Hull Speed

Making 22 knots

Spar Coating

My spars are Sitka Spruce. When I commissioned Bruce to build the spars I decided that the mast should be the same color as the Douglas Fir staving on the hull sides down below.  So he stained the mast, then applied two coats of epoxy ahead of the varnish. The stain was a bad idea....my mistake.

Bruce mis-read the spar plans and built the mast 13 inches short.....his mistake.  A clothes pin scarf lengthened the mast back to plan but the stain and varnish on the bottom of the new lower section did not match the original coating.  "That's OK, give's it character.....memorializes the journey", my wife said.

I installed the radar antenna mounts using 3M 5200 since it would never have to be removed.  Turned out I had installed it too high on the mast foul of the headstay and it did in fact have to be removed.  The mounts took the varnish and a layer of Spruce with them..................my mistake (it was my turn).  Then the steaming light had to be pulled so it could be seen under the radar antenna.  And again the repaired area didn't match....more character.

After sanding back to bare spruce

I  decided the splotchy mast was not going to get it, so we removed all the mast furniture and stripped the spars back to bare spruce. This time we skipped the stain and went with three coats of Awlgrip's "Awlspar" varnish followed by multiple coats of their "Awlbrite Clear", a polyurethane with UV inhibitors.  This system is advertised to be much more durable and longer lasting than the equivalent varnish over epoxy.  We shall see.

First coat of Awlbrite

Still Rigging Up

Posted a few recent photos to Picasa today.  As you can see we now have a dodger, belaying pins and settee cushions. The Radar antenna had to move down the mast to stay away from the jib halyard and headstay. It now lives just below the spreaders and above the home of the gaff saddle when the main is at full hoist. Speaking of gaffs I made a major one using 5200 to bed the radar mount. Now trying to hide the scars with plugs, West System Epoxy and a bit of stain.   

Current plan is to launch at Hillman's Marina on Dickinson Bayou and motor over to Clear Lake Yacht Center to marry the mast, add boot stripe,  bottom paint,  compound and wax the hull.  Sea trials around Thanksgiving and sailing before year end. 

  

 

Scandalizing

The main fits good....thanks Heidi.

Rigged Up (Sorta)

I'm glad I decided to rig up the spars before launching.  Turned out to be a few more issues (let's call them new challenges) than I thought there would be.  The headstay is too short.....the knuckle head in charge of measuring (that would be me) should be keel hauled.  The topping lifts are chafing against the lower shrouds and will have to be re-routed.  And the radio frequency interference from the Orca LED tri-color is killing the VHF and AIS reception.  Will address these and bend on the mains'l next week.  

Dry Stepping the Mast

When we take her to the river I want to step the mast, paint the boot stripe and leave, pronto.  Stay too long at Hillman's and the shrimpers will steal the hubcaps off her. To make sure that operation goes smoothly I have decided to step the mast and rig up right were we sit.  That means doing it twice but I think the dress rehearsal approach will pay dividends in the long run.  With this in mind we pulled Rose out of the shed yesterday.

The small round piece of stained glass I bought from the hobby lady in Spring Branch was supposed to fit inside the port light over the chart table. I was short one bug screen anyway so seemed a good idea. It did not fit (measure once and buy it twice), so we made it a part of the forward cabin door instead. The idea unabashedly stolen from fellow BCCer, Stewart.  Turned out to be a better use for this bauble of colored glass anyway.

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The companionway doors turned out nice and the galley is shaping up.  I can't believe I lost one of the brass hinges for the refrigerator door.  As soon as I buy a new pair the lost one will turn up.  Engine room wiring needs serious organizational (and labeling) attention.

 

 

  

Argonaut Monitor

In a previous blog entry I described the dc drive onboard computer that runs the chart plotting and network software. At the chart table a Viewsonic monitor relies on shore power or, away from the dock, the inverter. The cockpit monitor is a dc 15 inch Argonaut Tflex G6 15XLR.  I used three heavy duty hatch hinges to mount the monitior in front of, but still slightly inside the companionway opening.  If the companionway doors have to be closed or the drop boards installed you don't have to move the monitor and if someone needs to go below, unpin the port side hinge and it swings open to starboard and out of  the way.   

The cigarette lighter dc power outlet  is on the underside of the starboard cabinet that hides the back of the compass.  This dc power outlet is connected to a dc dc power transformer to insure that the monitor always sees clean power.  Use this outlet to charge the cell phone and no more frying cell phone batteries. 

 

Auto Pilot

The Simrad TP 32 Tiller Pilot is set up to drive the boat's  tiller directly from a socket mounted on the starboard stern deck or alternatively the small trim tab tiller mounted on top of the rudder as shown in the photos below.   The trim tab is part of the Freehand wind vane lower unit designed and built by Mike Anderson. The wind vane itself normally mounts to the backstay but my boat is gaff rigged with running backstays so I didn't buy the upper unit.  And besides, for the next year I will be gunkholing around here staying close to land so no urgent need for a wind vane.  But ultimately I am going to have to figure out a mounting solution for a Freehand vane.