Thread: GIS Build in New Jersey, USA

Not that they're finished, but I can honestly say I have three spars. As most of you know, there is nothing quite like holding a smooth solid piece of wood that you've shaped your self. Very rewarding. I have high hopes for these sticks and I'm very happy with how they're coming along.




^^The intersection of multiple hunks of wood



I have fiberglass cloth to wrap the bottom end of the mast but my order of tape is on hold for now (TX200 takes priority for the Duckworks folks). I'll spend a few nights hand sanding just to knock down little bumps and such. Then 'glass and coats of 'pox. I think I'm going to look for some brass tubing to line the lashing holes a la Alzuger of Brooklyn.

My next phase will be foils.

WOW! Looks great!!!

Needs varnish.

Then it needs some abuse.

Originally Posted by davlafont

I have fiberglass cloth to wrap the bottom end of the mast but my order of tape is on hold for now (TX200 takes priority for the Duckworks folks). I'll spend a few nights hand sanding just to knock down little bumps and such. Then 'glass and coats of 'pox. I think I'm going to look for some brass tubing to line the lashing holes a la Alzuger of Brooklyn.

My next phase will be foils.

The TX200 is a great test environment for the products that Duckworks sells. My GIS is still in one piece thanks to Duckworks and their Texas tested products. Chuck and Sandra are really some of the nicest folks I have met. Yes, I love Texas!

I am adding some wear-and-tear pictures of my masts here. These are to show some of the long term chafing the mast can get during extended use or abuse. The worst chafing was from sailing-by-the-lee with the boom pressed up against the mast. My chafing pads wore thru and the boom rubbed a divot of wood away in a few places.

mast-yardrub.jpg

The mast tip damage is from the turning block on the yard getting pushed up against the mast.

Mast-tip.jpg

The mast base is what I consider normal wear after a 200 mile sailing event. I just sand the worn area and reapply a few coats of epoxy to seal it back up.
mast-base.jpg
mast-overbase.jpg

The biggest problem was the raw wood swelled just enough to keep the mast stuck in the boat. If you glass the mast base recheck the dimensions of the mast and compare it against the dimensions of the the partner and mast step. A layer of cloth will add a mm or 2 to the mast size.

So vanish those great looking spars and go out and use/abuse them. Good luck with the foils. They are fun to build.

I just called my source for Okoume. They don't have Joubert. What they have is:

Bruynzeel from Belgium and/or France at $104/sheet

MFC from Morocco at $61/sheet.

They also estimated $125 for delivery, but I'm close enough to pick it up myself.

I'm afraid to say that the economics of the matter are clear. Okoume is African wood, right? Morocco is in Africa, right? Moroccan Okoume it will be unless someone here chimes in and tells me the horror story of MFC.

Or...

I can get Joubert *delivered* for $90/sheet. And these folks take credit cards, whereas the ones above are cash only.

I'm still leaning towards Morocco...

BEWARE! I bought $55 per sheet ply and regretted it. If you can inspect it in person, both sides, and it looks good then it's probably OK. Hopefully will not have voids.

After my bad experience with cheap ply I will only buy the quality stuff, as long as I can afford it.

Joubert delivered for $90 is a very good deal! It's beautiful stuff.

Hi John,
My cheap and easy solution to the mast chafe is a section of tree guard wrap that you put around the base of trees so they don't get wacked by the weed whacker. The brown color matches well. It's a plastic solution on a wood boat beauty, but it actually works really well. (You don't cringe as much when the mast whips back and forth sailing downwind in chop.)
Andy

Mylar film with a sticky side comes in quite wide rolls and is cheap. The best part is that it withstands chafing very well and the bonus is that it's invisible.

Originally Posted by davlafont

Or...

I can get Joubert *delivered* for $90/sheet. And these folks take credit cards, whereas the ones above are cash only.

I'm still leaning towards Morocco...

Lean to Joubert it will be worth the bit extra.

Another thing to consider besides no voids etc is the Joubert has consistent veneer thickness so the sheets or panels tend to produce a consistent bend/twist whereas some of the cheaper stuff can misbehave, important when trying to get fair panels.

Originally Posted by woodeneye

Mylar film with a sticky side comes in quite wide rolls and is cheap. The best part is that it withstands chafing very well and the bonus is that it's invisible.

This is a great idea!

OK ..... your idea is better than mine ... pending testing

Originally Posted by callsign222

This is a great idea!

Originally Posted by m2c1Iw

Lean to Joubert it will be worth the bit extra.

And so it goes. After taking a sensing of the conditions and leaning one way for a moment, I'm now hiked out on the rail with an order placed for six sheets of Joubert. (Does that make me six sheets to the wind?)

I just ordered them at 1pm today. They will arrive TOMORROW!!!

Originally Posted by davlafont

(Does that make me six sheets to the wind?)

It makes you sheet faced


You won't regret buying Joubert