Thanks Thanks:  0
Likes Likes:  0
Needs Pictures Needs Pictures:  0
Picture(s) thanks Picture(s) thanks:  0
Page 5 of 9 FirstFirst 123456789 LastLast
Results 61 to 75 of 130
  1. #61
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    South Oz, the big smokey bit in the middle
    Age
    67
    Posts
    4,377

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by m2c1Iw View Post
    Hopefully tomorrow night the decks will go on.


    Sorry, couldn't help myself, especially seeing I'm in the same 'boat' with my seat tops

    Richard

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Age
    2010
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #62
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    'Delaide, Australia
    Age
    65
    Posts
    8,138

    Default

    I think it is time for a boat building crawl to look at sheds and a sailing day ... I will will put something up in Miscellaneous.

    MIK

  4. #63
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    2,139

    Default

    When I started woodworking a few years ago I was striving for perfection or at least minimal mistakes I think most woodworkers do, constantly reaching for the unattainable and at times it became very frustrating.

    Well one thing I think I'm starting to understand about boat building is that while that desire for perfection still exists it is not so critical to the sense of satisfaction. When I made a big mistake on a piece of furniture it was like a bad golf shot the frustration crept in and all enjoyment went out the window.

    What I have found with boats especially ply and pox is a mistake here and there while disappointing is nowhere near as dispiriting as they can in the main be disguised painted over or hidden. It is important though having made a mistake not to fuss over it just move on keeping the big picture in mind and perhaps while thinking ahead make a small adjustement here and there.

    The thing about boats is the beautiful shape takes the eye off detail, nice shapely curves and the odd roundover hide a multitude of sins.

    So why am I waffling on about mistakes well I made one of coarse actually lots but the one in question is when glueing the decks on I used packaging tape to clamp. Hmm the ply had a rather large bow the wrong way no worries I think plenty of tape should hold it.
    Wrong went out to do a bit tonight and to my dismay the tape right at the bow had stretched in the heat (it was 39 today) and allowed the deck to lift. In the pic it is towards the bow.

    Attachment 121928

    Ah well I think with a bit of luck I can adjust the gunwhale to disguise it in fact once trimmed it may no be too noticable.

    Attachment 121929

    Much planing and belt sanding later here is the result.

    Attachment 121930

    Not to bad though as I said in an earlier post I am also a bit disappointed in myself for not getting a consistant curve in the sheer from the bulkheads forward. Again ah well I'm getting used to it. s
    So here they are bow and stern decks fitted.

    Attachment 121931

    Attachment 121932

  5. #64
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    South Oz, the big smokey bit in the middle
    Age
    67
    Posts
    4,377

    Default

    Mike, the ONLY thing that matters is how the brute works, anything else is window dressing. You can spend your life worrying about the window dressing, and some do, but if it don't work, it ain't no flamin' good as a boat, and even smart people forget this. That isn't to say you shouldn't strive for perfection in every detail but if that effort affects the way it works, you've wasted that effort. The grey area is where the effort improves the window dressing but makes no difference to the way it works - that's where your own personal perversions come out to play.

    Nuff said?

    Now stop fussing about your ruddy canoe. She's a wee ripper and will only get better

    Richard

  6. #65
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    'Delaide, Australia
    Age
    65
    Posts
    8,138

    Default

    Haha ... good philosophical discussion.

    The way it works for me is I have developed the idea of not caring.

    Peter asked me how I managed to do a good job varnishing the inside of the two PDRacers in his garage in poor light with the boats on their side.

    I told him ... I can do a good job because I don't care any more. You do enough miles of varnishing and you can start doing that. Also your most powerful tool for varnishing is the sanding block!

    MIK

  7. #66
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    South Oz, the big smokey bit in the middle
    Age
    67
    Posts
    4,377

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Boatmik View Post
    Also your most powerful tool for varnishing is the sanding block!
    Which is why my varnishing is restricted to areas small enough not to matter

    Richard

    I discovered a liking for sanding one day ... but the pills helped me get better

  8. #67
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Hunter Valley NSW
    Age
    69
    Posts
    1,759

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Boatmik View Post
    .......I can do a good job because I don't care any more. You do enough miles of varnishing and you can start doing that. Also your most powerful tool for varnishing is the sanding block!
    MIK
    I'm with you Mick. After some effort with primer and undercoat I put the first coat of paint on my foils today. I was going to roll and then tip off with a brush, but thought "stuff it, it's the first coat, I won't worry about the brush coz I'll just need to clean it afterwards". Well, it rolled on beautifully and looks like it's been sprayed.

  9. #68
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    South Oz, the big smokey bit in the middle
    Age
    67
    Posts
    4,377

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by woodeneye View Post
    Well, it rolled on beautifully and looks like it's been sprayed.
    Of course it did, it'll get hidden by a couple more coats, it's the last one that'll turn feral on you ... which is why you always stop when the paint job's good enough and resist the urge to give it 'one more to do it properly'

    Richard

  10. #69
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Victoria
    Age
    71
    Posts
    631

    Default

    That must have given you a bit of a fright Mike, but it looks great now from the photos. You sure were generous with the tape, too.

    I like to have a few lengths of 'shock cord'- the elastic stuff octopus straps are made from- but it's black and thinner. I buy it by the metre, and it's great for securing loads on trailers, cartops etc. In that situation, maybe some ply or thin wood above the deck to spread the pressure, and a generous wrapping of shock cord, round and round can give really strong pressure along a joint. It gets tighter as you go somehow, and unlike tape, you can see where there may be a little gap. Some blocks on the sides under the cord keep the 'squeeze out' from ruining the stuff. Just be careful when you undo it...and don't let go quickly, especially if there is anyone else around. It moves fast unrestrained!

    On my build I even occasionally used the cord to pull wooden 'levers' on bits of chine scarf where it would be impossible to get at edges for clamping. The lever presented a flat surface drawn powerfully onto the joint.

    Nice to hear that you've made peace with the delinquent inwale. The bits of wood lying around the boat will learn from that little argument, and may think twice before they cross you!
    Rob
    What caused the Pacific War? A book to read: here

    http://middlething.blogspot.com/

  11. #70
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    'Delaide, Australia
    Age
    65
    Posts
    8,138

    Default

    Brightside and maybe some other newer paints do smooth out fantastically when they dry.

    Duckflat doesn't use tipping any more (except for two pot) - it is just extra labour when the paint flattens out so well.

    Use the right roller and the result is like sprayed as you say.

    MIK

  12. #71
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    2,139

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rob540 View Post
    That must have given you a bit of a fright Mike, but it looks great now from the photos. You sure were generous with the tape, too.

    I like to have a few lengths of 'shock cord'- the elastic stuff octopus straps are made from- but it's black and thinner. I buy it by the metre, and it's great for securing loads on trailers, cartops etc. In that situation, maybe some ply or thin wood above the deck to spread the pressure, and a generous wrapping of shock cord, round and round can give really strong pressure along a joint. It gets tighter as you go somehow, and unlike tape, you can see where there may be a little gap. Some blocks on the sides under the cord keep the 'squeeze out' from ruining the stuff. Just be careful when you undo it...and don't let go quickly, especially if there is anyone else around. It moves fast unrestrained!

    On my build I even occasionally used the cord to pull wooden 'levers' on bits of chine scarf where it would be impossible to get at edges for clamping. The lever presented a flat surface drawn powerfully onto the joint.

    Nice to hear that you've made peace with the delinquent inwale. The bits of wood lying around the boat will learn from that little argument, and may think twice before they cross you!
    Rob
    Ah thanks for the tip Rob I've still got an arguement coming with gunwhale so will give it a try.

  13. #72
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    2,139

    Default Gunwale arguement

    OK Rob I've had the argument with the gunwales and I think I have won the debate.

    The gunwales are paulownia with a 5mm hardwood cap I think it's spotted gum, whatever it is it's hard as nails and does not like bending. My original thoughts were to simply clamp them in position while gluing however given previous attempts at gluing large long things like this end up with more glue on me than the work and a complete mess I have thought better of it.

    Attachment 122367

    I did try the shock cord thing, wouldn't look at it so I made up a few heavy duty spanish windlasses to pull things in and I gotta say they worked a treat. Sometimes it pays to chuck away the new fangled stuff and go back to tried and true.
    Anyway I did try steaming the hard spots with a damp rag and iron. Hmm not very successful so while fussing around I trimmed the inner edge at the bulkhead bend with a spokeshave and trimmed about 5mm off the paulownia at each end to disguise the straight ends and lighten the look of the gunwales at the stems.

    Attachment 122354

    So while everything is clamped and lined up I have drilled and screwed them for a dry fit and I'll plug the screws later (good practice for things to come). Having read Clints post re a concave surface I have dutifully done same so hopefully everything will go smoothly when the pox goes on maybe Sunday with luck.

    Attachment 122355

  14. #73
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Victoria
    Age
    71
    Posts
    631

    Default

    That sounds like a profitable session. I agree that the shock cord wouldn't have been much use in that situation. I think I used ratchet straps, so I could pull them in as a pair, and by clamping temporary 'legs' (70 x 35 ish off-cuts) I could prop the rails sort of at the right heights so that when things were sticky I only had to worry about fine positioning and not supporting the weight of the floppy sticky bendy things! Then screwed from the middle of the boat towards both ends at once (well, almost and the legs come off after a few screws are in and the thing isn't threatening to strangle you to a sticky death). 'Course none of this fuss is necessary if you have another pair of hands there!

    Can we assume that you are actually having fun now? Hope so, she looks terrific. Lovely idea to put a hardwood cap strip on, BTW. Am I dreaming or does the gunwale smooth out that 'hardspot' that worried you before?
    What caused the Pacific War? A book to read: here

    http://middlething.blogspot.com/

  15. #74
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Adelaide
    Posts
    2,139

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rob540 View Post
    Can we assume that you are actually having fun now? Hope so, she looks terrific. Lovely idea to put a hardwood cap strip on, BTW. Am I dreaming or does the gunwale smooth out that 'hardspot' that worried you before?
    Thanks, yep this last few bits of playing with wood have been fun. Now onto epoxy/glass then sanding.
    Yes the gunwale has tended to hide the oopsies, my son came around for dinner tonight or was it to show his mother the ins and outs of face book not sure, but that's another story
    Anyway while discussing the trials and tribulations he did comment "whadya talkin about I can't see anything" good enough for me

  16. #75
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    South Oz, the big smokey bit in the middle
    Age
    67
    Posts
    4,377

    Default

    That hardwood must be tough stuff, I've seen those gunwales and I've used bigger lumps of timber to pick me teeth!

    As for waiting to sunday to glue it up, I wouldn't trust that weather at the moment. Sure, they reckon it'll be a stinker tomorrow but if the cloud hangs around, which it should seeing they reckon we'll have rain (figure this for a weather forcast: 43C with thunderstorms and lightening ), you might get the glue on tomorrow night ... by candle light seeing the electrical storm will cut your electricity

    You're just trying to get her finished so you can work on that Coquina aren't you

    Richard

Similar Threads

  1. Nick's Eureka 155
    By nickpullen in forum Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans
    Replies: 123
    Last Post: 13th December 2008, 04:51 PM
  2. Eureka Moment
    By Scribbly Gum in forum HAND TOOLS - UNPOWERED
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 5th August 2008, 09:37 PM
  3. Eureka V's PDRacer?
    By Walesey in forum BOAT BUILDING / REPAIRING
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 2nd April 2007, 12:36 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •