Nothin' Like Rollin' a Boat Over on Your Birthday!!

It turned out to be a lot of work on my birthday, but well worth it! We've been looking forward to the day that we would finally be able to turn the hull over and commence with the top half of the boat. That day came today!! Kathy gave me the plans for our Minuet last year as a birthday present, so it only seemed fitting to have such a momentous day on this years celebration!

 

It was only the two of us, so we had to think it through before starting, but it worked out well.

 

First we removed the building form from underneath...

...and then Kathy just shoves it out into the sunshine!

Ahhh, fresh air!

We enlisted the dog and a few blankets and...

...there ya go. It's right side up!

 It actually went smoother than we expected. I hung a tow-strap in the tree and that handled the bow so the two of us could lift the stern. We gently rolled it over in one motion and didn't even break the skeg off or scratch the bottom paint. Kewl!!!

 

Time to add a trailer to the equation.

Since it's a folding trailer, it made it very easy for us to load!

..one happy birthday boy!!!!!

It took awhile to fit the boat to the trailer, but it works!

even a peek inside...

...and back into the garage we go for part two!!

 

What a fun day of work! Have a great weekend!!!

 

 

Pirate

Back to the build!

 

Following a patient (!?) several days to allow the fiberglass to cure on the hull, It's finally time for the 1-2-3 process to add anti-fouling paint to the bottom. We are using Pettit stuff and that's their recommendation. 1) Bio-Blue to clean, 2) Prime, and 3) Paint. No weeds here for sure!

 

Clean her up...

Prime her up...

Add a little color...!

 

Every little Pirate ship needs a black hull! :)

 

Pirate 



Be Careful What Ya Wish For...!!

 

Was that me whinin' about having to wait for the fiberglass to cure before painting? Was that me implying that I had time on my hands? Oh boy, what a mistake!!

 

It kinda reminds me of the old biker saying, "I just started out changin' spark plugs...the next thing ya know, I was painting the frame!"

 

My buddy (former buddy now) tells me he ordered too much topsoil and I could take as much as I needed for free. I innocently replied I could use a pickup truckload and my back has hurt ever since!

 

Topsoil leads to yard work, yard work leads to....well, WORK!!!

 

I knew our yard needed help, but I didn't expect to fix that problem right now!

 

OK, it needs ALOT of help!
 

 

 

diggin leads to dirt...

 

dirt leads to grass....

 

 

and grass leads to the before mentioned sore back!

 

...but even I have to admit, the "after" picture sure beats the "before" picture!!

 

But having said that, I can't wait to get back to the boat project tomorrow! Somehow, the prospect of painting the hull seems much easier now!

 

(BTW, I did sneak out and finish the skeg so it's ready for paint, too!)

 

 

It can't ALL be work!

 

Pirate

 

 

 

 



Just Killin' Time...

 

 

Here we are just waiting for the fiberglass to cure before we can start the bottom paint part of the project. About the only thing to do is make the pieces that need to be in place prior to paint. Bow eye, some rigging fittings, and today, the skeg! (no, not KEG!)

 

With all that now taken care of, all we can do is wait! :(

 

We are both very excited to finish the bottom paint since after that is applied, it will be time to turn the hull over, place it on the trailer, and start the top half! Very Kewl!!!

 

Pirate



Shine On..!

 

Morning folks! No more timeline in the corner as the blog timestamp will be current! Caught up at last!

 

It's a little weird after several weeks of hard work on our boat, we have to wait about a week for the fiberglass to cure before painting the bottom and sides. There are several small projects of course, but in general, we have a few days to relax. Nice!

 

 

Took my coffee to the boat barn/garage this morning to stare and dream and found the boat making friends with my bike....!

 

 

Quite a reflection! I guess all those "sanding hours" do pay off!

 

Pirate



...More Sanding!!!!! :(

Timeframe: September 19, 2012

In our last episode, we had just finished the basic fiberglass work.

 

 

So what's the next step?

More Sanding!!!...uggh!

 

 

 

...yes I wore a mask..!

 

This whole concept of applying 2 coats of something and then sanding 1 1/2 back off again is enough to drive anyone crazy!!!

 

...until you see the results!

 

 

The fun of creating this blog has been looking back at the early pictures and comparing those to today's progress. I guess we are getting somewhere!

 

Pirate

 



Pirate Blogger catches up!!

Timeframe: September 6, 2012

As I mentioned at the beginning of all of this, this is my first shot at writing a blog, and I had about a year of our story to tell before you were caught up.

 

Well, here we are! September 2012. We should be able to keep things more current from here. Kathy and I have had many people asking about our progress and this should make it a lot easier to stay up to date.

 

Thanx for your patience!

 

 

 

 

Kathy has insisted all along that this be a "team" project which I think is great. To this point however, there haven't been many opportunities where we were both needed at the same time.

 

That all changed with the next phase of our build. Time to fiberglass!!! 

 

 

We applied the first coats of resin and sanded some more. We are finally back to a phase that shows progress. (no, instant gratification isn't part of OUR lives! :)

 

Just add a little cloth and yer done, right?

 

 

The reality is, it took Kathy and I almost a week to apply the glass cloth and the multiple layers of resin to top it off. We found out we work very well together even when the operation is tedious, sticky and of long duration. And the results of all this hard work....

 

 

WOW!!!

 

Nicely done, baby!

 

Pirate

 

 

 



Sanding, anyone?

Timeframe: Early September 2012

 

Adding big chunks of plywood to the boat really shows progress, and then the final shaping and filling begins. What a contrast! Hours turn into days of filling and sanding with no noticeable progress.

 

What a slap back to reality!!!

 

 

Gawd my arms and shoulders hurt!!!!

 

Pirate

 

Lets's Cover This Thing Up!

Timeframe: Late Aug/Early Sep 2012

 

Another expensive trip to the lumber yard and we return with a truckload of marine grade plywood. Looks better on the boat than in the truck!!

 

 

Who knew that plywood could bend like that! If I said there was a bit of frustration at this point, I would be severely understating things! But it worked....

 

Pirate



Wheels for the Boat!

Timeframe: August 2012

A sailboat can only go into the wind at 60 Miles-per-hour if it has a Trailer!!

 

We read about a "garage sale" in Austin, TX that advertised lots of parts, trailers and boat stuff. Kathy's daughter and grand babies live north of Austin, so it sounded like a family based "road trip" that we could add a "parts search" for the boat, too.

 

Glad we drove the truck.....!

 

The story doesn't end with the successful purchase of a trailer for the boat. As I'm hooking the trailer to the truck, Kathy is asking about that "rolled up thing" over there....

 

 

The guy says, "it's a new kevlar mainsail for a Coronado 15". Hummm! That might work. He wants $600 (sells new for over a grand) I tell him our budget is $350 (kit price to sew it ourselves. I didn't tell him that!) He says since we also bought his trailer, he would do it. Best we could scrape together was $343 cash and he took it! SOLD! It's way too "high tech" for me, but I certainly couldn't argue with the price. Looks good in the tree with the mast we bought in Austin the last trip, too!

 

 

Kewl stuff IF you have a boat to put it on! Better get back to the Boat Barn.

 

da Pirate

 





Delayed again...then Full Speed Ahead!

Timeframe: June 2012

Most of June wound up dealing with personal medical issues so progress ground to a halt again. That being said, on my return to Texas, I now have full time to devote to our boat so progress is much more noticeable and our goal of attending next years Spring Fling on May 17, 2013 looks reachable.

 

Off to the garage/boat barn we go....

 

 

By the time the longer longitudinal members are added, it really starts to look like a BOAT! What a concept. The pictures tend to speed up the progress. The reality is that it took over a month of steady work to do the work for these 5 pictures. But progress it is.....!

 

 

 

da Pirate



Spring Fling brings a deadline!

Timeframe: May 2012

 

Spring turns to summer very fast in Southeast Texas.

 

Kathy and I tend to spend a few weekend days heading for the coast to keep the spirit alive! (Can't spend every non-working hour in the boat building garage or the fun leaks out of the project very fast!) We found an event called the TMCA Spring Fling held in Freeport, Texas hosted by the Texas Mariners Cruising Association. Sounds like another road trip to me. And lots of sailboats for ideas and inspiration!

 

Boats AND Music!!

Da Navigators soundin good!



 

We rode to the event on the motorcycle and had a great time. That's when we decided that "next year.... (oh boy) we would show up sailing our new project to Freeport. The dates have now been set, so we know that our deadline is now May 17, 2013.

 

Game On....!

 

da Pirate 

An Ebay score!

Timeframe: April 2012

Kathy and I aren't big ebay shoppers. Ok, almost never!  But I was starting to think of other things we might need for the boat, so there I was online. After picking through the usual "garage sale" garbage, I found something of use, a sailboat mast! And it was only 150 miles away!! And it was only $75 bucks! Huh!? Really??!!! Better go take a look. Of course that means "Road Trip!"

 

Glad I didn't throw that tree branch out

Safely stored at home

It turns out that the mast is from a sailboat of the "Thistle" class. It's about 5 feet too long for our boat, but I DO have a hack saw. After I got home from this trip and now knowing what I had, I found similar masts up for grabs on various sites for about $750.00 used! What a deal we got even if you add in the cost of gas to pick it up.

 

da Pirate

 



Framed!

Timeframe: March 2012

It is nice to see a little progress, but about here is when you realize that when you are a part time boat builder, the project isn't going to be in the category of "Hey, we can build a boat this winter and be in the water by spring!" It just ain't gonna happen! But, having said that, things ARE moving along...

 

Frames all in a row.. Nice!

 



da Pirate

The Holiday Rush is Over

Timeframe: February 2012

Lets get back to work. The first thing to tackle is the centerboard trunk. It's our first effort involving fiberglass on the boat, and it goes smoothly.

 

installed centerboard trunk

 

 

This sub-assembly certainly adds some "stoutness" to our project. And more stuff to stare at while I have my morning coffee in the garage.

 

da Pirate