Sawdust, Epoxy and More...

Last weekend I resolved to find a way to install the chines and decided to laminate them in place: each chine to be three pieces (3/4", 1 1/4" and 3/4") glued side by side in place.

On Monday I began milling six (actually 12) new pieces (sawdust). On Tuesday I scarfed (epoxy) those 12 sticks into the six pieces for the chines.



Wednesday I fiddled with the pieces to fit them. I also cut notches in the frames for the stringers and worked on finishing up the transom (more).

Today I installed the first two chine pieces on each side.



Tomorrow I will add the third piece on each side to finish the chines... and begin installing the stringers.

Summer's Interlude… Summer… a wonderful time of year! Great weather sets the stage for enjoying many activities… But there is a price to pay for the season's weather, activities and fun: For me, at least, that price this summer has been less time spent working on Gardens of Fenwick.

As previously reported, June found me at the Small Craft Skills Academy in Mackinaw City, Michigan. Four great days with other small boat sailors brushing up on old skills and learning new ones from everyone - facilitators and participants alike! If you get the chance to attend one of the Academy's sessions - do it!

The family's July sailing vacation this year was spent on McKay Bay in Les Cheneaux Islands at the north end of Lake Huron. The plan was to take my Goat Island Skiff (the Karen Ann) for some fun sailing and, perhaps, a sampling of boat camping. Unfortunately, a relatively minor mechanical problem kept us from taking the Karen Ann… We were, however, able to get some sailing in on Wildcat, the family's Com Pac PicNic Cat).

In early August I joined my brother for Pedal to the Point, an 80-mile bike ride from Brunswick, OH (a suburb of Cleveland) to Sandusky, OH. The ride is a fund-raiser for MS and this year nearly 3,000 riders participated! I'm glad I rode as much as I did preparing for that ride. It was fun and I'm looking forward to more bike riding this fall.

I was all set to participate in the Michigan Pirate Fest in Grand Haven the second weekend of August - but a nasty summer cold caught up with me and kept me from sailing. Ah… next year I expect to take Gardens to Grand Haven for the pirate 'raid' on the town.

Throughout the summer we've been riding bikes, gardening, traveling and having a good time. The time away from Gardens has given me time to think about some troublesome (to me) building details (the chine, among others) and has provided me some interesting food for thought. In other news, John Welsford confirmed the mast locations for the balance lug yawl rig to be the same as for the gaff-yawl sailplan shown in the plans (this is great news: no modifications needed).

So, not much recent boat building progress to report but I have been busy living life and enjoying every minute of it! The time away from the build have served to energize me and I will soon be making sawdust and mixing epoxy again!

Temporary Solutions and Oar Leathers

I built my oars more than two years ago… I used inexpensive Home Depot 1 x 6s on the theory that I didn't want to butcher expensive lumber in my first attempt at making oars. The oars made their debut - without leathers - in March of 2010.

Shaw & Tenney sell a kit for oar leathers, which I ordered in early 2011. Reading S&T's instructions and other comments on-line, I was intimidated… installing the leathers seemed to be some sort of mystic transmutation I couldn't comprehend. The examples of oar leathers I've seen on-line have all be gorgeous works of art. I was intimidated.

Over the last two days I've overcome that intimidation and installed the leathers… they are not artistic triumphs but I suspect they are functional. I will find out later this month when I take the Goat Island Skiff to Cedarville, MI for a week (or so) of sailing expeditions.

Beginning the installation:



Interesting that the stitching is different on each oar… and I thought I was doing them the same…



New varnish (after sanding) will finish off these oars.

I am reminded of a comment a friend made to me when I stated these were "practice" and "temporary" oars… "There is nothing as permanent and long-lasting as a temporary solution." I think he is right.

Another month has come and gone...

It's true... June is gone and we are into July. I am busy with maintenance and re-fitting Karen Ann, my Goat Island Skiff, so not much work has been done on Gardens lately. See what I've been doing on Karen Ann at http://goatislandskiff-sacramento.blogspot.com/

Good Intentions Interrupted

When I last posted, I told myself I'd post more often... Didn't happen as work on Gardens has slowed a bit to make time for a few other projects.

I attended the Small Craft Skills Academy seminar in Mackinaw City, MI last week and I spent much of the prior two weeks getting Karen Ann, my Goat Island Skiff, ready for that event. The Academy is a great four-day seminar combining classroom lessons with on-the-water drills and practice. It was a great refresher for old skills; great instruction for new skills; a great resource for new (to me) ideas for preparing Gardens for adventure sailing; and a wonderful opportunity to make new friends.

Here are a few photos taken during the SCSA in Mackinaw City:

Karen Ann on the beach at Mackinaw City:


Engineless docking drills in the marina:



A Michalak "Mike's Boat"



The Mike's Boat shown above is similar (albeit a much different hull shape) to the Pathfinder in terms of length, beam and weight - and it carries a balance lug yawl rig. One take-away for me from the Academy is the confirmation that I want a balance lug yawl rig for Gardens. I'll contact John Welsford to discuss this sailplan for my Pathfinder.

Work will resume on Gardens while I continue needed maintenance work and minor modifications on Karen Ann before taking her north to Les Cheneaux Islands next month for a week of sailing.

June 1st? Already?

Don't know what happened to May but it is gone… It is June 1st and progress on Gardens continues.

I've been working on Gardens but the work is mostly more of the "invisible" kind. The chines are nearly ready to install (yes, seems they were "ready to install" a couple weeks ago…). The centerboard and rudder are being carved into shape (actually, this work IS visible - but, alas, no photos today). The mizzen sail kit sits patiently waiting for me to crank up the sewing machine while kits for the main and jib are yet to be ordered. Once the chines are installed I can fit and install the stringers - and begin planking!

Along with continuing with Gardens, I am preparing Karen Ann for the Small Craft Skills Academy here in Michigan in a couple of weeks. Cleaning, sanding, re-rigging, re-bending the sail to the spars (oh, yes, finishing and outfitting a new boom) and a bit of varnishing before setting out for Mackinaw City on the 16th.

Fitting the Chines

After much consternation and frustration over not being able to bend the chines into place, I received some good suggestions on possible solutions.

Steaming the chine pieces was rejected as they are scarfed together for the length.

Laminating with 2 or 3 thinner pieces seemed like a good idea but... the 9mm thick pieces didn't bend any easier than the 20mm thick ones.

I considered using two pieces for each chine and steaming each piece to bend into place but before gathering parts and materials for a steam box, another idea came to mind: Make each chine out of two pieces but cut them to shape, glue them in place and overlap the ends (sort of scarfed in place).

Using the plywood cut-offs from cutting out the bottom, I made patterns for the two pieces (only two patterns needed as the pieces are mirror images). The patterns fit on a 1x6, so I bought 4 boards and cut out my pieces.

Here is a view of the foreward starboard chine piece being fitted.



Still some work ahead to get all four pieces fit and installed but I'm no longer feeling consternation or frustration.