Boats and other distractions

Sorry for being away.

2008-12-06T23:16:00.002+11:00

I have moved the blog.....

That's why it's been a bit quiet here.

we've had the boat in the water.

A few problems:
jib no good-going back to classic jib until I can get a new high aspect.
Spin sock no good-basially fell apart due to me putting it together at 11pm the night before the launch-will fix.
c/Boards need hold downs-I knew that but didn't get round to doing it.
All in all it went well.
Next time in the water I will video and photograph.

I have moved to:

bluekissmarine.com

Under readers projects.

This site is a wiki and it would be great if any of you have the inclination to create pages.

A little more progress.

2008-10-26T19:34:00.006+11:00

Once again, just when you think you are almost finished, those couple of little details end up taking a whole weekend to sort out.

Mast up.

Sewing the jib.

Jib up. Not happy with the zipper pocket as it is screwing up the shape. going to remove it and redo.

Jib track.

Kite up.

More kite.

Traveller etc.

Deck layout.

More spinnaker.

The spinnaker snuffer. A kids toy cart, perfect shape. Just got toput a bit of ten mm aluminium tube to take the haliyard abrasion.

Experimenting with the snuffer position.

Sign Writing

2008-10-11T21:58:00.011+11:00

Apologies to anyone who may be a sign writer.
But......

I have a real problem with paying $300 for a simple sign that just requires someone to hit print on the vinyl cutting machine.

So.......

I did it myself.

Pretty happy with the result.

The mask.

Mask on hull.

Removing the mask.

No excuses when your brush has a name like this.

Still waiting on the taxi checker tape. Ordered it from the States and got absolutely massacered on the exchange rate.

All those little jobs

2008-10-05T22:39:00.005+11:00

Spent the weekend with he who can't be named doing all of those little crappy jobs that look like nothing but end up taking half a day.
Footstraps on, rudder pintles on, rudder foils sanded, CB's sanded, and more buffing.

Pintles Fitted

Foot Straps

And hey Joann, no I haven't bounced on it but I've found someone who has.

Also...Florin Isvoranu, how come when I go to your cat blog I can't get in???

Tramp and Buffing.

2008-10-04T23:51:00.004+10:00

The trampoline is tensioned up and finished. (Broke one rivet gun on the 5mm monel rivets, second one lasted.)

The tramp is from Goodall sails (AHPC) and they were awesome. The guy who made it included a hand drawn diagram with the button spacing measurements and a couple of long distance phone calls just to check on what I wanted. Highly recommend them.

Above and below pics show underside of beams with attachment points.

Apart from that we've been doing plenty of buffing, fitting the centreboards, and a bit of tidying up on the mast.

Starting to get a shine up.

I'm back.

2008-09-13T20:06:00.003+10:00

So, after a long layup of being seriously distracted by other issues I'm back onto the boat.

I know I've probably been slack but....

The other day I was talking to a friend and he asked me how close was I to launching. I replied that I could probably do it in two weeks if I got stuck into it but that there is really no hurry. I have enough stuff going on in my life that is urgent or has deadlines. This is supposed to be fun, so that's why I am sometimes a little casual about progress.

Anyway...

Hulls assembled and doing final buffing.

Trampoline half fitted. (At least now I know it fits)

One Down and then the Rain

2008-06-05T17:09:00.008+10:00

My wife showing interest in the project.

It took a while...But I never said I wasn't a bit thick....

I just couldn't understand how you can get a good finish with a paint that you can't cut and polish. (For those that don't know, the 2pac is best not touched out of the gun, any attempt to cut and polish will diminish the gloss)

That's OK in a spray booth but at home, what do you do about insects, stray dust etc?

Well...

You buy about 12 plastic drop sheets @ $2 a pop and line your work area with them.

Ceiling, walls and floor.

Easy.

Really happy with the result. Good gloss and no more work to do.

Apart from that I've been performing the really fun task of removing sail numbers (my main has the wrong numbers for this boat.)
Man......
What a demoralising job. Takes about four hours, half a can of thinners or turps, and a six pack to remove three numbers.

Anyhow...

No work on the other hull this weekend because of this.

Next weekend may be in doubt too as my wife's car will probably need some work to pass Rego'.

I think I'll use the bad weather this weekend to start building up the main beam, dolphin striker etc.(or maybe I'll just do nothing.)

Also. I think the seals have gone in my compressor, which didn't come as much of a surprise as it is just a "Heap O Shit" brand. It's still OK for blowing stuff down and pumping up tyres etc, but I am worried that oil maybe getting into the moisture trap.

So, I think I'll hire a good compressor for the next hull as the paint is too expensive to risk and buying another "Heapo" is just a waste of time.

I'll post some more pics of the painted hulls and some of the actual painting when the weather clears up and I do the other hull. Probably in a couple of weeks time.

Also, you've gotta love this (blatantly stolen from SA, where it was probably stolen from somewhere else).

YELLA!

2008-05-02T13:57:00.004+10:00

Sorry for the absence, we had about three weekends of bad weather where I couldn't consider painting. Then I had to work pretty long hours for a couple of weeks so nothing much got done.

We have just had a good weather window which allowed me to finish the port hull.

I applied the primer with roller and brush, "tipping".

For those who haven't heard of te method what you do is this:

Apply a small area (around 0.5 sqm) with the roller, this gives you a nice even paint distribution. Then you run over it with a high quality, 100mm brush, which removes the dimples left by the roller.

This method gives a really nice finish as good or better than most amateurs can achieve by spraying.

Unfortunately, in my case, I had no choice but to spray the top coat. Reason being I am using yellow and with the brush/roller you will always overlap a little on each section you do. With yellow this results in a highly visible darker area.

I was all keyed up to finish preparing the other hull for painting this weekend but there is no longer any hurry as the forecast is for rain so.....
Maybe next week.

Too much rain !

2008-04-18T21:20:00.007+10:00

No painting happening due to the fact that it's pissing down rain and according to the weather bureau it is going to continue.
There is almost $500 worth of paint on each hull so I shan't be attempting it in this weather.
At least I've been sailing.
Gavin, on RSA 36, kindly invited me to sail with him on the last race day of the season at Kurnell.
He has a beautifully prepared Tornado and it was a good opportunity for me as I haven't sailed a sports rig before. (Been a while since I trimmed an asymmetric kite too, which I fear became apparent).
We had two Ts, a few F18's & A's, and some Nacras and smaller cats.
Light shifty winds but it was great to get back on the water and the club put on a brilliant event.
The day was the Darren Lowder memorial, which is held every year at Kurnell to remember Darren who was sadly lost eleven years ago when the boat he was moving made contact with overhead power lines.
Three races with a barbecue after.

I hope to get some paint on this weekend, weather permitting....

Here's a pic from Sunday.

Trimming up

2008-04-13T17:47:00.008+10:00

As I suspected, with the white primer on I have discovered all sorts of bumps and dips. (On the deck)
So I've been sanding them away, quite happily as I know I need a good base to achieve a good finish.
So...... more sanding.

Between work and the weather there hasn't been much opportunity to get on with the job but that's OK, I could use the rest.
Did a little filling today and some more sanding.
The trampoline arrived the other day so the parts are coming together. Just need rudder stocks and a heap of little fittings.

I've been watching the preparation for the Vendee Globe and would dearly love to go and see the start.
It's an amazing race, to see those boats and realise they will not make port for almost 24000 miles would be really something.
Is it the pinnacle of our sport?
Most of you guys would be off the beach sailors like me but even though I'm not an ocean racer I really aspire to the achievements of these guys.
The Vendee
But... maybe the money could be better spent.
We will see.
isvflorin,
after the paint it's the rig (she's still wearing the old classic rig).
Then there will be a boat mounted video cam as well as heaps of stills of our sailing adventures.
We're not planning on being totally focused on round the buoys racing.
We will be doing a lot of sailing in the ocean and trying to find some distance races for off the beach cats, as well as some coastal stuff even if that means unofficial starts with the keel boat guys.
I've spent a fair bit of time sailing small boats and also a bit of time skippering commercial fishing boats and I don't understand why we don't make more use of the fantastic coastline we have rather than sailing in lakes, harbours and bays.
I guess it's an insurance thing.

Wet and Dry

2008-04-08T16:36:00.005+10:00

Been sanding the primer with wet and dry ready for the top coat.

The boat is going to be yellow and to paint any kind of yellow successfully you must have a perfect base as far as tone and saturation goes.

Any dark or light spots will keep coming through regardless of how many coats you put on.

OK, so far so good.

My garage used to be a carport.

It has been fully walled in except for one doorway leading to the back yard which is always open.

I can only remember one occasion when I've had a bird in the garage and it was one of those stupid pigeon/ dove things that live on seeds.

Well today I evidently had a visit from a different kind of bird.

Now I'm not an ornithologist, hell I don't even have a budgie, but I am prepared to bet a weeks wages that the bird that visited today lives on a diet consisting exclusively of berries.

Red berries.

How do I know this?

Because it sat on a roof beam and shat on the hull.

When I got home and discovered this I wiped it down.

Not good enough.

Red stain right through at least two coats of white primer.

I was a little disappointed.

Anyhoo.....

I guess I'll touch it up.

No photos of me sanding because everybody knows what sanding looks like.

Instead, here's a pic that I never tire of. It's from the Worrell see the site here:
http://midasmiami.com/worrell1000/

Worrell

Primer On!

2008-04-05T21:51:00.006+11:00

Well on one hull anyway.

I've decided, due to my limited space, it's going to better to finish each hull individually rather than priming them both then top coating them.

So this one has received three coats of primer and now I'll give it a couple of days to harden up before I cut it back.

Good paint, it seems to go a long way and has pretty good filling qualities. (Northane Shipshape)

I'm applying it with a roller.

The topcoat will be tipped. (Roller application followed by brush strokes.)

Really happy with the paint application so far. Much better than I could have achieved by spraying.

I'm used to spraying auto paint which is almost dry when it hits the surface.

With the 2 pac you spray a coat on, looks like it's OK. Then you turn your back and the whole lot slumps creating horrendous runs.

One thing about a largish boat is the extra paint. I'll have to buy more for the other hull, I don't need another four litres but that's what I'll get just to be on the safe side. (Still have foils to go too)

Sorry about the short post. Too tired tonight to say much more. I should have more news next time.

Final Checks

2008-04-03T18:25:00.002+11:00

Just re-assembled the hulls to see if I need to do anything drastic before the paint goes on.
Also presented me with an opportunity to de-dust he workshop. (What a great job that is.)

Got a bit of sanding to complete and that bloody stripe has to come off the starboard hull. (This can happen outside)
Hopefully this will all be taken care of Friday afternoon.
Then Saturday morning is primer time.
Also, I don't know if you guys (and girls?) realise how much your dolphin striker contributes to platform stiffness.
I bolted the hulls up, hard, the real deal.
Still, when I lift a bow, heaps of flex.
I know the hulls are stiffer than before and the beams are more substantial.
So I start checking it out.
Ended up with a string line taught across the main beam.
It is deflecting, a lot.
Then I go down and lift a transom.
Probably less than half as bad.(No flex until wieght goes onto the main. The rear beam is a heaps stiffer section than the main.)
The D/Striker plays a huge part in platform stiffness.

Had a wierd experience today.
I went to an engineering supplier to get a 3/8 tap so I could clean out the threads for the main beam.
Been into this shop several times before with no problems. You know, I tell em what I want, they get it, then we shoot the breeze while they type up the invoice.
You probaby aren't aware, but I am a tradesman. I dress and usually shave accordingly.
Today I was on my way ome from a funeral so I was wearing a suit. Clean shaven, the works.
I tell the guy I want a 3/8m unc plug tap.
He says "You sure you want imperial?"
I say "Yeah"
He says "What do you want to do with it?"
By this stage my patience is wearing thin.
I say "Have you got one or not?"
He says "Yeah, just want to be sure it's what you want."
I say "Just get the F***ing thing and let me pay for it".
Bizzare.
Now I know how women feel when they go into a hardware store.

Lots of little steps

2008-03-30T17:24:00.006+11:00

As you already know I am not going to get primer on until next Saturday.
(When I posted that I intended to go to work on Sunday, turns out I changed my mind and didn't go.)

It wouldn't have happened anyway.

The last coat of epoxy that I put on the deck didn't fully kick. It was almost there but still was sticky. I have had that experience before with polly making surfboards and the only solution I am aware of is to apply a hot coat over the top. (You can't sand it off or do anything else with it to my knowledge.)

With the epoxy I'm pretty sure you can't even do that. So I put it out in the hot sun for the morning and it hardened up as good as gold.
The reason for the slow set was because the hardener pump coughed when I was mixing the resin. I was aware that this happened but didn't think it would be bad enough to compromise the mix. I was wrong. And lucky.

Oh by the way, my neighbour's son is now having his rest in the psych ward. He was transported there in the back of a police wagon. My way would have been a lot simpler. (I didn't call the cops, I only found out about it this morning).

Now, back to the jib...
The sail is totally dismantled now. I highly recommend doing this to anyone who is in the least bit interested in sailing. It doesn't matter if you are an aspiring sail maker or not.

Pulling a sail apart will serve two purposes.
It will increase your understanding of how they work.
And it will probably stop you whinging the next time you hand your cash to the sailmaker.
Even a small, simple sail like a jib contains an incredible amount of sewing.

I was going to re-cut my jib to suit the self tacking and I probably still will. Then I'll see how it turns out and order some laminate and make a new one. That way I'll get free experience on the sewing machine and with the sailcut software.
My old jibs are, after all, no use to me now so I may as well practice on them.
Maybe some people are different but with me, I can read all the books you want about something,(and I have) but I get so much more understanding from dismantling the thing to see how it works.
Maybe I'm just thick?

Also as mentioned earlier I reckon I have a bump in the foredeck of the starboard hull.
I've been looking at it and decided I won't take any action until I've seen it with a coat of white primer on it.
It's really difficult when you can see the plywood as your eye is immediately drawn to the line of the laminates. maybe with paint you won't even notice it. (And maybe, as I'm right on tolerance, the bump will cause the hull not to measure. Oh well, if that happens, Gordon and I will just have to hand the gold medal to the guys that come second.lol.)

Speaking of gold medals...
We are currently having our Olympic swimming trials.
Apparently, some chick took six seconds off her PB. (Must have been 1500m surely?)
If that happened in China or Europe the Australian media would be screaming "Drug cheat!".
At the moment we're just hearing what a good effort it was. (And I agree)
We're a pretty parochial lot us Aussies.

Slow Progress

2008-03-29T16:20:00.009+11:00

Well I've got the stripe off. It took the best part of two days (with a bit of an interruption which I will explain later).

Climate change, WMD, Terrorism.....nah, in my opinion the end of civilization will come about due to adhesive residue.

It is all pervading, insidious and evil. And I still have the other hull to go.

Scraping that damn stripe off with a razor blade and paint thinners.

I was progressing well with it yesterday until my neighbour's 38yr old son decided to have a psychotic episode and include me in it.

Same thing happened about a year ago when his parents were away on vacation. That time Lisa and I managed to convince him to take a ride to the hospital with us where he was sectioned and had a nice little rest in the psych ward.

Trouble was this time Lisa was at work and I'd had a couple of beers so I couldn't drive. Anyway I once again talked the guy into taking a ride. Tossed my keys to his father and said "Let's go".

In the car I said to the father "You know where we're going?"

He nodded conspiratorially and said yeah.

After driving around aimlessly for a while I said to him "You do know where we're going?"

He looked at me with a blank expression and said "No, where".

"The ****ing hospital!"

To which he said "Oh no I couldn't do that, it would be like a betrayal."

Shit!

May as well go home then.

We got home, the son is still on fire (He has schizophrenic episodes due to earlier drug abuse. During these times he is a danger to himself and others.)

I suggested the father come over to my house alone so we could discuss the situation. He did and I lit into him.

So much so that I had to ring him later and apologise.

I think it's a generational thing. His attitude is just "wake up to yourself, snap out of it and stop carrying on."

Stiff upper lip stuff. He will not accept that the only solution is medication.

You may think it's none of my business but actually it is. Not only are we Friends but the episodes a year ago involved him hassling my kids, which led to me threatening his health if he didn't stop and then ultimately to me and Lisa spending several of the early hours of the morning at the hospital with him.

As is always the case in these situations, when he takes his medication he is cool.

If any good can come from it its that I can look at my kids and realise how fortunate I am.

Anyway...........

That blew a hole in yesterdays schedule.

Consequently I've missed the painting window. We currently have really dewy evenings so it is best to get the paint on early in the morning. On dayshift this week so no mornings available 'til Saturday.

Looking for a way to spend a relaxing afternoon?
Here's what you need, in this order:
A six pack in the fridge.
Laptop plugged into your plasma screen playing youtube music videos (JJ Cale, REM, The Clash).
A de-stiching tool.
A sacrificial jib.
A packet of band aids. (try not to bleed on the sail.)

An exercise in learning sail construction.

Filling & Sanding.

2008-03-27T18:09:00.010+11:00

Actually that should say filling, sanding, sanding, sanding, sanding .

First photo shows screw holes filled, one hull trimmed-one not.

Here is the self tacking jib setup recomended by Harken:

Harken rigging page.
This is a pretty good facility. The diagrams have part numbers and if you click on them it brings up the a picture, specs and price.

This is the part of the project when the cost can run away unnoticed. I remember the last boat I built, walking out of he boat shop with a little box containing a couple of cleats, traveller car, bits and pieces, and being around six or seven hundred dollars lighter in the pocket.

I've been following these guys Builing F16s in Norway
I noticed a comment saying it is easier to keep motivated when doing a project like this in a group rather than solo.
This is probably true. Personally I find I have to keep at it at every opportunity to make it through the mundane, boring phases. It's all worth it when you hit the landmarks like assembly, painting, rigging etc.

This photo shows the worst job I have had to do so far. Removing the adhesive left from the stripe.

Trimming up the decks.

I am always protecting myself from epoxy. Now it looks like I have developed an allergy to latex gloves. Pretty sure it's ecsma (never suffered from it before) maybe from sweating in the latex gloves?

Carbon Prices

2008-03-25T13:29:00.006+11:00

Got prices from FGI:(Brookvale, Aus)
Plain weave 317gm 1.2m wide.....$60.90/m
Uni 450gm 330mm wide............$25.50

Add resin, regular glass, fittings and lock down mechanisms.......

Compared with Capricorn rudder stocks c/w hold down mechanism from AHPC.. $425/pr.

That's hard to beat and makes it difficult to rationalise building my own.

AHPC, or more correctly Goodall sails, are also making my trampoline.(As we speak)

Friday I pick up the primer for the hulls and hope to have a coat on by the end of the weekend.

As things stand Yellowtaxi will be hitting the water wearing her classic rig. I will probably have the new jib on but need to save a little for main and assy'. (I also figure there should be quite a few bargains floating around if not now, then after August)

We will see....
A carbon mast is also on the list but I will wait until we break the ally first.

Most of you will probably be interested in this blog:

Mcintosh-multihull

A multihull dedicated site in NZ with, amongst other things, some T action.

Decks are on.

2008-03-24T16:06:00.004+11:00

What a harrowing experience that was.
"Have I remembered everything?"
"Are those chainplates OK?"
Etc etc.
Even found a spanner I'd left up between the subdecks.

Also each deck is a lot of work to complete within the pot life of the epoxy.

I have to tidy up/ fill a little around the centreboard slot as I went a touch off track with the router. Also the starboard hull has a bit of a bump in the front foredeck where I must have missed fairing in the first deck beam fully.

Both decks seem a little flat in the first 450mm or so from the stem. Just couldn't get the curve in the ply where it was so narrow. (I'll have to drag out the old decks as I don't really remember how curved they were originally.)

Next is trim up the decks then remove the adhesive stripe with a razor blade.

Fairing and priming. (Plus one more assemble before painting just to confirm that nothing needs to be packed, ground, etc for proper alignment.)

Hope to get onto FGI this week for a price on the carbon for the rudder stocks. Hopefully it is not too expensive. I am pretty keen to do them to get some more experience with carbon BUT I know I can get Capricorn rudder stocks for around $400 so I'll decide after I get the carbon price.

Another call will go to International paints to get the product code for the primer that goes over gel coat then I can order it.

Getting to this stage which is near the end, is making me realise how big a job it was. It has been made more difficult because of the small space I have to work in. A nice big industrial unit would have been good but what you've got is what you've got I suppose.

Four layers of six ounce on the sides, two on the subdeck.

Why didn't someone stop me?

2008-03-21T15:15:00.009+11:00

After having everything pretty well aligned I got it into my head to improve it a little.
Totally screwed it up and it took the best part of four hours to get it back where it was!
Now I have 5mm difference on the diagonals (Over 6000mm I'm happy with that as a tollerance), hulls are parallel and on the same horizontal plane.

Finally found a use for the complete works of William Shakespear.

As the photos show, I have recieved the jib track. A really nice piece of gear too.(My wife thinks I need to get a life, being excited over a curved piece of aluminium. I was telling her how sexy it was, even said she could hold it if she wanted, but she wasn't interested. I dunno, go figure.).
Still considering mounting options. If it is rigidly mounted I will obviously have to wait for the new jib. I have heard that the track should be allowed to pivot up and down.
Any advice?

I've glued the chainplates in and bolted to the subdeck. (Inside the hull) First I keyed the stainless with a grinder and put rivets through the C/P holes as extra keys. I know there are probably people looking at this thinking "That's going to pull out without bolts through the hull."

The truth is the bolts only go through the hullsides which are only a few layers of cloth anyway. The rivets will help with load but I don't think they are necessary. I reckon the epoxy will do the job. (Those who doubt should try and get the spills off the garage floor.)

This will result in the chainplates being hidden like the bridle chainplates. Nothing on the outside of the hulls.

Decks, Wested and ready to go on.

I think in a way, I represent different type of sailor.

This is an old boat that I am restoring and it will never be as fast as the newest olympic boats.

Still, it will be a strong, reliable boat and it will go as fast as I'm capable of making a Tornado go.

Other guys are doing the same thing with Flying Dutchmen and various classic sailing classes.

There is something, I don't know if romantic is the right term, but definitley an appeal in giving new life to these classic racing boats.

Bolt Up Part Two

2008-03-19T19:28:00.003+11:00

Well the boat is back in the living room for fitting of the front beam.

All bolted up and aligned.

With this one I am glassing up the beam box in situ as I have used the original bolt anchors. They were solid and with the front beam the bulkhead is secured to the two subdecks all of which is secure.

I'll hopefully get the glassing done tomorrow and will maybe have the hulls decked over Easter. (Must write a list in case there is anything that needs doing before the decks go on)

Beam bolted down without beam boxes.

This is how the tiller moulds turned out. They are rigid but still flex enough to pop off tillers easily.

Rudders

2008-03-15T20:42:00.006+11:00

As some viewers have seen through my poor attempt at finding content when I haven't actually done anything much.....

I disassembled the rudder stocks to find they are in too poor a state to save.

Kind of OK in a way as I get to play around and build some carbon ones.

I really like my old aluminium tilers so I made moulds off them to make a new set.

First I sanded them (Where the bend is was a weld that needed to be removed) then covered them with packing tape as a release agent.

Then they were covered with five layers of 6oz cloth and taped over with duct tape.

The reason for the duct tape is that the 6oz cloth is reluctant to take the 90 degree turns.

I will pop the moulds off tomorrow and start setting up the vacuum system.

The real good news is that the front beam is being dropped off on Monday so we should really get moving on finishing the hulls.

The self tacking track has been ordered from Ronstan and should arrive next week. The track is 1100mm long, at a radius of 2150mm, black anodised, undrilled.

Price AU$190.

The Archives

2008-03-11T22:21:00.007+11:00

I've been disassembling the rudder stocks and the boom ready to go off to the anodiser.

Also, spoke to Andy tonight and the delivery of the front beam is imminent.

While going through some photos I came across these oldies.

My first boat, a Manly Junior, circa 1973

This is my Mosquito, not sure when but during the 80's.

Phantom being built (by my father), I was way too light for it. Circa early 80's

Sailing off Kiama, Sth coast NSW, probably around '85 or '86.

Nacra 5.2

This was taken before the start of the 1978 around the lake race (Illawarra). The Cobra, Jaldi Jaldi, belonged to a guy named Pat Quin who I crewed for a couple of times. Pat Was a really hot sailor which is probably why we won the race. Jaldi was a beautiful boat which I think Pat built.

Oh. And here's me in my first car.

Not sure when but it was a while ago.

A computer, an internet connection, a camera.

2008-03-09T15:30:00.003+11:00

I have never been a big fan of blogging for bloggings sake.

You know."Woke up, ate toast for breakfast, ran into Doug........".

But if you are doing something that interests you chances are there is someone else somewhere also interested to see it.

Yellowtaxi is basically about a boat.

With nothing more than the things I already had (Computer, camera, internet access) I am able to publish a documentary (OK so it may be a little raw) that is able to be viewed and commented upon by people with similar interests all over the world. (Don't know how many places Google is available in but this blog gets visits from 36 countries)

And all for free.

If you stop and think about it this is a huge concept. The WWW has got to be the biggest thing since the industrial revolution.

Anyway....

The trouble with a blog about building (or rebuilding) a boat is that you can spend days doing uninteresting little jobs that are not really note worthy or worth capturing on film.

Yellowtaxi is just coming to the end of one of those periods so things should pick up soon.

16 Foot Skiff Illawarra Yacht Club

Catching up on the little things.

2008-03-08T16:46:00.000+11:00

Starboard hull just about ready now and I've finally got in and sorted out the area at the rear of the centreboard case.

Taking photos of this spot was as difficult as the actual job.

After removing the cracked resin at the keel around the rear of the case it became clear that the cracks were only surface deep. (Good news)

To restore I first poured a little neat epoxy in to penetrate then filled the area with thickened resin. A piece of 75mm tape on top to hold it together and it's almost finished.

I'll be running some neat resin along the length of the case so any cracks I can't see are filled.

The photos may not show the detail real well as it was a very hard spot to shoot properly.

Next job is to stick all my aluminium (excluding the mast) in a pile and get a quote to annodise.

While I'm waiting on the front beam there are some jobs on the mast and trailer to complete as well as cut out the new decks and West System them.

A new mast rotator is on the cards too as well as fittings for self tacking track and a few other things. These things I may make out of carbon as I enjoy moulding stuff like that.

Dolphin Stiker bent.

2008-03-06T14:46:00.000+11:00

Dissassembled the old front beam with thoughts of re-using the dolphin striker strut.

After unbolting everything I was surprised at the lack of corrosion around bolt holes etc.

However, when I removed the strut I found it was bent (to the side, not fore - aft).

The bend has occurred within the beam so it would be very unlikely that you would discover it with a routine inspection.

Work continuing on the starboard hull and still waiting for the front beam.

I am going to keep the old rudder stocks as they are light, strong and in good condition. They will recieve a bit of a pimp up, probably re- annodising, and should come out ok.

On a slightly different topic:

Many years ago (somewhere around the late eighties) I used to sail a Nacra 5.2 in the ocean off Kiama, on the south coast of NSW.

There was a bit of an informal club there and we would rig on the little protected beach opposite the boat harbour.

I'm pretty sure there was some guys doing the same thing on the central coast or maybe Forster at the time.

What I have noticed lately is the difficulty in gaining access to the shore to rig and launch a boat. I'm not talking so much about surf beaches, more the little protected bays where you could safely launch from to gain access to open water.

It seems these days councils have more and more fences up to prevent this sort of thing.

A little Progress

2008-03-02T20:16:00.000+11:00

Continued to bring the starboard hull up to speed and also went about fitting the tramp track to the port hull.

The track goes underneath the deck after routing an apropriate amount out of the stringer so it is flush.
I have used this method on two previous boats with no problems and it gives a nice clean deck.

Then..... this afternoon I went up to the harbour and watched the 12ft skiffs race. I took a few photos of their rigs, mainly concentrating on their big head mains.
Soon I will have a seperate page with a lot of rig info and pics that I am slowly gathering.

It was a beautiful day on the harbour and I wished I was sailing. Oh well, soon.
The worlds are over so I should get my front beam soon.

Tramp track recessed into stringer. Deck to go on top.

Big Head 12s

The old and the new.

Checking the Cases

2008-03-01T00:07:00.000+11:00

From a readers point of view it may seem as if not much has been happening with Yellow Taxi.
The truth is I am bringing the starboard hull up to the same stage as the port and I saw no point in duplicating posts of what was essentially the same thing.
What I have been doing tonight is checking around the bottom of the CB cases.
I have already had a quick look but I thought I would be a bit more thorough.
The following rather unflattering(is my hair really that thin??) pics show me with a video camera taped to a batten so I can get under the lower subdeck and have a close look.
The builder has surrounded the cases in a fillet of resin.
Port hull is sound.
Starboard hull has large cracks around the aft end of the case.(This is good because it is easy to access.If the cracks were in the middle I would have had a real problem.)
So the next step is to reach in with a Dremel and grind the resin out.
Then I will replace the fillet with epoxy.

And, isvflorin, yeah having the boat in he living room is cool. You can watch TV while you are working.

Video camera taped to a stick.

Me going bald!

Port Hull finished

2008-02-24T10:50:00.000+11:00

Well as much as it can be while I wait for the front beam to arrive.
I wasn't planing on having a deck beam under the rear deck but it became necessary to maintain the deck curve.
Started work on the rig. There is currently an internal jib halyard which is being removed and the mast is being made water tight.
When I come into some money I would like to put a carbon mast on, though I will be trying to source it locally.
The work on the starboard hull will progress faster as I know what I'm doing having just done the same work to the port.
ALSO!!! I've made a great discovery.
If, like me, you are prone to get epoxy resin on your hairy-ape like arms try this.
Pour some Sorbelene onto a rag and scrub it off.
Comes off easily and totally.

Progressing

2008-02-18T19:56:00.000+11:00

The main deck stringers are installed as are the rear.

These are 18 x 18 cedar for the main and rear.They will add strength in themselves, but mainly they will give a good bond for the deck which is where the strength will come from.

Ultimately I will be adding a little wieght, though not that much. I am saving wieght with the new decks but then there is West System and glue to consider. Also beefing up chainplate, and rudder attachment points as well as beam mounts. The new larger beams are, of course, heavier.

I should achieve a saving with new rudder stocks (heads-whatever) also.

A small increase in wieght is acceptable to me. Niether the boat or it's crew are going to be competitive with the top guys on their Marstroms. They and their boats are just too good for us.

What I enjoy though is racing when it's blowing dogs off chains and being confident that the boat can take the punishment. There is nothing worse than worrying about the integrity of the construction.

I should add at this stage that this project isn't costing me a lot of money. I'm really sick of all the comments from mates of mine that you need buckets of money to sail a Tornado.

As a club boat a Tornado is no more expensive than any other large cat.

Sure Olympic campaigns are expensive. But that's not what I'm about(I'm pretty sure Darren and Glen won't be cancelling their tickets to Bejing if they see this blog).

And as a great ride there is no substitute for a Tornado. Everyone should do it.

Clamping the deck beams.

Fairing the beams sandpaper taped to aluminium beam.

Finished with central stringer.

Final fitting then back outside!

2008-02-16T23:08:00.000+11:00

I have made up the gussets to support the beam boxes and glassed them in.

They are 25 layers of 6oz laminated and pressed.

Very difficult shape to clamp.

In the end I tacked them in place with a couple of dabs of 5min Areldite.

The boxes are glassed to the bulkhead and hull sides. the gussets are glassed to the boxes and glassed to the hullsides over fillets of glue.

When the glassing had set I drilled the beam for the outside bolts and marked it for the two inside ones. (Too difficult to accuratley drill up from inside the hull).

Finally dissassembled, returned to the garage to trim up, and put the lounges back in the living room.

Deck flanges yet to be fitted as well as a couple of 6oz layers over entire bulkhead.

The hole in the wall stays for the front beam.

Also, if you are not already following this you should be: Round The World Record Attempt.

http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en/courses/jules_verne_trophy/news/index.jsp

Panels of 25 layers 6oz.

Gussets cut out

Rear beam box fitted

It's in!

2008-02-15T18:43:00.000+11:00

After a bit of furniture rearrangement and a small hole in the wall, the hulls are assembled in the living room. I've got the rear beam boxes glued in and lightly glassed to the bulkhead. Tomorrow, when the clamps are out of the way, I will glass in gussets and complete installation. The hulls are parallel and the diagonals come in at 4mm different over 6400mm, which will do me. As expected now that I am comitted to doing the work inside the rain has stopped and we have great weather. I doubt it will last though.

More Progress

2008-02-11T18:00:00.000+11:00

After a slack day yesterday I have got back into it today.

The spinnaker bridle subdeck plan has been dropped as I don't think it solves the problem. The hulls are naturally strong in this area due to the two sides and deck being so close together. Spreading the load down the hull will be taken care of with the stringers I have installed. I think the main problem with this attachment is the anchoring of it as it is such a small area. So I have set the attachment in epoxy and also pined it to both stringers. The block of epoxy will be anchored to the deck and both sides as shown below.

Forestay bridle bulkhead. I have placed a 3mm ply plate on either side of the bulkhead. The bulkhead was quite secure, but I was worried about the bolt holes. There are two layers of 4oz glass between the ply and the bulkhead.

Lastly I have started laminating the rear beam bolt blocks as I want to install the beam next weekend.

The photo shows 30 layers of 6oz being pressed. From this I will cut 4 50mm x 25mm blocks to bolt through and glass to the bulkead and hullsides.

The 30 layers has come out quite thin (Maybe 6mm) so I might double them up to give 12mm.

Someone was telling me at work last night that the current weather pattern we are experiencing is forecast to stick around for 2 - 3 months. That totally rules out assembling the beams outside. (The beam boxes are glassed in with the decks off. Regardless of the sort of covering I put on, I am certain to get water in the open hulls which I really want to avoid at this stage.)

So it looks like a little remodelling will take place in the upstairs living room this week. Might start a whole new trend in decorating.

The other thing I want to do is measure the bend of my mast. Luff curve really. Should have done it before I dissassembled)

I reckon I can stay and step the mast against a wall, connect downhaul and mainsheet, secure well, and measure. (At the moment this is a non critical job best undertaken with a couple of beers and some friends standing around in the rain disscussing the best method.

The reason for the above stems from the growing amount of time I am spending lurking around the yahoo sailmaking discussion group. Some really interesting stuff and knowledgable people. (Especially with all the work Rolf has done on his tornado sails).

New Decks

2008-02-09T15:05:00.000+11:00

Pissing down with rain yet again.

Have decided to go with new decks. I have a few sheets of 3mm and 4mm
Gaboon ply so that's what I will be using.

I have installed deck strigers and deck beams for the foredeck.

Still have a couple of deck beams to install.

For those who are interested:

The original foredeck wieghs 3kg.

This is what I am putting in:
4mm ply foredeck = 2Kg (cut 25mm oversize)

Cedar deck beams and stringers = 910g

New subdeck for spinnaker bridle = 300g

So, with the additional subdeck I will add about 210g.

These wieghts do not include Epoxy, so it will be a little more.

I think it will be far stronger though. The old decks are pretty
tired and I think there is a good chance that you damage them when
you remove them from the hulls.

The deck beams in the photo are cut to the measuring template. I will
make sure they are fair with one another with a long sanding board.

BTW those deck beams are 28 x 28 cedar cut out with a AU$14 jig saw.
That saw has already built a previous boat.

I am wondering how long it has left.

Heard from my eldest son and his girlfriend. They are in Europe now. They went overseas with us in December and stayed. I dropped them at the Greyhound station in Kelowna BC on January 2nd, since then they have been to Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Guettemulla(sp?), UK, Now in France and heading to the Netherlands.

They are 20yrs old and financed the trip themselves.

I have always encouraged my kids to get out and see the world and I am stoked that these two are seeing so much.

My daughter, natasha, is thinking of trying to get work at Whistler when the 2010 Olympics are on. If she can land it it would be a great gig.

Just say no!

2008-02-08T18:01:00.000+11:00

Beam boxes turned out great. That brown packing tape is a brilliant mould release,gives a beautiful finish. If, however, anyone tells you to stick it on aluminium say NO. I spent three hours today cleaning the adhesive residue off the beam with paint thinners and a plastic scourer.

Glued the top stringer in for the spinnaker subdeck. I have to use stringers rather than just glassing it in as I won't be able to reach underneath it when I install.

I was hoping to be able to set the rear beam this weekend but I don't think I'll make it. Probably just as well as the weather is meant to be wet.

I know there are a lot of people who depend on the rain for their livelyhood but this is just geting ridiculous. We had seven inches of rain in 24hrs the other day.

The drought was really good to me. Didn't have to mow the lawn, garage didn't flood, didn't have to wade through mud at work.

The way things are now (torrential rain interspersed with a bright sunny hot day) you can literally watch the grass grow.

Anyway, shoundn't complain.

2008-02-07T19:26:00.000+11:00

Building the beam boxes

2008-02-07T17:06:00.000+11:00

I've made the boxes for the rear beam.

Went a bit heavier than Geoff suggested. They're 5 layers of 4 oz all the way across plus 2 more layers of 6 oz 3 in wide at each end.

The deck curve is drawn out on the beam, which has been covered in packing tape. When they set I can trim them up. The deck flanges will be added later.

Also started on the spinnaker bridle subdeck.

As shown in the photos, I made a template out of cardboard, then cut the 3mm ply.

Added a cedar stringer for the subdeck to attach to.

2008-02-06T18:25:00.000+11:00

For those who thought my wife was cool for offering our living room for the rebuild.

You need some perspective.

Lisa hates boats. She thinks they are poison. This is because she spent her childhood in the front end of a Corsair. (Aussies reading will immediatley understand, for the others, well.....think of some 400kg under canvased boat that appeals to the purists).

So, as I mentioned in my first post, Lisa is happy to let me screw around with boats, but she has absolutley no interest or desire in them.

That having been said, she never complains at seeing money dissapear to support my habbit. She just seems to figure it's better to have a happy husband.

As I said earlier...... Glad I married her.

More T work

2008-02-06T18:01:00.000+11:00

First photo shows what happens when you reach over the gagged fibreglass hull edge, secure the spanner that you know is the correct size, then give it some. Unbeknown to you the bolt head is burred.

Second pic shows an area that I am concerned about. I worry that the white area is shitty glass bonding.

Maybe I am wrong, but I am going to grind it out and replace it anyway.

Also, wieghed a hull, it came in at 44k with rudder pintles and chain plates attached. I think that is pretty good.

Given that the new rear beam wieghs heaps (haven't wieghed it , but it must be close to 8 or 10k.

Still........ Happy with hull wieghts for a twenty year old boat.

That's why I married her

2008-02-04T19:00:00.000+11:00

My garage is too small to fit the Tornado in assembled so I’ve been doing this job outside.

(Fitting new beams http://yellowtaxi.blogspot.com/)

Trouble is all the rain.

So, half joking, I say to my wife “If you really wanted to impress me you wouldn’t mind if I set the Ts beam boxes in the living room”

Lisa says “Yeah, that’d be OK, no one goes up there much anyway.”

Shit!

I race up with the tape measure. The living room is 6m long. The Tornado comes in at 6.050 or thereabouts.

Anyway the next day I say “Guess I’d be pushing my luck if I knocked that wall down”

Lisa says “No, it’d be great having one big room up there”

Trouble is I’m all set up for a boat job not a house renovation.

Still it’s the thought that counts.

Removing The Decks

2008-02-03T11:19:00.000+11:00

Managed to get the decks off port hull.

Started off using a chissel but this was a bit messy, so I went with a thin cut off wheel in the grinder.

All subdecks and bulkheads are in excellent condition, no cracks, which came as a bit of a surprise.

The big plan

2008-01-30T16:46:00.000+11:00

Back at work after a holiday, hard to get back into a routine after seven weeks off . If it wasn’t for those bills…..

Getting prepared to start work on the Tornado this weekend.

The goal:

Fit new beams, reinforce spinnaker bridle mounts, check hull integrity, paint.

Job list:
Remove tramp, grind gel coat off along deck/ hull join.

Pop decks off.

Build new beam boxes.

Make up main beam. (Dolphin striker, mast step, etc)

Replace beam boxes and mount beams.

Replace decks.

Disassemble.

Paint.

This should result in a much stiffer platform that will see us through next season. After that the plan is to obtain new hulls and transfer all the new gear over. So far we are pretty close to committing to building our own hulls. We are still not decided on hull material. I am pretty keen on building hulls out of carbon. This will result in a boat that measures but is built from exotic materials and therefore can’t win a National or World title. As our interest lies mainly in doing the marathon races that are held around the country this shouldn’t be a big issue. (We will never be in contention to win a state, Nat, or world Tornado title.)

Even club point score racing doesn’t really suit us. With work and other commitments it is difficult to show up every Sat or Sun to race. We still get on the water a couple of times a week but not always on race day.

Following a regatta circuit allows you to plan ahead and book dates well in advance. Then just sail at the club on the odd weekends that are free. Doesn’t appeal to everyone but it seems to suit us.

Pictures of rebuild to go up on the weekend.

Why we do it.

2008-01-29T14:59:00.000+11:00

OK, at 42 you'd have to say I was ripe for a real midlife crisis.

The kids are growing up, I'm a little more financially secure (either that or I just care less about it then I did when I was younger.)

And I have been in the same profession long enough to be bored with it.

The Red Corvette, the Harley (a staple of the middle aged guy with too much money on his hands), tattoos or an ear ring, and, of course, there's always the twenty year old bimbo to consider.

Still I think a lot of people have the wrong idea about mid life crisis. Being in the position I 'm in I have given it a lot of thought.I don't think it's about recapturing my youth. Sure, getting old sux, but it also has it's advantages. I find I have kind of grown into my age and I think it suits me.

Women are in a different position and at this stage of life are being driven by a whole different set of motives. The helpless children they have nurtured from the womb have become less physically and emotionally dependant (and more financially so), the frenzy of motherhood is easing up, careers are being rekindled, and husbands are turning into assholes.

With the hunters of the species (that's us), what looks from the outside as a desperate attempt to stay young is really a symptom of life changes that have put you in position that you weren't expecting and are not really sure how to deal with.

There are less demands around the home and perhaps you partner is getting her life back together after motherhood and has less time for you.

The household is more financially secure and with that perhaps you are finding yourself with more leisure time.

Your parents are having far less influence on your decisions. They have either moved into old age, a region where their last generation opinions seem to have lost their power, or they are dead (a position from which, if you are not careful, they can exert a surprising amount of leverage).

So, back to us. Think back to all the things you loved in your youth but couldn’t have.

The Red Corvette or the Harley (Don’t be a bloody idiot son, buy the Corolla), the new surfboard (700 bucks! that’s like 3 weeks wages), the blonde cheerleader (Man, she’d never go out with me, she always goes for the older guy with confidence, money and a Corvette)

Seeing a pattern emerge? Those early desires are burnt into the subconscious mind and have been chipping away there for twenty years or more.

Now, if you find yourself wanting to do or have something, you can probably do it. That’s why retro stuff is so popular with baby boomers. (and why you have to be careful not to do something really dumb)

You have the money, the time, and you’re still physically capable of doing most things.

Most of it’s just harmless fun, although the cheerleader is problematic, a real home breaker. And the stimulating conversation (“NSYNC are soooo 2005”). Well…..

Age still plays it’s part in major, life changing decisions.

Now, unlike twenty years ago, if you want to strike out on a totally new venture you will have a lot more to lose and little chance of recovery from failure.

Maybe that’s where the angst of time running out comes from.

And those dead parents? My last one passed away 11 years ago but sometimes I still have to step back and ask myself “am I doing this for myself or because it’s what they would want me to do.”

But that is a new area of discussion that involves a couch and $400/hr.

Me, I'm just trying to enjoy life. My passion is boats and I am lucky enough to be able to indulge in it to a modest extent.

I stay away from the big life-changers ("Come on honey, let's sell the house and buy a surf shop") and just play around with my toys. Throw in a little family travel when we can and my wife is happy to get on with her gig and let me have a few of those youthful desires.

On the other hand.....
Sunday, 6th January, my kids and I were only minutes away from being involved in this.

Kind of puts it into perspective.