tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88742219283034816532024-03-09T21:46:41.901-05:00Magic #16The good, the bad, and the ugly restoration of Magic, a 1962 Alberg 35 sloop (hull #16).Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-75525755660639766202016-08-26T06:50:00.000-04:002016-08-26T06:51:26.791-04:00New BlogI'm moving on and probably won't post much here anymore, but will leave the content up for those that are interested in plastic classic restoration. I've started a new blog with new adventures about fixing up beat up boats, this time on a smaller scale. I'm building a new shop that will be better suited for new projects, especially in the winter. Visit <a href="http://www.fernhollow.net/">www.fernhollow.net</a> for more.<br />
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My first project fell in my lap before I finished the shop. It's a 1977 Force 5 that followed me home from the interwebs (free boat on craigslist). I sailed one as a kid at camp and have many fond memories. I'm close to getting it back in the water, and then I will finish the shop.<br />
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After that, I am looking at a number of small boat designs that embrace beach cruising and camping. The Maine Island Trail is something I've wanted to do for some time and I want to build a boat that would suit that type of sailing. I've been looking at building a Caledonia Yawl, Ness Yawl, Goat Island Skiff, Core Sound 17 or 20, and a few designs of my own. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-21010912861625365252016-04-30T17:56:00.001-04:002016-04-30T17:56:37.518-04:00Magic has sold!I'm both happy and sad to report that Magic has been sold. The good Karma Gods must have been smiling down on her, because one of the new owners is the daughter of a former owner and sailed on Magic when she was young. I can't help but think that I've passed Magic into good hands, and will enjoy and take care of her. Fair winds.<br />
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The End!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My last sail as owner of Magic.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-66586154319511366692016-04-03T17:21:00.000-04:002016-04-03T17:34:32.452-04:00Magic For Sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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It's with mixed emotions I've decided to put Magic up for sale. If you've been following this blog then it may come as a surprise, but as much as I've enjoyed the fruits of 4 years of labor this summer, I decided that it's time to take on a new challenge. I'm realistic and know that I will never get the labor and time that I put into her and am selling her for $22,000. Overall she is in excellent condition and I've detailed her extensive restoration on this blog. There is lots of information here as well as more images and links to videos of Magic sailing.<br />
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Her storage is paid up until summer and she is shrink wrapped and winterized. Listing details are here: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JPWbGpIQgDNhorA-6rlM01guehdRHjLog4a2DmlChEo/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Listing Details</a>. Feel free to contact me at matt@bowser.com if you want more information.<br />
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During the first years after I bought Magic in 2001, the circumstances of my life were significantly different. My kids were just toddlers and could be packed away in the car for the 2.5 hour trip without much of a fuss. Additionally, my parents lived down on the Cape so we were traveling down from New Hampshire regularly anyway. <br />
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Times have changed though; my kids both like sailing but now that they are 15 and 13 respectively, they are beginning to have lives of their own and it has become difficult to plan family getaways. With that said, we had a great week sailing down on the Cape and Martha's Vineyard this summer and a few weekends that I wouldn't trade for the world. I was able to sail quite a bit this summer, but much of that time was spent solo and I started to come to terms with the fact that it didn't make sense to spend so much time and money (mooring and hauling costs) on a big boat that I was for the most part day sailing.</div>
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I still love sailing and I have a number of friends with big boats that I'll crew on going forward, and back in late July I spent a day sailing a few boats in the Small Reach Regatta up in Brooklin Maine and fell in love with one in particular. The Caledonia Yawl designed by Iain Oughtred. It sails great, is trailerable (read: no mooring or hauling fees), and will satisfy my desire to sail the Maine Island Trail in a small boat. The proceeds from the sale of Magic will go toward the cost of building a Caledonia Yawl or something similar.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic's last morning in the water this year. Note the frost on the dock!</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-54466271092616841002015-08-03T15:09:00.001-04:002015-08-03T15:17:57.809-04:00Sleigh RideHere are a few videos from last weekend coming back from Vineyard Haven. We were just outside of Wood's Hole on our way back to Marion and the SW wind made an awesome showing and we just flew back. My only regret is I didn't have the spinnaker on board that weekend.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-39357426908318833712015-06-25T00:09:00.000-04:002015-07-16T05:42:01.583-04:00Summertime<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX9PSWvr0dQeqKxrcf3dsJX03wHbCWyMHjkqy6XBxnHtK0JTyrgUfezoRQZEMpsVe-FcktGUjZD5KWbO5g00DJw_ewd-qeyDLYlDLIdqNpj2fK0Rbt-ekxsbcyKTfk_mxqqG9K-rtZJw/s1600/IMG_20150624_174041560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX9PSWvr0dQeqKxrcf3dsJX03wHbCWyMHjkqy6XBxnHtK0JTyrgUfezoRQZEMpsVe-FcktGUjZD5KWbO5g00DJw_ewd-qeyDLYlDLIdqNpj2fK0Rbt-ekxsbcyKTfk_mxqqG9K-rtZJw/s200/IMG_20150624_174041560.jpg" width="150" /></a>The boats been in the water for almost three weeks now and I have taken every opportunity to get out sailing. We've had several family outings on the weekends and I've done a couple of mid week solo sails over the past few weeks. I really love going out alone because it really helps me get to know how the boat behaves again. Before the restoration I had gotten comfortable enough to sail on and off the mooring and maneuver through the very tight harbor without any help from the engine. So far this year, I've been using the main to get off the mooring, but I've had the engine running just in case I screw up. I'm surrounded by some very expensive boats whose owners would probably not appreciate me running into them and I don't feel totally confident yet to go without the motor when leaving or approaching the mooring.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-18479541606072972592015-06-11T21:59:00.001-04:002015-06-11T21:59:52.291-04:00First Sail 2015We had a fantastic first sail last weekend, with the temperature in the low 80s and a nice 10-12 knot breeze. It was completely uneventful except that nothing went wrong (when does that happen on the first time out) and the whole family had a good time. With a South East breeze we were able to sail down to Mattapoisett before tacking out to Cleveland ledge and back across the bay to Marion. No marathon, just a great Sunday afternoon sail. To top it all off, my 15 year old son was excited to get hoisted up the mast to install a wire above the spreader to hopefully keep the birds off.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-27972873387653788882015-06-05T23:08:00.002-04:002015-06-05T23:08:31.386-04:00Salty AgainFinally, the boat is back in salt water. Last year's soak in Lake Winnipesaukee was done because it was really close to home and I could run up after work to take care of some of the many unfinished projects. Being close was nice, but I wasn't fond of the squirrelly winds and lack of destinations. <div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many projects<br />that needed completion.</td></tr>
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It's funny how launch dates sneak up on you. Two weeks ago it dawned on me that I had a huge number of things to do before the boat was picked up on June 3rd. I started making lists and scrambling to get everything done, but of course I didn't quite finish everything. The big thing I missed out on was getting 3 additional coats of varnish on everything; we got only got one on for a total of 6. I'm planning on putting another coat on now that the boat is in this weekend, but boat work usually doesn't happen for me once the boat is splashed.</div>
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So pickup day on Wednesday was absolutely crazy. The truck was scheduled to arrive at 1pm and finally crossed the last item off my list at 12:45 when I tossed a half cord of wood blocking the boat shed into my truck. Jonathan from Brownell Systems showed up before I stopped sweating. Close call.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUoru5UmGeDD0VTdFmlxIc5sUvii2EE8LVno1llomGNcbUTYsBwlt2FE3TqNPCNi8YF7mUS3Lv_qqMrhxCmQP9lvZldbA_bh6P3EgOE9reEqG9xy2KJABHNWUrp0meW76Py1bS3l9QQQ/s1600/IMG_20150603_131139902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUoru5UmGeDD0VTdFmlxIc5sUvii2EE8LVno1llomGNcbUTYsBwlt2FE3TqNPCNi8YF7mUS3Lv_qqMrhxCmQP9lvZldbA_bh6P3EgOE9reEqG9xy2KJABHNWUrp0meW76Py1bS3l9QQQ/s200/IMG_20150603_131139902.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting the boat on the trailer.</td></tr>
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The loading was nerve wracking for me as usual, but Jonathan was completely at ease and had no trouble backing the big truck and trailer into the tight confines of the boat shed. It took a little over an hour to load the boat and get the mast secured on the trailer's rack and then it was over. The boat was gone, the shed was empty and I felt a huge sense of relief. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxEw7OsYL4mIg2q3P6Ff_fmIPDpjXKTbcA380pDK0KDa3EG82TAKg3vVxEff7vfIdnOUelUmrqAjZT1N8GXCWHOl47l4gvDmYdDRORZ4i9uUEkrpLVIhfMQ8SV0cNq9olXQf5qjLG7Ls/s1600/IMG_20150603_142637981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxEw7OsYL4mIg2q3P6Ff_fmIPDpjXKTbcA380pDK0KDa3EG82TAKg3vVxEff7vfIdnOUelUmrqAjZT1N8GXCWHOl47l4gvDmYdDRORZ4i9uUEkrpLVIhfMQ8SV0cNq9olXQf5qjLG7Ls/s320/IMG_20150603_142637981.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next morning I drove down to the Marion town launch and met Jonathan and his crane operator to step the mast and launch the boat. Another nerve wracking hour for me; there is just something about a 250 pound (guess) mast hanging from a crane above your head while standing on the deck of a boat 15 feet off the ground on a trailer that just doesn't sit well with me. </div>
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All went well though and once we got all the standing rigging attached I started to feel a bit better. The strap from the crane was dropped, the mast stayed up on its own and then it was time to back down the ramp. I wish I had taken photos, but I was trying to pay attention. Once the boat was in the water Jonathan gave me a minute to fire up the engine and it started right away. Then he lowered the hydraulic rams that keep the boat on the trailer and the boat was free. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tIq4izJVxWcEhnCRbUfbrKaftBYvjKPR-GnoxKwv-_hiP1VuSyF15wLndn6i7APg49rMnt6gJawTHO5GjvAb9Ka_eAYI07YSPA_9-HoyIK5GHZpkf5FrYKjDUssXUmtTV07cMwhtQv8/s1600/IMG_20150604_102244099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tIq4izJVxWcEhnCRbUfbrKaftBYvjKPR-GnoxKwv-_hiP1VuSyF15wLndn6i7APg49rMnt6gJawTHO5GjvAb9Ka_eAYI07YSPA_9-HoyIK5GHZpkf5FrYKjDUssXUmtTV07cMwhtQv8/s320/IMG_20150604_102244099.jpg" width="320" /></a>I tied the boat off to the dock and thanked Jonathan for all his help and he was off. I hopped back on board and headed out to the mooring. It took a while to find it and ended up having Barden's Boatyard find it (it took them a while also). It turns out that the float was partially submerged so I never saw the number. </div>
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The rest of the day was uneventful and much more relaxing. I made sure all the cotter pins were crimped (or whatever it is you call it when you bend them around the clevis pin), put the boom on and rigged the mainsheet. Then I had some lunch and relaxed a bit before heading home. Next up - Sailing... Finally.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-89770078060794972092015-06-02T19:01:00.001-04:002015-06-02T19:01:34.548-04:00Frenetics<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYF6NRm6EN_uUgsWareRj5I6JyOehI15dvah3vUkwsELtKltTueYYZBVQkyPwDPLZY6FeWj2r_8idm8F5zrU80r7WSVqCIA3s6wYcyJqI6vqeMoD2b-btNOYZ28ZkNgJJnHuqAQ5xcdo/s1600/IMG_20150522_112659872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYF6NRm6EN_uUgsWareRj5I6JyOehI15dvah3vUkwsELtKltTueYYZBVQkyPwDPLZY6FeWj2r_8idm8F5zrU80r7WSVqCIA3s6wYcyJqI6vqeMoD2b-btNOYZ28ZkNgJJnHuqAQ5xcdo/s320/IMG_20150522_112659872.jpg" width="320" /></a>I've been neglecting to post here for a while now, but it's not because I've been off skiing or mountain biking somewhere and blowing off boat work. I've been busy getting the boat ready to launch in two days and I just had a ton of little projects that were either partially completed or just never got to them last year.<br />
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First off, I finally finished the new hatch and got it installed. Most of the work since the last post involved varnishing (6 coats), installing hardware, and final fitting. All went well and I'm happy with how it turned out. <br />
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At the same time I was working on varnishing the brightwork, bolting on the builders plate (finally), and installing a new VHF cable that runs from the radio to the mast. At any given point in the past month I've had 5-6 small projects going in various stages of completion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLQJD7_q37PeBC7yZ9VYVGK6-QzzcPvSMTs46nI8H4CFt6AOpQk5cDgVtGduHOoVlkFB-IAJbWvG1xkSB0-1JgROQH1zM60IKCrUW-pl8c6vZu4aMvLXN6_8nSlFXHFjNmFzeSIAZC0I/s1600/IMG_20150522_112719559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLQJD7_q37PeBC7yZ9VYVGK6-QzzcPvSMTs46nI8H4CFt6AOpQk5cDgVtGduHOoVlkFB-IAJbWvG1xkSB0-1JgROQH1zM60IKCrUW-pl8c6vZu4aMvLXN6_8nSlFXHFjNmFzeSIAZC0I/s200/IMG_20150522_112719559.jpg" width="200" /></a>There were a few larger projects that I should have done over the winter, but I just don't get much boat work done over the winter, so once again, I was under the gun once the weather warmed up and I was sure we were going to launch this season.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLTz_nDEsU-Ebffkue1fy9ZUKpmIhctAM_Z5oFtSMXv6H6ERxQREnGEYjMIvnONgETV3BeowGAAkRNM4YHdAI2BC4p7wkHl8Oy4Rg3Llr9b1e9NsOtWuiaBkjbB_TaXPBhYr4dqxsCgU/s1600/IMG_20150601_161645066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLTz_nDEsU-Ebffkue1fy9ZUKpmIhctAM_Z5oFtSMXv6H6ERxQREnGEYjMIvnONgETV3BeowGAAkRNM4YHdAI2BC4p7wkHl8Oy4Rg3Llr9b1e9NsOtWuiaBkjbB_TaXPBhYr4dqxsCgU/s200/IMG_20150601_161645066.jpg" width="200" /></a>Last fall I had started putting bead board on the main bulkhead in the cabin, and I had finished the port side but didn't start the starboard side until last week. It isn't a difficult project, and installing the bead board is quite easy, but cutting and fitting the trim just takes a lot of time. In particular, the trim board covering the chainplate bolts took forever because I had to get longer chainplate bolts and I decided to use some old chainplates as a backing plate for the chainplate located on the other side of the bulkhead. I finally got it done and I think it looks a lot better (See before and after photos below).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSexy5kbs_grnVKGp2lzgyiUIfhZK601EBQcFSlDiqAlqvwEoNCXyY4PEObLF28y7fYVN1ThXPOYS3VGVX_FWKyJIUb_62vyquFt4gREElAYYV7IEcW3cGni7oMCMsZXMtb3ZmhEMvlo/w1546-h870-no/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSexy5kbs_grnVKGp2lzgyiUIfhZK601EBQcFSlDiqAlqvwEoNCXyY4PEObLF28y7fYVN1ThXPOYS3VGVX_FWKyJIUb_62vyquFt4gREElAYYV7IEcW3cGni7oMCMsZXMtb3ZmhEMvlo/w1546-h870-no/" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bulkhead before</td></tr>
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There were a lot of other projects that amounted to a pain in the ass and were time consuming but required no creativity or much skill. I did consult the considerable talent amassed in the wooden boat forum to determine the best approach to repairing a split along a glue line in the boom. I just wasn't sure what to do, but in the end it was quite simple to do (open up the glue line with a japanese pull saw, fill with epoxy and plug the end to keep the split from continuing). Hopefully it will last and I plan on re-building the whole thing for next year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOklfBZmUGDSl0DN5q4kkFsBMYbY0ltlCqpn1ZJbCk_QN8pdmw3pDfOELknwpNWSkt7pJQf4nzP6-2i34Ia7z0QhRV1N0aCXeHwbAw-vU3XHdEsycIe3zzk34BL0_OPdhWrU3ty55KNag/s1600/IMG_20150601_161628703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOklfBZmUGDSl0DN5q4kkFsBMYbY0ltlCqpn1ZJbCk_QN8pdmw3pDfOELknwpNWSkt7pJQf4nzP6-2i34Ia7z0QhRV1N0aCXeHwbAw-vU3XHdEsycIe3zzk34BL0_OPdhWrU3ty55KNag/s640/IMG_20150601_161628703.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bulkhead completed, minus the clock that still needs to be installed.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-41510928555499071622015-04-29T23:04:00.001-04:002015-04-29T23:04:34.262-04:00Mud Season<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaqJNeOYiA8bixN48imN_euHJ1nIunvzoLLVIEhmKWqkH0XYMOJv1jH0k4PaLCMLcWFtCvSvgSHrNkeGjWzbI_WEYABNPTsOT6dEPijvRIUmbLUr3CzXj67ZX19ZABlzIEbmwm8_NiLw/s1600/IMG_20150429_181317563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCaqJNeOYiA8bixN48imN_euHJ1nIunvzoLLVIEhmKWqkH0XYMOJv1jH0k4PaLCMLcWFtCvSvgSHrNkeGjWzbI_WEYABNPTsOT6dEPijvRIUmbLUr3CzXj67ZX19ZABlzIEbmwm8_NiLw/s1600/IMG_20150429_181317563.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>So here in Northern New England we have a dreaded 5th season known as mud season. It's the time just after the snow melts and just before the black flies start biting. Mud season is a sub-season of spring and in my case it means that I can't go near the boat until things dry out and the ground stabilizes. Of course there is a lot to do, but mud season gives me an excuse to find other things to do.<br />
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I have been picking away at finishing the forward hatch though, and I decided to get all artsy and see if I could do an inlay. I've never really done inlays before so I cracked open the interwebs one night and found some good youtube videos by '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVVhkl-h654aogI4c-q4uTw">The Apprentice and The Journeyman</a>'. Seemed easy enough so I gave it a shot. I didn't take any photos of the process because I never thought it would come out as nice as it did, but you can see the whole process on the link above. <br />
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In any event, I decided on a compass rose with an alternating wood pattern, and I had some leftover teak from the top deck and a chunk of ash from the firewood pile. The ash is significant because it was a beautiful tree next to our house and my wife and daughter's favorite tree. Unfortunately, it came down during one of the snowstorms this winter and I had to cut it up. I saved a few pieces and cut them up on the bandsaw for use later on. The ash will live on.<br />
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So with the help of the youtube videos I did some basic math and cut out a bunch of 22.5 degree wedges with a little jig I made for the bandsaw and glued them all up. The result was surprisingly good, so I took then next step and traced the pattern on a piece of sapele and chiseled out the relief before dropping the glued up compass rose. <br />
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I sanded it all down and then embedded it along with a bunch of mahogany strips that I had left over on the underside of the hatch with epoxy. After a good sanding, I applied the first of several coats of varnish. Next, once the ground hardens up and I can get on the boat again, I'll get the hardware mounted and adjusted and then it's just a matter of more varnish and I'll be done.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-43496883308850525622015-04-06T20:28:00.000-04:002015-04-06T20:28:37.707-04:00Hatching the Hatch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Getting close now, I almost have a finished hatch on my hands. This was my first foray into Teak Decking Systems SIS 440 (or any teak seam sealer for that matter) and other than the long cure time, it was easy enough to use.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SNqmsAqTXDWIfYROnVWSQu2gRNYh1yoSy4860mpHBk_vhgXHBvT0OEZPK5H2v7UqRzmUyonwCxbQfBWrCbZ-YbC5STcBiwlHEfZQBXwMlK79zJN97dvjc1DglsNFvqkpYcquKbIfxyA/s1600/IMG_20150405_072332925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_SNqmsAqTXDWIfYROnVWSQu2gRNYh1yoSy4860mpHBk_vhgXHBvT0OEZPK5H2v7UqRzmUyonwCxbQfBWrCbZ-YbC5STcBiwlHEfZQBXwMlK79zJN97dvjc1DglsNFvqkpYcquKbIfxyA/s1600/IMG_20150405_072332925.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
I started by taping off the teak planks between the seams to minimize cleanup. I don't think it's needed because everything needs to be sanded down anyway, but I'm sure it didn't hurt. Once everything was taped off pretty well, I clipped the end of the tube and popped it into a mechanical caulking gun. I squeezed out the black goo into each of the seams, letting it mound up behind the nozzle (as instructed). My cheapo mechanical caulking gun doesn't really have the leverage to easily get the caulking to flow and my hand quickly began to cramp. Fortunately, I have large gorilla hands, but someone with small hands or little hand strength would likely have some difficulty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRX9utgsZmB_E8nQWJ9UUu7ywCWunP3nJwrNUrvSY58yyiRy0jOgF0Sc-eYJcYCTmCLwXRbG3LNxJPAtdT8uo6k4PSkXk10LxWNxD8kxT1i2XXwf6Fd9VTVjAaAC17UuWJGiYleXbhak/s1600/IMG_20150405_073432271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRX9utgsZmB_E8nQWJ9UUu7ywCWunP3nJwrNUrvSY58yyiRy0jOgF0Sc-eYJcYCTmCLwXRbG3LNxJPAtdT8uo6k4PSkXk10LxWNxD8kxT1i2XXwf6Fd9VTVjAaAC17UuWJGiYleXbhak/s1600/IMG_20150405_073432271.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>I literally had just enough caulking to get all the seams filled, but once complete I took a 1 inch piece of scrap wood and smeared each of the seams to make sure everything was filled and there were no bubbles. At that point I set it aside for 48 hours and let it cure up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSZVkVMlNGEXMZrolDJShArkbvCmWX94IjtKqBlkUIBntJ5qTWc3ZWKbRLNBnN6Fyk3XVTeCeZDd83lCrY1cXy644032unlSNi9Rtf9_HeDi2_awxSpbytyryzH7BlMnA7YZFfv-RFc0/s1600/IMG_20150406_155730936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSZVkVMlNGEXMZrolDJShArkbvCmWX94IjtKqBlkUIBntJ5qTWc3ZWKbRLNBnN6Fyk3XVTeCeZDd83lCrY1cXy644032unlSNi9Rtf9_HeDi2_awxSpbytyryzH7BlMnA7YZFfv-RFc0/s1600/IMG_20150406_155730936.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
This afternoon I tested out the caulking with my fingernail and decided it was cured enough to sand, so I took my random orbit sander and 60 grit discs and sanded everything flat. It cleaned up really easily and didn't take long to get nice crisp seams and that teak deck look.<br />
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I finished up by putting a quick coat of varnish on the rails around the deck to get a feel for how the contrasting woods will look. Pretty sharp! So, now there is lots more varnish to do and I will also epoxy in 1/8" mahogany strips to the underside of the deck to cover up the plywood and to provide a final layer for additional strength. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-49524068799253556572015-04-04T11:34:00.003-04:002015-04-04T11:34:35.823-04:00Shaping Up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxyehZFsqYg5MGWNyKhdX3ifir9H7KpQripKj0jmiu3azjeLUh2OzjBu1EJ5T0Yu9ruCb2Yx4a8Oo4Y-huHUiogu75cRVfowcAU1HXWZtxtIJn_8SzND-Avou-q96-bRpMCy1zaTweTs/s1600/IMG_20150401_115210213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggxyehZFsqYg5MGWNyKhdX3ifir9H7KpQripKj0jmiu3azjeLUh2OzjBu1EJ5T0Yu9ruCb2Yx4a8Oo4Y-huHUiogu75cRVfowcAU1HXWZtxtIJn_8SzND-Avou-q96-bRpMCy1zaTweTs/s1600/IMG_20150401_115210213.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Progress has been pretty decent with the hatch over the past few days. I epoxied in the 1/4" plywood subdeck to the rabbets running the perimeter of the hatch and then coated it with a layer of un-thickened epoxy. Originally, I was planning on laminating in a layer of 6oz cloth, but I was a little worried that the additional thickness would cause the teak planks to sit proud of the perimeter of the hatch.<br />
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Basically, the rabbet I cut was 1/2" deep and the 1/4" plywood plus 1/4" teak decking fills that rabbet up with no room for anything else. It probably would have been fine, but I decided that instead I would laminate a piece of 1706 biaxial fabric to the underside of the hatch before putting on a wood facia. That would probably be overkill so I may end up just doing a 6oz layer, but I want to get a feel for how stiff the center of the hatch is with both teak and plywood laminated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_Dzp_5E0SW5n3Rb7Qsq5qrAWztYbErWP-Wjuy2U4Wc2F61Yu-e-irVkF6il5V0f6IRoj87XYOBw7iH9Ggj5jZOt16cQl4U0Nr7H6cgvR0l7QfWO8EAF3T3uI8AXFN9h9U8nSdwzcdIM/s1600/IMG_20150401_172009919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_Dzp_5E0SW5n3Rb7Qsq5qrAWztYbErWP-Wjuy2U4Wc2F61Yu-e-irVkF6il5V0f6IRoj87XYOBw7iH9Ggj5jZOt16cQl4U0Nr7H6cgvR0l7QfWO8EAF3T3uI8AXFN9h9U8nSdwzcdIM/s1600/IMG_20150401_172009919.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anyway, after I epoxied over the plywood deck, I noticed that the center of the hatch had a slight depression in it. A straight edge revealed that I had an 1/8" depression. I want the teak to sit as flat as possible so I mixed up a batch of Quick Fair and troweled it over the depressed section. I didn't totally eliminate it, but took care of most of it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH09MAJKAYSMU1wQ0GCGf16timfsubBLTR_yr2Rck23ckwEeP247lxUxiKK-ogGQfNc9eMICaaBRzWTne4TzvV7AZtFND_0r5gT4EntRFVt5sAAAKsGoHjg4AYri0zAnt_k1Oo1B4ucWY/s1600/IMG_20150403_141335946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH09MAJKAYSMU1wQ0GCGf16timfsubBLTR_yr2Rck23ckwEeP247lxUxiKK-ogGQfNc9eMICaaBRzWTne4TzvV7AZtFND_0r5gT4EntRFVt5sAAAKsGoHjg4AYri0zAnt_k1Oo1B4ucWY/s1600/IMG_20150403_141335946.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Next, I did some shaping at the corners and cut a 6 degree sloping angle from the bottom up on the sides to give it a 'sporty' look. Not really, but one of the things I didn't like about my last hatch was that even though it was curved to fit the camber of the deck it looked a bit boxy. I think this should help.<br />
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With that complete, it was time to measure and cut the teak strips. The fore and aft length was easy, just measure total distance between the rabbets and subtract 1/2" (1/4 gap for black caulking on either end), but the side to side proved to be more challenging. It felt like I was back in grade school and was faced with a word problem that went like this:<br />
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<i>You have 10 pieces of wood, each 3 inches wide and they need to be evenly spaced over 21.125 inches. Each piece needs to have a .25 inch gap between the next board. How wide does each board need to be?</i></blockquote>
The answer: 2.065 inches. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-v3TN3tQaEiMMd45IQJ5Az4Licy-1d9Mw4aWUDOss3XAeNVQ_6LBRjN5PTJYwtuzzY1tgnOhIJIBLd52vbJnAhCNWtBgtK-AEIt6tUsKKZouL54YiKkfa26tQORL7kAyc87O5uNYZyo/s1600/IMG_20150403_141843229_TOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-v3TN3tQaEiMMd45IQJ5Az4Licy-1d9Mw4aWUDOss3XAeNVQ_6LBRjN5PTJYwtuzzY1tgnOhIJIBLd52vbJnAhCNWtBgtK-AEIt6tUsKKZouL54YiKkfa26tQORL7kAyc87O5uNYZyo/s1600/IMG_20150403_141843229_TOP.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Once I had checked and rechecked my calculations, I went ahead and ripped them on the table saw. Fortunately, I was correct, and they all fit nicely. At that point it was time to glue them in, so using a tube of Jamestown Distributors Total Boat Thixo (the epoxy that is in a caulking tube and mixes when squeezed through a nozzle), I globbed on a bunch on the back of each strip and squished it in place. Once I had them all on the hatch, I used rubber tile spacers to keep 1/4 inch between each board. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5F9IOfZx3TCd-XeNNdb3Tx-bcb84vOAtd2Fb3KRkURuypLcEMiags5zJsepWrbaGh5vVqJUnzIY1yZUOKEyo4jWOC08RA1KRCDVMqRJrZxAhy7YdNN8HFfRPqRziSR6tKD6hV8gQjGCM/s1600/IMG_20150402_144453548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5F9IOfZx3TCd-XeNNdb3Tx-bcb84vOAtd2Fb3KRkURuypLcEMiags5zJsepWrbaGh5vVqJUnzIY1yZUOKEyo4jWOC08RA1KRCDVMqRJrZxAhy7YdNN8HFfRPqRziSR6tKD6hV8gQjGCM/s1600/IMG_20150402_144453548.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
I stacked a bunch of weight on top and let it cure up overnight. I'm really pleased with how it turned out; I had never worked with teak decking to any degree before, hopefully the black caulking that comes next will work out too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz80o0D5yZLfiysben-kiFima702b-CWo3c0nE5tDpZ81h6sqdgIBye3XXV0V6WXAgk3MVCQXBM-pe8PB09XGEoIjSnKhm8CHg3URHP7cHjdmj5f4S8-vjINTKEf-pUgknraV313IojQ/s1600/IMG_20150404_095542243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz80o0D5yZLfiysben-kiFima702b-CWo3c0nE5tDpZ81h6sqdgIBye3XXV0V6WXAgk3MVCQXBM-pe8PB09XGEoIjSnKhm8CHg3URHP7cHjdmj5f4S8-vjINTKEf-pUgknraV313IojQ/s1600/IMG_20150404_095542243.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-41762089928438424092015-03-31T21:39:00.000-04:002015-03-31T21:39:29.754-04:00Rabbets and GlueIt's been hectic around here lately, my inner ski bum is battling with my inner boat bum and it's been a really even match even though April starts tomorrow. The snow is still really deep in the woods and the spring corn snow is prime right now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT6zZgmRGMOnj_6Gcqxcm7nGGDrnnLBSBIgePyjvaQ-iApQHNsepa45Z1IJwdX28UJHAbUwXmPTgsX3aHEjx0che_nFEMm8QzHA6scpLma8KAeYuNQHBuB3S83pqDW0RSj9jEkOnqTUk/s1600/IMG_20150331_164926655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaT6zZgmRGMOnj_6Gcqxcm7nGGDrnnLBSBIgePyjvaQ-iApQHNsepa45Z1IJwdX28UJHAbUwXmPTgsX3aHEjx0che_nFEMm8QzHA6scpLma8KAeYuNQHBuB3S83pqDW0RSj9jEkOnqTUk/s1600/IMG_20150331_164926655.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Anyway, before epoxying the hatch up, I did manage to cut out a perimeter rabbet 1/2" x 1/2" on the new hatch partly with my router and a sharp chisel in the corners. It always takes me longer than I expect, but I always do a few test cuts when using the router because it sure can make a mess of things when it gets out of hand. Fortunately it behaved nicely, but I played it safe and stayed away from the ends of the boards which slowed things down more because I needed to carefully chisel out just enough to make a nice 90 degree corner once the boards were joined. All went well and I'm happy with the way they turned out. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwNryo7_lozaqyYM6d-DMwq94vHa3QQ3GYLuIF9q6eAvy6S_HEa692052oaXOC_fQmfu7-Ob245tNLuBUPBoz-mVTX6VQZurIb1zC8tVppIvergGzYbYwSSeJF9ZFDZ1wYJM5GXrue9c/s1600/IMG_20150331_164936132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwNryo7_lozaqyYM6d-DMwq94vHa3QQ3GYLuIF9q6eAvy6S_HEa692052oaXOC_fQmfu7-Ob245tNLuBUPBoz-mVTX6VQZurIb1zC8tVppIvergGzYbYwSSeJF9ZFDZ1wYJM5GXrue9c/s1600/IMG_20150331_164936132.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Next I mixed up a small batch of un-thickened epoxy and brushed it into the joints on all the boards, then I added enough Aerosil to thicken up the remaining epoxy along with some fine sapele sawdust to color up the mix for the joints. Then I just slathered it in all the joints nice and thick so any gaps in the joints would be filled. I assembled all four rails together and inserted a piece of 1/4" plywood into the rabbet (I had previously measured so it would fit perfectly). For now the plywood is just there to make sure the hatch is square, but I will eventually laminate it in to provide the substrate for teak decking strips. Finally I clamped it all up and let it cure. <br />
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Next, I'll start working on laminating up the hatch deck. Right now, my thoughts are to use the 1/4" plywood along with 6oz cloth on the top and bottom. On the bottom side I will laminate sapele strips to the underside so the plywood will not be visible, and on top will be the teak decking. The original hatch I did was built in a similar fashion, but I used mahogany strips in place of the plywood. At the time I was literally swimming in mahogany cutoffs from a friend who was replanking his NY32. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfHclS7RSVsAIq0yteifkQ9e-1VgUHY_ohKIx7_A3aCedjuNBHxag8mvVN3nEHbLVn8OjTz9cO3i45Y2AWJR7bKjkEE0Wy6d0B5JCrHGcI5tF8tFKbllOQuGZUJK-OLGrFyfJki2EYrs/s1600/IMG_20150330_182210415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfHclS7RSVsAIq0yteifkQ9e-1VgUHY_ohKIx7_A3aCedjuNBHxag8mvVN3nEHbLVn8OjTz9cO3i45Y2AWJR7bKjkEE0Wy6d0B5JCrHGcI5tF8tFKbllOQuGZUJK-OLGrFyfJki2EYrs/s1600/IMG_20150330_182210415.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Test fit of plywood sub-deck just before gluing up rails.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-22239047438647607912015-03-29T19:53:00.000-04:002015-03-29T19:53:45.752-04:00I'm BackWow, what a winter! This may be a record for most days I've skied in a year. I lost count at some point, but I suspect it even beat out the days when I was an unofficial ski bum in college and got a job as a lift operator just so I could get a season's pass. Unfortunately, most of the ski areas are going to close just as the really nice spring skiing gets going; I was at Waterville Valley today with my son and by mid afternoon the temps were approaching 40 degrees; just warm enough to soften things up a bit, but not so warm that your trying to turn in thick mash potatoes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRT1U4kD9wtFUI4_0WgD9P8ysHSKLJrKR80-Sz5BnvAV5FeDC6PmMfEAzTTTTJk94nz9-XyMUuYgC7wyFqXUVPE8dghwMbEWABlvkb8Q0Zc1aW5YpDptt6NSTNmkcJy5tIqO6QSIUV640/s1600/IMG_20150327_191659470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRT1U4kD9wtFUI4_0WgD9P8ysHSKLJrKR80-Sz5BnvAV5FeDC6PmMfEAzTTTTJk94nz9-XyMUuYgC7wyFqXUVPE8dghwMbEWABlvkb8Q0Zc1aW5YpDptt6NSTNmkcJy5tIqO6QSIUV640/s1600/IMG_20150327_191659470.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whats left of old hatch</td></tr>
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Anyway, this is a boat blog, and even though I did zero boat work over the winter, I got started on my must-do projects for the year. First and foremost was a new fore hatch which unfortunately wasn't secured well when the boat was hauled this fall and flew off the boat on the highway and was pretty much destroyed. Damn shame because I built that hatch myself about 10 years ago before the restoration and I was really proud of it. Although I had other boat projects planned for this spring, this needs to be done and since I always like doing these sort of projects, it should be fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6KMciBmOdKemBN2alc0A9Wuft5bUkp72mTvrE8PPqwRVj5DU1ML70iZPUGtb-TZAftpYAfGsYW0sq_c4Jp1-7_tjr3v-ZLCw6jDInsIR5Cz_pw8-_7Db4PcSljI6pps5q2LZVsAs8ng/s1600/IMG_20150328_150956297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6KMciBmOdKemBN2alc0A9Wuft5bUkp72mTvrE8PPqwRVj5DU1ML70iZPUGtb-TZAftpYAfGsYW0sq_c4Jp1-7_tjr3v-ZLCw6jDInsIR5Cz_pw8-_7Db4PcSljI6pps5q2LZVsAs8ng/s1600/IMG_20150328_150956297.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>The old hatch was a varnished mahogany affair that was really pretty, but it was slippery when standing on it, and it didn't match the sapele coamings and rails that well. So this one will have a teak deck top and the side rails will be made of sapele. <br />
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Late last week I stopped by Goosebay Lumber and picked out a nice 5' length of 6/4 sapele and got started on the hatch. Fortunately, I was able to get the measurements I needed off the old hatch, so the initial setup was fairly straight forward. I was going to do hand cut dovetails, but I ended up doing box joints because I just don't have time to do the dovetails.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieV2FknGwirZ1U6WT_xbplQkIzhyPOjSbcjdrQpCbCKF69yYSO_0l5zlajFaqPz47KZRnE0NKUJgA7Whzo9PmCT0ftYg-ukS-UNH6WB8LLBFYYEfkO01h25LTkFrUvuvp5puNDwjoHmN0/s1600/IMG_20150328_151552904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieV2FknGwirZ1U6WT_xbplQkIzhyPOjSbcjdrQpCbCKF69yYSO_0l5zlajFaqPz47KZRnE0NKUJgA7Whzo9PmCT0ftYg-ukS-UNH6WB8LLBFYYEfkO01h25LTkFrUvuvp5puNDwjoHmN0/s1600/IMG_20150328_151552904.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTP3zs8ws76Us89Ys3UJWaFBt3ouyP_XKCxj1imhu2dFgUAQettvWh_M7WVILFOR0lu8EhTMKe4kY0a1YaEOnXZWt9Go0xdojzTUojjAgLoE7aRE6oCBJkQuLkUcxm5j91AyIKpfTVmk/s1600/IMG_20150328_155808905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTP3zs8ws76Us89Ys3UJWaFBt3ouyP_XKCxj1imhu2dFgUAQettvWh_M7WVILFOR0lu8EhTMKe4kY0a1YaEOnXZWt9Go0xdojzTUojjAgLoE7aRE6oCBJkQuLkUcxm5j91AyIKpfTVmk/s1600/IMG_20150328_155808905.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>The box joints still look nice but are easy because most of the work can be done on the tablesaw with a mortise and tenon jib. Its just a matter of setting each offset and then running the four sides through the saw. Then move onto the next offset and do the same; repeat until done and the use a fret saw to cut out the waste (<a href="http://knewconcepts.com/5-inch.php">Awesome fret saw</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp70IzDuHCyjmGurHy3r4WvhW2DvbyxeRh87icywawvVZsC8ZqJvouqQGo43tb2G_5_m9g7eUwUPlyK3wVIF-3HKAVtSPlp78T5oaMP_dkrJu3aB83JfMu5TdfV3YYDkQ6UEHLsU5jNQ/s1600/IMG_20150329_175238562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp70IzDuHCyjmGurHy3r4WvhW2DvbyxeRh87icywawvVZsC8ZqJvouqQGo43tb2G_5_m9g7eUwUPlyK3wVIF-3HKAVtSPlp78T5oaMP_dkrJu3aB83JfMu5TdfV3YYDkQ6UEHLsU5jNQ/s1600/IMG_20150329_175238562.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>A little filing here and there gave me a really good rough fit that will come together nicely with a little more tweaking. From there I transferred the deck camber curve to the front and back sides of the hatch and cut them out on the band saw. Some more filing to smooth out the curves and I did a quick test fit over on the boat to make sure I hadn't totally screwed it up (I hadn't) before I called it a day. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-6162660412237035492015-02-05T15:13:00.001-05:002015-02-05T15:13:19.323-05:00SnowmageddonThe boat work has come to a complete halt and I'll be on a boat hiatus until the fluffiness melts away. Until then, I'll be skiing out in the woods of New Hampshire. See you in the spring!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-78033763938196010162014-12-01T19:52:00.001-05:002014-12-01T19:52:16.199-05:00Close CallI haven't been doing much on the boat over the past 2 weeks, but I have just about finished up the port bulkhead and just need to install the final trim pieces and re-install the chainplate. I'm going to try and get to it this week, but the holidays have thrown everything off (the cold doesn't help either).<br />
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Speaking of cold, we had some really cold weather the past week and finished off with a day before Thanksgiving snowstorm that dropped about a foot of really heavy snow that made for a big mess. Awfully pretty, but I'm not ready for winter yet. The heavy snow knocked down hundreds of trees in the area and we were one of 300,000 customers without power over the Thanksgiving holiday. Fortunately we have a big wood stove to keep us warm and the in-laws were only about an hour away and didn't lose power, so we went there for the feast.<br />
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The boat and shed narrowly missed getting clobbered during the storm by an old maple that decided to attempt a kamikaze run but fortunately missed. Just barely. It took me about an hour to cut and pile the attacker and will use it for the woodstove next year.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-10883187174996090202014-11-14T08:15:00.002-05:002014-11-14T08:15:44.831-05:00Bulkhead ProgressAfter a bit of a reprieve from normal New England temperatures this time of year, the thermometer has started to head down. The temperature yesterday never got much above 38 degrees F, but unlike previous boat work years, I was able to get a bunch of work done down in the cabin with an electric heater and the hatches shut. It was quite cozy.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3S0vQKhsWOb6KbUxLDZ-vt9mzhntgSFL5yBxeqY0_DIJdrqMCj_Iw0HRumkxQd1k5EvFDJg-IxtSKZVOmOfMC0MfuGjsvjqYapITYz9ta4vIQokW45BZGBqhqUbq82Z8azztR_XEFJ0/s1600/IMG_20141112_162947668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3S0vQKhsWOb6KbUxLDZ-vt9mzhntgSFL5yBxeqY0_DIJdrqMCj_Iw0HRumkxQd1k5EvFDJg-IxtSKZVOmOfMC0MfuGjsvjqYapITYz9ta4vIQokW45BZGBqhqUbq82Z8azztR_XEFJ0/s1600/IMG_20141112_162947668.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Before installing the beadboard I put a coat of semi-gloss acrylic latex paint (good grade household interior paint) on the front and back of all the boards. Once that dried, I picked up a few tubes of construction adhesive from the local hardware store and got to work. A note on construction adhesives: there are so many different types I had trouble making a decision. I hope what I chose will work; it's a general adhesive that should bond wood to multiple surface types so I'll cross my fingers.</div>
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The process for installing all the boards was simple. Lay each one down backside facing up and run a wavy pattern of adhesive along the back and then press into place. Repeat until done. I ended up using just 1 of the 3 tubes I purchased. It was way easier than I thought it would be and didn't run into a single snag. I had blocked off 2 hours of time to get it done, but found it only took about 30 minutes, so I ended up putting another coat of paint on before I left. </div>
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After letting it set up overnight, I came back the next day and use a few pieces of paper to template the section around the chainplate bolts for a piece of mahogany. I didn't want to put the beadboard there, because the soft wood would crush under the tightened down chainplate bolts. I took the template back to the shop and cut out another piece of the old coamings and planed it down to 5/8". I traced out the template pattern and cut out the shape on the wood with a jig saw. </div>
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I headed back to the boat with a rasp and the new chainplate board (I don't know what to call it) and after a bit of filing away, I had the board fitting nice and snug. I screwed the rest of the trim (I still have a few small pieces left to make) and was happy to see that everything fit quite nicely. Of course all the trim had to come off to get sanded and the first of several coats of satin varnish (I'm just using Helmsman Urethane for the interior) before final install, but it's looking more done than not now. </div>
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So given that both bulkheads are almost identical in size, I can estimate now that for each bulkhead the cost breakdown is as follows: $14 per package of beadboard (used just shy of 1 package), $3 for each tube of construction adhesive (used 1), and $3 for a box of 25 3/4" stainless steel #6 screws (will be enough for both sides). This brings my grand total for each side to about $18.50. Of course, I had free trim mahogany so if I had needed to purchase it, I would say it would have probably doubled the price, but still one of the cheaper boat projects I can think of. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-11739306128464893162014-11-11T06:22:00.000-05:002014-11-11T06:25:18.641-05:00A Cheap, Fun Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPlMAHggKvZuNQB2SxDx8gLWHkbKbnr6LQvrp6NjcydQ0BxQEcn1llD_gjCFuEOCnyk3WVcK_grvEmAlapwvqZRNaI1cAxXIVtCJ3BzsEtL_QI7zThzdOEY1nABjAsyQeCGLRM8lJzB4/s1600/IMG_20141105_133823230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPlMAHggKvZuNQB2SxDx8gLWHkbKbnr6LQvrp6NjcydQ0BxQEcn1llD_gjCFuEOCnyk3WVcK_grvEmAlapwvqZRNaI1cAxXIVtCJ3BzsEtL_QI7zThzdOEY1nABjAsyQeCGLRM8lJzB4/s1600/IMG_20141105_133823230.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Now that the boat is back in working condition and the topsides are squared away, it's time to turn my attention down below. The interior was never in bad shape, but it needed a little updating. The woodstove has been gone since I've owned the boat but I never bothered to patch up the hole in the bulkhead and the steel heat shield that was leftover. It just looked a bit crappy and wanted to give the interior a more classic look.<br />
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The hole in the bulkhead had to be fixed but there weren't that many options that didn't require ripping the entire bulkhead out and replacing with a new one. After a bunch of googling, I realized that I could simply cover the bulkhead and discovered that beadboard is commonly used in classic wooden yachts. There were two options, beadboard plywood or real beadboard. I've never been a huge fan of beadboard plywood and decided that it would be a bit of a pain to cut out and fit a big piece of plywood with lots of crazy angles and curves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFiXEeA2lhCm914GmgoBCPnQ8YUoQTx6zPfjWZ2m4n2voaX88xJTOU2SXpSHJsQv2dsXr_GJmmcM82y2Iov4K7uklZfdwjWQXnhF6IcGAjEdwYkVbqIPmgLqbhlPnT7VJp2dsv6F0mw0/s1600/IMG_20141106_153943193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQFiXEeA2lhCm914GmgoBCPnQ8YUoQTx6zPfjWZ2m4n2voaX88xJTOU2SXpSHJsQv2dsXr_GJmmcM82y2Iov4K7uklZfdwjWQXnhF6IcGAjEdwYkVbqIPmgLqbhlPnT7VJp2dsv6F0mw0/s1600/IMG_20141106_153943193.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I found some solid pine beadboard at the local hardware store and decided to give it a try. I started in the center of the boat where the bulkhead meets the door to the head. Using this as the 'straight' line, I measured the length with a tape measure and simply cut the board to fit it. The boards are only 3/8" thick so it was easy to cut with a Japanese pull saw. Then it was just a matter of cutting the next one at an angle slightly shorter and generally following the contour of the headliner. I ended up at the chainplate on the outboard edge of the bulkhead. It didn't have to be perfect because the edges will be covered with a mahogany trim strip.<br />
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I really wanted to keep this project cheap because it's entirely cosmetic. The total cost of the beadboard for both sides of the bulkhead was just $28, but I didn't really have a large supply of wood suitable for trim (ie. mahogany/sapele). I considered going over to the sawmill to see what I could find, but realized that the old partially rotten cockpit coaming boards that I replaced were sitting on top of my woodpile holding down a tarp and might have some decent wood left in them. <br />
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I cut a chunk out of it and ran it through the thickness planer and found that the wood was still in good shape once I planed off the front and back surfaces. Excellent, free Honduras mahogany! I proceeded to plane down the rest of the coamings and then cut out a bunch of 1 inch strips for the trim.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR49Uw5-mQEPpBnUahcutxWFGRlwKsQ3JIYfqnnQZLcPGTFm5yVgZEiTkqPWgkc5xRzqVEdeqZckvnuBGCQEfvoYxA8sytdlOAP5QQACe9r40X53TroaBKhmFWPJpZYgL4eM1fyhAxOzE/s1600/IMG_20141107_122737392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR49Uw5-mQEPpBnUahcutxWFGRlwKsQ3JIYfqnnQZLcPGTFm5yVgZEiTkqPWgkc5xRzqVEdeqZckvnuBGCQEfvoYxA8sytdlOAP5QQACe9r40X53TroaBKhmFWPJpZYgL4eM1fyhAxOzE/s1600/IMG_20141107_122737392.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Some of the trim that ran along the cabin headliner needed to be curved so taped up a paper template in the cabin and trimmed it so it fit perfectly along the curves of the headliner. Then I traced the pattern on a wide piece of the planed mahogany (I planed the old coamings to 3/8") and cut it out with a jig saw. I took a rasp and rounded over one of the exposed edges and took it back over to the boat for a test fitting. I was pleased to find that everything fit pretty darn well and I would only need to make some minor adjustments to have a perfect fit. <br />
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To finish up, I took all the cut beadboard and gave the front and back a coat of acrylic latex semi-gloss interior paint. I wanted semi-gloss so it could be easily wiped down, but didn't feel it necessary to spend much money on marine paint. House paint would do just fine for this since it won't be exposed to anything other than humid conditions. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctEej-RhDyIYSG52chL9rPwojuwpDXwwHHIPZ_ej3mr4YZ719PRFMCsRf2HcdZ_paB_xZwxdNmlqS0lcxoAtD5QFDWIfuXDdEgdOLv-XBDbem5dxzjtQEyOPKs6NWIICjqCYYgytyXdY/s1600/IMG_20141108_145355593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctEej-RhDyIYSG52chL9rPwojuwpDXwwHHIPZ_ej3mr4YZ719PRFMCsRf2HcdZ_paB_xZwxdNmlqS0lcxoAtD5QFDWIfuXDdEgdOLv-XBDbem5dxzjtQEyOPKs6NWIICjqCYYgytyXdY/s1600/IMG_20141108_145355593.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekiKMxVIJnB1ULU4UBZ069QO_mCLlgJPGzp1ttc6GUz_aeEeuHDGFlQLB28_kIPOK6kFa1HsgMMCAwoYKUQRYFK5mYfv3xKlRNaRegqiqZiJLKyDzsz8K9k6_QAYSjOtjbKPU0BmbDpM/s1600/IMG_20141107_164241289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjekiKMxVIJnB1ULU4UBZ069QO_mCLlgJPGzp1ttc6GUz_aeEeuHDGFlQLB28_kIPOK6kFa1HsgMMCAwoYKUQRYFK5mYfv3xKlRNaRegqiqZiJLKyDzsz8K9k6_QAYSjOtjbKPU0BmbDpM/s1600/IMG_20141107_164241289.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I ran out of weekend to get everything re installed, but I'm hoping I'll find some time this week. My plan is to use some liquid nails on the beadboard backing along with some screws to get it fixed in place. Then I'll put some more paint on before getting the trim installed.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-58586157634782077022014-10-23T18:13:00.000-04:002014-10-23T18:13:14.035-04:00It's a Wrap!Well, the season's officially over. I had the boat hauled back to the boatshed a few weeks back and have been working on getting her all tucked in for the winter. I had Magic hauled a bit early because I didn't want to wait until it was too cold to get anything done and I especially wanted to get a few coats of varnish on the rails before the weather got ugly. I had only gotten 5 coats on the rail before launching and I didn't want my efforts wasted and have to sand the whole thing down again. <div>
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I was able to lay down 2 more coats over the past few weeks so I'll have a head start next spring. I also got the engine winterized and the fuel filled and a number of other minor things done. I'm starting to ramp up to rewire the boat and do some interior cosmetic work but that won't get started for a while. </div>
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In the meantime, the folks at Good Old Boat magazine were kind enough to publish an article of mine that detailed the restoration. It's a 2 part article and I just received the first issue (November/December 2014). If your reading my site then chances are you either have an old boat or want one and you will love Good Old Boat magazine. Every issue has lots of info and usually showcases somebody's project boat with lots of good technical info. Definitely check them out at <a href="http://goodoldboat.com/">Goodoldboat.com</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic on Good Old Boat</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-14047832334631368122014-09-08T12:13:00.001-04:002014-09-08T12:17:12.013-04:00Checking InNot much to say right now other than I've been enjoying being back on the water. The countless hours I spent in that godforsaken shed have finally paid off and I have enjoyed every minute on the boat. Nothing of note has gone wrong except for a halyard popping off the jib yesterday and getting hung up at the top of the mast. I will probably send my son up the mast in the next week or so to retrieve it, but I have a spare halyard to use, so all is not lost. <br />
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Sadly though, I need to start thinking about the winter and what I'll be doing and where I'll be storing the boat. Right now, it looks like she will be heading back to the shed where I can do some electrical work over the winter, but I'm not 100% sure yet.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-63257284340416306002014-08-14T07:14:00.000-04:002014-08-14T07:20:11.657-04:00In the Groove<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Center Harbor approach keeps<br />
me on my toes.</td></tr>
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We have been out a bunch of times since I last posted and I've been pleasantly surprised at how few issues have come up. I got the fuel leak straightened out easily enough and it's literally been smooth sailing ever since. The biggest challenge has been getting used to handling a 35 foot boat again after so many years, but every day I start to feel more comfortable with how the boat handles (especially with a tiller now). <br />
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Another challenge that I never even considered was the fact that Lake Winnipesaukee can be a challenge to navigate. There are literally hundreds of islands big and small and many ledges and reefs that you really have to pay attention to. I still don't care for the 'inland navigation' system of black and red 'sticks' that mark rocks and channels. I find them hard to spot and they seem to be everywhere and not always accurate. I've been keeping the chart very close by and I just downloaded a Navionics charting app for the tablet that should help out. At least there are no foul currents to deal with.<br />
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One of the double edge swords of sailing here is that the fresh water is crystal clear. On one hand it's really nice because the swimming is terrific, but it has scared the crap out of me on a number of occasions because even though the depth may be 20 or more feet, it looks like we are about to hit bottom and slam into rocks because the water is so clear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hLlUhXUAEG7jcG1cZqoIpbCRDIytE1KknkBWauvZz8c1sib1377JyBs73ryzdAPBjhuzWERTw_WkuOcdOTNsiQEFqnc8CA3pQYxYUuAu5e6KCNXH6LuW2InAwmaEZm8D7bvOohwFICo/s1600/IMG_20140812_163909740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hLlUhXUAEG7jcG1cZqoIpbCRDIytE1KknkBWauvZz8c1sib1377JyBs73ryzdAPBjhuzWERTw_WkuOcdOTNsiQEFqnc8CA3pQYxYUuAu5e6KCNXH6LuW2InAwmaEZm8D7bvOohwFICo/s1600/IMG_20140812_163909740.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>Aside from those minor challenges, things are good. We've had a bunch of sails so far that have been really relaxing and everyone is starting to feel comfortable aboard after such a long absence. It's nice to see the kids kick back and just enjoy being out on the water and have fun on the boat. <br />
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Of course the list of things to do will never be complete, but most of the sailing 'to do' items have been crossed off, although a few things came to light that I hadn't fully considered. The first is a bonehead move on my part. When I decided to convert back to hank on headsails earlier this year, I bought a used 135% hank on genoa and sold my 135% furling sail. One of the main reasons I went back to hank on was that the furling 135% genoa was good for most conditions, but if the air was too light or too heavy, it was a headache. Partially rolling it up when too windy never worked out well because it pretty much killed the shape of the sail and I couldn't sail well to windward. In super light air it just didn't have enough area to get me moving well. I figured going back to a hank on system would allow me to change headsails as conditions dictated.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhvU6XHmTSOOkJDV-5sJjJ27Gl9Khe8LSFOclgiD2QlMqbRDFGip5vSrQ3JYrhBzsM2BRHQy-ruPHMbDZjXdgbNvuUpbJX9kqO9C8bT8NXKbZT5GJjoDp08yoGPsLWFdPGm9Ky9L5xlc/s1600/IMG_20140812_170717404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhvU6XHmTSOOkJDV-5sJjJ27Gl9Khe8LSFOclgiD2QlMqbRDFGip5vSrQ3JYrhBzsM2BRHQy-ruPHMbDZjXdgbNvuUpbJX9kqO9C8bT8NXKbZT5GJjoDp08yoGPsLWFdPGm9Ky9L5xlc/s1600/IMG_20140812_170717404.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>When I originally bought the boat, the previous owner had given me a pile of older headsails in various condition and size. They had been in storage forever, so when I pulled them out this spring I was happy to find a decent 90% working jib for the heavy stuff and a 160% genoa for the light air. I cleaned them up and tucked them away for launch day. The 160% had a furling luff and no hanks, but I must have forgotten about needing to have hanks sewn on because the other day we were in some really light stuff and I had my son rig it (14 year old who are willing to do so are like breathing roller furlers, just hungrier). He got it up on deck and said "Um, dad, I can't find the hanks". It's a big sail, so I just thought he was being a space cadet, but as I went forward it dawned on me that I never had it converted. There was a bit of eye rolling when I told him "Ooops, lets go with the 135 instead". Anyway, I'll probably wait until the off-season to get that done. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I see the scallops in the headsail. I'll<br />
blame it on my son :)</td></tr>
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The second issue that came up happened late Tuesday afternoon when we went out for our first really windy sail. The wind was steady at 21 knots and really more than I wanted to sail in this early, but I figured it would be a good shake down. We went with the 90% jib and full main (I probably should have thrown in a reef in the main), but found that the genoa tracks were mounted too far aft and outboard to effectively pull the leech of the sail down. The result was too much twist in the sail and a really loose leach that flapped pretty constantly when we were tight on the wind. It was still better than partially rolling the furling sail because we easily got up over 7 knots when slightly off the wind, but I need to figure out a mounting point further forward for the sheets. I have some decent Merriman snatch blocks that will do nicely, but I have to find the best spot. I think I will go with a fixed point mount to simplify things a bit, but in the meantime I may just experiment and run them off one of the chainplates for now.<br />
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What's next? More sailing, Winnipesaukee is stunningly beautiful with the islands and mountains all around. I'm not thinking about anything else until I pull the boat in the fall.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-66044175323706159382014-08-02T22:02:00.000-04:002014-08-02T22:02:48.119-04:00First Sail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went to work really early on Friday so I could get everything I needed done before taking off at 2 PM. I drove straight up to the yard and found that Nick had done a great job sorting out the shift linkage and now it is shifting perfectly into forward and reverse. I had made the assumption that the position of the throw lever on the gearbox mirrored the direction. In other words, I assumed that when you pushed the gearbox lever forward, it meant you would go forward. Not so. Fortunately, Nick was able to easily swap the cable from the bottom of the control to the top to reverse the throw. Now it does the right thing and slips into forward, neutral, and reverse without any hesitation. Perfect.<div>
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I ran the engine for about an hour and the temperature maxed out at about 175, which is about what it used to do, so no overheating issues. With the engine running nicely, it was time to shove off. I was a bit apprehensive because I had driven the boat in many years and the last time I did, it was wheel steered, now it's a tiller. Most importantly, the space I had to maneuver out of was very tight, and I didn't want to start playing bumper boats quite so soon. Luckily, there was no wind so it was just a matter of taking it slow. I motored through the docks and picked up the mooring on the first shot even though I misjudged the momentum a bit and had to manhandle the pendant onto the cleat. I closed things up and took the launch back in and called it a day. </div>
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This morning I got the family going as early as I could and we drove up to the boat with the plan of sailing over to Center Harbor where our mooring is located. It's only about a 15 mile trip, but I had never been there before by water and there are several tight channels to navigate through. </div>
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We started out by hanking on the main, but when I hooked on the halyard I realized that it was on the forward side of the spreader. I grabbed a big wrench and attached it to the shackle thinking that I would raise the halyard up to the spreader and then the weight of the wrench would be sufficient to allow the halyard to lower on it's own on the aft side of the spreader. My son told me it wasn't enough weight, but I didn't listen. Sure enough when I got the halyard above the spreader and tried to lower it, the weight of the wrench wasn't enough and it just stayed there, swinging around. My son gave me the 'I told you so' look that only a 14 year old teenager can deliver and I decided that now was a good time to eat crow. </div>
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Once he was satisfied, I volunteered to send him up the mast to retrieve the halyard. He was only too happy to go aloft since he is always climbing trees and scaring his mom and I with his fearless antics in high places. I hoisted him up and he quickly retrieved the halyard and put it on the correct side of the spreader. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dBYZE3At_kzbvoS2wyxA9w0lal3wcI6WC_FQykbU743cHi6OcYToW80_BduEWLOPNhBSsUMz1mxoCptjxtVqz8hQbi8jKsov5kd4bdu3sDJCmEmP57IgRRFIuBSuyj0RgtD97u4WCRY/s1600/IMG_20140802_122415333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dBYZE3At_kzbvoS2wyxA9w0lal3wcI6WC_FQykbU743cHi6OcYToW80_BduEWLOPNhBSsUMz1mxoCptjxtVqz8hQbi8jKsov5kd4bdu3sDJCmEmP57IgRRFIuBSuyj0RgtD97u4WCRY/s1600/IMG_20140802_122415333.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>With that done, we hoisted the main, fired up the engine and dropped the mooring pendant. We motor sailed out of the harbor as there wasn't much wind, but a light breeze filled in once out in the open lake. We raised the 135% genoa and shut the engine down and ghosted along in the light breeze for the first time in a long, long while. Everything was going fine; we had some leftover pizza for lunch and I finally started to relax knowing that it had finally all come together. </div>
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The wind died out after we rounded a point out into the main lake and I decided to fire up the engine. It started right up and we chugged along for a few minutes before I started to smell diesel. I looked into the engine compartment and saw that the secondary fuel filter was leaking fuel all over the place. Crap... I shut the engine down and unscrewed the filter bowl to see what the problem was. I finally figured out that the fuel filter retaining ring was cross threaded onto the filter. I couldn't get it to re-thread properly and I think that the retaining ring might be screwed up. I am going to order a new ring first thing Monday morning. </div>
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I decided that it would be best to turn back to Fay's just in case I needed a mechanic. I spread a bunch of gasket sealer on the threads of the fuel filter in the hope that it would stop most of the leak when we needed to fire up the engine where the channel to get into Fay's narrows to about 100 feet and the wind is usually zero. </div>
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We turned around and slowly sailed back to the harbor and made it almost all of the way through the narrow channel before the wind got too squirrely to continue without the engine. The kids did a great job working the foredeck and making sure the genoa didn't hang up in the light air and when it came time to dump it, they worked as a team and got it down without dropping it in the water. I fired it up and eased it into gear to give us some headway while Steph held a cup underneath the filter bowl to keep the mess to a minimum. Apparently the gasket sealer worked, because no fuel leaked for the few minutes we had the engine running before picking up the mooring again. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vXkMPkHfCw9CudJPZZBqf0jjn1hyiB_ZLhCQFd9tCNahOuZeePhEDnNs9V2gtINWNak121IrW2MuitOzY1o_o4BKDnv2aywU150tDEILjGD76-4KZxIlhz8FLVJtbUk8jBOMJvah44Y/s1600/IMG_20140802_143247143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vXkMPkHfCw9CudJPZZBqf0jjn1hyiB_ZLhCQFd9tCNahOuZeePhEDnNs9V2gtINWNak121IrW2MuitOzY1o_o4BKDnv2aywU150tDEILjGD76-4KZxIlhz8FLVJtbUk8jBOMJvah44Y/s1600/IMG_20140802_143247143.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>So we didn't make our final destination today, but it was great to get back out sailing again and other than the fuel leak, we had a great time. I knew there would be 'bugs' once I got back on the water, and today's trials reassured me that keeping the boat close this first year back in the water was the right decision. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-30158487106181997512014-07-31T19:57:00.000-04:002014-07-31T19:57:22.706-04:00It Floats<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWagCgQKCU4YixVWPHerm4b0KYXNyLy-oB5vz0AwaCH0-Q6yDLvaOVIGRiMu0kFcT-Bv8Wwj7rGdVSJ8ycFWGnrdLezasEsxjiV3BcqsYceIs5rRF7TCbLBavH9pvY5K8m6eBMbp_azrg/s1600/IMG_20140730_201414730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWagCgQKCU4YixVWPHerm4b0KYXNyLy-oB5vz0AwaCH0-Q6yDLvaOVIGRiMu0kFcT-Bv8Wwj7rGdVSJ8ycFWGnrdLezasEsxjiV3BcqsYceIs5rRF7TCbLBavH9pvY5K8m6eBMbp_azrg/s1600/IMG_20140730_201414730.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>It's been a long day, but I'm happy to say that Magic is back in the water and floating. The past few days have been a blur of working until 9 or 10 PM and culminated last night when I pulled the end of the boat shed off so the truck could get the boat. It was strange being able to see the boat from outside the shed, but it reminded me of a cocoon opening up and spitting out a moth. I called it a day at dark and went back to the house to compile a final list of things I needed to do before the truck came to pick up the boat at 10:30 the next morning.<br />
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I got going at 5:00 AM because I still had a ton to do to get everything ready for hauling. I won't go into too many details, but I had way too many tools lying around and way too much crap laying on the floor of the boat shed, so I spent the first two hours getting everything organized and cleaned up. <br />
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Once I was satisfied that the truck would be able to get into the shed to retrieve the boat, I rigged and labeled all the standing rigging and put the jib and auxillary halyard on. I wrapped everything up with foam wrap and duct tape so everything would stay together for the trip. I pulled the stanchions off because there was so little clearance between the top of the stanchions and the boat shed roof. We got the boom aboard and secured just as the truck from Miles Marine showed up right on time.<br />
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I'm always amazed watching boat haulers do their thing because it just seems like such a bad idea to remove all but three jackstands and have the entire boat teetering there while they slide the wishbone trailer around the keel and under the boat. It took about an hour to get the boat loaded because of the tight quarters in the boat shed, but once on the trailer they slowly eased it out of the shed without issue. Next we loaded the mast onto the mast rack and I jumped on board to put the stanchions back on and that was it... They were off. <br />
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I went back to the house and had lunch and then drove up to Fay's Boatyard where I hoped the boat would be. On the way up I half expected to see a fiery crash with Magic crushed on the side of the road. Fortunately, all was well and when I pulled into the boatyard, they already had Magic off the truck and hanging from a big fork truck ready to go in. They don't have a travel lift here and side launch all boats with their big fork truck (some are in the 45' range). <br />
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Two minutes after I got there, they simply rolled forward toward the water and set it in; no drama.<br />
I hopped on board and checked to make sure water wasn't pouring in and found that the stuffing box was trickling pretty good. It turns out that it wasn't the gland itself but the clamps around the stuffing box hose weren't tight enough. I snugged them up and stopped the inflow. Another minor issue was that the scupper seacocks were dripping a little bit (one drop every ten seconds or so). Nick and Wayne (They handle all the sailboats in the harbor) didn't seem concerned and said they would get it taken care of. I'm also having them adjust the Teleflex engine control because I couldn't quite get the shifting working properly. It's one of those linkage issues where everything has to be lined up just right or it won't sync up with the gearbox properly. <br />
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One of the many things I was worried about was stepping the mast. Since I had never made up my own standing rigging before a few weeks ago (<a href="http://www.alberg35.com/2014/06/that-was-easy-adventures-with-hayn-hi.html">here</a>), I wasn't sure that it would all work, but the new rigging actually went on much better than the lower shrouds that I didn't replace. It was perfect; PHEWWW!<br />
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All in all I'm really happy the way things turned out and the boat looks sooooo much better out of the shed and into real sunlight and water. Tomorrow I'll be heading over to get the sails bent on and make sure the engine is happy before we hopefully move the boat over to Center Harbor on Saturday for the rest of the season.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-65726853726791796782014-07-28T21:00:00.000-04:002014-07-28T21:00:37.300-04:00So The Beast Demanded a Rematch<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip31894MhyphenhyphenV32IhuwNe738aiYOvIJtFxo_cPUuYQLid1N7WkZf8jJK1T47fNMU3T2ZkBSh1f0M6sdk-L00QfI6nfPAnjnd_LeCWMmEdMhzBcmxg72Mpu20efc9P1LxnzHG_GHQr5Bv2qo/s1600/IMG_20140724_070517567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip31894MhyphenhyphenV32IhuwNe738aiYOvIJtFxo_cPUuYQLid1N7WkZf8jJK1T47fNMU3T2ZkBSh1f0M6sdk-L00QfI6nfPAnjnd_LeCWMmEdMhzBcmxg72Mpu20efc9P1LxnzHG_GHQr5Bv2qo/s1600/IMG_20140724_070517567.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>This has been a tough week for boat work given my Lyme Disease diagnosis and a family reunion in Keene that kept me away for four days. The good news is that I'm feeling much better after a few days of antibiotics. The bad news is that the engine decided it wanted a rematch. <br />
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The first 'leg' of the family reunion was at our house when a bunch of family members flew into town. I didn't even go over to the boat shed for 24 hours and when I stopped in to check on my list of stuff to do, I noticed a bit of antifreeze on one of the hoses. At first I just thought it was an errant drop, but on further inspection, I found about a pint in the bilge. Crap. I got a really bright light to trace where it was leaking from and found that several of the gaskets on the exhaust manifold were leaking, and one of them was leaking badly. Crap again... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpVBRtochMRzn5Z3JJytLGNLowbuwoKcHa6IHZDcppWVjd7d7PeSPlj2R0fFbEnDTY3QEt570OwyzGOebD-z5P56oH1SDpsObgcTURGcTRaAzsLBmU0wgT6B0XfF8uQg9pGNZU7Xjkq0/s1600/IMG_20140722_175416499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpVBRtochMRzn5Z3JJytLGNLowbuwoKcHa6IHZDcppWVjd7d7PeSPlj2R0fFbEnDTY3QEt570OwyzGOebD-z5P56oH1SDpsObgcTURGcTRaAzsLBmU0wgT6B0XfF8uQg9pGNZU7Xjkq0/s1600/IMG_20140722_175416499.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a>After I finished sobbing I realized I had two choices. Wait until the boat was hauled to the marina, have them pull the manifold and fix the gaskets while my wallet bled gobs of money or do it myself. With that said, I really didn't have a choice because there just aren't any more gobs of money in my wallet, so I called Hansen Marine and ordered a new suit of gaskets (4 on the wet side and 4 on the exhaust side). They came the next day in the mail (kudos to Hansen for rushing this) and got up really early the next morning before the rest of the family had gotten up and drained the coolant, pulled all the new hoses I had just installed, and unbolted the thing from the motor and the rest of the exhaust. To say it sucked was an understatement, because getting the three exhaust ports unbolted from the underside of the manifold with the starter, solenoid, water pump and who knows what else in the way was just unbelievably difficult. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBu4XjvSgkTttIhEtszepQ74fbYeqLOYW0lR6QuX0K97g3UlqRDjFi3sZv_8l0ym3FhApes9Zq6fbbK7sdy43VjxKTCiEpi-Bitj95CIAiUwRF3b4tRE8-TMI0Qfq4uuyPcn7yQlz7Kdc/s1600/IMG_20140722_181402089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBu4XjvSgkTttIhEtszepQ74fbYeqLOYW0lR6QuX0K97g3UlqRDjFi3sZv_8l0ym3FhApes9Zq6fbbK7sdy43VjxKTCiEpi-Bitj95CIAiUwRF3b4tRE8-TMI0Qfq4uuyPcn7yQlz7Kdc/s1600/IMG_20140722_181402089.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a>Amazingly though, after two hours of craning my neck, scratching my head, and yelling at the beast, I managed to get it off without losing any fasteners to the bilge or destroying something else in the process. I brought it back to the shop and stripped it down, pulling the end caps and the other wet side gaskets. Then I scrubbed the thing down with soap and water and got all the grease off. I figured that since I had it out, I might as well paint it (I have a can of Westerbeke Red spray paint). I shot 2 coats on, letting it dry a few hours in between (all while doing family things in between) and then put it all back together with the new gaskets and high temp gasket cement for good measure. <br />
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At that point we left for Keene for a few days so I had to wait until yesterday afternoon when to get the manifold back on. The reverse process wasn't nearly as bad, but there were still a few moments when I just couldn't seat one of the bolts and almost dropped it into the abyss. I refilled the antifreeze but I won't have another chance to start the motor until the boat is back in the water so I've got my fingers crossed. I'm reasonably confident that it will be ok, but we'll see...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back together with fresh paint and a new suit of gaskets.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-28169054872699693042014-07-22T23:08:00.000-04:002014-07-22T23:08:06.455-04:00TICK TockTime is running very short now and I am seriously under the gun to finish up. The boat will be trucked up to Winnipesaukee on either the 29th or the 30th and I need to be done. To make matters more difficult, this past Friday I stared feeling crappy. Not just average crappy, but really crappy. I took my temperature when I got home and it was 101. Too make a long story short, the fever continued until Sunday and I felt progressively worse every day. We were eating lunch and my sun noticed a "bullseye" rash on my shoulder where I had a tick bite a few weeks earlier. Crap, Lyme Disease. I went down to urgent care and the doctor pretty much confirmed Lyme Disease. All the symptoms and the bullseye rash make it pretty clear cut. A big, long dose of anitbiotics and I should be feeling better soon. Yesterday, I was a mess, but I felt quite a bit better today. <br />
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Finally, a long planned family reunion is starting tomorrow and will continue until Sunday so my time will be severely limited. So the clock is seriously ticking and time is not on my side. The good news is that I did manage to get a lot of things wrapped up since the last time I wrote even though I had to take it slow because I was feeling pretty poor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFExi2jdrEIlw2UsH0eBe7TFT3BL-4h4PmZ704ahKt8EwUjkxPbni6xGJpgcHT5sOeIoGFQ1ZtmrWCSUvz9tLyQnNZG192JfnaqMNsF4PdS6z2uC64_itfGMXzZjU1QI3NINQ0hKoaBZI/s1600/IMG_20140722_161153262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFExi2jdrEIlw2UsH0eBe7TFT3BL-4h4PmZ704ahKt8EwUjkxPbni6xGJpgcHT5sOeIoGFQ1ZtmrWCSUvz9tLyQnNZG192JfnaqMNsF4PdS6z2uC64_itfGMXzZjU1QI3NINQ0hKoaBZI/s1600/IMG_20140722_161153262.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>I finished up 6 coats of varnish on the winch blocks and decided I'd better get them on. More varnish would have to wait. I had previously tapped the winch bolt holes in the blocks so it was just a matter of placing them where I wanted them and drilling the deck with a long bit. That whole section of the deck is solid glass (I planned ahead), so there was no need to over-drill to protect the core. Then I laid down a thick bead of mahogany colored Sikaflex 291 around the bolt holes, and along the edge where the blocks meet the coaming. As it turned out it was a bit too thick and I'm not really happy with the way it came out, but I'll have to live with it for the time being. Eventually, I'll get in there with a razor and trim the big blobs away.<br />
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I also got the cockpit Kiwigrip'd. Same story as the previous four or five times I've done various sections. I spent the vast majority of time taping and sanding the edges, followed by a vacuum and a wipe down with acetone before cracking open the can. I had just enough. I had ordered another quart just in case, and I needed every drop. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out although my taping was a little bit sloppy in spots. I am blaming the Lyme disease.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874221928303481653.post-1759684950648167362014-07-18T07:19:00.000-04:002014-07-18T07:19:13.943-04:00ShaftedWhen I got home from work yesterday, there were a few unexpected packages on my doorstep. I had planned on them showing up later in the week or early next week, but the fact that they were there changed my plans for the day. <br />
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The parts in question were my GFO Gore packing material for the stuffing box and four Trident stainless steel t-clamps to affix the stuffing box to the shaft log. These two items were holding up the shaft install; I had gone down to <a href="http://www.rosesmarine.com/">Roses Marine</a> a few weeks back to have my shaft balanced and a new Buck Algonquin split coupling fitted and faced to the shaft. <br />
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I was originally going to go with a P.S.S. Shaft Seal to go dripless, but as costs kept mounting I came to terms with the fact that while my old stuffing box was a corroded mess, it didn't take too much work to clean it up and reuse. So $30 in clamps, $18 for a new stuffing box hose, and $10 for new packing material I was still saving ~$150. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXC6a-RsWg_SH0iYZOIUJSfUepr1PUAJ_kMuZJ6KkeflWZP0jZcN-aOQcoKiuWpii8_iYG7RKqE43F-sNBadRQ690PfJ6_whY2Tuq7QykAsP7cXYatoCJug45KfMQPc1fd9JaFrCrT-1c/s1600/IMG_20140717_132855099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXC6a-RsWg_SH0iYZOIUJSfUepr1PUAJ_kMuZJ6KkeflWZP0jZcN-aOQcoKiuWpii8_iYG7RKqE43F-sNBadRQ690PfJ6_whY2Tuq7QykAsP7cXYatoCJug45KfMQPc1fd9JaFrCrT-1c/s1600/IMG_20140717_132855099.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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With my new bits in hand, I got started by cutting the packing material based on the article <a href="http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box">Repacking Stuffing Box</a> by Maine Sail on PBase/Compass Marine site. I've used him as a resource for countless problems I've run into over the years and I'm amazed he can spend so much time helping out others. <br />
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I used an old shaft I had to wrap the packing material around and cut at a 45 degree angle. Then I trimmed each of the three pieces a little bit (they end up being a tiny bit long with this method) and neatly packed them into the hollow nut on the stuffing box. In hindsight, it might have made more sense to wait on the packing material until the shaft is in the boat so you can use it to form the material. I put it in first and had to push the shaft through the packing and it was a really tight fit. If I hear any feedback that this was the wrong way to do it, I'll take it out and do it over. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTe_3R5cmBoB7x3AKijRqNKagtm8W02mjTf4iCkQnmxtZQW-Qc4gHgyxQcFyn6UloaiEXYhf8CRgvKuB6QVZ4OepkQ1r5jAV1YDEnjK3hajT1Riz3T-CFePUE9-YKfXiUAH4rKzOtO6g/s1600/IMG_20140717_134859317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTe_3R5cmBoB7x3AKijRqNKagtm8W02mjTf4iCkQnmxtZQW-Qc4gHgyxQcFyn6UloaiEXYhf8CRgvKuB6QVZ4OepkQ1r5jAV1YDEnjK3hajT1Riz3T-CFePUE9-YKfXiUAH4rKzOtO6g/s1600/IMG_20140717_134859317.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Next, I fitted the fancy new t-clamp hose clamps to the stuffing box hose and the stuffing box and brought the whole assembly over to the boat. The hose I ordered was specifically designed for packing boxes and is not standard fuel or water hose, it is BEEFY, and almost twice the wall diameter thickness. <br />
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Of course access to the shaft log is less than fun, and the only reasonable way to get to it is to lie on top of the engine. I have nice fuel injector bruises on my chest this morning as a result. Once in position though, it was just a matter of slipping the assembly onto the shaft log and evenly tightening down the 7/16" nylon locking nuts on the clamps. These clamps, like the hose are not your run of the mill hose clamp. First of all they are not perforated as most are and from what I'm told this creates a more even distribution of forces when they are clamped and they don't tend to cut the hose material as well. Also, the band is 3/4" wide to aid in spreading the load. Nice clamps...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC4tF-XwsEqEOGG2POU6jul20bna23AikWbSKWLCHKbPvzjJyvTNhQ3CQinTdx78654VmPoUWaDzEwZRNgJT8JEpVnIWpQbnBIBLDBGGTRa9VX45VbzI22D2ybblsk3Ch-XecGxrSLUc/s1600/IMG_20140717_145343017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjC4tF-XwsEqEOGG2POU6jul20bna23AikWbSKWLCHKbPvzjJyvTNhQ3CQinTdx78654VmPoUWaDzEwZRNgJT8JEpVnIWpQbnBIBLDBGGTRa9VX45VbzI22D2ybblsk3Ch-XecGxrSLUc/s1600/IMG_20140717_145343017.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I should have painted in there, but I'm<br />going to wait until I pull the engine next year</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbTJLlnAQecZoXiqxx1IJIWHCAZTbSmWp-E8bfhcqvUq45y1YbpegSiqthKsU1ItsbwHPQCJvJx5zqJxKyQkAF_knozL666pmaEvlmceqor6bNSRhgz8GDwHQ_cFTfP1zV19ejex6Cr4/s1600/shaft_coupling+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbTJLlnAQecZoXiqxx1IJIWHCAZTbSmWp-E8bfhcqvUq45y1YbpegSiqthKsU1ItsbwHPQCJvJx5zqJxKyQkAF_knozL666pmaEvlmceqor6bNSRhgz8GDwHQ_cFTfP1zV19ejex6Cr4/s1600/shaft_coupling+(1).jpg" /></a>From there I got off the boat and pushed the shaft through the cutlass bearing and into the shaft log/stuffing box. As I mentioned before, it was a tight fit, and I took a lot of care to not make a mess of the packing material. Once it slid home though, it was just a matter of taking the new split coupling and lining it up with the keyway on the shaft, slipping the key in and then tightening down the set screw bolt on the side of the coupling. Rose's Marine put a nice corresponding spot mark on the shaft so that there was no question as to where it should seat. <br />
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Unlike a standard solid coupling, the split coupling allows makes for easier removal when the time comes (or so I'm told). I've had a number of fun times attempting to remove shafts from solid couplers; it often results in me cutting the shaft to get it out and starting all over. This should be a better solution.<br />
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Before I torqued down the split coupler bolts, I attached it to the transmission so it would spin and I could easily rotate the shaft while evenly torquing both bolts. All in all it wasn't so bad, certainly better than pulling the nasty corroded mess out in the first place. Unlike my previous history of stuffing box/transmission coupler neglect, I'm going to try and keep on top of this with regular greasings to cut down on corrosion in the future.<br />
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