Measure Twice, Cut Once...

Good advice. We've all heard it. We all follow it. None of us are surprised…

Except when we are…

(Pick the right piece of the project), Measure Twice, Cut Once…

Yeah, it works much better when you measure and cut the correct piece of lumber!

Fortunately, today's error was on a totally non-boat related project that won't matter if it winds up three inches shorter than intended…

I'll fix it tomorrow.

Hey, it works!

The barn is too jammed up to move two saw horses into place, so we set up outside.

Semi-closeup of the whole 9-yards: Two saw horses, plywood bridge and mast box with cleats.

Interesting what you find in a 4-year old rig: worn spars, tattered lashings, dirty sail, etc.

Lots of work to do: new boom, new yard, new lashings and laundered sail.

This has been a good practical project to get Karen Ann ready for sailing - and good practice for building the mast box for Gardens.

Mast Box Rigging Platform Concept Illustrated

Realizing that the Mast Box (Multi-Tasking) post was less than clear in describing what I am doing, I figured I'd try to illustrate the concept. The cleats are not part of the mast box design but are there to support the mast box on the saw horses.

Here is the mast box set up on the table saw (picture saw horses):

And here is a further development: the plywood will span the saw horses (and be fastened securely):

As soon as I can move a couple of saw horses into the barn, I'll set up the mast and proceed with re-rigging Karen Ann's boom and yard. …and consider Mast Box Mk-2.

Multi-tasking…

Couple, three (maybe four) non-related things lead me to a little project connecting Gardens with Karen Ann (my GIS).

First, the shoulder is still marginal so big motion work (like sanding/fairing Gardens' hull) involving both arms is out;

Second, Karen Ann's sail-plan needs re-rigging (new boom and yard) but Karen Ann is behind Gardens in the barn;

Third, John Welsford designed a mast box for the main mast of the balance lug yawl rig; and,

Fourth, my work product is much better the third or fourth time I do something…

Since I can't get to Karen Ann to set up the mast to re-rig the yard and boom, I decided to build a mock-up of the GIS mast step & partner arrangement, and…

Since I will be building a mast box for Gardens (sometime in the future), and…

Since practice improves my results, and…

Since I can't do a whole lot of other boat work,

I'm putting together a mast box to be part of a rigging station to set up and work on Karen Ann's mast & sail plan without having to rearrange the entire boat storage scheme now in place.

Parts fashioned after John's design for the Pathfinder:

Front, back, top and bottom glued up (sides will be added tomorrow):

The mast box will be supported by two saw-horses for re-rigging Karen Ann.

So, multi-tasking... building a tool to help me re-rig Karen Ann while practicing for building/installing Garden's mast box.

That's My Story...

Great conditions - warm weather, enough sun balance by the necessary spring rain, lengthening daylight - and I'm missing an opportunity.

Tendonitis in my shoulder flared up this week, pretty much keeping me out of the shop and away from Gardens. Can't get much done with one hand.

Hopefully the prescribed meds and rest do their magic and get me whole enough soon so I can get back to work.

On the plus side, a new bicycling buddy, who also sails a Flying Scot, invited me to visit a local sailing club for their spring work-day. I couldn't join in the fun of setting boat lifts (darn it all!) but I was able to meet a bunch of people and garnered several invites to bring my Goat Island Skiff out to the club for some sailing. The club features fleets of Flying Scots and Sunfish (which, of course, race as one-designs) but they also offer mixed-fleet handicap racing, so I may have found a new home base for sailing my GIS.

Oh, the story… Sitting on the back porch the other evening, I swatted a mosquito with my left hand and that motion triggered the tendonitis… yeah, pretty lame but that's my story… and I'm stickin' to it!

Break Out the Epoxy!

The weather has turned - Spring is here with warmer temperatures! Time to turn to on Gardens' hull and get some work (figuring out where I left off: what's been done and what needs doing) done!

I also have to manage my time a bit better now. There are wood-working projects to finish up (and new ones to begin) and bicycle riding (preparing for a 3-day ride in Colorado this summer) to do - along with attending to Gardens' needs. Of course, I've lost one of winter's most time consuming activities: watching snow fall… so I ought to be able to find time for boat building, bicycling and wood-working.