Thursday, April 24, 2014

Not So Busy This Week

It wasn't such a busy week… as boat building goes.

Two weeks ago saw a flurry of activity. This week, not so much - at least not so much boat work. There were a couple of beautifully warm (low-70s) sunny days, followed by cold (low-40s) windy days. The warmer days coincided with social commitments. The colder days are not conducive to working in the barn.

The entire week was not lost or wasted. I spent a couple of days working on a new table-top (more than doubling the surface area) and fence for the Delta Router/Shaper I found lurking in the barn.

That project should be completed in the next day or two and put to work!

Inspired by Rik's progress (trial lift, gunwales and paint) with his Pathfinder project, I have been working out how to turn Gardens over. Before the hull is turned, I need to get the building platform moved over from my sister's place, and I'd like to do it without taking it apart. That means getting the Volvo wagon running… the battery did not survive the winter. That also means the dirt road into my sister's place needs to dry out a bit more.

I was introduced to a new-to-me marine supply place: Wolf's Marine in Benton Harbor, MI. Yes, it is about a two-hour drive but it makes a nice day trip, particularly on a cool but sunny spring day. Wolf's Marine has a very complete variety and inventory of new marine gear, parts and supplies (although their sailboat hardware is biased to larger sizes) . They also have an extensive inventory of used/salvaged parts. The store goes on and on and is actually pretty impressive in a free-flowing rambling sort of way. I'll keep them in mind - and take a list with me when I go - as I get closer to outfitting Gardens.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Bob,
    Nice machine! After 6 months of intense business travel finally some days to go all out on Vanessa. After this week things will slow down again, unless I cut in on my sleep hours... hmmm, that is an idea...

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  2. Thanks Rik,
    I'll post a photo of the table when it's done.

    You are making great progress! Cutting back on sleep could get you more time for boat work - but it could also lead to small mistakes needing correction. No need for that.

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    Replies
    1. Hahaha... and there are already "learning moments" permanently embedded in her. I really had to press on with starting the paint phase. Detailing is a never ending process for this perfectionist. And now I have to eat a lot of humble pie, painting over all the ugly epoxy work I did. Under the deck the fillets are a lot nicer (also a lot simpler) than above the deck. For added strength I have used only 410 up till now making fillets so there is not much correction possible after things harden up. But I am sure that she is as strong as can be.

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    2. Remember, the only person you have to satisfy is yourself. Your Pathfinder will look great!

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