Walkabout

Discovery Islands Day One

2007-08-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

Once the gear was dried out from my wet trip in the Gulf Islands, I still had a handful of days before I was called back to the 'job.' Diana and I loaded up all the food and tent etc, again, and this time included her kayak so she too could have the satisfaction of self propelling her way through passages and crossings. The trip is much more intense if you put some effort into it!

We caught the ferry to Quadra and drove across the island to launch at Rebecca Spit. Once the boats were in the water and all our gear on the beach, I drove the car to the storage compound at a near-by campground. Great hosts!

I walked the road back to the boats and got all the gear back into the storage tanks, sails up and rigged. We had a little crowd waiting to see us off. Despite the lack of any real breeze, I raised the sails to allow the photo opportunity then put them to bed and spent the rest of the day rowing! I followed Diana out and around the point then we headed off for the tiny Breton Islands. Waters were calm and it was easy to talk across the few metres between us. It was wonderfully exciting to be back on the water, setting out on another adventure, but this time, I had someone to share it with and that makes it better yet!

We stopped for lunch on the first of the Bretons and met a few kayakers out for a day paddle.

Once we left that rocky shore, we passed a group of seals basking on some exposed rocks, then made the long crossing to the 'bottom' of Read Island, at Viner Point. There we stopped for a rest and a change of crew positions. Diana's wrists and shoulder were seizing up, so she moved to the stern of my boat and we tied her kayak to follow on behind! I was pleased that this extra weight and drag didn't seem to increase my load, but I didn't have the GPS on to give me any idea of the changed speed.

Along the coast of this island, we saw one of the whale-watching boats approach, pass us by, then stop further along for a few minutes. He motored, then paused a few times but it never dawned on me that they might be watching a whale. Not until the whale surfaced a short distance away from us! The orca was travelling solo and he was a big one! Giant dorsal fin and a great spray of breathing! By the time I was able to grab my camera, he was quite a distance, but I took a short video anyway. Watch for the tiny (very tiny) bit of spray in the center of the frame.

Hours later, we arrived at Evan's Bay. The campsite I used years ago looked pretty rustic and inaccessible. I rowed us back to the main beach where there seemed to be a large party of campers. Turns out they were locals and just using the beach to do some work on an aluminum skiff! They were very welcoming and showed us the tent site, where the fire circle was, how to find the out house etc. Told us to make ourselves at home and they would be on their way after an hour or so of noise making. True to their word, as we ate our supper on the beach, the generator stopped and all the gear was tossed onto the old truck while the skiff motored off too.

The first photo at the top of this entry shows our approach to the Breton Islands. The second shows the boats pulled up at our rest stop at Viner Point. The third photo is me, resting my tired arms after that long crossing.

This is the video I mentioned above.

Discovery Islands Day Two

2007-08-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Last night's sleep was great! No rain and no bugs in the tent. Sure, the tent was on a bit of a slope, but it was even and stoneless! We had time for an egg-on-toast with fresh coffee breakfast and after a clean-up, set off for a day trip of exploring in the Walkabout only. Our goal was to have lunch in VonDonop Inlet, across Sutil Channel. Ripples on the water promised to make it an easy sailing trip and I was very happy with that! Once I had the sails up we tacked our way out of Evan's Bay, crossing paths with a couple of sailboats; one an older wood boat with a wood mast. Hull shaped like a Friendship Sloop. Before I could tell the skipper that I liked the look of his boat, he paid me that compliment!

The winds lasted until we got well into the channel, but nowhere near our goal. I set up the oars after dousing the sails and began the long haul to VonDonop. It was a beautiful, but hot day. I counted the strokes in sets of sixty, as each one of those sets clicked another tenth of a mile off the GPS. I tried singing, but ran out of songs with the same rhythm as I was pulling.

Finally the wind picked up again as we were just outside the Inlet. I raised sails and let it take us nearly to the top. Glorious rest.

We had lunch in a tiny cove with warm water, then when the tide was drowning our little island, returned to the boat and the long pull against the wind and the flooding tide. This turned out to be a very long trip without a breath of wind to even cool my sweaty face. We arrived back at our campsite at nearly suppertime. Total distance travelled today was close to 12 nautical, with maybe four of those under sail.

Pictures at the top of this entry are of some of the Penn Islets and a view of one of the banks on our way into VonDonop.

Evans Bay Back To Rebecca Spit

2007-08-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

This was the third and last day of our short trip into this set of islands. I woke a bit later than usual knowing there was no rush. But, when I walked out of the trees, I saw the wind had blown the boat too close to the shore when the tide was ebbing. I called for Diana to help then walked over the large stones to lever the boat back into the water. Thankfully we had only a few feet to go. I used a few chunks of driftwood as pivots and we 'walked' the boat back to the sea. Sounds simple, but she weighed over two hundred pounds empty! After a half hour of struggle and a few cuts from the barnacles, we had earned our coffee on the shore.

The marine forecast predicted winds to remain from the north until about noon, then calm. We decided to pack up and try to catch that wind to avoid having to paddle and row any great distances after yesterday's long stretch of rowing. I thought my boat could easily sail the two of us and pull Diana's kayak, so we set out with that arrangement.

Once we got launched and felt the wind pushing us toward the mouth of the bay, I raised sails, but found our struggles with the grounding had dislodged the rudder from its position. A few minutes of lying on the rear deck and using my fist to drive it back onto the pins and we were in action!!! The wind blew us out of the bay and towards home, but slowly lost its vigor. After an hour or so, it was no longer much wave action. It didn't take much coaxing to unearth the stove and brew us a second pot of coffee and find a snack or two.

Our optimism faded with the last of the breeze. Back to the rowing station after the sails were furled. My muscles were not happy as the extra drag of the kayak wandering back and forth slowed us to about half my solo speed. I pulled into Twin Bay to let Diana climb back into her kayak, then we rowed/paddled our boats back into Sutil Channel for the long trip home.

Great news greeted us once we cleared Viner Point and felt the breezes. We thought it was best to not toy with the wind diva by having Diana move back to a sail-rigged boat. Instead I tied her throw-line between us and raised my sails. Oh Joy! The wind was on the beam and with enough force to pull us along at a speed of about 2.5 knots! Perfect! That wind increased a bit once we entered Drew Harbour on Quadra Island. I set the kayak free then had to let the Walkabout have some playtime! I tacked up the harbour with three long runs, arriving long after Diana, but with a big grin!

The pictures at the top of this entry show first, my favourite kind of view with receding islands and overlapping passes that invite the eye and the explorer to come and see what is just beyond. Second is a picture of the Walkabout 'mother ship' taken from the kayak, being towed back to the launch. Third picture is a beautiful rock face in Twin Bay.

Gulf Islands adventure Day 3

2007-08-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 19. It rained through the night. While the real rain rattled on the water and tent, all the moisture from my damp gear condensed on the underside of the poly tarp and rained back down on me too. The sewn-seam leaked badly, soaking the foot of the sleeping bag. Every now and again, a drop would land on my face, waking me abruptly! I'd sit up, take the sponge and wipe down the inside of the tent, shake loose the drops I'd missed then try to go back to sleep.
About 7:00, I was swaddled in wet clothes and a damp sleeping bag. I worried about the continuing rain and could not get a forecast for other than wind conditions. I doubted I could keep warm during the rainy day and even if I could, the next night in wet gear would not be safe. I phoned Diana and asked for a long-term rain forecast. That prediction said rain for that day and the following two. I made the decision to rug up and row to the launch ramp at Chemainus.
For the next hour and a half, I studied the chart, ate a hearty breakfast and packed all my wet gear. Once I removed the tent and rolled it up, the rain seemed to increase. I felt foolish as I rowed past the stares of the yachties, despite being as well prepared as I could be. One old man stepped out onto his deck and chatted about the old days. Days when he made his living working on the water in the rain. He saluted me with his coffee cup and I felt better; stronger.
No wind again, and just as well, as I was counting on the rowing to keep me warm. I crossed Houstoun Passage, keeping my eye out for big boats. One of them came dangerously close and as it approached, I stopped my rowing and even backed up a few strokes. There was no one at the helm.
Once I passed the top of Saltspring Island, the sun came out and a light breeze followed. I raised my sails, then had the bright idea of unpacking the sleeping bag and draping it over my chilly legs like some old man on a cruise liner. It would help dry the bag as well as warm me up! It was luxury itself to lie back and let the breeze take me along for awhile. But it was a short while. Back to the oars.
I rowed a total of 6 miles that day, but it was enough!
Though the trip was about half the length I'd planned, I was thrilled with the time I had! The boat is wonderful. My old body is able to row for some distances. The scenery is amazing. My support crew is just that - great support! What more could a man ask for?

Gulf Islands adventure Day 2

2007-08-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Weather forecast this morning said no wind, but suggested rain. So. I thought I'd go for a day trip. I left Pirate's Cove about 8:00, rowing past the waking yachts, trying to read their thoughts as I slipped by in my tiny rowing boat. I rowed a direct line for the cliffs of Valdes Island. They are stunning and I must send you to this link to view them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi5fl362M5Y

I was so happy and thankful for being there. I was in the perfect boat for this adventure. I felt strong and was given the gift of contentment. All very spiritual. I rowed along those walls for about 2 miles before they became less steep and trees were able to grow down to the water's edge.

I paused for a bite and some juice at Blackberry Point. There I found three groups of kayakers, and none of them in any hurry to start their day. The beach was made of broken shells and about as long as a city block. Lots of room for more lounging paddlers.

The bottom photo attached was taken at that point. Once again there was lots of interest in the boat, but instead of amazement at my being on the water in such a tiny boat (typical reaction from skippers of the giant yachts) I was greeted with the respect of beginners in small boats. Some jealousy for the amount of gear, and stability as well as the sails too. When they asked where I was headed, I casually waved towards the south-west and said, "It doesn't matter." They gave me the look reserved for great and fearless explorers.

Truth was, I didn't know where I was headed. I just knew there was little point in going back to the mosquitoes and I had my campsite right with me! I rowed in the direction of Reid Island and crossed back across Trincomali Channel. No wind, but rowing was fine. Once I passed the north end of that island, I checked the GPS and found I'd entered the wrong data for the nearest provincial marine park. I 'd have to start paying attention again to where I was. The wind came up and I gratefully raised sails. After about fifty metres, the wind changed to rain! DANG! The rain poncho kept me dry enough as I doused the sails and continued to row. By this time, my hands were getting very tired from the constant gripping of the oars, trying to keep the blades properly oriented to the water. As my hands tired, the approaching wakes seemed to more seriously throw off my stroking. Beautiful and rugged shorelines with very handsome houses all along. But I was worried about taking the camera out of its tunnel home beside the tiller and exposing it to the rain. That rain paused for a few moments just as I was rowing between the shoreline of Wallace Island and a ridge of rock just offshore. Like the spine of some giant sea creature! That would be the top picture posted above.

I arrived at Conover Cove mid afternoon, after rowing off and on for about seven hours. The GPS said I'd rowed about 12 nautical miles (straight line) but my scenic detours must have added another three. I tied up at the dinghy dock and went for a walk. Oh yes, the rain returned. A link to information about the park is here: http://www.britishcolumbia.com/parks/?id=537 A year ago, I read the account of the man who owned the resort here during the fifties and it was eerily satisfying to walk among the old cabins.

Once again, I anchored in the solitude of a tiny cove. I'd done my day's exercise so after a late supper and boat organizing, off to sleep!

Gulf Islands adventure Day 1

2007-08-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Diana and I drove from Comox this morning to the launch ramp at Cedar. I didn't check the launch time, I was so excited!!! I launched the same time as a large group of novice kayakers. All of us bound for the provincial marine park at Pirate's Cove on de Courcy Island. I was sure I would get there long before they and I was confident I would get a prime campsite. But they ignored the stunning scenery and paddled a straight line for the park while I mooched around the rocks then found some delightful wind and went to play in that! For some sailing action, check this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlRNJuD38qc I also ran through a couple of heavy rain areas, and I sat there at the tiller in my soggy fleece and water-proof maps draped over my knees!

The boat handled the wind and water beautifully, including some huge wakes from passing yachts. The day's distance, mostly sailed was about four nautical miles.

I arrived far too late to get any campsite but was happy to spend the first night within the walls of the new boat tent! Leave the kayakers to feed the billions of mosquitoes! A link to the park's site for more information is here:http://www.britishcolumbia.com/parks/?id=524

It was a great sleep in a quiet cove, far from the generators on the 'real' boats. The tent worked perfectly, with no condensation but lots of fresh air!

The pictures and video with this post were taken with a new treasure from Diana. So, I sat in the tent she sewed, grateful for her generosity.

wonderful conditions

2007-08-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday evening, Aug 3, was one of those rare occurrences of high tide, nice winds and my being free to go sailing. I launched at the Ken Forde ramp south of Campbell River just after supper. I saw that the flags in the area were blowing on-shore and there were no white caps to worry about. After I launched, I rowed out into the strait and raised the sails. The wind seemed to have died despite the flags still being blown inland. A few minutes of lazily drifting about and the wind increased to about ten knots. Stayed at that strength for the next hour and a half! Wonderful sailing toward Quadra Island until the tides carried me down island, then I could tack back and forth until I was upstream of the ramp then sail back out for another run down island. I was so pleased with the boat. She easily tacked and sailed with so little heeling that I was able to sit on the floor of the boat for most of the evening. In the last half-hour, the wind increased and I sat on the benches but was not tempted to put in a reef! I took the boat out of the water as the sun was thinking of setting and I was dreaming of longer trips.

Rowing on the ocean

2007-07-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, There was a rare occasion when the tide was high enough to use the launch ramp South of Campbell River. This ramp is out of the main tidal rush between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island. I saw the flags were promising sailing winds too, so I launched with great anticipation. Once I was in the water, I raised the sails and wondered where the wind had gone? I slowly drifted in the back eddies of the tidal flow until I gave up on the idea of sailing. I thought I would instead, treat the people walking on the Sea-Walk to the sight of a beautiful boat being expertly rowed against the tide. I furled the main, raised the rudder and the dagger board.

I worked on my technique and vainly tried to keep the boat going in a straight line, despite the cross currents. I was in shallow enough water that I could see that I was making progress and could see from my wake that I was really moving in relation to the water. Now and again I gasped as I glided over some boulders. I lasted for a half hour then paused for a water break. I let the tide move me back south then turned the boat and rowed out to where I thought I saw windy water. Found it was tidal turbulence and had a few minutes of rowing in a choppy river. Twenty minutes brought me back to the ramp. Despite it being as calm as the lake, it was great to be on 'big water' as it added to my confidence.

Small Improvements

2007-07-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

It has always bothered me that the oars have no place to go when I am sailing. I think I have found an answer that is useful for most of the conditions I will be sailing in. When it gets really nasty, I may be in trouble.

I made a keeper strap with a loop at one end that slides over the handle of the oar. The other end has an 8 oz. fishing weight. When the oars are being used, this strap and weight slide up the handle and rest against the oar lock. When I am not using the oars, I slide the handle of the oar toward the bow of the boat and once there, slide the weighted strap up the handle too. The weight stays inside the boat countering the handle of the oar on the other side of the gunnel.

I have used this system for quite a few of my trips ad have had no problems. I find it is wonderful to have the oars already in place when I need them. Saves a few seconds of reinstalling them in the oar locks, and frees up the floor space as well as the side seats.

Second thing is the installation of a handful of the lashing hooks on the foreward side of bulkhead number two. We sewed up some 'restraints' to keep the gear stored under the deck from wandering around in rough weather and washing away if I do ever swamp or roll the boat. I used pieces of the tarp left over from the tent experiments.

Another Inversion Test

2007-07-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

July 24, Diana and I took the boat back to McIvor for the afternoon. There was very little wind, so we lazed around trying to ignore the very loud motor boats and their annoying wakes. Instead of going to the shady swimming beach, I thought we might try tipping the boat over again. Once we returned to the launch ramp area and set all the gear ashore, I swam the boat with Diana aboard into deeper water. I left all sails up.
She stayed on the high-side while I pulled on the topping lift. It took much more effort to capsize the boat with the extra counter weight. Once the sails hit the water, they stayed afloat for a few seconds then settled into the water. I then saw that we were still too shallow as the boat came to rest at an angle instead of turtled. I swam around to the backside of the hull and grabbed the dagger board, leaning back with all my weight on the rub rail. I was not able to right it. Turns out that the mast had impaled the muddy bottom and I presume, worked its way into it. Diana had to help lift the mast, and once it was freed, the boat slowly came upright.
Once it was on its feet, I saw it had taken much more water aboard too. I wonder why. I was able to pull myself over the side, noting the gunnel went under water, but the air tanks on that side gave enough buoyancy to allow me to pull myself in. When I was in the boat, the water was above the seat tops, but the boat did not feel like it was in danger of going over again. If I had dumped it out in big winds and waves, I would have been very fearful. See then if my tiny brain can remember to bail as much as I can before getting back into the boat, and set the mizzen to keep me pointing into the wind and waves. Drop the mainsail.
Took quite awhile to bail the boat out, and by then it was too late in the day to try it again in deeper water. Next time. Final reminder of being too shallow came when I took down the main mast and a great muddy blob of mud hit the deck. At first I thought I was in the flight path of some enormous gull!

Sunday Sail

2007-07-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

The wind is strong today, and the weather site says it is still around 20 knots. I thought it was the perfect time to go to the lake and try out some of the high-wind skills. I made a few mistakes, but nothing serious. First mistake was in leaving the camera in the car. More about that later. Second mistake was in not reefing at the launch ramp.
I rowed out into the big winds then dropped the dagger board, cinched down the rudder and set the mizzen sail. The winds were blowing me onshore, so I had to row out into the lake again and raise the sail. I got it set just fine, but it was the full sail and again no room to pause and reef. As it turned out, the boat handled the full sail very well, scooting along without too much heeling. If I were braver, I may have left the full sail up.
I sailed up the lake to find some sea room then put in one reef. I was able to take my time with it as the boat was stable and drifting slowly back down the lake. Once that reef was in, the boat seemed to go faster? Can that be? Certainly sat up straighter and I was not at all spooked by the gusts! Great sailing back and forth until I waited until I was too close to the trees to come about, so I jibed and headed down-wind for a bit. It was then that I saw a disabled motor-boat trying to cross the lake, back to the launch ramp. The wind was on their beam and was sure to blow them far down the lake, past their ramp. I sailed close by and asked if they needed help. The skipper, stroking with a conoe paddle shook his head, but the two women on board nodded vigorously! So, one more tack and I was along side where they hooked their line to my stern cleat. I tightened the sheets and steered up-wind of the ramp and slowly towed them back to their truck. It was then that I regretted not having my camera! Who will believe me now?

Inversion test

2007-07-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post, but I had not done anything significant in the past weeks. I have taken the boat to the local lake for some sailing and swimming, but nothing worth reporting. I now have the opportunity to do some longer trips in the next few weeks and realize that I have never dumped then rescued the boat. So, yesterday after a nice rowing session, I put on my old paddling wet suit and did it! I first emptied the boat of everything, tied an empty four litre jug to the top of the mast then, while in the water, pulled on the halliard until the boat came over. I saw the mast would have kept on going under water, so I was glad I had tied on the jug as well as tied the mast to the boat. I was able to walk away from the boat and grab my camera for the above shots too. It took no effort at all to push the mast back into the air and once it was clear of the water, the boat righted itself. The water in the boat was not up to the top of the benches. I pulled the boat over again, but noticed it took more effort to pull it over when it was full of water. Curious. I thought it would be less stable. This time, I righted the boat by pulling down on the exposed dagger-board. Hardly any effort needed again. Repeated the test with the dagger-board on the high-side of the upturned boat. I had to reach higher, but certainly not a problem.
Once the boat was carrying all that water, I pulled down on the gunnel and easily pulled myself over the side. With all my weight on the edge, I still could not pull the gunnel under water, but it came low enough to allow me to pull myself into the boat. I could sit on one side of the swamped boat and still have a few inches of freeboard. The boat holds a lot of water and would have been impossible to empty with my kayak pump, so I used a bucket.
I dragged the boat onto the beach and opened the hatches to the water-tight tanks. I was very disappointed to see how much water had seeped into every one. I brought it home and have it hanging one its side. I used the garden hose to fill the tanks and could see the water on its way out. Today I shall seal with epoxy the few areas and the funny corners that I missed before.

Over-nighter!

2007-05-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

Another step in the life of the Walkabout! Diana and I just returned from an overnight trip to the Provincial Marine Park, Sandy Island. The weather was sunny and hot, winds on the way over were about ten knots. On the trip over, there was a lot of chop that slowed us down, causing the boat to lose steerage. We crept too close to a rocky shore, so I rowed for a few minutes to take us away from that shore, into more wind and onto a different tack. The waves made the trip over to the island take twice as long as the return trip this morning.
We took far too much stuff, but it was our first trip camping in many years and I'd forgotten what to leave at home, so I took a lot and packed very inefficiently too. However, the boat swallowed all the gear and left lots of room for lounging too. The large compartments with large hatches took sleeping bags and tent gear while the small hatches along the sides accepted water bottles, fuel bottle, and other smaller things. The huge stuff sacks and back packs stayed under the deck overhang at the bow.
The camping was great and the food and company were splendid too. Wonderful to be alone on such a beautiful island.
The tide dropped drastically between our arrival and departure times. When we landed, I tried to rig up a pulley line on the anchor chain, but the lines got all twisted and I gave up, deciding I'd roll the boat on fenders when we were ready to leave. I woke up at 3:30 this morning, determined to try again, recalling how much trouble we had rolling an EMPTY boat. So, in first light, I straightened all the lines, replaced the anchor and chain on the boat, rowed out about 100' then tossed the anchor overboard. Once I rowed back to shore, the pulley system worked very well, towing the boat out into deeper water! During the morning, we had to repeat the exercise twice as the tide retreated laterally about a hundred yards! It was a long haul of supplies and I was glad I crawled out of the warm sleeping bag to move the boat when I did!
The trip back was speedier though the winds were lighter, but we were still passed by a kayaker. No loss of face as we were touring and he was training!
Lunch was on an ocean-side sand dune about a mile from the launch ramp. Our last sail of the trip was speedy as the wind blows stronger in that bay. I played Joe Cool as we entered the crowded marina under sail and threaded our way to the ramp!

Tree Island Picnic

2007-05-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Late afternoon of May 25, Diana and I launched the boat at Union Bay. The winds were becoming lighter, but the waves were still pretty high from earlier winds. I set the full main and sailed through the chop for Tree Island. (Provincial Park named Sandy Island) The winds were light enough that we sat on opposite sides of the boat for balance. The trip over was very pleasant with lots of gurgling and slapping of the waves, but no rolling and very little pitching. We arrived at the island in about half an hour (Kayak trips usually take three quarters of an hour or more). The tide was nearing its low, so I nudged the prow onto the beach and let the prevailing wind keep it there. We had a very nice picnic and a walk about the island too. We had the place to ourselves and could have camped anywhere. Save that for the next trip. This island has always been very special for me. Many trips here in my kayak. The tide level was about a foot lower than the boat at departure time. I found a couple of round logs and used them as rollers to get us back afloat. The return trip was slower as we were trying to sail into what was left of the wind. Half way home, I furled the main, removed the dagger board and raised the rudder. Rowing home was not my best speed and I attribute that to having to correct my direction frequently. The mizzen was still up and Diana sat on a cushion on the floor at the aft end of the cockpit. I wonder if the wind was pushing me off course. In any case, I earned my supper after I ate it. We got back to the ramp with an hour or so of available daylight.

Quiet evening sail

2007-05-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 22, I brought my buddy, Miles, and the boat to McIvor lake to take in the evening breezes and sunshine. It was an easy rigging as I left the rudder and boomkin in place after working on the boat that afternoon. Up-line of the cam cleats on the tiller head, I had attached a couple of fairleads which keep the steering lines from popping out at extreme tiller angles. Seemed to be no reason to dismantle the apparatus for a short trip to the lake. Saved some minutes and some tangled lines too.
The winds on the lake were very light. Shook out the reef and raised the sails. Didn't tighten them as much to give some belly to the sails. We casually sailed around the first part of the lake, avoiding the passages between islands where I suspected the wind would not help us.
It was a great first trip in the boat for Miles. I wanted a calm experience to hook him on the joys of boating. You need to only look at his pictures to see he is enjoying himself! As the sun was getting low in the sky, it was time to turn and run back to the car. I jokingly asked Miles if he wanted to row back. He took me up on the offer, so I put the sails to bed, raised the daggerboard and rudder and got him in place on the rowing seat. I sat on the floor at the stern, where every time I leaned back, I caused the tiller to swing down like an axe and bonk me on the head. Only partly done to amuse the crew.
As Miles started pulling us down the lake, I was amazed at his straight path and good speed! "I row with my Mom in her Whitehall"

Victoria Day

2007-05-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 21, I trailed the Walkabout over some washboard roads to a provincial park. The roads in the park were worse, with giant potholes that caused the boat to bounce alarmingly on the trailer! Once I got past the half-hour of bad roads, I arrived at Mohun Lake, to find the motor homes and big trailers were amassing for convoys out. Glad I avoided having to pass all the land-whales on those narrow roads!
The winds were fairly strong on the lake and the land caused them to shift and flow directly at the launching ramp. Once I got the boat into the water, I found it impossible to get it headed into the wind, climb aboard and start rowing before the wind pushed me off sideways onto the rocks. Thankfully a park attendant was there to give me some assistance!
Once I was out on the lake, I found the wind was making a lot of waves, but I could not see any whitecaps. So, I'd guess it was blowing about as strong as Friday evening at Comox Lake. I raised the sails, leaving the reef I'd put in last trip. I also got the GPS working! The sailing was brisk, but with the reefed sail, I was never heeling very much. Neither was I pointing as well into the wind. The GPS said I was movng along between 4 and 5 knots, with a recorded high speed of 5.9 knots. It felt very fast, but the boat stayed close to upright.
I sailed past a small island where a number of birds raised their heads above the tall grass. I suspected it would be a great place for nesting, so didn't go ashore. I disturbed a loon enough to take to the water where it swam, warbling its beautiful song.
Stopped for a bite of lunch in a small cove (attached picture) then continued to sail back and forth for another hour and a half. At one point, I considered sailing far down wind then tacking back to the ramp, but the limited ability of the boat to point today had me worried it may take a long time to get back.
Once, the wind blew my hat into the water. Good thing it wasn't a crew member as it took me quite awhile to get organized for a return trip. Part of the problem was the cam cleats I put on to control the rudder lines. At extreme steering angles, the lines are encouraged to pop out of the cleats. That problem is now corrected.
I sailed back to the ramp and loaded the boat in time to join one of the convoys down the dusty logging roads back to the highway.

First Real Sail

2007-05-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

Last evening, my friend Diana and I hauled the Walkabout up to Comox Lake as it looked too rough on the ocean. We launched easily and I rowed a few hundred metres out from the launch area. There I raised both sails and we were off! First time in any real wind! I am not good at estimating wind, but the chop was about a foot high and there were a few whitecaps. I had up the full main sail and we both sat on the windward side of the boat. There was barely enough wind to make the boat level, but easily enough wind to make us really move! It was great sailing as we cut through the waves with no heeling. We were able to sail close enough to the wind to make good progress up the lake. Seldom were the gusts strong enough to make the boat heel! We got some spray over the bow, but no real water! After a few tacks, the wind seemed to be increasing and I thought I would practise reefing. I sheeted in the mizzen and dropped the main, tightening the topping lift. The boat bounced with the waves, but did not spin around nor broach. Once the reef was in and the main raised, the boat moved a bit off the wind. Sailing with the reef in was very quiet and one of us had to sit on the lee side to keep the boat from heeling into the wind. Downwind with both sails ahead of their masts was very civilized and we did not roll with the waves. After an hour or so of terrific fun, we sailed back to the launch area and home!

Sail Trials

2007-05-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Walkabout has been back to McIvor Lake a couple more times with her sails up. The winds have been light and very erratic, so no real sailing stories yet. First sailing day, Diana was an outrider with the camera and then came aboard for a sail up the lake and lunch in the sun. The boat rigs very quickly and launches easily. I row it out into the lake and raise the mizzen first, sheeting it in tightly. The rudder is lowered and the dagger-board inserted too. The mainsail raises easily using a single pulley at the top of the mast and a topping lift to the aft end of the boom. Once the main is secured at the top, the down-haul is tightened. Next step is to loosen the sheet for the mizzen and start sailing! If I am sailing on my own, I like to lounge on the floor of the boat as shifting my weight throws the boat over to that side, upsetting the little air filling the sail. The few times I have had any real breeze, I sit up on the side 'bench' and smile!

Sea Trials

2007-05-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Walkabout has had three trips to the lake. First trip was in pouring rain, just to relieve my nervousness and find out if she would float level, track in a straight line, float without taking on water and that I could row at all! We were mostly a success, but found that one seam where the dagger board box met the hull needed more attention as it let in a few cups of water.
The boat returned to the shed, got dried out and warmed up. The seam was found and more epoxy filler was added. That evening we went back out to the lake in sunshine but a cold wind. There we found that crew placement on the boat is important. If the boat is lower on one side, rowing is unbalanced with one oar angle markedly different from the other. If the crew sat high enough for the wind to catch them, the boat was thrown off course. Best position was stting on a cushion on the floor of the hull. Weight in the center and no wind resistance.
Third trip was again in sunshine, but no winds. My friend Diana sat comfortably on the floor of the boat, in a shaped seat. It was a glorious three-hour trip around the islands of McIvor Lake in Campbell River, BC. The boat was travelling at an easy 2.5 knots. Pretty good for an old geezer who has never rowed before, moving a boat that weighs over 200 lbs with a combined crew weight of over 400 lbs!
It was terrific to be able to move all around the boat without having to be so careful of my balance (thinking of my kayak here) I love being able to lounge against comfortable back rests and having great areas for spreading out lunch, gear, charts, clothes etc.
All in all, I am very happy with the rowing part of the boat. As I get more practiced, I expect to get comfortable enough to row in the local ocean waters too.

Finishing touches

2007-05-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

The coaming epoxy has been cleaned and smoothed. Also cleaned up most other glitches, leaving a few to vex me once the paint is on. Once the paint had dried, it was time to install the oarlocks and hatches. I should be ready for the first of the sea trials in a couple of days. Still waiting for the hardware to work the sails.

Coaming

2007-05-02T05:58:00.000-07:00

The little bandsaw is small, but cuts wonderfully (Sears 10"). With it, I was able to make short work of the compound curves of the backing plates for the coaming. At the fore and aft of the cockpit, the curves include the pieces of wood themselves, so I laminated up three thicknesses of 6mm plywood then cut the required shapes into them. Hard to see much from the pictures. Installing the coaming at the fore and aft were very complicated and it was hard to hold the plywood in place. I tried several mathematical and scribing ways to draw the curves in the boards, but finally gave up and made a little 'picket fence' of pieces of plywood and pieces of 1x2 scrap. That served as a template and gave me the curve to draw. After that, and four or six hands to hold it in place while I drove some temporary screws, it was epoxied in place and is there for keeps! Side pieces went in very easily and the line at the top was marked at a few places for height and planed back to a nice even curve. That part is not yet finished as the epoxy is not yet set up. Left to do? Trim here and there, a lot of scraping and sanding, mounting a few pieces of hardware then painting and rigging.

Late April report

2007-04-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

Nice and warm, but rainy these days. In the past weeks, I was able to attach the rub rail to the top edge of the boat. Made it stick up 6mm to cover the edge of the decking plywood. Once that was in place, I was able to nestle the decking and epoxy it in place. That has now been painted, but needs a colour change to a warmer shade of white. I broke my scroll saw trying to cut out doublers to support the coaming, so I am now waiting for the arrival of a new bandsaw. Always something. While the coaming is being adjusted, I can work on the rigging and finishing up the rudder/tiller and daggerboard too. Not too long until launch.

Mid April Report

2007-04-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally warmed up enough for epoxy work, but still too cool most nights for drying paint. I spent the past month doing clean-up jobs on the exterior; filling holes and getting ready to epoxy/fiberglass the exterior. That coating job took place over two long days. I did not take any pictures of the cloth draped over the boat. Sorry. The coth covers the bottom flat panel and up the first plank then ends at the joint where it joins the second plank. The cloth-covered bottom took three coats of epoxy to cover the weave of the cloth and the second and third coats had to go on while the previous one was still tacky. As the first coat was setting up, I added a strip of very heavy fibreglass tape to the bow and the first chine as they will likely get a lot of abrasion. Once the bottom looked within my decreasing standards, I gave it a coat of primer then two coats of marine enamel. I found myself getting more impatient as I could see the end of the project, but I still have a long way to go. Who cares if the bottom is completely smooth?
After the paint dried, I put the boat in the slings, turned it right side up and removed the building frame. The trailer was rolled back underneath and I got back to work on the topsides. Gave the interior another coat of paint. Installed a bow-eye to enable a winch to pull the boat back on to the trailer. Latest job is to cut out the plywood for the decking and screw it temporarily in place. That decking got planed back to be flush with the edges of the boat.
The pictures at the top include the first coat of epoxy over the cloth (the cloth is transparent here), Me standing by the boat sanding the first coat of paint, the boat on the trailer freshly painted, the deck screwed onto the top of the boat, one of the oars made by Barkely Sound Oars - beautiful and light!

Early March

2007-03-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

Still too cold to do any serious painting, so I have worked on the masts etc. Spray painted them a shade of gold then attached the little brackets and blocks that will raise and control the sails. On one of the rare sunny days, I pulled the boat into the yard, installed the masts and rigged the sails just to get some incentive to carry on through the gloom of late winter rains. The mainsail here has a huge crease in it, but that disappeared when the downhaul was tightened. I also spent a day playing with some cleats I read about at Duckworks magazine. I will need quite a few ties to secure the bunt of the sail when reefed and ties to make the reef itself. This picture shows one of the cleats I made. The 'K' shape seems to be well balanced and it secures firmly and unties instantly!

Two Months Later

2007-02-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

I see my last entry here was late December and now it is just as late in February. The cold weather here has restricted my epoxy work to those pieces I can bring in the house to keep warm, or places where I can leave a heat lamp. Picture on the left shows the tiller assembly, daggerboard and rudder assembly. Picture on the right shows the rudder in place. I took a couple of pictures of the boat on its new trailer too. I am frustrated at not being able to get much done on the boat, so decided I would work on the trailer for a day. I made some new bunks to support the boat and took it for a walk around the yard. I also include a picture of the masts in place. I couldn't resist a look at them. I painted the raw aluminum tubes with a gold paint to match the colour I intend to put on the top plank. I have spent a few days scraping and sanding the interior. A few weeks ago I saw lots of mildew living there, so washed it all down with TSP then a wash of bleach followed by fresh water rinses. After it dried,I then put on a primer that works in the cold. A nuisance to sand that away to get to the epoxy blobs, but a new coat of primer will go on in the next sunny day. May get the interior painted too. Still no end in sight for the cold weather, so the boat remains upright awaiting the epoxy and cloth on the bottom. But first the wood needs washing and sanding to get rid or the mildew there too.

Back to warm weather

2006-12-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

Last week. I thought I was ready to apply the fiberglass cloth to the bottom of the boat, but it was just too cold and promises to stay that way for quite awhile. I returned the boat to its upright position and have gone back to work on fittings rather than filling holes with epoxy. Felt so good to be making progress that felt like progress. I will continue to putter away on the boat and may get the decking on before it goes upside down again. That may make it more difficult to invert as it will have to sit on a curved deck. Hmmmm
In any case, I have the back compartment all painted and the rudder fittings are in place. I now have started making the upper watertight compartments in the stern area. Hard to explain, so I shall refer back to the pictures at the top. The rudder lines run through the center 'box'. The compartments on each side of the rudder line tunnel will be storage at the front and buoyancy at the rear. Cool eh?

The skeg is on!

2006-12-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went out to the boat and to my dismay, found that the car port roof still had snow on it. The moist air condensed on its underside then rained down on the boat and everything else around it. This morning, the ceiling was dry and the boat felt dry too. To be sure, I put a heat lamp along the path of the new skeg and warmed it up. Didn't change colour nor give off any steam, so I figured I was good to go ahead.
I was very nervous about putting on the skeg as it developed a bend or two once I cut it out. I could correct for the vertical bends, but the lateral ones concern me. From underneath, I drilled through on the center-line I made when I started the project. One hole at each end of where the skeg would live. I temporarily screwed the ends down then I ran a string line along the 'top' of the skeg. I tacked little blocks to the hull to keep the skeg nice and straight. This morning, I slathered epoxy on the mating faces of the skeg and hull, placed the skeg back between the blocks and screwed it down. The stringline showed it was still straight, so I laid down some epoxy fillets in the angles between skeg and hull. When that was done, I put some mini fillets on the laps of the planks. Nearly ready for fiberglas cloth and epoxy on the bottom sections of the hull. My next nervous job!

Back on the Job

2006-12-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been very cold and snowy in Campbell River, so I have not been able to do a lot of work on the boat. Too cold for the epoxy to set and too snowy to uncover the boat. While I was on my break, I turned the boat upside down and worked on small parts that were able to be epoxied then brought into the house to set. I also dared, on the milder days, to try filling some of the five hundred screw holes with epoxy paste. Those fillings took two days to finally set, rather than the usual overnight. The pictures with this entry show the inverted boat as well as the rudder, dagger board and the rudder stock displayed on top of the hull.

Turtled

2006-11-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

The boat had gone about as far as it could without turning upside down for the hole filling exercises on the outside of the hull. I have done the turn-over with the help of a couple of slings hanging from the car-port rafters. It was easy to lift up one end of the boat then tighten the sling below it. Once the boat was hanging in the slings, it was even easier to rotate it one-eighty. Sat it back down on the frame. I think the hole filling is tedious work and hardly worthy of pictures. Besides that, there are some gaps and weird cuts that I will not show until they are covered over and all can be amazed at my workmanship! While the boat is upside down, I shall attach the skeg . cover the bottom of the hull with fiberglas cloth in epoxy, pretty it all up then paint it! Lots of opportunities for pictures.

Turning Point!

2006-11-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

Friday turned out to be productive. Last thing I did yesterday was to cut out all the planks for the last installment! I recall someone on the web saying he used his Japanese pull-saw to cut out his planks, so I tried it and was most impressed. The jig-saw cuts very wobbly compared to this pull-saw and I was done in jig time too! This morning I cut in the lap joint at the bow then cleaned up the planks. Once they were all ready, I pre drilled the holes for the screws, mixed a few batches of epoxy and by 2:00 this afternoon all the planks were on!

I took my buddy to town to pick up some boat hardware then came back to take some pictures.

At the start of today's job, I had to take out the supports that were keeping the sides of the boat spread apart. They were in the way of today's planking. I was so taken with the look of the boat without any braces, I had to show that off too. Now she looks like a real boat!

I still do not have the rudder hardware installed nor the woodwork done in the aft compartment either. I am thinking I may leave it like that while the boat gets turned over. That would make it much easier to install the skeg on the underside of the boat by allowing me to shoot screws through the hull and it may make varnishing the transom easier too with it laying more horizontal. In any case, it will all get done.

2006-11-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

Short day on the project today as it seemed really chilly. The epoxy I poured yesterday was still soft to the fingernail this morning, so it is colder than normal.

Last thing yesterday, I used the big hole cutter to make a stack of pieces of one by four with two and a half inch holes in their centres. This morning I cut an angled base on that stack to make them into a jig to cut holes at an angle in the queen plank and the base for the mizzen mast. One of the above pictures shows that jig clamped on to the queen plank, just to give some indication of the creativity allowed in doing this kind of work! Easier to do it than explain.

The second picture of the set is the happy mast holder propped in place, using the perfectly angled holes in the plank and base. Once again, in case Canada Customs is reading this blog, I am waiting on the arrival of the gudgeons and pintles so this project can move ahead again in a logical fashion.

Last exercise of the day was the trimming and gluing of the pieces of wood to make the tiller/steering assembly. That piece is under the clamps for the next hours, so pictures will be delayed.

Big Weather Day

2006-11-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Huge storm today! High winds and buckets of rain. I couldn't pull the boat any further into the carport to protect it either. I was late getting to work but managed to get a few things done. I put a coat of paint in the buoyancy tanks at the front and rear of the boat. Two more coats and they are ready to seal in too! The rear tank is waiting for the arrival of the rudder hardware, so by the time the painting is ready to cover over, the fittings for the rudder will be here and installed too.
I epoxied and nailed down the bench tops at the sides of the boat. Making sure the joints were very well sealed as those cavities make flotation tanks. Seeing as I had the epoxy mixed, I glued and screwed the mast step that was pictured a day or so ago. Enough epoxy left over to put together the boomkin brace on the underside of the queen plank. The combination of fading light and epoxied smeared hands encouraged me to wait until tomorrow to take any new pictures.

Tuesday November 14

2006-11-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

It was very cold in the boat-works this morning, so I decided to forego any work with the epoxy. The paint I put on yesterday was still tacky in places too. I put primer in the big compartments at the bow and stern of the boat then puttered on fixing yesterday's problem with the small amount of wood between the queen plank and the boomkin. I found a section of angled aluminum, cut it to fit and have predrilled some holes for screws. I shall epoxy it in place below the boomkin and that should protect that remaining sliver of wood. The queen plank is now ready to glue in place too. I have cut it to size and have prepared the mounting bracket for the boomkin on its underside. If you don't understand, wait until tomorrow's pictures.

Small Triumphs

2006-11-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

Today was a short workday, but I had fun and made some progress too. First thing was to clean up the mast step I made up Sunday then check to see it fit exactly where I wanted it - directly under the hole that the mast slides through in the deck. I put a couple of strips of tape on the diagonals of the square hole in the step and found that they intersected right under the plumb!
Second job was to clean up the pieces of wood I laminated together yesterday to make the boomkin. Some scraping and planing, then it was cut to shape too. I measured where it is supposed to fit in the transom to find that big elliptical(?) hole I cut in the transom to carry the rudder lines is made too tall, coming dangerously close to the underside of the boomkin! Once the boomkin hole was cut, there was very little material left between the two holes! I am not able to make the boomkin any less thick, so I shall make up a brace to keep the boomkin in its place with no danger of it breaking through to the hole below. Final thing of the day was to put on the last coat of paint in the buoyancy tanks. If it is dry by tomorrow, I shall glue the lids on those tanks, and they will have seen the last light of day! I think I will have to write my name inside those tanks, along with the date! Those people who have my e-mail address are invited to add any significant poetry to go in this floating time capsule!

Handsome Transom

2006-11-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Today, I thought I had better get some epoxy on the transom as tomorrow or the next day, the hardware for the rudder will arrive and want a finished transom to attach to. I mixed up the epoxy then applied it with a brush, only to find it turned to thick honey consistency! The more I worked it to thin it out, the milkier it got too. I finally left it alone, thinking my plans for a clear-finished transom were not going to happen. Awhile later, I thought I may as well add some heat to see if it could be saved. So, the picture on the bottom is under the heat lamp and the epoxy looks creamy. Later in the morning, I took the top picture and voila, it had turned clear with the heat. Not smooth, by any means, but at least clear. I can sand the epoxy then bring out the shine again with varnish.

Remembrance Day

2006-11-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Today was a "Round Tuit" day. I did all those little jobs that I have been putting off to a day when I have the time. Nothing to take a picture of, but I cut a bunch of strips of wood to be laminated up to make the dagger board, another set of strips to make up the boomkin and a few chunks of maple to make the steps for the main and mizzen masts. I also put the first coat of oil-based paint in the buoyancy tanks and made up a flat panel that fits in a rear buoyancy compartment. Hard to describe, so come back in a day or two and there will be a picture. I have resigned myself to the fact that the outside of the hull will have a coat of epoxy as the barrier coat. There will be a lot of epoxy filler over the counter-sunk screws, the high abrasion areas and trying to hide my errors, so I may as well continue with the epoxy and coat the entire hull. Reminds me that I sanded the transom today too, ready for a coat of clear epoxy tomorrow. Seems the project used to be one step at a time, but now there are many branches that are calling out for me. I am afraid I may make progress in one area that will compromise another. Have to keep coming back to the instructions.

Third Plank

2006-11-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

This morning I finished cutting out the third planks and made sure the bottom edges were fairly regular. Another couple of hours and the planks were glued in place with about a quarter pound of stainless screws! I then glued the frames to the new planks. About this time, my buddy Miles appeared to paint the insides of the buoyancy tanks. I am now free to work on the steering system and the holders for the masts.
I think I am losing energy, so will spend less time on the project for the next few weeks and see if my interest picks up again. I do not have any idea of how many hours I have put into this boat so far. I started early October and put in at least five hours a day - I guess that would be about 160 hours. One of the best parts of the project is to dream up solutions for some of the situations that the designer didn't explain, or problems that I have created by not following the plans exactly from the beginning.

Flotation Tanks

2006-11-07T17:21:00.000-08:00

After the second plank was on, I framed the benches on each side of the center footwell. Those benches are closed flotation tanks with deck plates on the fronts. With those plates, I can use the tanks for dry storage as well as open them when the boat is on land to allow the tanks to dry out. If they are sealed, you'd think they wouldn't need to dry out! Maybe they sweat? Today, I finished making the tops of the benches and have everything ready to paint the interior of the tanks. In a couple of days, the tanks will be ready to glue together and epoxy seal the edges. While that is happening, I can move on to making the third plank and gluing that in place.

Second Plank

2006-11-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

I thought installing the second plank was going to be very easy. The marking the plywood turned out to be a challenge. I know how important it is for the bottom edge to be a nice regular line, so I decided to use the top edge of the stringer to mark the plank. That would be the stringer that the bottom edge will be attached to, so why not follow the contour? But the angle of the two planks meeting changes as I got closer to the bow of the boat. So, I had a terrible time deciding where to make the bottom edge of that second plank. Took me three attempts, but finally I have my nice line and the boat now has the second planks on too. The weather has warmed up enough that the epoxy will set overnight without extra heat. No matter as the next phase is inside the boat where the benches get installed.

First of the planks

2006-10-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

Seems like a few days since my last entry, yet I have made progress. It took me a couple of days to shape the stringer that is attached to the bottom of the boat. It needed to be bevelled to accept the first of the planks. That done, despite the cold spell we are having, I installed the first of the planks yesterday. Then to give the epoxy some chance of setting up, I covered the baot with a tarp and left a heat lamp glowing all night. Kept it above freezing, but I doubt the epoxy has had enough time to do its thing. On to other parts of the project instead
Yesterday I brought home the aluminum tubing to be used for the masts and yard, boom and sprit. Love all these names. I was not able to find the specified 1/16" wall tubing, so I bought 1/8" instead. Taking the pieces off the trailer, they felt awfully heavy and I worried they would make the boat top-heavy! The main mast felt like it must weigh about 30 pounds! But checking the specs on-line this morning show it weighs closer to 14!. So, I guess I won't worry about having a giant pendulum high above the deck!

Last Stringer is on

2006-10-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

On advice from the designer, I ripped the bottom stringer into two square prisms to make the twist easier to accomplish. From the transom to the first bulkhead, the stringers went on very easily, then despite my best efforts, I coudn't make them twist to reach the stem to sit flat. So, I again beveled the woods to sit flat and glued them home. I then went back and glued strips of wood over the stringers at the bow with the idea of planing them back to vertical faces. I wonder if I had ripped the stringers vertically if they would have twisted easier. Oh well, done. After taking away some of the external supports and sweeping up, I took some pictures. I have fallen in love with the shape of the boat. I love the transom and the hull lines radiating from it!

Stringer # 3

2006-10-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today I was able to install the third stringer, but it is harder again to get some twist in at the bow. Only about 30 cm between the bulkhead and the stem, not enough to make the nearly 45 degree twist. So, I let it run untwisted to the stem and secured it there.
The lines look really nice and I am generally pleased how the boat is coming together.

Second Stringer

2006-10-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

Today's task was to install the kingplank, then work on the second stringer. The kingplank went on quite easily as all it required was some scribing and cutting. The second stringer was easier to install too, at least until it got close to the stem. There it had to do a fair bit of twisting to sit nicely in the notch of bulkhead #1 then sit flat on the face of the stem. I got more and more heroic in my efforts, even putting a length of redi-rod through the stringer to pull it in and bring it flat to the stem. No way it was going to go, so I re-cut the joint and screwed it in place with not enough twist. With the recut, the stringer ends a bit shy of the line I wanted, so I shall have to glue on some spacers. I see the twist is going to be even more severe in the lower stringers. I may have to resort to pouring boiling water on the boards to get them to twist, or to attach without the twist and grind the face back to match. Paste a mini-stringer behind if I think it will need the bracing.

Top stringer is on!

2006-10-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today was tense, but the beautiful old-growth fir bent around the top of the boat without any scary noises! It took me awhile to shape the notches to hold this stringer, but once the board was in place, it didn't take long to get epoxy on and a handful of screws in place. It was so exciting to see the shape of the gunnel! I took a handful of pictures and think this one is the best!

2006-10-22T07:58:00.000-07:00

All the bulkheads are in place

2006-10-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Just as the sun was thinking of taking a nap, I got the transom clamped in place! Scary moment as now I have to again go into the unknown and bend the fir stringers around the big curves of all the bulkheads! These are bent in the narrow dimension so I hope they go without too much stress! I took this picture because of the nice lines created by the stacked bulkheads.

Dagger board box

2006-10-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

One of today's jobs was to assemble the box that the daggerboard slides through. The box was made of 9mm plywood on each side with spacers at each end to hold it all together and give it strength. Once all the pieces were coated with epoxy to seal them from the water, they were epoxied together then glued with a marine sealant into the hole I bravely cut into the floor of the boat! In this picture, the box is screwed into place between a couple of bulkheads. All you can see of the box is the top of it, dark brown, behind this bulkhead. After screwing and gluing it all into place, I noticed I have hidden the tops of a couple of screws holding on the temporary brace. Another 'whoops'

Bottom stringer

2006-10-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

Once the bottom of the hull is cut out and sitting on the profiles to give it some shape, I was supposed to bend then screw and glue a strip of fir to the edge of it! I could not see how this strip of wood was going to bend in the wide dimension, so I ripped it to be two square strips of wood. First day of this aspect saw the first strip of wood get glued and screwed to the edge of the bottom panel. Once that epoxy was set, I attached the partner strip to the side of the first.

Creating Frames

2006-10-21T20:45:00.000-07:00

I am using 9mm marine plywood for most of the work so far on this boat. After the bottom panel was cut out and the repair done to the joint, I went on to making the bulkheads and trimming them with reinforcing bits of plywood or strips of fir.
Became a bit of a juggle to hold the bulkheads upright while I tried to get some supports in place. Those bulkheads are now in place and braced. Happy to see that they are all vertical and lined up the way the plan said.

2006-10-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today is October 21 and I have been at work for a couple of weeks on Walkabout. Took awhile to assemble the plywood and find clear Douglas fir. First step in the program was to make a frame to build on. That was easy but difficult to find a level place in my car port to build on. Second step was to join two sheets of marine plywood. First time I have done a scarf joint and the planing of the wood came outreasonably well, but I screwed up the glue-up! I had too much overlap and once the glue set, I had a ridge on each side. Damn.
I wrote to the designer and he advised me to plane down the ridges and reinforce the jont with fibreglass tape and epoxy on the interior side of the wood. Done!
Next job was to measure out and draw the shape of the bottom panel. I loved the precise nature of this work and the bottom panel came out very nicely! In this picture, I had to spread out some clothes to get some idea of the size of the project!

Opening Thoughts

2006-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am hooked on boats, but have not yet found one to keep 'forever'. I love my double kayak and have taken it everywhere. I have had a series of sailboats too and currently sail a 19' Alacrity. Great boat for day sailing and has a decent little cabin custom made for lounging and camping.
But I want to do more shore exploring so have decided on Walkabout, designed by John Welsford: http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz/plans/walkabout/index.htm
This blog will be about the building of the boat and eventually the trips aboard. Gerry