Well, let's see....since the last post, there was a three week work stoppage on Jackaroe. We went hiking on the AT. It was a long overdue trip, albeit a brief victory for team Land in the epic "land vs sea" battle. We, our now 8 year old and red dog Ruby climbed 14 4000 fters and covered 55 miles. Strangely enough, I thought very little of the boat. I was ready for a break!
Now back home, I have just about everyth but to put the motor in and varnish the mast. Hope to post pictures soon and to launch within a couple weeks to make the most of the tail end,of the sailing season here in NH.
Showing posts with label Ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramblings. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Lots of progress...
There's been so more progress on the boat that I'm not sure where to start...The remaining big projects were the rudder, which was still in several pieces with huge chunks of iron corroding, expanding and twisting the wood, the mast (box construction)was still in two pieces, the bottom and sides were already epoxied together, the whole thing has been lined with carbon fiber and coated in epoxy but it needed to be wired and the top had to go on, then spreaders lights, sail track/hardware, varnish etc. All of the deck hardware needed to be installed, lights wired, motor well glassed in/tabbed, the chain plates were to be hung on the knees I made but after more than a few couple sleepless nights, I changed my mind and knew that they needed to be hung on the outside of the hull. All these things were completed since then and more. I've been taking pictures along the way but I have been working on project after project for months. The plan was to go in last week. I called and even had the local haulers ready to go. This really pushed me to get everything done and to focus on the more important issues with the boat and not to get caught up in the bronze polishing or tinkering with the head etc. (which I still seemed to get distracted by) The boat wasn't ready to go in because the motor still needs to go in, BUT everything else is done and by the time the motor is ready, so will all the other little things.
Besides the motor being out, the next big deal is the toe rail. Its still off, but ready to go on the next warm day as long as I have some help (For three years, I didn't ask for any help except from my always eager kid, but I'm learning to accept help from all my friends especially as the weather gets warmer and summer break gets closer!)
Besides the motor being out, the next big deal is the toe rail. Its still off, but ready to go on the next warm day as long as I have some help (For three years, I didn't ask for any help except from my always eager kid, but I'm learning to accept help from all my friends especially as the weather gets warmer and summer break gets closer!)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Lights on the boat...
Since the Fall, not much has happened to the boat. From here on, the big things left are to do the final glue up on the mast, to finish the rudder, to put the toe rail on and to drop the motor in. When the holidays were here Maki suggested decorating the boat....
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Monday, May 10, 2010
Flyer III photo and drawing....
I was able to get Flyer drawings from Cheoy Lee last year but I was only able to get a Type I drawing. Came across this Type III drawing and a great picture...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Jackstands....
I havent moved the jackstandsfor a long time. As the weather has changed, they have settled into the ground. I've kept the boat level by adjusting them up or down, now it was time to move them out of place, replace the boards under them to support them and slide them back in...
So thats what I did. It can feel a little dangerous when ever I'm underthe boat dooing anything. there was one day when I had to work on the bottom of the keel and looking up it seemed as if the whole boat could come down on me in a second.
So far though...it hasnt happended yet...
Some pics..
So thats what I did. It can feel a little dangerous when ever I'm underthe boat dooing anything. there was one day when I had to work on the bottom of the keel and looking up it seemed as if the whole boat could come down on me in a second.
So far though...it hasnt happended yet...
Some pics..
Sunday, January 3, 2010
2010 New Years resolution
Well, while I've done a couple of small things on the boat since the summer, it hasn't been much to speak of and sadly, none of it has been with Maya. I've been thinking of this boat's history over the last twenty years or so and how it's been the focus of on again and off again restoration projects and unfortunately then left alone until the next owner. So this new years resolution is basically just to recommit to this project. Like any resolution, I think I'll have to just do a little each day again to feel that its making some progress. At the rate its going, I'll have a mooring ready with no boat to show ready.
To new beginnings!
To new beginnings!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Buy this...
We usually buy large blue plastic tarps to cover the boats. They're easy to move, lightweight and cheap. Then after a hard New England winter, the tarps were leaky and torn and needed to be replaced each spring. To make matters worse, for Jack A Roe I also would buy a large clear plastic tarp for added waterproof protection (keeping the water out seemed important as the boat was completely open to the elements and was basically a pile of exposed wood in a fiberglass bathtub). So each season I had to find a new use for these old tarps and plastic sheeting because I didn't want to just bring it over to the dump. After a couple years of this I find that all of the free space in the garage is full of trashed tarps and plastic that had long since stopped being useful for anything.
This year, after bringing a couple years of old worn tarps to the dump and feeling lousy about it, I bit the bullet an bought a canvass tarp. The same kind I've seen on all the "old timers" boats around the coast. It costs three or four times as much but its worth it. I should have known that while the old yanks around here may be cheap (frugal?) they still know good value. The canvas tarps are stronger, more durable keeps all that plastic out of the landfill. It's basically canvass impregnated with rubber. The rain and snow initially falls right off of it because of the rubber but some may eventually sink in between the fibers if it is left to pool or if there is any standing water. But because its made with cotton, the fibers swell when wet and then essentially seal out any excess moisture. Its a great system and I wish I could have afforded to have done this years ago.
The big drawback is the weight. Unlike the plastic tarps which can be taken on and off easily, the canvass tarps are HEAVY. I'm 6'5'' 210, young and in pretty good shape so moving it around is a pain but still manageable.
Its worth it to keep all that plastic out of the landfill. Go buy one.
This year, after bringing a couple years of old worn tarps to the dump and feeling lousy about it, I bit the bullet an bought a canvass tarp. The same kind I've seen on all the "old timers" boats around the coast. It costs three or four times as much but its worth it. I should have known that while the old yanks around here may be cheap (frugal?) they still know good value. The canvas tarps are stronger, more durable keeps all that plastic out of the landfill. It's basically canvass impregnated with rubber. The rain and snow initially falls right off of it because of the rubber but some may eventually sink in between the fibers if it is left to pool or if there is any standing water. But because its made with cotton, the fibers swell when wet and then essentially seal out any excess moisture. Its a great system and I wish I could have afforded to have done this years ago.
The big drawback is the weight. Unlike the plastic tarps which can be taken on and off easily, the canvass tarps are HEAVY. I'm 6'5'' 210, young and in pretty good shape so moving it around is a pain but still manageable.
Its worth it to keep all that plastic out of the landfill. Go buy one.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Jackaroe is a registered vessel!
I was finally able to get Marine Patrol to come out to the house and take a look at the boat. Once they were here they said, "oh boy thats old, no wonder there isn't any HIN" and gave me the piece of paper I needed to register at the DMV it as MINE, its not stolen, not missing but all MINE. I got this boat on the 28th of last January and it took until the 25th of January this year to get it registered.
One thing that was interesting was that they didn't have a code for Cheoy Lee's. I guess there just isn't as many of these around as there used to be. The other thing is that the company is focusing less on sailboats these days and more on the larger luxury vessels. Not a lot of call for those fancy big motor yachts 'round these parts.
With the registration done and the "new" 12 digit fed numbers, I was finally able to get on the mooring wait-list! Now the big task is to make sure I get the boat done in time to get wet this spring.
(The drawing underneath is a Grateful Dead logo that the kid colored for me last Halloween. )
One thing that was interesting was that they didn't have a code for Cheoy Lee's. I guess there just isn't as many of these around as there used to be. The other thing is that the company is focusing less on sailboats these days and more on the larger luxury vessels. Not a lot of call for those fancy big motor yachts 'round these parts.
With the registration done and the "new" 12 digit fed numbers, I was finally able to get on the mooring wait-list! Now the big task is to make sure I get the boat done in time to get wet this spring.
(The drawing underneath is a Grateful Dead logo that the kid colored for me last Halloween. )
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Moorings....
In getting started with the boat project again, I started thinking about the twenty year wait for moorings in this area and thought I should finally get on the list. Maybe if I get on the list now, the kid will be able to put the boat on a mooring by the time she's ready to head off for college.
Using the form, I picked out the mooring spots about seven of the usual favorite areas.
On the form its asks for the boats registration numbers, HIN numbers etc.
This boat has none because it predates the HIN requirement.
I tell the DMV this. they tell me I need to have someone from Marine patrol verify that there is no existing identification numbers on it.
I call them. Marine Patrol tells me they can take a look at it and to bring it down. The boat is 25 feet long, sir and it would cost me a couple hundred bucks to do that. They offered to put me on the list and they will come around and look at it in the spring or summer. I beg or growl or something and they then tell me that the local PD can also do it.
I call the local PD. they say that they cant, they don't have the forms and that town hall should have them.
I call town hall they say that they don't have the forms and that the DMV should have them.
I call the DMV, marine patrol, the local police a couple more times and now I'm waiting for a call from a supervisor from Marine Patrol who will hopefully send over some guy to try and verify that I didn't steal this boat etc.
Maybe she wont get a mooring before college.
Using the form, I picked out the mooring spots about seven of the usual favorite areas.
On the form its asks for the boats registration numbers, HIN numbers etc.
This boat has none because it predates the HIN requirement.
I tell the DMV this. they tell me I need to have someone from Marine patrol verify that there is no existing identification numbers on it.
I call them. Marine Patrol tells me they can take a look at it and to bring it down. The boat is 25 feet long, sir and it would cost me a couple hundred bucks to do that. They offered to put me on the list and they will come around and look at it in the spring or summer. I beg or growl or something and they then tell me that the local PD can also do it.
I call the local PD. they say that they cant, they don't have the forms and that town hall should have them.
I call town hall they say that they don't have the forms and that the DMV should have them.
I call the DMV, marine patrol, the local police a couple more times and now I'm waiting for a call from a supervisor from Marine Patrol who will hopefully send over some guy to try and verify that I didn't steal this boat etc.
Maybe she wont get a mooring before college.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
New tarp, new start....
Just when I decided that I had to take a break from "working" on the boat, the tarp that had worked so well for a while, disintegrated. This was on a really windy day just before the first big winter storm of the year.
Its hard to tell from the picture but the wind was really blowing and it was COLD....
I had to fix this fast because the forecast was calling for weather like this...
Instead of buying another cheap blue tarp that would need to be replaced again in a few months, I decided to get one of these HEAVY duty canvas ones that the old timers seem to have on their boats. The only one they had left was 40 by 25 ft (so maybe I need to get a bigger boat). The tarp felt as if it weighed 200 + pounds and it took a while to get it up there but it would be worth it if the boat was dry in the spring. This was what the next day looked like..
I went out to the boat this morning for the first time after 4 weeks of snow storms and lots of freezing rain. Except for some very slight condensation the boat was bone dry one the inside. I opened the tarp up today to allow some of the moisture to escape.
The good news is that over the last week my work has calmed down some (I cut back on one of my jobs, which in its own way is pretty stressful). Since then, I have been finding my self thinking more and more about the boat.....I think it may be time time to start working on Jack A Roe again.
Its hard to tell from the picture but the wind was really blowing and it was COLD....
I had to fix this fast because the forecast was calling for weather like this...
Instead of buying another cheap blue tarp that would need to be replaced again in a few months, I decided to get one of these HEAVY duty canvas ones that the old timers seem to have on their boats. The only one they had left was 40 by 25 ft (so maybe I need to get a bigger boat). The tarp felt as if it weighed 200 + pounds and it took a while to get it up there but it would be worth it if the boat was dry in the spring. This was what the next day looked like..
I went out to the boat this morning for the first time after 4 weeks of snow storms and lots of freezing rain. Except for some very slight condensation the boat was bone dry one the inside. I opened the tarp up today to allow some of the moisture to escape.
The good news is that over the last week my work has calmed down some (I cut back on one of my jobs, which in its own way is pretty stressful). Since then, I have been finding my self thinking more and more about the boat.....I think it may be time time to start working on Jack A Roe again.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Temporary work stoppage...
It doesn't seem as if work is going to slow down anytime soon so I don't know when I'll be able to get back to work on Jack-a-roe.
Unfortunately, I got what I was asking for which was to have a job which was satisfying, fulfilling and whenever possible, profitable. Now I have satisfying, fulfilling and occasionally profitable up to my eye balls and find myself putting in 12 hour days during the week and way too much on the weekends. As a result the boat just sits and waits.
The one project I will have to make time for is redoing the tarp set-up before the snow flies. This needs to be soon because it was kind of snowing on and off today. Hopefully I can come up with a design that allows me to work out there day or night in comfort, ie... with plenty of space around the boat to work and so that can safely use a heater to work in the cold of the NH winter.
I will occasionally still post pictures from our last sail last week, Cicada's haul out, progress on Charlie's new boat barn (wish it was mine) and Justin's new boat (when ever he gets one) and of course pictures of the kid...
but unfortunately, it may be a while until there is any satisfying pictures of progress on Jack-a-roe.
Unfortunately, I got what I was asking for which was to have a job which was satisfying, fulfilling and whenever possible, profitable. Now I have satisfying, fulfilling and occasionally profitable up to my eye balls and find myself putting in 12 hour days during the week and way too much on the weekends. As a result the boat just sits and waits.
The one project I will have to make time for is redoing the tarp set-up before the snow flies. This needs to be soon because it was kind of snowing on and off today. Hopefully I can come up with a design that allows me to work out there day or night in comfort, ie... with plenty of space around the boat to work and so that can safely use a heater to work in the cold of the NH winter.
I will occasionally still post pictures from our last sail last week, Cicada's haul out, progress on Charlie's new boat barn (wish it was mine) and Justin's new boat (when ever he gets one) and of course pictures of the kid...
but unfortunately, it may be a while until there is any satisfying pictures of progress on Jack-a-roe.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Life starting to get in the way of the boat project...
A few months back I left a job I had for several years. It was a great job but I was burnt out. After quitting, I had a lot of free time. I was starting a new very flexible part time job and trying to create (from the ground up) a full time job as well. For a couple months things were great, I was working on the boat constantly and the "real life"-work to boat-work ratio was perfect for me. I wasn't bringing in much money but the boat was coming along nicely. Well, now the part time job has become full time and the new endeavor is taking off and is also full time. So now here I am with two full time jobs, working on a nice fall Saturday inside, in front of the fire, when I should be out working on the decks.
I know that there is still a really long winter ahead of us and I still have plenty of time to work of the boat between now and the spring, but for the first time, I'm getting concerned that this boat may not be ready to launch if I stay this busy with work.
The kid better start working overtime.
I know that there is still a really long winter ahead of us and I still have plenty of time to work of the boat between now and the spring, but for the first time, I'm getting concerned that this boat may not be ready to launch if I stay this busy with work.
The kid better start working overtime.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Too busy for the boat...
The boat is only 10 feet from the house and somehow I still haven't managed to work in there in almost two weeks. Well, I've been in there, but to just stare at it, admire the progress and to picture whats to come next...For example, I have to try and come up with a nice way of finishing the counter tops using the old teak decking and I'll also need to make a couple of small things in the dry locker, like shelves etc. Basically though, none of the projects left to do on the inside are that big of a deal and none of them need to happen anytime soon. What I really want to get done before the weather gets too cold is to put a new deck on, get the port lights back in (I ended up having them all remade now while their out instead of doing it later. Should be interesting when that bill come in [have I mention lately how great Maki is?] ) and to refinish the outside of the hull. All of these things will take the better part of a day and I just haven't had any great length of time to work on the boat except for a couple of hours here and there at night, in the dark. So while I'm out there once and while admiring what been accomplished so far, I'm not doing much of anything new these days.
What we have been doing is traveling and seeing friends and family...
Last weekend we went to NYC to see Maya's Uncle Dan , Aunt Priscilla and Cousin Lucas. They live right in Manhattan and there's never a shortage of things to do and see. The kids had a great time visiting the natural history museum, playing in the parks, shooting hoops at Dan's building, playing with the largest collection of trains owned by anyone under the age of 3, visiting Rockefeller center and going to the "Top of the Rock"Maya went to bed each night exhausted with a smile on her face and is still talking about what a great time she had.
Playing in Central park
What we have been doing is traveling and seeing friends and family...
Last weekend we went to NYC to see Maya's Uncle Dan , Aunt Priscilla and Cousin Lucas. They live right in Manhattan and there's never a shortage of things to do and see. The kids had a great time visiting the natural history museum, playing in the parks, shooting hoops at Dan's building, playing with the largest collection of trains owned by anyone under the age of 3, visiting Rockefeller center and going to the "Top of the Rock"Maya went to bed each night exhausted with a smile on her face and is still talking about what a great time she had.
Playing with the dinosaurs
Playing in Central park
Rockefeller Center
I'll get some more pictures from the NY weekend up in a little bit....
This weekend were not going anywhere but we do have some old friends coming in from out of town for a long over due visit. The good thing is that because they really know this area well, there no need to feel like we have to entertain/show them a good time. They'll just do what they want to do... sort of. Maki's going climbing up north and will get Brooke to go along too. I have to make up for lost time, so I'll enlist Brandon to get those port lights back in, finish the deck etc...
This weekend were not going anywhere but we do have some old friends coming in from out of town for a long over due visit. The good thing is that because they really know this area well, there no need to feel like we have to entertain/show them a good time. They'll just do what they want to do... sort of. Maki's going climbing up north and will get Brooke to go along too. I have to make up for lost time, so I'll enlist Brandon to get those port lights back in, finish the deck etc...
Maya's looking forward to seeing them She remembers Brooke (it took a while for her to warm up last time she was here but now their tight) and Maya only remembers Brandon as the guy who made her favorite pillow. (it's got boats on it...good job Brandon)
These are this weekend's visitors...
Brandon (in the middle) and us down in the islands. (Brooke took this picture)
Brooke, The one on the right, with her Mate, Paul. Kind of a crazy look in her eye.
We'll make sure to take plenty of new photos when their here.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The boat's history...
Recently, I've been trying to contact some of the past owners to learn more about the boats history. There are still a couple of people I need to hear from but I'm able to start piecing together a basic timeline. The dates are only approximates and I may correct some of this as I get clearer information but at least its a start.
Yard # 1507
(1965-….) Built in Kowloon China By Cheoy Lee. Unsure of who bought it.
(1965-....) My guess is that it was sold here in the States by Lion Yachts in Conn. As they were the only East Coast Importer/Distributor for CL which was started in 1960. I've been in touch with them to see if they can help with this project. Unfortunatley, they sent this...."In 1984 the office building we shared burned to the ground all all previous information lost. We salvaged a
couple of original brochures only. Our gal would have to make a trip to the dead file and copy what we have and for this service we charge $25 to covers costs. No files on any boats before that date survived. Regards, LION YACHTS Dave Toombs".
(….-1980) Owned by a young couple named Ed and Julie Burgraff. They were teachers from the Tarrytown NY area.
(1977-1978) Rebuilt for the Burgraffs by Boat builder Gary Weisenberger at the Noank Shipyard, Conn.
(1980-1985) Dean Peschel of Dover, NH bought the boat from the Wooden Boat School in Rockport Harbor Maine. David Ott (who later bought the boat and was the last to register it) was with Dean when he went to get it and they took it out for a shake down cruise. Dean then had it for approximately 5/6 years.
When it came time to sell it, David already knew the boat and Dean wanted him to have it but there was another man named Reed Blute looking at it as well.
(1985-1991) Reed and David went in on it together and owned it for other 5 or so years. David still lives and sails in Maine although he now owns a 77 Cape Dory named Spirit.
(1991-2001) It was then sold to a couple of guys , Glenn Gobeille and Robbie (Thomas Robert Jr.), that owned the Cape Neddick restaurant in Maine.
They did quite a bit of work to fix it up and restored it but unfortunately never sailed it and it sat behind the restaurant for the next 10 years or so.
According to one person who was at the resturaunt at the time, the boat was never really sold to the owners but rather it was just left there and sat unused.
(2001-2004) Glen from Rye then bought it (from the resturaunt owners?) with the intention of restoring it and carefuly took it apart. Some of my friends from town remember seeing it in his back yard for a couple years.
(2004-2007) He then he gave it to Glen Walker of Dover, NH who also had aspirations of restoring it but didnt have the time and then moved away from the area.
(2007-….) Glen Walker of Dover meets me in a bar in Portsmouth NH and gives the boat to me to restore.
What I'm hoping for is to get some old stories and photos of the boat when she was in her prime. as I get them I'll post them here.
Yard # 1507
(1965-….) Built in Kowloon China By Cheoy Lee. Unsure of who bought it.
(1965-....) My guess is that it was sold here in the States by Lion Yachts in Conn. As they were the only East Coast Importer/Distributor for CL which was started in 1960. I've been in touch with them to see if they can help with this project. Unfortunatley, they sent this...."In 1984 the office building we shared burned to the ground all all previous information lost. We salvaged a
couple of original brochures only. Our gal would have to make a trip to the dead file and copy what we have and for this service we charge $25 to covers costs. No files on any boats before that date survived. Regards, LION YACHTS Dave Toombs".
(….-1980) Owned by a young couple named Ed and Julie Burgraff. They were teachers from the Tarrytown NY area.
(1977-1978) Rebuilt for the Burgraffs by Boat builder Gary Weisenberger at the Noank Shipyard, Conn.
(1980-1985) Dean Peschel of Dover, NH bought the boat from the Wooden Boat School in Rockport Harbor Maine. David Ott (who later bought the boat and was the last to register it) was with Dean when he went to get it and they took it out for a shake down cruise. Dean then had it for approximately 5/6 years.
When it came time to sell it, David already knew the boat and Dean wanted him to have it but there was another man named Reed Blute looking at it as well.
(1985-1991) Reed and David went in on it together and owned it for other 5 or so years. David still lives and sails in Maine although he now owns a 77 Cape Dory named Spirit.
(1991-2001) It was then sold to a couple of guys , Glenn Gobeille and Robbie (Thomas Robert Jr.), that owned the Cape Neddick restaurant in Maine.
They did quite a bit of work to fix it up and restored it but unfortunately never sailed it and it sat behind the restaurant for the next 10 years or so.
According to one person who was at the resturaunt at the time, the boat was never really sold to the owners but rather it was just left there and sat unused.
(2001-2004) Glen from Rye then bought it (from the resturaunt owners?) with the intention of restoring it and carefuly took it apart. Some of my friends from town remember seeing it in his back yard for a couple years.
(2004-2007) He then he gave it to Glen Walker of Dover, NH who also had aspirations of restoring it but didnt have the time and then moved away from the area.
(2007-….) Glen Walker of Dover meets me in a bar in Portsmouth NH and gives the boat to me to restore.
What I'm hoping for is to get some old stories and photos of the boat when she was in her prime. as I get them I'll post them here.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Land or Sea....
For the last week or so every time I've gone out to work in the boat, Maya (aka "The Kid") has usually been on her swing in the front yard and asking to come in and see the boat. She wants to be in there with me helping (watching). It's great that she wants to be a part of the project and wants to hang out with me (it means the brainwashing* is working) but lately because I've been using so much fiberglass, I cant have her in there. I make sure that there is enough ventilation for myself when I'm mixing up epoxy etc but everything is obviously sticky and I don't think her mom would like it if she came to dinner with a piece of biaxial cloth permanently fixed to her (and of course I don't want her anywhere near the fumes, ventilated or not). So when she asks, "Hey can I come up there too?"... I say, "not today because of the chemicals and dangerous stuff". She's heard this so many times that now she finishes my sentence for me. ....When I start to say no, she says, "I know, I know, too many chemicals". The day will come, hopefully by early fall, when the inside will be mostly completed, all the glassing, sanding, painting and varnishing will be done, the furniture/cushions will be in and she can just hang out as much as she wants on the boat while I'm doing the details stuff with hardware or electrical. As much as she wants to go for a sail to look for pirate treasure, she's also really looking forward to just sleeping on the boat in the yard some night with her stuffed animals.
**Brainwashing is a daily topic of conversation in our house these days. My better half, who prefers to be hanging from a cliff somewhere or standing on a mountain as opposed to being on the water, feels that there is a real battle for the kids allegiance to one side or the other and that she is losing this battle. Its known as The Great Battle Over Land or Sea. I've been pretty successful with my sea campaign over the kid. I have the added benefit of having friends and family with boats which we either spend time on, around or talking about. In addition to her knowing different kinds of boats, she knows the names for the parts of a boat, such the boom, tiller, rudder, mast, sheets etc and can tie a bowline (with some help). She even wants to sing Jack-a-roe at night before she goes to sleep. She's such a good kid. But lately, in an effort to even the score and have a more well balanced kid, her mom has been taking Maya to the rock climbing gym, hanging from a top rope and playing with carabiners. Its been great to hear her talk about being excited to go climbing and cant wait for a good weather day to go up north with mom.
In the end, she'll probably be a pilot.
**Brainwashing is a daily topic of conversation in our house these days. My better half, who prefers to be hanging from a cliff somewhere or standing on a mountain as opposed to being on the water, feels that there is a real battle for the kids allegiance to one side or the other and that she is losing this battle. Its known as The Great Battle Over Land or Sea. I've been pretty successful with my sea campaign over the kid. I have the added benefit of having friends and family with boats which we either spend time on, around or talking about. In addition to her knowing different kinds of boats, she knows the names for the parts of a boat, such the boom, tiller, rudder, mast, sheets etc and can tie a bowline (with some help). She even wants to sing Jack-a-roe at night before she goes to sleep. She's such a good kid. But lately, in an effort to even the score and have a more well balanced kid, her mom has been taking Maya to the rock climbing gym, hanging from a top rope and playing with carabiners. Its been great to hear her talk about being excited to go climbing and cant wait for a good weather day to go up north with mom.
In the end, she'll probably be a pilot.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Looks like rain...
Its a good thing I'm rebuilding this boat! By the time the rain stops we may need an ark to live on. It's only been raining for a day or two but its coming down hard (and the forecast is more on and off for the next day or so). I already had to go out a shop vac twenty/thirty gallons off of the plastic tarps covering it from just last night and today. The tarps protected everything from the companionway forward but there was a nice (not so) little pool over the entire cockpit area. All this water just hung there suspended an inch over all the fresh sanded and prepped wood. There was a little dripping but only very little and it was onto the FG floor and thankfully not all the wood. Some water always seems to squirrel its way onto the deck when it rains. There is some bare wood there (where the epoxy had failed) and it just makes me think that I really need to get the decks finished soon.
I never thought the first time I would use the bilge pump on this boat would be on the hard in the yard, but I'm starting to feel like I should just put a sump up there and plug it into the house.
....Make yourself an ark of cypress (teak with spruce spars) wood (and fiberglass); make rooms in it (with a head, sink, ice chest, locker for foul weather gear and three berths). Coat it with pitch inside and out (and use plenty of epoxy and bottom paint). Go into the ark, you and your whole family (even that howling little bird dog), because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Genesis (more or less)
....brave the storm to come, for it surely looks like rain .....I cant take one more @#*! rainy day
GD (more or less)
I never thought the first time I would use the bilge pump on this boat would be on the hard in the yard, but I'm starting to feel like I should just put a sump up there and plug it into the house.
....Make yourself an ark of cypress (teak with spruce spars) wood (and fiberglass); make rooms in it (with a head, sink, ice chest, locker for foul weather gear and three berths). Coat it with pitch inside and out (and use plenty of epoxy and bottom paint). Go into the ark, you and your whole family (even that howling little bird dog), because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Genesis (more or less)
....brave the storm to come, for it surely looks like rain .....I cant take one more @#*! rainy day
GD (more or less)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
What kind of boat is that?
While Cheoy Lee's are usually pretty easy to tell apart from the crowd, others can be harder. On the "Good Old Boat" website, there is a helpful link called boat identifiers/cove stripes. This really comes in handy when standing there with a friend, staring out at another boat, beer in hand, arguing about out what kind of boat it is and how you know that you're right and their wrong.http://www.goodoldboat.com/cove_stripes.html.
I've added the link to the margin of this blog too.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Another delay
The weather has been great here and the sun seems to be back for good but I still haven't been out to the boat much in the last week. I had a small operation on my foot which is making it hard to get up and down a ladder. An old basketball injury never healed right and was becoming more of a problem as I got older. Finally decided to get it worked on and now I have to wait for it to heal before I can get back out there.
This is one of those things that I'm sure no-one cares really about and accordingly I created a new label called "Who cares".
I should be able to start work again in another week.......
The dog doesnt care.
This is one of those things that I'm sure no-one cares really about and accordingly I created a new label called "Who cares".
I should be able to start work again in another week.......
The dog doesnt care.
Friday, March 9, 2007
A voice from the boat's past...
.
While rebuilding this boat, one of the projects I've set for myself is to find out as much as possible about who's owned it, worked on it, it's history etc. So far, this has been hard as this boat seems to have changed hands a couple of times with little to no documentation.
Going back to 1965, when #1507 left the Cheoy Lee Shipyard, I wonder who bought it and what it looked like. I've been talking to Jonathan Cannon of Cheoy Lee in Hong Kong to see what info if any they still have. He says they don't have too much on boats this old, but is sure they still have the General Arrangement drawings and Sail Plan. So I sent a check to him and am waiting for that info. Hopefully, there be more to come from them.
As far as who has had the boat more recently... I know the names of the last two owners and that's it. One of them, the most recent, essentially just stored the boat. The one before him, started this second restoration but unfortunately, neither of them ever got the boat in the water. Going back before them, I know (by the bow numbers) it was last registered in York Harbor in 1991. I've been trying to find out who this person was. I've been told that he owns an Inn in York, but that could be anyone. It seems like very other house in York is an Inn or a B& B or hotel. I've been calling the Maine DMV and the town clerk in York to have them run the numbers, but because this was 16 years ago and they only keep records for 5-7 years they don't have much. Unfortunately, theres no serial number in the boat. I was hoping Jonathan could help with this in Hong Kong but I received this Email from him today.."There is no other serial number. Yard #1507 was one of a batch of 24 Frisco Flyers, entered in our order book as being built "for stock". We do not have a record of who the boat was subsequently sold to." After some more looking around I discovered that Hull Identification Numbers (HIN) which are found on most boats somewhere on the transom, are not on all boats. Only boats manufactured or imported on or after November 1, 1972 must display a HIN.
There is still a chance that if a submit something a little more formal in writing the Maine DMV be able to look for hard copies in the "vault". I've also called Maine re mooring field records, but they keep records by the owner's name only. Maybe the Coast Guard inspected the boat and have records? We'll see.
One piece of history I do have is a small builder's plaque which says Rebuilt by Gary Weisenburger, Noank Shipyard 1977-78. I did some research on the Internet and found out that Gary was a well respected boat builder in the Noank, Mystic area. In addition to building and rebuilding boats, he was instrumental in the creation of the Mystic Seaport Boat Barn.
(The boat barn in Mystic is kind of a combination of a boat museum, burial ground and nautical holy land. They open it to the public one day a year and my dad and I visited it not too long ago during the John Gardner small craft weekend and it was incredible. They have a collection of boats in a barn that is the size of two football fields. They have every kind of boat in the from every era. Make the pilgrimage... http://www.mysticseaport.org/).
I found Gary's current wood working website which describes his past experiences as.. "a professional woodworker for thirty years. I spent the first half of my career as a wooden boat builder in Connecticut, while occasionally writing for WoodenBoat magazine, and culminated those years teaching the craft at Mystic Seaport Museum. After a short gig editing Fine WoodWorking magazine in the late ‘80s, I began building cabinets and furniture, and opened my shop here in Palo Alto, California in 1995." Not a bad resume to say the least. After finding all this out, I emailed Gary, included a picture of the boat and asked for him to write/call me back. I also called the Noank Shipyard and sent an email to their yard manager asking for any information regarding this boat that was rebuilt there 30 years ago. I know it's been a long time, but I was/ I am hoping to get some old pictures of it, some leads on past owners and some idea as to the kind of work that was done on it then.
I haven't heard from the shipyard yet, but Gary was kind enough to call today. He said that people have occasionally contacted him over the years to talk to him regarding boats he's built and rebuilt. (While looking for information re him on the net, I came across an old post in the Woodenboat Forum dated 1993, where someone was trying to track him down. ) He said he remembers the Frisco Flyer. That a young couple initially asked to have some small amount of work done but as is often the case, the small amount of work grew and grew. After working on the boat for some time, he became good friends with the owners. He said that he actually stayed on board while working on it and that at one point, it was as it is now, gutted. He stated that he teaked the decks, rebuilt the bulkheads, furniture, cockpit seats and even made a new spar/boom for it. I'm not sure if any of that work remains, I believe the cockpit seats have been rebuilt since then, and the bulkheads are new (ish) but the furniture that came out looks to be 30 years old that's for sure.
He said it was disappointing to see the Flyer in its present condition after having but so much work into it. This boat was only 12 years old when he rebuilt it from 1977-78. It then seemingly had a good run for about 13 years after the rebuild and was sailed until about 1991. Since then however, for the last 16 years, it has clearly been neglected. I hope to find out more from him as this project progresses and he has been nice enough to say he'll answer questions as I go. He has now the link to this blog and hopefully, as he sees these pictures it'll help him remember this old boat. While I keep looking to other sources for information about this boat's history, its nice to know that the guy who brought this boat back to life once before is still around to offer advice.
While rebuilding this boat, one of the projects I've set for myself is to find out as much as possible about who's owned it, worked on it, it's history etc. So far, this has been hard as this boat seems to have changed hands a couple of times with little to no documentation.
Going back to 1965, when #1507 left the Cheoy Lee Shipyard, I wonder who bought it and what it looked like. I've been talking to Jonathan Cannon of Cheoy Lee in Hong Kong to see what info if any they still have. He says they don't have too much on boats this old, but is sure they still have the General Arrangement drawings and Sail Plan. So I sent a check to him and am waiting for that info. Hopefully, there be more to come from them.
As far as who has had the boat more recently... I know the names of the last two owners and that's it. One of them, the most recent, essentially just stored the boat. The one before him, started this second restoration but unfortunately, neither of them ever got the boat in the water. Going back before them, I know (by the bow numbers) it was last registered in York Harbor in 1991. I've been trying to find out who this person was. I've been told that he owns an Inn in York, but that could be anyone. It seems like very other house in York is an Inn or a B& B or hotel. I've been calling the Maine DMV and the town clerk in York to have them run the numbers, but because this was 16 years ago and they only keep records for 5-7 years they don't have much. Unfortunately, theres no serial number in the boat. I was hoping Jonathan could help with this in Hong Kong but I received this Email from him today.."There is no other serial number. Yard #1507 was one of a batch of 24 Frisco Flyers, entered in our order book as being built "for stock". We do not have a record of who the boat was subsequently sold to." After some more looking around I discovered that Hull Identification Numbers (HIN) which are found on most boats somewhere on the transom, are not on all boats. Only boats manufactured or imported on or after November 1, 1972 must display a HIN.
There is still a chance that if a submit something a little more formal in writing the Maine DMV be able to look for hard copies in the "vault". I've also called Maine re mooring field records, but they keep records by the owner's name only. Maybe the Coast Guard inspected the boat and have records? We'll see.
One piece of history I do have is a small builder's plaque which says Rebuilt by Gary Weisenburger, Noank Shipyard 1977-78. I did some research on the Internet and found out that Gary was a well respected boat builder in the Noank, Mystic area. In addition to building and rebuilding boats, he was instrumental in the creation of the Mystic Seaport Boat Barn.
(The boat barn in Mystic is kind of a combination of a boat museum, burial ground and nautical holy land. They open it to the public one day a year and my dad and I visited it not too long ago during the John Gardner small craft weekend and it was incredible. They have a collection of boats in a barn that is the size of two football fields. They have every kind of boat in the from every era. Make the pilgrimage... http://www.mysticseaport.org/).
I found Gary's current wood working website which describes his past experiences as.. "a professional woodworker for thirty years. I spent the first half of my career as a wooden boat builder in Connecticut, while occasionally writing for WoodenBoat magazine, and culminated those years teaching the craft at Mystic Seaport Museum. After a short gig editing Fine WoodWorking magazine in the late ‘80s, I began building cabinets and furniture, and opened my shop here in Palo Alto, California in 1995." Not a bad resume to say the least. After finding all this out, I emailed Gary, included a picture of the boat and asked for him to write/call me back. I also called the Noank Shipyard and sent an email to their yard manager asking for any information regarding this boat that was rebuilt there 30 years ago. I know it's been a long time, but I was/ I am hoping to get some old pictures of it, some leads on past owners and some idea as to the kind of work that was done on it then.
I haven't heard from the shipyard yet, but Gary was kind enough to call today. He said that people have occasionally contacted him over the years to talk to him regarding boats he's built and rebuilt. (While looking for information re him on the net, I came across an old post in the Woodenboat Forum dated 1993, where someone was trying to track him down. ) He said he remembers the Frisco Flyer. That a young couple initially asked to have some small amount of work done but as is often the case, the small amount of work grew and grew. After working on the boat for some time, he became good friends with the owners. He said that he actually stayed on board while working on it and that at one point, it was as it is now, gutted. He stated that he teaked the decks, rebuilt the bulkheads, furniture, cockpit seats and even made a new spar/boom for it. I'm not sure if any of that work remains, I believe the cockpit seats have been rebuilt since then, and the bulkheads are new (ish) but the furniture that came out looks to be 30 years old that's for sure.
He said it was disappointing to see the Flyer in its present condition after having but so much work into it. This boat was only 12 years old when he rebuilt it from 1977-78. It then seemingly had a good run for about 13 years after the rebuild and was sailed until about 1991. Since then however, for the last 16 years, it has clearly been neglected. I hope to find out more from him as this project progresses and he has been nice enough to say he'll answer questions as I go. He has now the link to this blog and hopefully, as he sees these pictures it'll help him remember this old boat. While I keep looking to other sources for information about this boat's history, its nice to know that the guy who brought this boat back to life once before is still around to offer advice.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Boat Porn
Boat Porn: Noun. Pronunciation: Bōt Pôrn. Etymology: Greek botaspornographos. 1: The depiction of behavior, nautical in nature (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause excitement 2 : Material (as in Woodenboat magazine, books, internet forums or photographs) that depicts nautical behavior and is intended to cause excitement 3 : The depiction of the use, construction or repair of boats in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction.
A pretty common expression in our group. Its use is usually preceded by this comment.."All you guys ever do is talk about boats and look at boats in books, magazines and the Internet"
Well... it could be a lot worse.
(Hugh Heffner and Larry Flint have nothing on Crocker, Sparkman/Stevens, Day, Rhodes, Herreshoff, Alden, Mower, Crownshield etc..... )
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I was able to get out into the boat on Monday for a couple hours and grind away some of the old bench/berth tabbing and got some initial sanding done of the paint around these areas so that the new glass will have a place to adhere. Its nasty work that requires wearing protection like goggles, a hooded suit (if you don't want itch for a couple days) and a good respirator (if you want to be able to breath later in life) But for the last few days the wind has been howling here on the coast with gusts up to 40 + and the wind chill makes it feel 30 below at times (and they're reporting that its going to get even colder tonight) so I am going nowhere near the boat for at least a few days. I actually didn't sleep too much Monday/Tuesday night because of the wind. All I heard was the wind trying to rip the blue tarp off of the boat and even worse, I kept having thoughts of waking up and finding the boat lying on its side. Makes me think its time to insure this thing.
It is supposed to be nice this weekend though so I expect back out there on Saturday.
Here's a shot of the get up I'm wearing while I'm grinding and sanding the glass.......
So, for now I'm inside in the workshop for a couple days and while I'm between coats of varnish, I'm looking at the new Woodenboat Mag (REVIEW section. pg 88) which highlights the use of blogs, forums and other Internet resources for boating. There were some really good ones mentioned. I won't make links to all of them on the front page of this blog, (just the ones that look worth checking frequently) but I thought some at least deserve pointing out.. I'll add a couple of ones that I use too. If for nothing else, at least I'll know where the links are when I need them.
http://zephyrsail.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftacraft.com/
http://www.intheboatshed.net/
http://timzim.blogspot.com/
http://woodenboatblog.com/
http://www.classicboatworksofmaine.com/
http://www.toandos.com/DCole1.html
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/
http://www.mariposasailing.com/
http://www.westsystem.com/
http://www.svsereia.com/
I have a bunch more that I'll might put up later.....
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