Means of Seeing what the eye brings

Work progresses on the new boat. i added two layers of heavy biaxial ‘glass cloth set in West epoxy to the bottom of the hull in way of the centerboard trunck and mast step. i’ve finished epoxy-sealing the rudder blade, but will probably add a layer or fairing compound to really smooth it out. The rudderstock is nearly there, awaiting a brainstorm on my part, as i figure out the best way to resolve the curves and make it “look right”. The centerboard itself has been planed to shape, and now awaits sealing and fairing.
A few of us had a little sailor sit-down in the afternoon shade behind the shop, checking over the rigging, which i mocked up with string. In light of that, i’ll be repositioning the jibstay and capshrouds for a better look. Also, this way i get to use spreaders; i’ve found the perfect piece of imbuya to cut them out of. Ah, tropical hardwoods…

Yesterday had three interesting yachts in the harbour here in West End. Mirabella I, III, and V were all here together. The Mirabella range is the product of one seriously over-compensating guy…
Mirabella V was built, in part, to keep the “world’s largest” title in the family, after another yacht, Georgia had it for awhile. i’d seen photos and read articles about Mirabella V, so i had an idea of what it might look like. Still, coming into the yard this morning, looking out into the harbour, i knew at once what boat it was, without looking for distinguishing details. It’s just big. i mean, we get some crazy 100+ foot Perini Navis in here, J-Class beauties, etc, but nothing huge like that!
Mirabella V is the largest sloop, has the tallest mast, and has the largest sail of any sailing craft ever built. Her working (small) jib has more than twice the sail area of the Lady Washington’s entire rig! On a single mast, she spreads more sail (48,860 sguare feet) than any other two-masted boat, and many three masters as well. At 290 feet, the mast won’t fit under the Golden Gate Bridge!
Pretty hard to miss in our small habour…

The new dinghy is coming along nicely. Yesterday (day two), i fitted knees to the main deckbeam and the centreboard trunk, and finished epoxying the deckbeams into their permanent place. The knees are substantial pieces of iroco, an extremely tough tropical hardwood. All the knees came out of one piece of scrap; a salvaged deck chock from a large yacht’s liferaft. LIke the mahogany, this is a great find, and just the sort of wood i probably would never have “just laying around” anywhere else.
Also yesterday, i got the mast and bowsprit together. In a total departure from tradition, instead of building wooden spars (as i did for the Dink), i’m using salvaged windsurfer masts. We have a dozen or so of these around the yard, in one state of decay or another. Most of them suffer from delamination in the sun; over time, the outside layer of resin is baked off by the sun, leaving a fuzzy surface of glass fibres.
For my mast, i chose the best of the lot, an 18 foot bi-axial carbon/glass mast. i soaked the whole thing in straight West epoxy to seal in those evil little fibres, and after curing and sanding, primed it with white epoxy paint. i got the bowsprit out of another mast, this one a wound-fibre mast (stiffer, but not quite as strong overall). The latter mast will also provide me with a boom (yet to be made). The gaff will be in wood, which i’ve set aside.
Today, i got in the mast step, centerboard trunk collar, and bobstay U-bolt. The mast step is a 1″ thick plate of teak supporting a laminated mahogany cup which holds the base of the mast, all layed in thickened West epoxy. The step had to extra beefy for another reason: i’ve added a deck tie-rod. The rod (a turnbuckle, actually) ties the bottom of the main deckbeam to the top of the mast step. All the other standing rigging will be compressing the mast, and like a giant bow trying to shoot the mast through the bottom of the hull. That same rigging compresses the deck from side to side, flexing the hull. While definately overkill on such a small boat, the tie rod should really help with the overall “beefyness factor”.
i tried to get the centerboard trunk collar out of teak, but the short grain at the the ends of the trunk were splitting, so i gave in and laminated a 1 1/2″ thick collar from two pieces of 3/4″ marine plywood. So, the collar will have to be painted instead of varnished, but it’s still a vast improvement in both strength and esthetics over the thin fibreglass flange it replaces. The bobstay U-bolt was another compromise; i wanted to keep all the visible fittings in bronze, but after searching through boxes and boxes for a suitable fitting, i found none. Besides, the stem was already shaped at the waterline to receive a standard stainless Wichard fitting, of which we had plenty.
i cut out and laminated the major pieces of the rudder, and fabricated a bronze U-bolt for the stemhead fitting. i also managed to get two of the thumb cleats onto the bowsprit; that’s two down, six more to go! Fiddly little bits of teak that must be tapered and curved to fit the diminutive spars just so, but they look so much better than metal fittings! In the same vein, i counted up how many deadeyes i have yet to make, and have figured it at 18. 18!… it’s enough to make me consider lacing lanyards to shackles, or worse yet, caving in and buying tiny bronze turnbuckles!
Tomorrow, work on the rudder will continue, as well as the beginnings of the centerboard. i’m leaving off putting on the decking until the very last, as it makes it much easier to get at the inside of the hull forward. Still, i can hardly wait for that pasrt! Then, the sheer will really come together, and she’ll start to look like a proper boat, not just a skeleton

Yesterday i started the build-up of “the next sailing dinghy”. The Dink has been a good little boat around the harbour, but within definate limits. i’ve snapped the mast once, and fittings are under constant repair in order to keep up with the hard usage. Just as with the Enterprise this past summer, when the wind pipes up, i worry more about the integrity of the boat than my own safety.
Well, the new dinghy is going to be another story… The standing rigging plan calls for 2 fixed stays, two running stays, and four shrouds, plus bowsprit stays, all on a 9′ boat! Ridiculous it may well be, but as tough as i can make it.
The dinghy is of unknown make (i’m still researching). It’s 9 feet overall (somewhere around 13 when i’m done), with a great plumb stem, full bows, and sweet sheer. The hull is fibreglass, with a wide laminated mahogany sheerclamp and mahogany breasthook and quarterknees. Much of the existing woodwork has gone bad (bugs and rot), but the good bits are very good. The ‘glass centerboard trunk is flimsy at best, but a good leak-free foundation.
First, i’ve starting with the decking. The dinghy is originaly an open boat. Removing the center thwart (to make more room for sail-handing, lounging or sleeping) takes alot of stiffness out of the boat. To compensate for this, as well as add a sturdy mast partner, i’m decking the forward 1/3 of the boat over. Additionaly, the forward deck will keep alot of waves out of the boat.
Poking around in the back of the shop, James found an old fenderboard i could use for wood; a five-foot-long solid mahogany 2″x4″! Now, there’s three new curved mahogany deckbeams notched into the sheerclamp. The aftermost one is extra beefy, and supports the solid mahogany partner. Forward, i’ve put in a sizable Fir bitt/Samson post. The bitt is let into the most forward deck beam, and lagged down into the stock forward floatation chamber. The bitt will support all the aft thrust from the bowsprit, so it must be burly.
Today, i’m going to get started on the mast step, as well as the 6 or so hanging knees that lock the outboard ends of the deckbeams to the hull. After that, there’s backing blocks for the chainplates, then the entire skeleton comes back apart for sanding and sealing before permanent installation with epoxy.
i’ll be trying to borrow a camera to snap a few pics before the build gets too far ahead!