in a name


Been awhile since my last boat-building update. The reason? Well, i’m pretty much done. At this point, i’m waiting for sails. All previous ETA’s are out the window, as the sailcloth was backordered. Apparently the fabric is in Annapolis, getting cut this weekend, but who knows… At least Kevin hasn’t hassled me for any money! Other than sails, all that remains is to repaint the interior. And make up a tent to keep out the rain.
Anyways, today i affixed the nameplate on the stern. i made up a pattern in Photoshop, and milled up a neatly shaped piece of mahogany, then let Scott carve out the lettering. He’d been looking forward to getting into such work for awhile now, and really stoked to go at it. The results are pretty cool. i painted the inset letters with gold enamel, and after a final sand and wipe, gave the whole works a good coat of clear acrylic spray sealant. We went with the sealant instead of varnish as it would have been very difficult to brush on varnish cleanly without leaving drips and thick spots in the lettering.
The nameplate went on just this afternoon, and the glossy dark mahogany and bright gold lettering look really great set against the dark green hull. The name itself? Well, it’s pretty obvious now… Ripple. i have a long list of good boat names i’ve saved up over the years, and Ripple wasn’t on it. Still, while mulling it over right near the start of the whole project, Ripple (The Greatful Dead song, that is) came on the radio. i’ve always really liked that song, and later, reading the lyrics, i found that it really resonated with the whole small boat idea. Further research has shown it to be a fairly common traditional small boat name, but more importantly than being unoriginal, it simply fits the boat.
Good for Scott too, as it was the shortest name on the list, and a fun first carving project. To those of you who find the look of the lettering somehow familiar, i must admit that i totally ripped off the old Triumph motorcycle logo; that’s actually what i started with in Photoshop! The finished carving is a touch more rounded and “bubbly”, as Scott thought it looked better that way; he was right, and it does.

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