An indoor work day today. Cold and windy outside. The forecast for the next few days is not much better. Maybe a few inches of snow this weekend. So I have been packing waterproof duffels, sorting gear, counting batteries and cups of fruit.
I bought a new ship's clock for SPARTINA, $8.88 at Walmart to replace the one that is stuck on Daylight Savings Time because the crown corrodes in the salt air. I also picked up the outboard from my mechanic, a nice guy and ex-submariner who is very precise about everything he does - submariners are like that.
Gaff jaws are complete with the new leather and a mast lashing held in place by waxed twine. The new chainplates are in place too and I am pleased with how well they fit and matched the originals.
I do need two days of nice weather in the next two weeks. One to finish the paint touchup and to do the bottom paint. The second day to roll SPARTINA out to the street and set up the rigging to make sure everything fits in place.
9 comments:
All looks good Steve.
Looking ship shape!
Thanks for doing what you do. We all enjoy your writing and photography very much!
On the basis of your product testimonial I bought some Bristol Finish and am looking forward to using it on a small boat my son and I are building. A question I had is when you're doing all six coats in one day do you mix six batches or can you make one and cover the pot in between? Many thanks. Bill in Charleston
I think Bristol varnish has a pot life of a couple of hours so you should be able to get a couple of coats per batch, maybe three at most. Steve
Thanks for sharing what you do.
I'm spending these winter days planning a boat tent for my Pathfinder, Gardens of Fenwick. Spartina's tent looks well-designed and smart. I haven't found a blog post specifically about the tent, but from photos, it appears to use a ridge line between the masts. What material did you use for the tent? Any other information about the tent would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Bob in Michigan
Bob,
First of all, nice boat! Looks like you know something about woodwork and boat building. Well done.
This is probably the best post explaining the design: https://logofspartina.blogspot.com/2016/03/measured.html . The material is WeatherMax. The tent uses the bundled boom, gaff and sail as the support with a line going from aft end of the tent to the mizzen mast. Since the mizzen mast is off center the tent is asymmetrical. The forward end of the tent reaches around the mast where is clips to a ring on the foredeck just aft the bow sprit. The sides are held down by four bungee cords on each side that fit into inverted hooks just above the lower rub rail. When I put the tent into place it "droops into the boat. I then go forward (underneath the tent) to haul up (in this order) the throat halyard, the peak halyard and the topping lift (since the boom, gaff and sail are bundled together this simply raises the bundle). This peaks up the tent. Then I use midshipmen bend as I tie the line at the aft end of the tent to the mizzen mast. When the tent is fully raised it sits off the deck forward about an inch or maybe more, allowing a nice breeze to flow through the tent. If chance of rain I put a "fly" up forward to block the rain from coming between the two pieces at the forward end of the tent that wrap around the mast. The forward end of the tent is still off the deck, the breeze flows under the tent and over the forward coaming, the rain flows under the tent but is blocked by the forward coaming. Make sense? The tent is open at the aft end. The above may sound complicated (mostly because I am not good at explaining things), but the tent is really simple and easy to put in place. And it keeps me dry and comfortable. I hope this helps. I'll be glad to answer any specific questions you might have. Steve
Steve,
Thanks for the compliments. I'm strictly a hobbyist woodworker but enjoyed building Gardens.
Thank you for the explanation of the tent and the link to the "Measured" post; it is helpful. Interesting that you used WeatherMax as that is one of the fabrics I'm considering; the other being Sur Last. If you were to replace your tent today, would you use WeatherMax again? Thanks for pointing out that the tent is asymmetric because the mizzen is off center. I may have figured it out on my own but it is good to be aware of that from the beginning.
One question - and the answer may be obvious - what do you do with the mainsheet when setting up the tent? Disconnect it from the boom and stow it in the cockpit?
Gardens has a balance lug yawl sail plan but that should not affect using the sail bundle to support the tent. I'll have to sort out the foreward end of the tent as the sail bundle extends forward of the mast.
You, and Spartina, have been most helpful but I am sure there will be more questions as the tent progresses.
Thank you, again.
Bob
Bob, Angel, who owns the canvas shop, recommended WeatherMax and I am satisfied with it. I am not familiar with Sur Last so I cannot compare the two. I do not know if the shop carried Sur Last. The tent is five years old with several weeks each year spent on the water and it still seems to be in good, almost new shape. As for the main sheet, the upper block is on a stainless steel carabiner-type hook, I just unclip it and set it on the port side of the cb trunk. Steve
Steve,
Thanks for your comments re WeatherMax and the main sheet. Very helpful.
Now... if only the weather would cooperate, I could pull the boat out of the barn and make better progress on the tent.
Bob
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