EBB's PHOTO GALLERY THREAD

[ebb]

Thanks Rico.
If I were young again and knew what I really wanted to do (which I didn't), and had some guts (which I didn't) I would find a master shipbuilder and make myself indispensible. Masters know how do do things quick. Masters know every trick and jig. Masters know the 'dance'.

338 shows what a certain amount of enthusiasm can do, and endless hours reinventing the wheel. Masters don't make mistakes. When they do, they know how to go seamlessly on to the next mistake. Amateurs know how to screw things up, sometimes pretty royally. And amateurs often lack persistence.

[ebb]

Appologize for no pics. Just by way of a report.
The estate shop (where I wirk) has a $4000 set of Festools built around the biggest vacuum they make. The System, and it is a System with a cap, is an installer' /remodeler's dream. Remodeling in an upscale house usually means removing all the furniture and taping/drapping plastic on everything.
You can trundel this vac and a stack of modular boxes containing your selection of tools (saw, sander, router) all clipped together into any room, plug in, open the boxes and start right in. Well, it's almost that good.

There is a kind of annoying germanic precision and hardness and hardedge personality to this extremely expensive set of tools. There is no funky to this grey and green clip and formfit tower of power. All tools have the dust and chips sucked up right thru the tool. Hardly any of it gets away. The sander I used you grip by the barrel - I can't get my mit around it, what do smaller hands do? "Ve vill hav NO Komplaints!" I really worked the tool - NO heat buildup. Vac going for hours - NO heat buildup. There's a huge bag in the vac - time to change it, finally?
NO complaints from the fine dust and glass. Opened up the vac to check the bag - the inside of the vac is compleatly clean, the huge bag doesn't need emptying yet!

Took the vac and one of the 5" sanders, the most powerful, but not the 6" that Jamestown and everybody else has been 'discounting' recently down to the boat and went to work without a mask INSIDE. What a joy!

No clean up! 5 minutes with the Makita grinder the dust is in every nook and cranny of the boat, and in the hair, up the sleeves, between yer toes, down the back.

It was difficult and time consuming but I used 24 and 40 grits disks to remove the gelcoat on the decks adjacent to the coamings. (Coamings removed.) This is where I had the epoxy fail on me. That's personal! So I took it down to the green. Actually blue, the mysterious blue first coat Pearson sprayed on some of the gelcoat befor they glassed. This narrow alleyway of deck has a 'reverse camber' in it, a sunken look, that's why I decided to level it - this is also where there is no balsa core. From the end of the cabin back is 'solid.'

Seems radical removing the gelcoat rather than trusting some dewaxing solvent. But I don't yet know what the problem is? Why didn't the first attempt to level the deck stick anywhere? Wax IN the gelcoat?
I'll do a small test today.

[ebb]

The side decks are looking great, up to snuff, and almost a fair line. It's amazing how unlevel the fore and aft run of the deck is. And how different the two sides are in fair.

I've decided against the hard dodger windscreen. Too heavy. I need expertise in much lighter building tech.

In that regard, I spent a day making a paper and cardboard scale model of a foredeck dinghy/pram for the Ariel. The idea is that the transom will partially be cut away and fit over the trunk of the Ariel just forward of the mast. That gives this 6 1/2' pram a wide stern indeed. And a nearly 5' beam! But looking at the model from different angles, it does have a nice sheer and nice curvey wales, has moderate rocker and a nice curvey multichine deadrise. Greenwater over the bow friendly upsidedown. A canyon rightsideup. Bet it'd hold a baby elephant, but will it row, will it sail, will it motor?

See now about putting together a fullsize doorskin on even 1/4" luan model.
I know it's a lot of work, but I could do it right in the house if I can keep the landlady at bay....

Like to see how a fullscale model looks in its place on the boat, it may be worth the effort.

And I'm curious about self-rescue aspects that a hard dinghy has going for it. Flotation can easily be worked in on a dinghy this wide. Yeah, Right! But can it float fully flooded with a man in it??? No. Yet I'd like to check it out in the estate pool here. Because the ultimate self-rescue aspect is whether you can climb into it from the water. That means putting 250# plus on the stern or a side and not pull the 60# dinghy under!!! Put that in your hat!

[c_amos]

[quote]I've decided against the hard dodger windscreen. Too heavy. I need expertise in much lighter building tech.[quote]

Sorry to hear this Ebb, I thought the one you had worked up was very nice looking. I wish you well in your dingy building, I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[commanderpete]

How about cutting bigger holes in the dodger for windows

http://www.wavestopper.net/

[ebb]

SeePete, Craig,
I like the Wavestopper itself.
It looks unaffordable taken together with all the other deck tubes I'm thinking about. Notice that they now have an even lighter model that you can't stand on! Probably cost more too!
Unless it's all fabric and tubes, you should be able to get on it, if you must. And greenwater too has to get on it, and off without damage, if it must. I would just assume that a pramhood dodger would get swept away if it came to down to that. That was the primary concept. To have an impervious window wall protecting the companionway. If everything else got carried away one could always rig something over the hole if the windscreen part stayed put.

But a hard dodger growing out of the trunk would have to be made strong enough to take nearly anything. My method created an item too heavy in any arena. Really. I like its shape, but the damn structure bothers me. I'll consult with a dodgermaker when it comes time to see if it can be cut WAY BACK, as you suggest, and maybe have the fabric and vinyl fitted around it. I wanted solid 3/8" wave stopper lexan lights in it. Which have their own weight to add. Thanks guys!
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Yves Gelinas (Cape Horn wind vane) on his Alberg30 JeanduSud had an inflatable dodger frame. Was nearly 24 years ago he did his Circumnavigation.
Yet this sailer/inventer hasn't got a flexible dodger on the market. There's a lot to like about the idea!
Hypalon fabric has the best reputation for lasting a long time in extreme conditions. My google searching brings up NOT A SINGLE do-it-yourself inflatable site. The rubber glues have evil solvents in them. The tech side keeps mutating. But wouldn't you think there would be a source for materials like there is for plastics and paints?
I guess Ives must have used bike tire tubes or something?
Nothing's easy, but it sure is a lot of fun.

[CapnK]

Ebbster -

I've compiled the materials for a Yves-type collapsible frame. Yves used fire hose for his tubing, with PVC fittings for the end caps, ring clamps and glue to attach the caps, and a bicycle/car tube nipple as the inflater. Nothing too esoteric, the man was on a tight budget (aren't we all? ).

AFA the fore-house pram - I've long though to try making a dink using pink/blue foam (in lieu of the plywood which is in most of them), laminating it just like a surfboard once the foam was in the needed shape. Surfboards are pretty tough even with their relatively thin skins (1-2 layers of 4 or 6 oz glass), just avoid running them right into rocks - same as you would with a ply dink or an inflatable. Dings can be fixed. It'd be much lighter, and floatier.

If you haven't seen a good surfboard laminator at work, you should arrange a visit to a nearby factory and see how they do it. A 'pro' can get a board glassed to within I'd bet 15% or better of the efficiency of vacuum bagging. Waaay less of a hassle than vacuum-bagging, as did the fellow with that neat little boat.

Grist for your mental mill...