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What a difference a little finish makes
Last night I coated both sides and all of the edges in epoxy for all 4 parts of the new teak and holly floor.
Tonight I sanded the top smooth and put the first coat of Epifanes on it and what a difference. Take a look...........
The picture with the narrow strips is of the parts that hold the quarter berth cushions in place.
You may notice my "bed of nails" that the pieces are laying on. They allow me to put a coat of finish on both sides of a part at the same time. The back gets coated first then laid on the nails and the front gets coated. Cuts finishing time in half.
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I know I have been MIA for a while, but my job took over my life for a while
And I'm finally getting some time I can work on Destiny again and I thought I would post an update.
I have been working on 3 fronts for what ever little time I have had here is what has been going on.
First I got all 9 coats of finish on the new teak and holly floor and got it installed. And because the floor finally went in I was also finally able to install the bentwood edges for the two new bulkheads I installed to support the mast beam. There are 2 pictures of this work below.
Next I have been making progress on the new rudder. Since my new rudder is two parts like the original was I needed a way to keep them straight when I epoxied them into the first half of the new rudder. So I clamped a 2 x straight edge to the edge of my workbench and marked where the 3/8" rods would be imbedded in the plywood. Then I routed a round bottom cove 3/16" deep into the plywood where each rod would go. I drilled small holes in 2 places on both sides of each rod and fed wire up from the other side so after I put thickened epoxy in the cove cuts and laid the rods in them I could pull them down snugly into the coves until the epoxy set up. Then I cut the wires and pulled them out before I glued the second half of the rudder to the first one. I hope the pictures below help to make this clearer than my attempt to describe it is doing.
And finally I have been working on the last of the recore projects. I thought I was done with that before but found that I had a spongy deck around the rudder post and found more rotted balsa core. So I am finishing that up now. Since it will only let me add 5 pictures per post I will follow up with those pictures in the next post.
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As promised here are the last of the recore pictures.
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Well, I have been gone from here for a long time
And some of you probably think I have given up on my commander restoration project. That is not the case, I just have not taken the time to post about her progress.
So after I finished the recore in the cockpit floor I had to fair that area out. And while I was working on that I went over the entire boat fairing everything that needed it in preparation for the primer.
When I was convinced I had it all I started priming the hull and deck with Awlgrip 545. That's when I found out I did not have it all. I found a lot of small issues when I primed her that I fixed as I worked on the primer.
The first couple picture below is after the primer went on.
On the hull I was able to only primer her once and sand it smooth. The deck was another story. I had to prime her sand her and prime her again and sand yet another time.
The last three pictures are of her being painted. I found a guy in Tarpon Springs to spray her with Awlcraft.
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A little more progress..........
I had previously installed the genoa track and the jib track only with a few bolts because I did not have the right stuff. I received the fasteners from my vendor (Bolt Depot) during the week so I did the final installation of those tracks this weekend.
Along with that I installed the rub rail on the starboard side. I have scaffold set up on the starboard side so everything I have done for the last 3 weeks has been only on that side. I have one more port lite to install and then it will be time to move the scaffold to the other side and start all the same jobs all over again.
latest pics.............
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Things keep moving forward......
Hi Mike
Well, I just keep working away whenever I can eek out a little time. The last two weekends I was not able to devote to the boat. This last weekend I was forced to do yard work that I had been putting off for some time trying to make progress on Destiny. We have 2-1/2 acres and you can only ignore it for so long.
The previous weekend I was up in Wisconsin for my Nieces wedding.
But even so, here is a list of what I have done since my last post and a few pics to show the progress.
1.) I installed the port side rub rail.
2.) I got the port side deck non-skid done and installed hardware including the chain plates, jib track, genoa track, folding pad eyes that will be used for the mast raising system, LED nav. lights and cleats and chock.
3.) I polished all of the window frames, made new Lexan windows for them and got them all installed.
4.) I got with the vinyl graphics people in town and picked out the font and then had them make the name up for me so I could install Destiny's name on the transom.
5.) I designed and had my local sheet metal shop make brackets for the new turning blocks. The 155 genoa will sheet only about a foot away from the winch so I need turning blocks to make a fair lead to the winches. And they take a lot of stress because you double the load when you turn a line 360 degrees. The bracket will bolt to the combing board and the deck approximately where it is shown in the picture below.
6.) I finally got the lazarette repaired and painted. I am using Imron paint a 2 part polyurethane paint that is color matched to the deck. It should take some abuse and hold up pretty well. While painting the lazarette I also painted the inside to the lazarette hatch and the underside of the two cockpit seat hatches with the same paint.
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Well, it has been a while since my last update.
So I'm getting a lot closer to actually splashing Destiny and I get really frustrated some times because I can't just work on her non-stop because I have to work for a living also, dang it......
Anyway here are a few current pics.
BTW, the wire you can see laying on the side deck is part of the mast raising system I will be using. I will document that here once I start using it.
The mast is also ready to go back on the boat. I'll follow this post with a couple mast pictures.
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As promised, some mast pictures
An overview, and the top and bottom of the mast.
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Traveller install complete
Did you know that according to Wikipedia the correct spelling for a boats traveller requires 2 L's? All these years I have been spelling it incorrectly.
So anyway I got a small amount of time I could spend on Destiny today and I finished the traveller installation.
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The hardest part was.....
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ebb
You guys make it look S O O O easy!
Making up the bridles and baby stays to keep everything in alignment while it was coming up. That and getting the mast on the boat. We pulled the boat out of the shelter, hoisted the mast up to the peak of the shelter with the mainsheet and vang hardware and then backed the boat under the mast and lowered it onto the boat.
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Inside looking out and countdown to splash
So all of the electrical is complete now. I got the GPS installed and wired and that was the last remaining piece to the electrical.
Here is a picture from the inside of Destiny looking out. I did not put the new cushions in place for the picture and I noticed there is a cable for the antenna I forgot to tie up when I was working in that area but you can get the general idea.
Also I stepped the mast again this weekend this time with the new shrouds and with the furler. This allowed me to work out all of the issues associated with the furler and a few other items.
So here is the countdown items still remaining before splash day arrives.
1.) Now that the mast is standing I can get the sail maker back here to measure one more thing he wanted to check on before they made up the working jib. He already has the new main and the genoa done and will bring them when he comes to take this last dimension.
2.) My wife is going to make a full cover for Destiny and now that the mast is up she can measure for that. Also When the mainsail gets here she will check the old sail cover to see how it fits and use it as a pattern for the new one she is making.
3.) When the mast can come back down it is off to the marina to take her off the trailer so I can install the new rudder, prop shaft, and prop. And while I am there I will set her on blocks and I have a guy who will do the barrier coat and bottom job for me.
4.) When she comes back from the marina it will be time to load gear and head to the water for her big splash. I can almost feel her sailing through the water now...................
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Making a fulll boat cover
My wife bless her good heart is only a fair weather sailor but she has still been a huge help in making Destiny what she has become. She made Destiny's new V-berth cushions, her new cockpit cushions, she is making the curtains for the port lights, she made trapazoid cushions to lean back against when sitting below she is making the new sail cover, and today she spent the day making a pattern for the new boat cover to help protect Destiny's bright work from Florida's sun. She used plastic sheeting to create a pattern that she will use to layout and make the sunbrella cover. She was able to see through the plastic to mark all of the areas that would require reinforcements or access to cleats etc.
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Stepping stones to the waters edge.
So today Destiny went to the marina where they lifted her off the trailer and held her in the air so I could install the rudder. Then they set her down on the ground and blocked her up for the bottom job. Hopefully that will get done sometime this week provided the guy who is doing it can get two days of dry weather in a row.
There will be 4 coats of barrier coat and then 4 coats of Coppercoat going on her.
I was very pleased to see how well the new rudder fit when I installed it. There was no way to test fit that along the way because I don't have a travel lift in my back yard. But the way it went together you would almost think it was made just for her! :-)
Installed the prop and prop shaft and stuffed the stuffing box today so for the first time in a very long time she is water tight again.
The only casualty today was on the way to the marina one of the brand new turnbuckles jiggled off right in the middle of a very busy intersection. The kind of intersection where you are literally taking your life into your hands if you try to retrieve something there. So I will be buying a new one and a second as a spare.
The sail maker was here last week and took his final dimension for the working jib. He brought me the new main and genoa. They look great I hope they work as great as they look.
So next weekend she comes home (hopefully) for all of the last minute things that still need doing and then she is loaded with gear to head to the water. Unfortunately the weekend after next I have to go to a niece's wedding in Wisc. so she will not launch then. And my wife is going to stay up there for an extra week to visit childhood friends so she will probably not get launched the following weekend either because she really wants to be there for the splash. And as much help as she has been I cannot deny her that.
But we are rally really close now!!!!!!!!!!
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I agree which is why I asked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bisquit
I'm not sure. The cove stripe looks great but the boat looks really nice without it too. It is a toss up.
I just came back from checking on her. I think the cove stripe if I do it at all needs to be a pinstripe. Something subtle not so bold. Something more like this.
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Nearing the end of the bottom job
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So while Destiny is at the marina
I took the time to upgrade the trailer and the tongue extension. When I bought the trailer from a company in Georgia (Sail Trailers) I ordered an extension for the tongue so it would be easier to keep the tow vehicle out of the salt water when launching and retrieving. It was not until I got back home with everything before I noticed they had set the extension up with a 2" ball and coupler. Since the boat takes a 2-5/16" ball and coupler that was not going to work. I called them several times and they promised to send me the correct parts but they never showed and they quit taking my calls or returning them.
So I ordered the parts from Trailer parts super store online and today I installed them all. I moved the coupler from the trailer to the extension since I'm not overly fond of the way it worked and put the new coupler on the trailer. Then I added a new heavy duty jack to the trailer because the original was already starting to fail. I left the old one on the trailer because at the marina when they lift my boat off the trailer we just roll the trailer out from under the boat and the new jack does not have wheels on the bottom.
So now the trailer functions better and the extension actually functions!
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You know commissioning this boat is a lot like..............
When we built our house. My wife and I were both working full time (her 50 hours a week and I was working 60 hours a week) and we still spent 40 to 50 hours a week building our house. It took us 2 years to get to a point where we could move in but we were not done. We did not have doors on our cabinets, there was a large section of ceramic tile that was not laid yet and a lo of little things still needed doing. but we were so tired after 2 years of doing nothing but working every hour we were awake that we did not care. We moved in an slowly finished the remaining items.
My plan is to splash Destiny this coming weekend and while there are a lot of things trying to interfere with that plan I am really hoping to pull it off. If I do there are several small things that are not done but I have been waiting long enough and I really don't care if she is not 100%. She will get finished just like our house did but I will enjoy sailing her before she is 100% complete.
As you will see in this first picture the shelves above the v-berth have not been finished. My goal was to make face frames and hinged doors with cane inserts for ventilation but too many other projects pushed their way to the front of the line. I've started making fiddles for them but only one is completed and the other is only started. But it will not stop me from sailing her so it can get finished at a later date.
My wife has a custom window treatment business and lately she has been doing a quite a few marine related projects for me and my friends. She made trapezoid shaped cushions for Destiny that allow us to sit on the quarter berths and lean back against them. They work really well as you can see in the pictures below.
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Destiny splashed! And made a splash with everyone who saw her.
Friday morning we headed to Lake Harris to launch Destiny. The drive was a long hour getting there but it was none eventful (read that as great).
Stepping the mast and preparing to launch was a long drawn out process that took 2-1/2 to 3 hours to complete. Something tells me I will do this process only when I have to and avoid moving the boat in and out of the water as much as I can. While I was setting her up I had a couple of people drive up to her and tell me how she was a beautiful boat. One was a sailor that had to take pictures to send to his buddy.
After she was ready I backed her up to the ramp to just before the point where the ramp started sloping down significantly. We blocked the tires and removed the coupler from the truck so we could put the tongue extension in place. After that was in place I started backing her down again when I heard STOP! from Tony who was helping me launch her. He said I needed to see what was happening. So I put it in park and climbed out to see the extension had twisted to a 45 degree angle and only one of the tires was on the ground and it was on its side. Seems the torque of pivoting does not do well with the very short axle on the extension. So we once again blocked the tires and jacked up the front of the trailer so we could get the extension sitting on both wheels again. After that we just backed perfectly straight back and all went well.
The entire time we were setting her up to go into the water I was concerned that we might not have enough depth to get her off the trailer. Turns out we did but not by a large margin. It will be real interesting to see how well we are able to float her back onto the trailer.
So we finally floated free and I kicked the electric aux. into reverse and drifted back enough to pull over to a side dock where we could finish rigging before going off sailing. Where we parked her temporarily the wind was blowing her towards the dock. So when it was time to leave we walked her back around the corner of the dock and pointed the bow into the wind. We pushed off from the dock and I put the throttle into forward and nothing happened! So now the wind is blowing us up the ramp and the elec. drive does not want to go forward. I shifted the throttle into reverse and that worked but only put us headed into the ramp even faster. So I switched it back into forward and finally she decided go forward and we were off. I'm not sure what caused the issue but I will be having a talk with the folks at Electric Yacht come tomorrow morning about it.
We headed out of the lagoon that the ramp is located in and hauled up the main and started sailing. Winds were light so my wife took the tiller and I went forward to finish rigging the furler so I could hoist a head sail. got that working and we hosted the jib. That doubled our speed. Picture #1 below is shortly after the jib went up. But the marina we were headed to from the ramp was an 8 mile as the crow flies distance away. And the wind was coming from the direction we needed to go. And after a while of tacking back and forth to head upwind some very dark storm clouds started building on shore. We watched them for a while and then the calm before the storm hit us. The wind died completely and the water was glass smooth. So we dropped sails and started motoring towards the marina. The longer we motored the closer the storms got. So we kicked her into high gear and headed as fast as we could for the marina. The storms kept getting closer and closer and we were watching heavy rain on the water behind us. The wind started gusting well into the 30MPH range and we were being blown bare poles towards the marina as fast as we could motor. We would run up the 3' rolling waves the wind had whipped up and surf down the other side. The second picture below is before we got into the worst of it. We tied up to the dock just as the rain caught up to us. We were literally tying up as it hit us.
Afterwards we had to drive back to the ramp to collet the tow vehicle and the trailer. As we were driving there we saw emergency vehicles all over the place. We saw a roof that had been blown off and a 4' diameter oak tree that had been blown down onto someone's house. When we got back to the ramp we had just left the third picture is what it looked like. We think it is possible a tornado may have come through the area.
So while our launch day was anything but boring at least for us all ended well and we have been back out sailing the last two days. Now I just need a good 20 Knot wind day to put here through her paces.