Big Gains Today

Final green stripe picture

 It was a busy day in the boat yard. We got the exterior fully painted and are prepping to move to the cockpit. Interior is around 90% complete and after a few other odds and ends we'll be ready to splash. Hope is a sea trial on the 12th of May.

Goodbye green, hello blue!

That looks right.

Ringing in a New Day

At least the bell is attached!

 It was a very productive day. The sun is so intermentant we take what we can. Today we did the following:

• Reattached the locker lids with the new nylon hinges.
• Wood puttied all the holes from the original cockpit hardware.
• Hung the ships bell
• Sorted and reorganized the the first aid kit. The new box is not as good as the old one for bulkhead mounting. 

In addition we have folding cup holders to mount, an idea of where the propulsion battery is going to go this season, and are ready for painting as soon as the weather cooperates. And with the truck out of the back we've shifted the vessel to allow mast raising in place In addition to all this I've decided I'm going to rewire the boat. The deadline is not so looming as it once once and we'll most certainly splash on time. Here's hoping the weather is good the next few days. 
 I keep meaning to film and take pictures but the truth is the projects I think will take days take minutes and it's far easier to simply get things done then figure out how to capture getting it done. I apolgize that the full DIY part of the blog is falling by the wayside but look for more visual content once we get on the water. Plans are afoot for some really cool work while we are actually sailing.

It's the Little Things

Titebond II and clamps are a boat builders best friend.

 The rain continues and so the little jobs do as well. Today I fabricated and glued up one of the "hinges" that helped keep the cockpit closed. Although I now use brass and soon to be nylon hinges now the missing part was eating at me. Got me new jig saw blades though.
 The Lady started work on the cockpit covering as well. We would like to be able to use the back portion in bright or rainy conditions while at anchor. She's a seamstress and is enjoying the project. Should be be together soon. 39 more days.

#09? Not quite!

That's better

 Today we painted the cabin. The color is based on Kirby #09 Cream that a friend mentions in one of his writings about his former CLC Skerry. I say based on because I love my boat but we're not paying $90 a gallon for paint. However we got the first coat on up high today and after letting it dry we will re-coat, then do  the floor. I think our cabin looks so much better and that blue really works with it. The white always felt a bit clinical, the cream is very inviting and homey.

In Praise of the Humble Deck Screw

A work in progress. Those decks are looking good! The weather is not ideal.

 As the weather refuses to cooperate I'm forced to do other projects that are not so sun dependent. And this leads me to talk a bit about my boat (Gasp!) and how I'm putting her to rights as a proper pocket yacht and overnight sailboat. I think it's fair to say that for me, I did not get a completed boat. She's sailable but her utility for what I want to do and what she is capable of is limited. And the project I tackled today illustrates this well.
It should be noted the seats themselves are not to plan. As originally envisioned the seats were simply slatted platforms 6 3/4" off the floor. Not the full "watertight", they are most decidedly not, lockers that allow you to sit with your thighs level and your feet flat on the floor. She's much more comfortable then stock I would say. The first time I stepped aboard what would become my boat in the parking lot of the Beaver, Utah Flying J was "Step on the sides of the seats, the centers are weak." This I dutifully did, have been doing, and admonish others to do as well. But why? The seats themselves are, if I don't miss my guess, some remnants of the 1/4" Okume that was used throughout the vessel where 1/4" plywood was called for. They are a bit bowed and checked but nothing in that department a bit of refinishing won't fix. But they are flexible. Not worryingly so but you know for sure when you've accidentally put your weight in the center of the seat. And these seats have been in the boat for her whole decade of existence.
 I'm 215lbs on a good day. And the image of me getting distracted by something and stepping through my seat as I board from the pier is not something that should bear thinking about. So I figured I should fix this. There is so much about small boat work that you won't find in a book. We are a generally independent lot. Backyard engineering at it's finest really. So with a couple of  1x2's, deck screws, two new clamps and assorted power tools I set about righting my seats.

This is the first one. There were many more holes in this one then the second.

  The engineering was notably simple. My first thought of doing two parallel strips up the middle wasn't going to work. The original "hinges" that held the seat top in wasn't going to allow for it. So i settled on a single strip inboard for longitudinal strength  and three stringers to take the load in the center. I started the process by carefully measuring and by the end of the project my Mk.I eyeball was doing most of the work. I was able to tell when things were centered, about how to make things look even and how to customize each for what was needed. The starboard side seat for instance has more bow in the center then the port seat and the pattern of attachment reflects this.
 Most of my wood work anymore is done with deck screws. You know the kind that must come with it's own unique driver bit to ensure you'll never have it when you need it. I can't wait to see someone attempt to take a boat I've worked on apart. There will be hardware store trips in their future for sure as they track down the bit for each section I worked on. But most are exterior screws, have an aggressive pitch to them and do a really good job of holding wood to wood. Combined with Titebond II my modifications are pretty permanent.
 The first seat took longer then the second. Primarily because I was engineering on the fly and was still sighting in my Harbor Freight screwgun. But once the preliminary engineering was done the second seat went much faster and I only have one extra hole in the seat top. 

Not bad. Not bad at all.

 Putting the seats back in really showed me how necessary this improvement was. The seat tops now feel solid and are much more even. They close well and as I was tarping the boat once more in fear of a late afternoon shower I stood dead center on the starboard locker. Nothing moved and I forgot all about where I needed to step. Got the job done and cleaned up. That is what seats should be. And now mine are.

Small Changes

Before painting. The mix of greens was almost im possible to match.

Flat In the Navy. We'll see if we go semi-gloss or not.

 Weather is taking a decidedly wet turn. But next week the final coats of varnish should go on and we'll start hull and interior paint. Ordering more bits today.

Do something!

Passing sailboat on Elliot Bay

 Every time I look at my schedule on my phone these days I am gripped with panic. I have deadlines to meet and time is refusing to stand still. So much of what I have to do depending on good weather, decent physical and mental strength and the time to allow paint to dry. The list of what is left to do is by my reckoning so incredibly long. I've been replaying and planning what I have to do in my head since November and during those long cold months was unable to move forward on any of it at all.
 There is a berth to install, interior accoutrements to purchase, the aforementioned painting and varnishing. Once that's done I need to replace the official stickers that had to come off for the repaint and while I'd like to think that's the easiest bit bureaucracy is seldom easy. The trailer needs goal posts, my towing vehicles need electrics looked at and I still have to purchase my Idaho state invasive species permit sticker.
 Don't get me started on the Palozoa stuff. And my anchoring system is still a napkin drawing. So there are moments when I have no idea where to go. When it's a cascade of things I could do but need to 'get that done before that' it quickly becomes overwhelming and disheartening. Because "I need to" becomes "But that first" becomes "Then what?" becomes inaction. Analysis paralysis because nothing can get done because everything must be done. And the person to get it done is you with others depending on that final glorious finish And throughout all of this the clock is not stopping.
 At these times, which are more frequent then ever this late spring, I am acutely aware of my inaction. Of being frozen on the outside while my internal monologue is everything but still. At these times the only reaction to inaction is action if anything is to be done. Once the wall has been hit, it's time to go through it.
 Today The Lady was at the "Do you want solutions or venting?" stage as I tried to explain where my head was at. I replied I didn't know, clicking a tool in my hand absentmindedly as the cascade of needs vs. the available time went to war in my head. The obvious answer was the system I was working on, the paint/varnish system was at a stalemate. "Well pick another system" came the answer. That broke the mental dam and work resumed. On the rudder and tiller, which was not in anyway affected by the current inability to continue the other work at hand.
 When all was said and done we got the rudder stock half repainted, the hardware out of the tiller and rudder, the tiller varnished and a clear goal of what was needed to finish the work. With the remainder now drying in the sun but rain on the way I'm further ahead then I would have been otherwise. And that is a win.
 Sometimes the hardest thing is the easiest. But with the ability to recognize where you've been and where you now stand, the ability to take take the next step and where may well show itself. "Do something!" is a rallying cry to get stuff done. Because even if you're overwhelmed with what needs doing, at least you know what needs doing. And you can get it done.

Shiny!

Like a new penny under the noon time sun!

 Today was varnish. Well one coat anyway. I emailed the original builder to see what coated our cabin top. Minwax stain and urethane. Now spar varnish, twelve coats or so, is the traditional way for bare wood on a sailboat. But it's interesting to note that the two big box stores don't carry it, we looked. But our local Ace does. And you can use the softer varnish over the harder urethane. So today we got a single coat on most of the bare wood. And it sure does it bring out the character of the wood. As we continue this rare break in our spring weather we should have the full three coats on by next week, and then paint starts. It's happening.

Companionway boards and guides.

The gaff

Main hatch. Note the repainted sides.

Our chosen color for the vessel.