Something a bit more fun!

While in prep & repair time before an extended trip it is helpful to think back to the fun times on the water. Here is a clip from December '09 that just resurfaced on facebook. This was shot off of Cape Romano during an overnight trip to Marco.


No the choreography nor the shot was planned or rehearsed. Kudos to the crew... Patsy, Trish, and Anne.

Still measuring....

Moving on from the wooden cross piece, now we need to create dimensions and a sketch for the metal work. It is more daunting that the wood because the cost of errors will be in both materials and labor.

It is also not the most glamorous or fun portion of owning a boat or even of this project, but it is impossible to escape the need to be diligent and exact in the phase of the project.

Measure twice...cut once

With the steel polished, the next step on the boom gallows project is to rough cut the wooden cross member. The staff at Seafarer Marine in Fl Lauderdale recommended Sappele, a member of the Mahogany family. At their suggestion purchased a 10 foot section of 2"X9". As with all construction projects the mantra with this step is measure twice & cut once. Looks like we will have 3' section of wood left over for another project.

With the steel polished and the wood cut to length, my next step will be to take all the pieces to Paradise Welding in Naples to ensure that we are on the same page with the design process and production calendar.

first we polish the steel

Perhaps the most ambitious of our spring boat projects is the creation/addition of a boom gallows to C'est la Vie. We are creating the gallows to both provide a crutch for the boom while at rest and to provide an attachement point for a cockpit bimini. C'est la Vie's boom end sheeting has made it difficult for us to find an bimini design that we feel is sturdy w/out detracting from the aesthetics of the vessel. Our solution... add a gallows and design a custom bimini.

Thanks to a family friend we were able to obtain the requisite stainless steel tubing and plates for the price of polishing our own steel. The tubes were delivered with a dull finish. So one afternoon with a polishing wheel on the grinder later and the steel is ready for the metal shop.
FYI the lower half of the two tubes on the left are unpolished in the image.

I have also purchased a 3" X 10" X 10' piece of Sapelle for the wooden section of the gallows. Step two will be to begin shaping the wooden cross brace.

The 2009-10 FL Programs season draws to a close

Ahh the sun is setting on another NCOBS FL Programs Season. Anne and I begin to turn our attention to plans for the summer's travels and boat projects. We went to the Port Supply sale today and purchased a new tiller pilot; a tiller extension, and a new rail mounted grill. Let the boat projects begin...

Phoenix

Well after a full restoration of the deck, a full replacement of the running rigging, full replacement of the deck hardware, and refinishing both the tiller & the centerboard; the sunfish has suffered two dismastings in four times at sea. With the addition of a stout new aluminum mast that was fabricated locally for less than half the cost of a factory mast I now christen the vessel the Phoenix for her ability to repatedly rise from the ashes.

another one bites the dust

Well after two outings the modified windsurfer mast proved insufficient for the task of carrying a Sunfish sail. During the first, light wind, outing the mast bend was alarming. On the second, windy day outing, the stress proved too much for the fiberglass mast. Back to the drawing board.

If at first you don't succeed

Well with the demise of the original aluminum mast the Sunfish was yet again a yard ornament. A quick online search revealed that a new mast from the factory was out of the budget. What to do? Well it is a good thing that many of our staff refuse to discard, well, anything. Digging around our various nooks here on Sunset Island I came across a old fiberglass windsurfer mast. the diameter was too small, but by cutting a healthy section of the old sunfish mast and slipping it over the fiberglass mast I was able to adapt the mast to the Sunfish. A couple coats of epoxy to secure the aluminum section and seal the old fiberglass mast and the Sunfish is yet again on the water.