The Price is Right!
- Thread starter 31seahorse
- Start date
Hello SBO Members,
During the nice weather in late Oct and early Nov we worked on the Celebrity. Getting just about finished with the tearing apart portion of the work. I removed the foam flotation from the bow so I could wriggle forward far enough to reach the bow to install backer plates under the fairleads there. Tough job and should be titled "No place for an old man with artificial hips!" The good news is that I made good progress inching forward on elbows and toes and nearly as easily made the return trip. (pic included)
Most of the wooden parts have been removed and varnished using Minwax polyurethane varnish. Wanted something that would dry fast and this stuff seems fine. Of course there is no need to worry about insects in the varnish at this time of year! I made new parts for the mast step, tabernacle, two ribs that support the sole, and parts of the forward and the aft bulkhead.
All good fun, but I am not ready to tackle any of the neglected boats over which other members have been lamenting.
During the nice weather in late Oct and early Nov we worked on the Celebrity. Getting just about finished with the tearing apart portion of the work. I removed the foam flotation from the bow so I could wriggle forward far enough to reach the bow to install backer plates under the fairleads there. Tough job and should be titled "No place for an old man with artificial hips!" The good news is that I made good progress inching forward on elbows and toes and nearly as easily made the return trip. (pic included)
Most of the wooden parts have been removed and varnished using Minwax polyurethane varnish. Wanted something that would dry fast and this stuff seems fine. Of course there is no need to worry about insects in the varnish at this time of year! I made new parts for the mast step, tabernacle, two ribs that support the sole, and parts of the forward and the aft bulkhead.
All good fun, but I am not ready to tackle any of the neglected boats over which other members have been lamenting.
Update for the Celebrity project: First, the naming activity has reached a climax. At present the old name is still in place. However, a new name has been chosen! After the appropriate ceremony it will be displayed.
Second, after many hours of contemplation, figgerin', and putterin' around in the barn, I have some progress to show. The pictures are below.
(1) We painted the inside of the hull from bow to stern and up to the gunwales. Our favorite color, Grand Banks Beige, was the obvious choice. That covered several sheets of fiberglass that were added and attached 5 wooden ribs to the hull.
(2) The mast base and tabernacle were a challenge to install. You all are familiar with the "measure twice, cut once" rule of woodworking. Well, it also applies directly to the use of epoxy! From one of the previous pictures you can see the fiberglass framing that remains where I removed the old mast step. I left that so it would be simple to center the new mast step. I used epoxy to secure the new pieces. After I rebuilt the parts that fit in that area I continued with construction of a new tabernacle to fit on top of the mast step. I noticed two odd situations when I stepped back to admire my work. First, the lower part of the tabernacle was closer to the edge of the opening to the bow storage on the port side as compared to the starboard side, and second, the tabernacle leaned toward the starboard side. Not a good thing! I discovered that the very lowest part of the mast step is not exactly on the centerline of the hull. My bottom of the tabernacle was shifted to port by 1/4 of an inch. Solution: tear it out and rebuild.
(3) I installed the cockpit sole boards with very little difficulty. A few were warped, and a few were mis-marked. Remember how people keep saying, "Mark the pieces as you remove them and take lots of pictures." Well I did not do a good enough job because on each side I had two boards marked with the same numbers!
(4) Shelving lines the area under each gunwale, so I put those in place and added some of the trim for those areas although some of it needs another coat of varnish.
I'll post more as there is progress to report. Target date for launch is May 30.
Second, after many hours of contemplation, figgerin', and putterin' around in the barn, I have some progress to show. The pictures are below.
(1) We painted the inside of the hull from bow to stern and up to the gunwales. Our favorite color, Grand Banks Beige, was the obvious choice. That covered several sheets of fiberglass that were added and attached 5 wooden ribs to the hull.
(2) The mast base and tabernacle were a challenge to install. You all are familiar with the "measure twice, cut once" rule of woodworking. Well, it also applies directly to the use of epoxy! From one of the previous pictures you can see the fiberglass framing that remains where I removed the old mast step. I left that so it would be simple to center the new mast step. I used epoxy to secure the new pieces. After I rebuilt the parts that fit in that area I continued with construction of a new tabernacle to fit on top of the mast step. I noticed two odd situations when I stepped back to admire my work. First, the lower part of the tabernacle was closer to the edge of the opening to the bow storage on the port side as compared to the starboard side, and second, the tabernacle leaned toward the starboard side. Not a good thing! I discovered that the very lowest part of the mast step is not exactly on the centerline of the hull. My bottom of the tabernacle was shifted to port by 1/4 of an inch. Solution: tear it out and rebuild.
(3) I installed the cockpit sole boards with very little difficulty. A few were warped, and a few were mis-marked. Remember how people keep saying, "Mark the pieces as you remove them and take lots of pictures." Well I did not do a good enough job because on each side I had two boards marked with the same numbers!
(4) Shelving lines the area under each gunwale, so I put those in place and added some of the trim for those areas although some of it needs another coat of varnish.
I'll post more as there is progress to report. Target date for launch is May 30.
On this chilly day I worked in the barn as I removed the name from our boat. Bravado, racing adrenaline, and Macho Man feelings aside, my wife felt uncomfortable with the boat's name. It had to go. I took the opportunity to have a helper photograph the progress. You might want to refer to previous Forum discussions of the removal of stickers, names, and other vinyl insignia from boat hulls.
What I am doing in the photo is using a heat gun to soften the vinyl and the glue and using a triangular paint/varnish scraper to remove the lettering and other shapes. Previously, I had used a plastic or a metal putty knife. The problems were: (1) the plastic putty knife reacted poorly when heated, and (2) the metal putty knife put my fingers too close to the heat where THEY reacted poorly. This is the first time I tried the scraper, and I found that it did a very fine job. The wooden handle allowed me to keep my fingers out of the blast of the heat gun as it heated the sticker and the scraper blade. The length of the handle also allowed me to easily control the angle of the blade in order to limit any gouging by the corners.
This week is "the big push" to finish the boat so it can travel with us to Penn Yan next Sunday where Eileen will use her Sailrite machine to begin work on the boat cover. We hope to launch between May 10 and 20, which would be a bit ahead of schedule. I'm sure many of you know how those plans and expectations turn out!
NOTE to self & others: The triangular scraper is a dangerous piece of equipment. Never lay it on a flat surface because there will be one point and two sharp edges facing up. Hang it on a tool rack by the blade or handle or use a string to hang it from a peg.
What I am doing in the photo is using a heat gun to soften the vinyl and the glue and using a triangular paint/varnish scraper to remove the lettering and other shapes. Previously, I had used a plastic or a metal putty knife. The problems were: (1) the plastic putty knife reacted poorly when heated, and (2) the metal putty knife put my fingers too close to the heat where THEY reacted poorly. This is the first time I tried the scraper, and I found that it did a very fine job. The wooden handle allowed me to keep my fingers out of the blast of the heat gun as it heated the sticker and the scraper blade. The length of the handle also allowed me to easily control the angle of the blade in order to limit any gouging by the corners.
This week is "the big push" to finish the boat so it can travel with us to Penn Yan next Sunday where Eileen will use her Sailrite machine to begin work on the boat cover. We hope to launch between May 10 and 20, which would be a bit ahead of schedule. I'm sure many of you know how those plans and expectations turn out!
NOTE to self & others: The triangular scraper is a dangerous piece of equipment. Never lay it on a flat surface because there will be one point and two sharp edges facing up. Hang it on a tool rack by the blade or handle or use a string to hang it from a peg.
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Busy, Busy, Busy, but Michaelangelo he ain't!
Today, during our week-long push to finish the boat, we taped off and painted the deck and the centerboard trunk. Beautiful, breezy day and drying went well. A few nosey bugs just had to investigate the surface and they were not happy with the result. Overall, we are satisfied with the outcome of the paint work. Nothing fancy, just a brush for the edges and tight places and a small foam roller for the other parts of the surface.
Today, during our week-long push to finish the boat, we taped off and painted the deck and the centerboard trunk. Beautiful, breezy day and drying went well. A few nosey bugs just had to investigate the surface and they were not happy with the result. Overall, we are satisfied with the outcome of the paint work. Nothing fancy, just a brush for the edges and tight places and a small foam roller for the other parts of the surface.
Launch day at last and renaming ceremony at Seneca Yacht Club, Geneva, NY
WHAT A DAY!!!! The boat was patiently waiting on its trailer. The water was clear and the weather was acceptable as we backed down the ramp. Shallow ramp so we had to unhook the trailer to get to deeper water. After parking the trailer and the car I thought the tough part was over.
The 2 Hp Honda started on the first pull. After casting off the lines I turned the motor to reverse out to sailing water. At just that moment the motor chose to JUMP OFF the motor mount! A well-meaning previous owner had put stainless steel plates on both sides of the motor mount......bad idea that I had not recognized! The smooth metal let the motor slip off the mount and the motor was only saved by the chain and lock that I had installed yesterday. Ten minutes and a Philip's screw driver helped me remove the plates and safely reclamp the motor.
With light and variable winds on the lake our biggest challenge on the water became jostling from boat wakes. After some fits and starts we motored back to the main dock where the Thistle Fleet racers had cleared out from the lift. We lifted our Celebrity onto the trailer that we had hand pulled across the road from the parking lot.
No, there was no way we could get the boat back onto its trailer at the shallow ramp. From this day forward we will use the club's lifting equipment for launch and retrieval.
There were still enough people at the clubhouse to invite them for a simple renaming ceremony. The ceremony was short and included thanks to Poseidon and Neptune for keeping boat and crew safe in the Chesapeake Bay where she spent many of her sailing days. Since the boat will now spend her sailing days in Seneca Lake I felt we should show respect to Native American Gods and Spirits. I asked for care and safety from the spirits of the wind, the water, and the land. While the Greek and Roman Gods were toasted with red wine from Anthony Road Winery, I chose to offer the spirits of the wind, the water, and the lake a libation of 7-UP. They seemed appreciative.
Perhaps the information you most want is to know the new name for this boat. BLUE AGAVE will be under our care for a while as we learn to handle this pretty sailboat. Of course there are pictures!
WHAT A DAY!!!! The boat was patiently waiting on its trailer. The water was clear and the weather was acceptable as we backed down the ramp. Shallow ramp so we had to unhook the trailer to get to deeper water. After parking the trailer and the car I thought the tough part was over.
The 2 Hp Honda started on the first pull. After casting off the lines I turned the motor to reverse out to sailing water. At just that moment the motor chose to JUMP OFF the motor mount! A well-meaning previous owner had put stainless steel plates on both sides of the motor mount......bad idea that I had not recognized! The smooth metal let the motor slip off the mount and the motor was only saved by the chain and lock that I had installed yesterday. Ten minutes and a Philip's screw driver helped me remove the plates and safely reclamp the motor.
With light and variable winds on the lake our biggest challenge on the water became jostling from boat wakes. After some fits and starts we motored back to the main dock where the Thistle Fleet racers had cleared out from the lift. We lifted our Celebrity onto the trailer that we had hand pulled across the road from the parking lot.
No, there was no way we could get the boat back onto its trailer at the shallow ramp. From this day forward we will use the club's lifting equipment for launch and retrieval.
There were still enough people at the clubhouse to invite them for a simple renaming ceremony. The ceremony was short and included thanks to Poseidon and Neptune for keeping boat and crew safe in the Chesapeake Bay where she spent many of her sailing days. Since the boat will now spend her sailing days in Seneca Lake I felt we should show respect to Native American Gods and Spirits. I asked for care and safety from the spirits of the wind, the water, and the land. While the Greek and Roman Gods were toasted with red wine from Anthony Road Winery, I chose to offer the spirits of the wind, the water, and the lake a libation of 7-UP. They seemed appreciative.
Perhaps the information you most want is to know the new name for this boat. BLUE AGAVE will be under our care for a while as we learn to handle this pretty sailboat. Of course there are pictures!