July 2011 Blog Posts (9)

    Jack Long, professional diesel mechanic, and my good friend, came over today and we reassembled my engine.  These are notes that I will never be able to keep in my head, so I write them down. First of all let me say something about the process. I have met more fine people with this engine than any other thing in my life, except maybe the boat, of which they are included. But the idea that there is no way to force a time schedule on bonding with and repairing your engine is a valid…

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She has been a good boat and our home fo 7 years,but ran into medical problems and our sailing days are about to be over .if any one is interested leave me a email dietrichborn2sail@hotmail.com Dont know what to ask all offers considered

Mast rebuild.  It is time, alas, to do the masts.  They are splitting apart at the seams.  To fiberglass, or not to fiberglass, that is the question.  I hadn't been on the site for too long and realized I never posted regarding the outcome of my last endeavor at the boat yard.  Hull painted and a bit of rot in the toerail fixed.  Ran out of time and didn't do the sticks or bowsprit.  Now it is a year later and they are coming unglued at the seams.  No chance of sailing.  I blame it all on the… Continue

        In building the transom three sheets of 3/8 marine plywood were used. Originally the outside sheet was mahogany, in case one wanted to show wood, but I did not do that. Cost of a sheet of 3/8" marine plywood in Chattanooga, a few pieces at a time, is $45.00 dollars. I have gotten a quote for $42.95 if I order 30 sheets - which I will probably do because I am planking the hull in two layers of 3/8". My reasons for doing this are that I generally work by myself, or at best with one…

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        Located center of old transom by bisecting old knee paint lines. Then drew a couple of perpendiculars out to the sides to see if distance from bottom of luan (base line) was equal on both sides. . Put a couple of screws along center axis to maintan position, then walked to one side and traced, then the other.  Checked distance from traced corners to baseline - both identical. Cut out template.…

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        So I am trying to create this complicated piece of framing for the transom, but the whole port side corner is rotted away. Only the side remains in place. Fortunately I saved the vertical framing off the old transom.

So with some careful measurement from the stb. side and a piece of chine I located the vertical framing's position.

The bottom piece of…

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     This is a tough piece (for me anyway) that is bowed and curved, and beveled, as well as notched out. It starts at the bottom/side/transom junction (back corner), where it also recieves the chine, and butts at the other end into the apron.  It is what holds the bottom to the transom, with the bottom overlapping this piece and the transom layers. Here is a shot of the stb. old and my first attempt at the…

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 Here is a shot of a preliminary test, just to kind of see what is happening. A couple of relevant facts on the setup, primitive though it looks, and is. The center support stack centers on the old transom vertical axis, and elevates it so each end is a little off the 4x4's below - how much is your own judgement. Then the ends are screwed down on the two support 4x4's to maintain and enhance to some degree the bend in the original transom.… Continue

    After long deliberation, and essentially a stall out on the project, the decision to remove the transom before finishing the last two full frames was made because 1) there was no chine to build to and 2) the side frame members were still well connected to the inner clamp, which meant that the sides would be a stable reference for the new transom. On the other hand, to remove and rebuild the frames first would have meant sawsalling them off the inner clamps and side. Then, without the…

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