might switch to a foam roller for last coat to cut down on lint in my paint. With such a high gloss A flies footprint can be seen in it) The last coat is the top plank which will receive a couple of coats of sapphire blue. Then I'll take a couple of pictures of the hull. Rollover likely this coming weekend.

All in a days work

2009-06-05T21:25:00.003-02:30

Primer all cured. Sanded with 220 grit. cleaned with proper thinner. Time to get serious!

I cracked open my first can of Interlux "Brightsides" paint. It is the opposite of the primer... runny. I think you could spray it without a thinner. I am using a close nap 1/4" pile microfiber roller to apply this paint. the small roller makes to many tracks. this covers the plank in one pass. The paint also goes a long ways. I took about 1 hour to prep the boat. And about 2 hours to paint.

It'll do I guess.... :)

Time: 3 hours