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.

Minor Obstacle

Okay, so things are going pretty well - I'm ready to fit and install the chines. Unfortunately, the chines are not ready...

The plans spec the chines at 20mm x 70mm x 5,790mm (that's 3/4" x 2-3/4" x 19'). The chines fit flat on the outside of the hull bottom so they have to bend in that dimension. They also conform to the rocker in the bottom so they have to bend in that dimension...

I'm using Monterrey Pine and it is not going to bend in those two directions... not without some serious convincing. Steaming the wood seems the logical means of "serious convincing" but steaming wood is one of those black-box mysteries I've always considered to be beyond my skills. However, I am thinking about it...

Several questions come to mind:

1. What do I use to steam 19' long pieces of wood?
2. Can I fit the wood and then re-steam it once I'm happy with the fit? (I don't think I'll be able to remove them if I let them sit long enough to dry to shape.)
3. How do I glue steamed wood in place? Can I glue wet wood after re-steaming?

Okay, I can answer the first question. It is the other two that are troubling me.

Any suggestions?

Back at it... Again... Finally...

After more than one false start (following an annoyingly persistent cold) I am back to work on Gardens - along with several other works-in-progress:

Gardens:
Building the transom and prepping it for installation
Cutting notches in the frames to accept the chines
Milling chines down to 65mm to facilitate the needed bending/twisting

Karen Ann:
Clean-/refit prepping for the Small Craft Skills Academy next month
Lots to do!

Cycling:
Back to riding after too many weeks of not riding
Short 25-mile ride on May 19th
Training for 75-mile ride in August