All Blog Posts (165)

Paul, I think we all would like to see those pictures on repair work.  That's what this site is for.  So, here is how I do it.  On the opening page, where you view the "Latest Activities," there is a small white place asking "What are you up to?"  Just above this is the word Share:  Click on the next words "Blog Post."  That brings up a small window.  In the first white line type in your title.  In the white area below that you can write what you want to…

Paul,

I just want to let you know that your keeping us up to date on your whereabouts and your progress on your boat has really caught my attention.  You know by now that I am a fan especially of the "original" Newporter.  It has been my first reaction to dislike anything that was not a "standard" Newporter.  I have found that "standard" seems to mean the Newporter as it was built to Ack's standards in regard to his design.  Therefore if I bought a Newporter built before "my time" as…

This is for all you owners of Newporter schooners, but especially for Paul and his neat Pink Cloud.  Let me start by saying that this is based on Paul's pictures, none of which give me what I need to know.  It is based also on my experience as a rigger which was self taught and I'm not an educated teacher.  All I have are my instincts which have never let me…

The drawing should give you an idea of how (and why) the apron and deadwood must be faired to be able to plank the boat properly.  The fair line needed is the plane between the lower frame members and the plank with that extending to between the apron and the plank.  The garboard, usually an adjective as in garboard strake (the first plank at the keel above…

Bob has a way of getting me to do things.  So here’s my input to the Cutless bearing.  I have helped put in a few new stern bearings while in the “commercial gang” before I was transferred to the “Newporter gang" at Dorchester.  So I can’t say I’m an expert but I have the audacity to put forth the wisdom of a half wit.

So Eddie is thinking of a new Cutless and has suggested he needs to know how to do it.  Let’s look at where the bearing is.  It is located at the after end of the stern…

This has been drawn for Eddie, but the rest of you are most welcomed to study it and practice it a few times.  I noticed on some pictures of Eddie's Newporter that the life lines were run differently than the way I used to do it.  His are not wrong; I'm lazy and his boat required twice the work than my…

new%20slip.jpg Last week we scored  slip F-37 in Ala Wai harbor, Honolulu.  Its a state run 660 slip marina (only game in town really).

  So after a bit less than 3 years our wait is over,  we now have this beautiful 55' slip ( see pic)  for our Pink Cloud.  All we need is the boat here  (and pay the slip fees till i get Pink Cloud here)

   I take her to Mexico next month…

Spent the weekend demolishing and building. Cockpit remodel is underway.

After some changes in schedule a couple weeks ago when hatches I ordered were damaged in shipping, I decided this weekend that I needed to get my tablesaw and compound miter saw OFF the boat. The original plan was to do the stove mount, then the cockpit - both projects for which I wanted a couple of my larger tools at the boat. Then when my hatches were damaged in shipping, I shifted gears since I have enough…

Thought I would share this listing: Ebay - it matches the wire halyard winches on the Newporters I've seen.

This listing is for UNUSED ones that were never installed. I can't vouch for the seller or anything, just ran across the listing and thought someone else might like them.

Well, gents, here it is.  The long promised drawings of the shaft driven alternator setup well illustrated with Ack's own drawings that he sent to the shop for construction, and then some.  It is hoped that this will help those of you looking for free(?) electricity when away from land based power plants.

Click here to get the picture.  When the article appears and all you want to do is look at the…

Thanks to Clyde  for a post that really got my wheels to spin....  on a search for prop shaft generator I think I hit pay dirt on 

" cruisers forum"   see this link …

Got the rest of my supplies for the color-changing LED strips. I built a few 12v regulators for them last weekend - while the LEDs themselves can handle some variation in voltage, but I'm concerned that spikes could damage the electronic controller/IR receiver. I repackaged the controllers inside of larger project boxes and added a 12v regulator chip (L78S12CV) which does a nice job of stabilizing the voltage.

Hoping to do the interior before the weekend so I can focus on the cockpit.…

There’s no law saying “stow the stays’l to use the genoa,” but the larger genoas will give more trouble if used with the stays’l, therefore I recommend moving the stays’l to the side deck.  Seems to me that the genny has sufficient area to make the stays’l useless if not totally in the way.  An old saying (at least among the two of us at the yard that sailed the Newporters) that may have been brought to our area by Ack is that you can cover a blanket with a handkerchief.  Put the wind over…

Just a note about sliding the genoa side to side between the head stay and the forestay.  Click here to go to a new (temporary) page on my site about how it was handled on the boats we built.  Enjoy.

Borrowed Muff's mule (fisherman) sail. The lady and I have been fiddling with it today - which made me suddenly realize (after seeing Muff's rigging on MISTRI) what this doohickey in my rigging locker is for. Gerald was also able to confirm for me that the odd forward-facing bracket on the mizzen was for: it's where you attach the fisherman to!

One thing is for certain: the mule PULLS - with what seemed like light wind on deck (she was barely moving in the air close to the deck), she…

Aloha .  

under%20the%20thatch%20hut.JPGQuestion to all that are now insured, (Newporter 40 that is).   We have a Lilability and Removal policy as required by California marinas from Boat US.  But it will not cover Mexico or my trip to Hawaii in July.

So does anyone have any ideas?  Id like to stay with liability only as no way I can afford a replacement type policy.  Just…

We've continued to be super busy getting ready for summer and planning for the Big Sail which, while still two years out, feels like it's approaching rapidly.

There's been a lot of refinishing on the exterior wood - deeper than usual. Took the starboard side down to bare wood and it looks gorgeous. We'll do the other side eventually but for now are focusing on maintaining it - this was motivated by a mishap with fog rolling in unexpectedly and severely mangling an in-progress epoxy…

My original "Newporter Shipyard" website is readable but has been replaced.  It is still available, but Verizon, who hosts it, no longer supports web sites so I have eradicated all links to it (I think).  I can't even get to the old site to shut it down.  The Newporter Shipyard (addressed http://newporter.ning.com/ ) is still editable and will remain active.

A new website, "Newporter Shipyard (why can't I think of a…