Friday, 25 December 2015
Monday, 7 December 2015
Hiding things
I have never been fond of the way plastic watertight hatches look on classic inspired boats. However I do recognise that their practical performance, ease of integration and availability of spare seals make them the perfect choice in order to keep things dry inside the lockers.
My pathfinder already integrates home made wooden hatches instead of plastic ones in the cockpit seat fronts however in this case, being the surface to keep dry vertical, the challenge is somewhat smaller as water will not normally sit around the opening.
In the case of the main twarth however things are diferent since the opening is cut on a horizontal surface where all sort of water would collect (splashes, rain water, condensation , ...) .
In my previous build (a SFD Stornoway 12) I had already integrated some plastic watertight rectangular hatches to provide confort and security, however I've hid them behind hinged wooden doors. The idea worked out well aesthetically however the implentation was slighlty flawed as water has nowhere to go once it finds its way easily past the non watertight wooden door and waits patiently to seep into the locker as soon as the plastic door is opened.
For the pathfinder therefore I applied a slightly improved solution where the unsightly (to myself) plastic hatches are integrated on a sloped panel built just underneath the main twarth ply surface. A wooden door is routed directly out of the main twarth so that once closed it covers the plastic hatch and matches perfectly the wooden grain of the surrounding surface (which will be the way finished in clear varnish).
The sloping panel helps preventing water to sit still around the plastic hatch door; standing water will drain by gravity through drilled holes directly into the cockpit area. A good solution? Only time will tell....
My pathfinder already integrates home made wooden hatches instead of plastic ones in the cockpit seat fronts however in this case, being the surface to keep dry vertical, the challenge is somewhat smaller as water will not normally sit around the opening.
In the case of the main twarth however things are diferent since the opening is cut on a horizontal surface where all sort of water would collect (splashes, rain water, condensation , ...) .
In my previous build (a SFD Stornoway 12) I had already integrated some plastic watertight rectangular hatches to provide confort and security, however I've hid them behind hinged wooden doors. The idea worked out well aesthetically however the implentation was slighlty flawed as water has nowhere to go once it finds its way easily past the non watertight wooden door and waits patiently to seep into the locker as soon as the plastic door is opened.
For the pathfinder therefore I applied a slightly improved solution where the unsightly (to myself) plastic hatches are integrated on a sloped panel built just underneath the main twarth ply surface. A wooden door is routed directly out of the main twarth so that once closed it covers the plastic hatch and matches perfectly the wooden grain of the surrounding surface (which will be the way finished in clear varnish).
The sloping panel helps preventing water to sit still around the plastic hatch door; standing water will drain by gravity through drilled holes directly into the cockpit area. A good solution? Only time will tell....
Monday, 30 November 2015
Ephemeral beauty
What makes a nice piece stand out ? The answer is probably entirely subjective but I sure have enjoyed building and manipulating this little component for the boat.
It will live its life as the mizzen mast step. It'll be buried down into the aft locker, covered in paint and not to be seen again. I've built it out of pieces of mahogany offcuts. I sure like the geometry and the nice grain of the wood.
I thought of dedicating a post to it as ... it won't be seen again after it is integrated to the boat. That makes it in a sense pretty ephemeral.
It will live its life as the mizzen mast step. It'll be buried down into the aft locker, covered in paint and not to be seen again. I've built it out of pieces of mahogany offcuts. I sure like the geometry and the nice grain of the wood.
I thought of dedicating a post to it as ... it won't be seen again after it is integrated to the boat. That makes it in a sense pretty ephemeral.
Monday, 23 November 2015
Inspiration
This photo from my internet friend Steve Earley keeps my motivation going through the current stages of the build.
With a self imposed deadline for my project set for the end of April 2016 in order to participate to the sail raid organised in the Venice lagoon, Steve's source of inspiration is indeed very helpful...
With a self imposed deadline for my project set for the end of April 2016 in order to participate to the sail raid organised in the Venice lagoon, Steve's source of inspiration is indeed very helpful...
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Some progress!
In the past few weeks some progress has been achieved. Different components have been spiled and dry fitted including the bench tops, the foredeck and its teak cover and the teak cockipt floor.
Also the inboard compartment has been fitted with a propeller inspection well (just about visible in the first photo above). This will allow to access the "saildrive" propeller from inside the boat in order to clean up fouling or to remove it altogether when racing. For this purpose I have designed a quick release mechanism allowing easily unplug the propeller with one hand through the well thus reducing drag when racing. Not that I will do a lot of that (or any at all) but I just thought it was an interesting feature to develop and integrate to the boat.
Of course none of this progress would have been possible without a helping hand or two ...
Also the inboard compartment has been fitted with a propeller inspection well (just about visible in the first photo above). This will allow to access the "saildrive" propeller from inside the boat in order to clean up fouling or to remove it altogether when racing. For this purpose I have designed a quick release mechanism allowing easily unplug the propeller with one hand through the well thus reducing drag when racing. Not that I will do a lot of that (or any at all) but I just thought it was an interesting feature to develop and integrate to the boat.
Of course none of this progress would have been possible without a helping hand or two ...
Saturday, 10 October 2015
A friend with teak is a friend indeed
A friend has proposed to me a bunch of teak strips (to use his words) he had laying around at his workshop since a while.
It turns out the bunch of strips are actually two half decks off a Riva like runabout project that was never finished.
They measure roughly 1.7 x 4 m, and consist of teak and elm strips glued to a sheet of marine ply. The whole professionally assembled and brand new. The whole lot offered to me pretty cheap. Thank you Vassilis, it'll be great help for my boat project.
I'm trying to step up the gears as the countdown to next year's VeLa raid in Venice has started and I have committed myself to participate with the Pathfinder. Sure, the paint will be still sticky the day we get there in mid May 2016.
The teak decks I have got from Vassilis will be used to line the cockpit floor and the forward bunkflat.
It turns out the bunch of strips are actually two half decks off a Riva like runabout project that was never finished.
They measure roughly 1.7 x 4 m, and consist of teak and elm strips glued to a sheet of marine ply. The whole professionally assembled and brand new. The whole lot offered to me pretty cheap. Thank you Vassilis, it'll be great help for my boat project.
I'm trying to step up the gears as the countdown to next year's VeLa raid in Venice has started and I have committed myself to participate with the Pathfinder. Sure, the paint will be still sticky the day we get there in mid May 2016.
The teak decks I have got from Vassilis will be used to line the cockpit floor and the forward bunkflat.
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
One mobile phone down .... work carries on
Despite the loss of my mobile phone containing several pictures of the ongoing progress of my Pathfinder build, work has carried on.
Photographic evidence of spiling and fitting the benches is lost however here's some photos of the latest developments:
- the forward deck beams are epoxied and screwed in place
- and here's a picture of the (to use a Formula 1 expression) power unit of the boat.
Instead of a standard transom hung outboard (which is unsightly to me on this kind of boat) or an outboard in a well, I opted for an own made inboard solution. The donor motor is a 1975 evinrude 4hp two stroke outboard. It is coupled to a honda 5 hp outboard gearbox and case through a belt and pulley arrangement.
The idea is to reproduce the concept of a sail drive, where the former honda gearcase will be built into the boats keel. A brass impeller pump is driven by gears from the gearbox shaft.
All components and parts were sourced rather cheaply on ebay while the motor itself was found in the trash bin of a small boatyard.
First power up of the modified engine in the boat worked really well. The adaptation work involved building an adapter flange, adding a shaft and bearings, belt and pulleys and an exhaust manifold. The engine itself received quite a lot of attention as well: new head gasket, coil, breakers and condenser and rebuilt carburettor. I have adapted the flywheel and recoil started from another similar aged evinrude outboard I order to keep the motor's height within the height of the main benches. The motor will be fully enclosed a watertight aft compartment not exceeding the height of the cockpit seats.
Being a small twin cylinder the motor is really quiet. It starts like a charm after I've adjusted the timing accurately.
Photographic evidence of spiling and fitting the benches is lost however here's some photos of the latest developments:
- the forward deck beams are epoxied and screwed in place
- and here's a picture of the (to use a Formula 1 expression) power unit of the boat.
Instead of a standard transom hung outboard (which is unsightly to me on this kind of boat) or an outboard in a well, I opted for an own made inboard solution. The donor motor is a 1975 evinrude 4hp two stroke outboard. It is coupled to a honda 5 hp outboard gearbox and case through a belt and pulley arrangement.
The idea is to reproduce the concept of a sail drive, where the former honda gearcase will be built into the boats keel. A brass impeller pump is driven by gears from the gearbox shaft.
All components and parts were sourced rather cheaply on ebay while the motor itself was found in the trash bin of a small boatyard.
First power up of the modified engine in the boat worked really well. The adaptation work involved building an adapter flange, adding a shaft and bearings, belt and pulleys and an exhaust manifold. The engine itself received quite a lot of attention as well: new head gasket, coil, breakers and condenser and rebuilt carburettor. I have adapted the flywheel and recoil started from another similar aged evinrude outboard I order to keep the motor's height within the height of the main benches. The motor will be fully enclosed a watertight aft compartment not exceeding the height of the cockpit seats.
Being a small twin cylinder the motor is really quiet. It starts like a charm after I've adjusted the timing accurately.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)