3D Update

    I've been sick this week and what else to do while the death cold is slowly draining your life through your nose then work on your virtual boat? So here is an updated S/V Blue Flower mesh. The biggest change is the proportions for the interior are much closer to the actual vessel.The daggerboard box and the airboxes have been added for clarity. I updated the wood to better approximate the color and texture I'm going for as has the color scheme. It is a pity I can't do the curves like I'd like but so far I have a fair idea of what it's going to take to bring my dream boat to life.
   In other news I have new poly sails on order from Dave over at  Polysail. Some cool updates to the sail plan so keep your eyes peeled.

Going 3D

   In PDR terms 3D means the hull is now assembled to the point it resembles a hull. In my terms it means I've gotten bored and rendered my boat in Bryce 5.5 to examine what the inside looks like. The Typesetter and I were over at the Blue Flowers winter home taking things apart and making plans for the future. We uncovered some pretty interstng stuff in the process.

    In this photo the Typesetter has decided to take a nap. He is in fact looking forward under the front deck to figure out how things on the boat are built. The reason is I plan on brightworking and painting this spring and knowing how it comes apart now will have great dividends in the future. Pat P. built her well and it's been a fascinating process seeing how my boat came together. So in between bantering about what to do with the sail rig we have uncovered what must come apart to turn this boat into a show stopper.

    Here you can really see the workmanship put into this boat. The pegs on the floor are the current mast position. Looking forward you see the jib boom attachment and beyond that the second mast partner. If I wanted I could turn my boat into a cat boat. And beyond that you see the reinforcement for the stem and dolphin knocker. Both of which will be brightworked.
    The interior is a much different matter. I'm thinking bright seat and duckboards. How to accomplish this I hadn't a clue so I rendered it in Bryce 5.5 to take a look. Should be noted my boat has curves that the landscape rendering program was not designed for but it does give the impression I wanted. And I think it looks wonderfully nautical.

       I figure if the weather holds I can start cutting the planks next week and at least get them fitted. It might be cold but no reason work can't continue. Looking forward to a great 2012.

New Years Resolutions?

   Well it's a new year and a happy 2012 from all of here the IP&NCo.! It's going to be a great year and sailing will feature prominently. There are two resolutions I have that involve boats and the water. The first is spending more time during this dull off season working on the boat. Procrastination and excuses because it's cold and I can't sail get me no closer to to it being warm and able to sail. I posted a list a few entries back about what needed to be done to get Blue Flower finished. A more important list would be what I can do now.

1. Sand the mast, boom, and gaff in preparation for varnish.
2. Prep the interior and exterior for painting.
3. Order new sails.
4. Purchase hardware prior to installation. Jam cleat, deck plates, assorted.

   That alone should keep me busy through the cold. I just can't sit here and do nothing on my boat. Doing a lot of reading on the gaff rig and small boats in general. And after a conversation with the Typesetter, we all know how those go, looks like the Mayfly 14 is back in the works. I know I was all hot and bothered for the Ocean Explorer and I still may build it. But it's not getting me any closer to THE boat. It's cute, unique and would be much fun to build but when it's all said and done it's a one person boat if I'm honest. And I'm not really interested in a one person boat. Sailing is so much more fun with two. Or with the load of provisions a two person craft can take!
   So what crazy changes are you making to the Mayfly you're asking. Gaff rig? Jib? Yawl? Dagger board and trolling motor? I really hate to disappoint but I'm leaning towards none of that. Shocking. The plan is pretty solid and although I'd love to buck it, you can't deny the utility, ease, and power of a balanced lug rig. The leeboard is a pretty bullet proof and safe for re-orienting the hatches I don't see a need for a major change in the boat or rig. This is going to be a boat for the Flathead and I think I need to keep her pretty close to plan.
   Over the holiday season I re-watched Tom Cunliffes wonderful Boats That Built Britain series and was again blown away by the knowledge contained and the production value. Of particular interest are the episodes on the schooner HMS Pickle and the big herring lugger Reaper. The HMS Pickle segment deals with the development of the fore and aft rig and the Reaper episode the evolution of the Scottish fishing craft. Seeing as I sail a gaff rig and am familiar with the lug sail it's good to see it on such a scale. Not a bad way to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winters night!
  The second resolution for this year is simply to sail more. Looking back at this last summer I'm reminded of the days I could have gone out and did not for a variety of pleasant distractions and reasons. But where would I be now had I hit the water if only for a few hours? Granted I didn't have a trailer hitch but that has been rectified so I do hope to spend more days on the water as opposed to the shore wishing I was on the water! So I'll leave this post with a picture of what will become a common sight here in the Garden City. If you see us, stop by and say "hi". We love visitors and love to talk sailing. Here's to a great and wet 2012!

It's been a bit since I posted on the blog. S/V Blue Flower is safely ensconsed in my mothers garage and all that remains for this this off season is to dream big about next spring. And dream I do. Of opening that garage door and pulling the boat out and just staring at it for a long while. Running my hands over the wood and getting ready to take the plunge. And then later sailing her with her topsides a dark blue and new white sails taut with a good breeze and just enjoying the good life.
It's been said one of the great things about our state is that we can appreciate the seasons. Well not having as sailing season for six months really makes you appreciate it when  you do have it. So I'll throw up a favorite picture here and continue my boating hibernation. In practice at least!

Seasons End?

S/V Blue Flower ready to get under way with The Typesetter and S/V Pica in the background

 It's been a busy few weeks here at the IP&NCo. A hitch has been installed on my 1970 VW Beetle and I've been heading out to the local scum pond every chance I get. There has been an awful lot of sailing going on. And one minor mishap bur more on that later. Seze has been everything I hoped she would be. A boat that is enough of a challenge to keep my interest but not enough of a challenge to not want to push her limits. I've continued to explore how the gaff rig works and have enjoyed every minute of it! I don't have a lot to report save for some wonderful pictures I've taken along the way.

Doing about a knot or so.

Running wing and wing

S/V Pica with her full 67sqft

Following a swamping at dock. Just like the square riggers of old she's vulnerable with no ballast!

Two beautiful Teals

So far there has only been two nagging issues and they are kind of related. I was having a block hang up on me which prevented rapid movement of the boom when I most needed it. This was a contributing factor in what was my first and so far only knock down. I was running in heavy winds and she just death rolled and submarined on me. I am pleased to report a Super Teal floats relatively high and dry for it's class and can be rescued in warm water with with a close shore by one person! Those air boxes, although not air tight (yet) do the job of making the craft not sink.The water was warm and while I can't say I fully enjoyed the experience the knowledge gained makes up for any loss of comfort during the event! The block issue was easily tackled, no pun intended, and the fix of turning the troublesome device ninety degrees seems to be work well.
 I've been in email consultations with Dave at Polysail and I think the Blue Flower will be getting some new sails this fall. It only seems fitting. I just hope I get a chance to try them out!
So sailing will continue until I get bored or the pond freezes up. Great times had by all. Well most of the time!

Gettting Closer

Flemish Coils on the deck of S/V Blue Flower

 It was a fairly busy day at the IP&NCo. boat yard! I've recently started work again and with loads of Belegarth stuff it's been tough to get time with Seze. But with our 2nd Annual Frenchtown Messabout coming up I had no choice but to get ready! My buddy and Journeyman Electrician Trevor Stene came over and kindly wired up my 1970 VW beetle for trailer lights. We're missing a few of them right now but it should get me to the pond and back in a somewhat more legal manner then what I was originally planning. As he was working his magic I spent time rigging and cleaning my Super Teal. The rigging was made good, and the whole boat swept and wiped down. She seems to be a very happy and eager boat at this point in time. I can see where and how she needs work but she'll sail for at least another season without major work. Of course major work is on the horizon but she's a well built craft and I can't wait to get her back in her true element.

 There is another project awaiting me. The PD Goose S/V Flying Fox. She's right now not much to look at but there is a lot of potential. And work LOTS of work. Right now the goal is to simply stabilize her for the upcoming winter and tackle her on a time needed basis. Here is a shot of her on the ways.

S/V Flying Fox eXpedition Goose by Andrew Linn

 We're in a full on Indian summer here in Western Montana and I don't think the sailing season is done yet. Well not if I have anything to say about it! I'll keep you posted and if your in my area check out the WMHBBA links on this blog. Hope to see you about!

Quiet Times and Reflections

HMS Wee Rose. A Bolger Nymph done up to the nines by Rick Cambell. If a Nymph can do it, why not a Teal?

It's been quiet on the physical front but certainly not quiet on the mental one. One of the ideas forwarded to me about the S/V Blue Flower by it's former owner and co-builder Andrew Linn was that I should turn her into a show boat. That is make this Teal and example of the breed for wooden boat shows across the Pacific Northwest. And that is the route I've decided to take. This will require a bit of work over the coming fall and winter. The list is quite long and growing but for prosperity's sake I figured I'd throw it up here. And here it is in no particular order.

1. Take the gunnels down to bare paint and brightwork them.
2. Remove all spars and brightwork them.
3. Rework rigging as required to achieve the proper look
4. Repaint deck in Royal Blue
5. Touch up interior as needed
6. Brightwork the seat, rudder and lee board.
7. Rework the seat to make it removable and stowable
8. Make duckboards for the floor
9. Repaint the Hull
10. Get a proper cover the boat itself
11. Figure out a proper anchor set up
12. Make and brightwork a boom crutch
13. Design and make a boom tent.
14. Get new sails built and/or ordered
15. Install deck cleats fore and aft

The idea again is to make a windjammer in miniature. It'll be a longer process then I was thinking and a bit more expensive but I think the end result will be worth it. A very unique vessel with a strong pedigree that will with luck get more people into building and sailing their own boat. The goal is to have all this done by the CWB's Home Built Boats weekend 2012 where the S/V Blue Flower will make her full debut.
  I downloaded and watched a delightful multi-part BBC documentary called The Boats That Built Britain hosted by master mariner Tom Cunliffe. It was a wonderful look at some of the vessels that grew the mighty British empire and should not be missed by any true sailing or boating aficionado. As an outgrowth of my interest in Mr  Cunliffe I ran across one of this books Hand, Reef, and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats. This is an amazing in depth look at setting up and sailing the gaff rig. From handling your vessel under sail in a harbor to rigging a forestay this is a must have for those who sail this classic rig. It is a bit dense for those of us with a hobby knowledge of the rig but the wonderful illustrations and photos help guide one along and all those new words and actions start to make sense.
  Tom answers all his own email and I am tickled pink that he's graciously put a signature in the post for me. Technology is truly amazing when a new gaff rig owner in the high mountain dessert of Montana can correspond with one of the worlds greatest gaff rig sailors halfway across the globe.
  What of the PDGoose you may ask? Well it's also in the list of things to get done this autumn, at least to the point I can in good conscious leave it over the winter, ready for spring. A name has been tentatively given and the S/V Flying Fox should make a grand sight on the inland waters of Montana.

Another Well Done Teal

Teal

Posted my Teal on the Wooden Boat Forums and got this one in response! It's by Greg H. and just look at all that detail. That is one of the great things about these Payson/Bolger "Instant Boats". They are literally a blank canvas upon which a builder can project whatever design or idea they may have. From built to plan to overbuilt the Instant Boat is a wonderful first, third or twentieth build. From the original book the next size up is the Surf, basically a stretched Teal at 15'6". Imagine what you could do with that much to work with! There are not a lot of Surf's to be found on the interwebs. I did find a great yellow one and lo and behold look what popped up:

 Blue Flower sure has been around! Here is a shot of her at the Eugene Yacht Club Boat Show 2008. Picture is from Flickr user jhkohnen. Andy's write up can be found here.
  I'm off to Idaho for a week of Belegarth. When I get back I hope to ramp up my boat stuff a bit. Have a PD Goose to get get done and the Teal to rework. Until then have a great week!

Little Details

Need some more line to finish this right but that looks pretty good.

Rigging S/ Blue Flower

  Awhile ago there was a rash of rigging posts on the wooden boat sailing blogsphere. Not to be left out  I posted one for the tiny sprit rig of S/V Trudy C. It was not impressive. But with a new boat and many stings to pull I figured I'd update my rigging post for those of you who may be interested.
  Blue Flower flies a gaff mainsail and a jib. The rig is fairly conventional but there are a few tweaks that the vessel has undergone that I'd like to point out.

  Here she sits on the trailer. You'll notice the mast is of a tabernacle design. This idea an design comes directly from the Stevenson Project's Weekender.

  How did a Bolger Teal end up with this mast you ask? The previous owner of the boat owns a Weekender with a gaff and many of the ideas were directly imported into this boat. The idea, and it's a sound one, is she is stored on the trailer ready to go.This makes rigging and de-rigging much less of a hassle! On with the trailer sailing!
  There is only one piece of standing rigging, a forestay. This balances the load with the dolphin knocker below. Simply pull the pin, put the mast up, make sure to put the pin back in and that bit is done.

   Then apply slight upward pressure on the bowsprit and hook the forestay into place.

 Now because the rigging of this boat is fairly self contained the rest is straight forward and simple. Simple if you follow the maxim "A place for every item and every item in it's place". With the mast up and forestay in place I check my halyards and sheets for twists or obvious binds. Below the mast partner is a belaying pin block. I'm sure there is a technical name for that but I've not learned it yet. If we look at it left to right the six pins are: Jib Halyard, Bungee Spot, Empty, Empty, Peak Halyard, Main Halyard. Jib comes up first with the sheet left loose but in place. The pins are under over, under, twist. And then coiled properly on the pin!

  And if people are in ear shot it's a rousing chanty to get the main and peak up together.

  Those are given good tension and a final check to make sure dagger board is down, rudder in place, cockpit clear and in good order. Then it's cast off and sheet home. But for this post my boat simply has her wings out on the trailer.

Total time to rig is about five to seven minutes. The fact it's all self contained is great for a single handed sailor. They say a boat the size of a Teal has limited utility. But I think the utility is what you make of it. Right now this boat for me is a sail trainer in the classical sense of the word. Training muscle memory, observation, and general seamanship in a handy easy to manage package. Now to get it on the water and work the rest!

A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could only have one book, what would it be? I always say 'How to Build a Boat    Stephen Wright