Bitter cold

December 31, 2010

It was a quick couple of days, but epoxy had to be put down rapidly before a rather lengthy cold snap descends upon us here in Spokane. Tug work will be interesting in the unheated shop, but with a deadline looming, there are few choices available.

Initially the cabin front was mocked and sitting on one of the benches, so I dropped it in for a bit to give scale to the boat. The cabin posts are still untrimmed, so it is a bit tall.

And in the opposite direction.

While doing a bit of consternating, I decided that finishing the bulwark to side joint, then adding the rubrail makes very little sense because the final product wouldn't show the additional work, so I placed the rubrails on first.

This had to be slightly modified from plans to suit the available material. Opting for a slightly thicker, but smaller in height rail has little visible change, but it will be more durable and easier to install.

Pleased with that progress, the remaining time in the work day was dedicated to pre-coating the wood with neat epoxy.

Without fail, this phase of construction always fills with people asking "why don't you just varnish it?". As I always comment, you don't want to see the joints because they aren't gorgeous like a chunk of CVG fir, and paint over epoxy will last years and years, while varnish will always require repeated additional coats each year. To my eye, it just isn't worth the effort. A nicely detailed paint job, with highlights of varnished mahogany, always seems to have the most class and the longest lived finish.

Now the drudgery of fairing commences. Fill, sand, fill, sand, fair, sand, fill, then sand 3 times, then clean, then paint, sand, paint, sand, and finally, paint. This, with any luck, will be buttoned up by the second week of January, in preparation for her unveiling late January.

Post holiday recusitation

December 28, 2010

After a lovely trip back to my hometown of Salem, Oregon for the holidays, plus a couple shifts of work, I have finally gotten back in the shop. Unfortunately my new assistant didn't know I was home, so I was alone, but it was quite nice to be on task again. Immediately, I got the Heavy Stuff Clamp removed from the decks and seat tops, cut back and ground down the overhangs, rounded over some of the edges, and got her shaped up for some filleting.

The foredeck went in a thousand times easier this time as compared to last time. There's something to be said for experience and learning from previous projects.

Fillets were added to strengthen the bulwarks, make everything smooth, and make her eminently cleanable. There was even some actual woodworking today, putting in the dimensional knees on the transom to stiffen and strengthen her for that blistering 2hp Honda engine.

Plenty of grinding went down, taming the selvage edge of all the tape that was put in before we left. I think the fairing is going to be relatively easy with this remaining tape, as it ground out smooth. Unfortunately, we are looking at some bitter cold temps this week, dropping to below zero at night. Hopefully I can get all the needed fairing compound on her tomorrow, but time will tell. Here's a parting shot, one that shows she's pretty businesslike for a fun little character boat.

Progress, as requested

December 23, 2010

So yes, I've been a little lax about updating the site. There is a revamp in the works to the whole site, but a fair number of viewers asked to see the current project, so here it is.

A local yacht club reached me by email this fall, interested in building a Glen-L Tubby Tug for their boat show this year. It would be used for photos, some advertising, and just as a little mascot for entertainment. We have a general agenda for it, and he had purchased plans, so off the project went. Unfortunately, the camera I had used for Tailgunner has gone MIA, so no photos happened early on. The commissioner of the project has provided a camera recently, so now there's going to be consistent content.

We will start with the biggest mishap first. Interlux Pre-Kote and epoxy do not mix, period. After using a sander, scraper, and various other tools of destruction, I got 3 coats of Interlux Brightsides on the boat, and I am reasonably pleased with the results

There are some humps and bumps, nicks and gouges, but the paint laid down well.

A couple days later, a crew was recruited for the turn, bringing her right side up and ready for action.

What was nice is a combination of some free time and ready weather. This allowed for the completion of pre-coating the compartment spaces, prepping the interior tape to be faired, and exterior fairing for the final bit of fiberglass on the bulwarks.

This will protect the wood, as well as give a hint of her construction technique to the trained eye.

A good friend popped by, asking if help was needed, so of course I said "Yep, this is a sander..." He was pleased to be on the business end of it, not to mention glad to come back by the following day to get about double the work done that I had planned for the day. This might just be the combination needed to get her done and looking good by the deadline. Here is the complete foredeck in place and gluing, using the Heavy Stuff clamp:

And aft

Final exterior tape was placed, which went alarmingly fast with two sets of hands. Jason is a quick learner, and stepped right in doing a great job.

Using the extra available time, the cabin parts were sanded and cleaned up, then with a few minutes to spare, the cabin front was preassembled with silicon bronze screws and the temporary bracing to get the legs square.

Of course, the holidays are getting in the way of any more progress this week, but thanks to a new laptop and the aforementioned camera, expect regular updates once again on this project, as well as another more involved one coming up soon. Late January is the tugboat deadline, keep checking back to see if she gets completed!

A welcome reprieve

October 25, 2010

Yes, it has been many moons since an update here at the website, and with good reason. Tailgunner was a huge success and has been put to excellent use (click the links at right). The project was big, took about as much time as I had anticipated, and was kept within a reasonable margin with the budget. We targeted an on-water price of around $12,000 with limited gear. She received much nicer upholstery than anticipated, better glass, and a few other pieces that drove the costs up. All told, we made an extremely seaworthy boat, which has proven itself on the tuna grounds, for $15,200.

Since then, there was a little excursion to Germany and the Czech Republic for a couple weeks (photos will be available at the Alycia Staggs Design web link in a few days). Another jaunt to Seattle, and now I'm feeling refreshed and ready for action. SWMBO's honey do list is dwindling slowly, and projects are showing up on the horizon. Let's put it this way, if the cards fall right, there might be a professional project side by side with a rowboat and a remodel of Cloud Cap over the winter.

As the grey weather persists, check out the recent re-coding of the site in chronological order for better readability, plan to see all of the Building Nina site transfer here, as well as a new URL and some other site remodeling. Oh, and I need to pick up a new digital camera, long story short the last work camera is MIA.

Check back, there will be more content coming very, very soon.