SPLASH!!!!!

The wind has been blowing like snot for the last two weeks! But today, it calmed down and s/v IDRIS got wet.

Bert and Sheri, my former co-workers, wanted to witness this momentous occasion, so they joined me for the shakedown cruise.

She performed beautifully. Coming out of the local ramp, it is surrounded by mangroves blocking the wind. Luckily, there is a current that was running down wind and in the direction we wanted to travel. We only had to push off and take a few paddles to get in the canal, and we were on our way. The water is very skinny coming out of there, but since it was 3/4 high tide and she doesn't draw much, we only bumped a couple times.

Once in the wind, she took off. She performed well with three aboard, and Bert supplied us with champagne to toast the occasion.

I'm also pleased with the sail. I used a 3.3 oz tarp from Tarps Direct. I plan to build one from heavier material for stronger winds. She sailed close to the wind, and was easy with a jibe and tack... no problems at all. I guess I had her balanced.

I had both hands full most of the time, so Sheri took most of the pictures and video. However, her phone is not sharing those pictures at the moment. It doesn't feel like turning on right now. So, I put together a video taken with my GoPro.  You can see it here: Maiden voyage

Love that water!

THE PAINTING HAS COMMENCED

The first coat on the decks was applied today. Glidden Porch & Floor, water based paint is what I used to paint the storage compartments. When I returned for another gallon, I was told that Glidden discontinued their water based paint, I would have to go with Behr. So, I picked out an off white and started painting. I believe this might be a better paint. It does not wash off as easy as the Glidden. Guess that's a good thing.

I need to start thinking of the rigging. Oh my! I'm getting close to seeing her float!

Everyone at the Sailing Club was disappointed that they will not see the splash. That will be a private event. I don't want an audience when I'm figuring out the sail position, and how this boat will act. I promised to bring her down on a Sunday, when the regulars gather.

TRAILER FOR MAYFLY

Boat trailers are hard to find in Key West. The trailers you do find, usually need just about everything replaced, or they are too big and expensive. On my trailer quest for my boat, I found either twice the size I needed or the remains of a boat trailer.

Chuck had a trailer that held two non-running jet skis. He donated the jet skis to a guy that thought he needed a project, and donated the trailer to my cause. But, it too needed work. The usual boat trailer parts were replaced: wheel bearings, lights, jack stand. The bunks will be custom cut to fit... later.

My Sweetie has been wonderful in this whole process!

Today was the move date. She is no longer at the Sailing Club. It became hard to work on her; the work bench was removed and the kayaks were moved into my build space. And the fact there wasn't cover to keep the rain out. We have had a LOT of rain lately.

My boat is behind all these boats, so the first think I did was start moving these out of the way. Several guys joined in the rearranging to clear a path for my trailer. The big question was did I have enough hands to get my boat moved onto the trailer. It is heavy, with all the fiberglass and epoxy I laid on her.

The trailer still doesn't have a winch stand, so Chuck tied her nose and stern down. She was not going to become a projectile going down the highway.

Heading out with the mast strapped to my vehicle.

My daughter and son-in-law live within spitting distance from me now. They let me bring my boat to their home to finish it. I have the BEST son-in-law!!!

Under cover and so close, the rest of the build should go fast. Plus I have a lot of extra time right now.

Chuck, my Sweetie, has been wonderful in the whole trailer work and the move. He is so busy at work right now, but he took time to help me. He is wonderful to me!!

SAIL FOR MAYFLY 16

When I built my Puddle Duck, iDuck, I put a yellow sail on her. At the time, I had not seen a yellow sail. Since then, I have seen many. My Mayfly will have a yellow balanced lug sail also. I started the construction today.

BACK ON THE BUILD

I haven't done a lot of work on the boat lately, but that has changed.

The rudder and leeboard needed weight. Chuck has this little electric pot that worked very well. He even donated a few fishing weights.

The leeboard guards are being made this week. Hopefully the weather will hold out for the next week. It's been very windy with a shower here and there.

PIECES AND PARTS...

I am currently working on the leeboard, rudder, leeboard guards and mast partner.

The upper leeboard guard is ready for the slot to be cut to accommodate the leeboard. I want a good fit, so I need to finish the leeboard to get an exact measurement, because I will be glassing it. I want to pour the lead in the leeboard and rudder at the same time. It's been one of those, "before I can do this, I have to do that".

Well, I just this week cut out the rudder. Okay, let me correct that. I had started shaping a rudder. I stood back one day to admire it, when all the sudden, I realized I had beveled the wrong edge. I felt really stupid and went on to build something else. The time has come that I must re-make the rudder.



Next came the smelting lead for the weight. Chuck has made 5 lb fishing weights, and has this little handy dandy smelting pot. We pulled it down, dusted it off and plugged it in. It works! It's been several years since I've done this, but it I had no trouble, and was expecting the same experience this time. Boy was I wrong. I'm not sure what the difference is, but I had a frustrating afternoon.

After three attempts, I decided to go down the road to the beach and get me some sand. Then I put a layer of aluminum foil down, laid the rudder on top of this. The sand formed to the shape of the rudder, so there was no leaks. I was concerned that the pot was not big enough to hold the amount needed to fill the hole. There was lead to spare. I will have to do measuring and math to make sure the pot will hold enough lead for the leeboard.

Tomorrow I will tackle the leeboard.

THE SAIL

I loved the yellow sail I had on iDuck, the Puddle Duck I built. I ordered the yellow polytarp to build the sail from. This is 3.3 oz polytarp, which was good in light winds. I will probably build another out of something heavier for those days with more wind.

I am going with yellow because it is very different than all the white sails I see on the water. I will stand out, and be easily recognized from afar.

Here are a few more pictures I took today. The decks are glued on and the back deck has been glassed (I didn't get a pic of it today).

Decided on a deck plate for the bow for easy access when I install running lights.

Deck

The dry fit.

I haven't worked on my boat much lately. Seems like other things are getting a higher priority. I did get the deck installed.

What other things have been given a higher priority? Well, scuba diving, fishing, making cushions for Chuck's boat.... and just LIFE.

Cockpit and storage were painted before the deck installed.

I love plants, and in my younger years, I always had a garden. I canned tomatoes, pumpkin, green beans, blackeyed peas, potatoes, okra, grape juice, pickles, jellies and jams. I haven't tried to grow anything in a few years, but I have a pineapple that I put in a pot. You just twist off the top, peel most of the leaves off and stick it in water. Mine has several roots now, so I stuck it in a pot. I've heard that it takes several years before you get a pineapple... I have time. Chuck has a planter in the back yard, but the boards have warped and it's coming apart. The growing season around here is the fall and winter months. This just does not seem right to me. BUT, it is way to hot in the summer months to grow anything. The sun is so intense that it literally fries the plants. I am thinking I will rebuild the planter and try my hand at some vegetables this winter. I love yellow squash. I wish I liked coconut... they are EVERYWHERE!  I'll let you guys know how the garden plan progresses.

Milkweed.

Pineapple plant.

There are so many "projects" around here. We are always working on something, and never feel that we are caught up. We have a total of five boat projects going. We are trying to not take on anymore projects until we have all of these finished. That's hard for Chuck. A few weekends ago, Chuck and I went to an auction. There were three items in this auction: a skiff (hull only), 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible, and a 1984 25' McGregor Sailboat. We bought the car... another project. The sailboat did not sale, and we were told that if we would haul it away... we could HAVE the boat. If I had not been there to say NO... there would be another project tied to the seawall out back.

                                                      Chuck: "But it's free"

                                                      Me: "Take it home, and then what?"

                                                      Chuck: "Yeah, you're right"

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WEEKEND PROGRESS...

Progress was made this weekend. The decks are cut, two out of three storage compartments are painted, and the seat braces are all installed and fillets done.

If you notice, under the port seat brace, there is a PVC fitting going through the bulkhead. I am using PVC as my conduit for my wiring. I will install it after I paint the cockpit. I'm almost certain I will get caught out after dark, so I am installing lights.

It's been so hot lately. Instead of going to work on the boat after I get off work, I whine about the heat and just go home. But, it build is getting more exciting, so it will go faster now.

RIGHT SIDE UP

All of the snowbirds have gone back to their homes up north, and the Key West Community Sailing Club is like a ghost town. Since there were no strong abled bodies there, I had to recruit help from outside to turn the boat back right-side up. My boyfriend Chuck, and three of his friends came over to  do the deed.

The outside of the hull has been fiberglassed, and since I had plenty of fiberglass left, I fiberglassed the bottom of the cockpit and the storage compartments also.

Today I got most of the fillets done. I have read of many different ways to make pretty fillets that require very little sanding to make them smooth. I have tried several of them, but have not had the success that they claimed. Today, I couldn't find a jig that I had made (that really didn't work very well), and since I was doing the fillets in the storage compartment, I grabbed a piece of cardboard from the box of gloves that was on the bench. If they aren't pretty it doesn't matter because no one will ever see them after the deck is on. I was amazed at how they looked. They are almost perfect.

FIBERGLASS

If one layer is good, then two is better! I put down two layers of 18 oz woven roving on the bottom.

The stiffener is made from two scarfed 1x4s. 

The chine logs and hull sides have one layer of 6 oz glass. I now have the stiffener glued down, but didn't get a picture of it. Use your imagination until the next post. :-)

One more layer of epoxy, and her bottom will be ready for paint. Can't wait to turn her over. But, it will take more guys to turn her upright, than it did to get her upside down. That fiberglass and epoxy is not light.

I did mention that I wanted a figurehead, and the popular vote was for a naked lady. Today, I was thumbing through a catalog at work. At first, I thought I could make one of these work... but then I looked at the price. Holy Crap! Over $100, I'm doubtful that any of these will make it as my figurehead. We'll see if a naked lady makes it on the bow.

Here is a mermaid, that's one option.

A dragon came in second place in the figurehead survey.

Or, how about this guy...

Or maybe a stoic face....I've been called that!

Enough of all this, I'm going to go have a nice steak dinner with my boyfriend. He's a CPA, tax season is over, and I want to celebrate! I hate tax season, for many reasons, but the first on my list is that I don't get to see Chuck much because he's always working!!! 

Next week, we are taking a vacation! And we both need it!

BOTTOM IS ON!

The plans call for an exterior chine log. They are on and everything has been faired. The bottom goes on in two sections, with a butt plate holding them together. Done! It went on very easy, I didn't need help.

The bottom is 1/2 inch plywood. I want this boat to last and to be durable. So, I am putting two layers of glass on the bottom. Paradox called for three layers, but I think two will be fine for this boat. The plans also call for a stiffener to be fastened to the bottom. I will attach that over the glass.

It is almost April, which means the "snowbirds" start to head back home. They usually show up in November and December, and stay until April. Nearly everyone I have met at the Sailing Club, is a snowbird. I was told the place is like a ghost town in the summer.

ROLLOVER DAY

The wales were attached, and it was time to roll her over to work on the bottom. There happen to be several guys working on the roof of the clubhouse. Walter gathered three of them and headed over to my little corner. Within seconds they had her turned upside down. At this point, she is not very heavy.

Tomorrow, the bottom work begins.

WALES

When your build location is a little cramped and the ground not perfectly even, you have to get creative. I do not have 16' of level ground area to glue the scarphs on the wales. I needed a jig that would hold the scarph cuts together while the epoxy cured. This is what I came up with.

I took a plywood scrap and screwed a scrap 2x4 to it, making sure that they were square. I then clamped my glued wales to this jig, holding them straight while they cure. I should have perfectly straight... 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 16' lumber.





















The plans are not specific when it comes to the shaping of the rudder, so we will see how this works.

With the time change, I will have another hour of daylight after work. This will help with the progress of this build.

3D

FINALLY, she is 3D.  Did the dry fit.  All the bevels on the bulkheads were perfect... except one. A quick run down the side of the last bulkhead with the jigsaw, and then it was perfect too. I have glued up the two aft bulkheads. It was dark and I was tired, so I gathered my things and came home.

 
I am very pleased with how easy she went together. And I do like her shape.

STEM & STERN

Stem is cut. Transom is cut and the framing cut and glued in place. The transom doesn't extend all the way to the gunwale, in order to accommodate a short shaft motor. At some point I will want to hang a motor off the back.

The bulkheads on either end of the cockpit are almost finished. Glue a couple seat supports in place and they will be ready to go 3D.

The seats are very low. I am hoping this is comfortable. My grandkids will love it... it's just their size!

BULKHEADS and SIDES

I know I have been slow to post, it just hasn't seemed like there is anything to talk about. I was slowed down this week by nose bleeds. Went to the ENT doctor. He could not see where my nose was bleeding, and could not see any reason it was bleeding. I guess I'm a fast healer... but it had been 4 days since my last nose bleed. Maybe I'm over it now.

The bulkheads have been framed and two coats of epoxy on one side. The sides are cut out, marked for bulkhead and seat placement. I'm coating with epoxy while they are flat, much easier, no runs.

I have already started thinking about the paint job. For some reason, I am adamant about having a yellow poly sail. I had one on my Duck, and I really want one for this boat too. When you look out on the water and see sails gliding by, they start to all look the same. One is not much different from the next, thus not immediately identifiable. I want my boat to stand out, and not look like every other boat. When you see mine, you will know in an instant who she belongs to. For instance, most will recognize this, and many others, because of their paint design or colors, not the make of the boat. We all know GIR!

photo by Chuck Lienweber

photo by Stan Roberts

I'm looking at paint samples, and leaning toward a burnt orange for the hull, white for the cockpit, with a yellow sail. What do you think? 

SLOW GOING

Progress is slow. There is only about 1 1/2 hours of daylight after I get off work, and at least 15 minutes of that is getting my tools out of my vehicle and cleaning up after I’m done. It was suggested that a light could be rigged for me to work later. Everyone at the Sailing Club is very accommodating. It’s beginning to feel like home.

The bulkheads and sides are cut out. The framing lumber has been purchased and ready to rip.

These little clamps are nice for the price. I now have 20, and plus the few big ones I have, I think I'm fixed for clamps. You can never have too many.