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6th January 2012, 08:46 PM #1
Setsuna - A Goat Island Skiff build in Sydney, Australia
Here is the first post from my first thread ("GIS for the former small dinghy sailor", started 6 Jan 2009 - 3 years ago at lunchtime today ;) on the Woodwork Forums:
Hmmm. How does the situation stand now vis-à-vis the Goat? The boat that got "unintentionally" built instead - (an Ozracer Mk II) - is now finished and sailing, and stored outside. Do I still want to build the Goat?
Of course I do(!), but I want to have a rest from boat-building (actually, read "a rest from varnishing and painting", which I have recently come to loathe and detest), and I need to get the workshop into a safe-and-easy-to-work-in configuration and order before I do anything else. That has started, but it will be a very long haul.
I do, however, have a name for the Goat: Setsuna, being the name of one of the characters in "Sailor Moon", a very famous anime/manga serial that my daughter was interested in at the time. It has been very interesting and instructive for me, viewing that first page at least, and the rather systematic way I went about my enquiries and plans. How things have changed for the worse! I might be a bit more experienced at boat-building, but I'm a lot worse at planning, it seems. Oops.
The next bit of this post is copied almost verbatim from towards the end of my Wood Duck thread.
I am reviewing what I have - and haven't! - learnt from building and sailing the 'Duck before embarking on the new project (see list below for a start). The initial purpose of doing the 'Duck was to learn a bit about boat building so that I could do a reasonable job on the Goat. I think I should now add "reasonably quick job" and "reasonably cheap job" to that initial criterion!
Other things for me to think about regarding the Goat are whether to build a square mast, for which I have the wood, or a birdsmouth mast, for which I don't have the wood - I think I've answered my own question ;), and whether I'm going to make my own sail or get, e.g., Storm Bay Sails or Duck Flat, to do it. Given that the sail has to be broadseamed and I don't know how to generate the shapes of the panels to give the right 3D shape to the thing, I suspect that I've answered that question, too. I haven't got halfway through the "Sailmaker's Apprentice" yet, so maybe I should sprinkle that one with a bit of salt.
Another item is the finish: what paint to use? If I find that the two-pack Perfection "clear" works well I may even go for a bright finish on the inside. If it is as intractable as previous varnishes in my conditions, then it will be colour-painted inside and out! I'll give the new "Toplac" a test-run for the outside finish and see how that goes (the most recent tin of "Brightside", which "Toplac" replaces, was fine).
I've got most of the wood for various projects: the Goat, a kayak, and enough for the Eureka canoe as well - intentionally, I might add ;). The canoe/kayak plywood is 4 mm gaboon from Andrew Denman; the plywood for the Goat is 6 mm "Pacific maple" from Boatcraft Pacific. I have hummed and hah-ed about switching the PM for gaboon, but unless I can find a buyer for the almost six sheets of very nice PM (some of it is in the 'Duck as part of F1, in fact ;) I won't be able to afford to do that. Anyone want to buy almost six sheets of very nice "Pacific maple" marine ply? ;) It's very nice (rolls eyes). BobWes had an interesting viewpoint (20/10/2009) on the subject of replacing this plywood, which I'm inclined to follow (see also this post of BobWes's ;).
Other stuff remaining to acquire is more hoop pine and/or more paulownia, and/or more WRC staves for cleats, gunwales/inwales, knees/breasthooks, foils, etc., depending on how much I can't scrounge up out of my bits boxes, scrap timber pile, etc. 1. Making an inventory of suitable boat-building timbers and their likely application is something to put towards the top of my to-do list ;). At least I won't have to buy any more tools (rolls eyes again)...
So: what in fact have I actually learnt from building the 'Duck, if anything?
Well...
1. Work in a clear, clean, uncluttered, tidy environment;
2. The logical corollary: don't work in an unclear, cluttered, untidy environment!;
3. Chose a project that is going to fit comfortably in the available space, or adapt the space to fit if possible (see 1. above) - but don't shoehorn it if it won't ever fit;
4. Don't rush a work period: i.e., plan so that the allotted task can be accomplished comfortably in a relaxed and concentrated manner;
5. Lay out tools and materials for a particular task and put away when finished (see 1. above);
6. Keep DUST under control (see 1. above);
7. Sharpen chisels and plane blades regularly and carefully;
8. Ban silicone-based sealants and adhesives from the workshop(!);
9. Store my high-quality paint brushes in a DUST-free container;
10. Save up for the materials that I need and don't leap at a bargain (e.g., cheap but heavy plywood);
11. Keeping going;
12. Patience {:).
One of the things to be done very soon will be the moving of the location of the hot-water heater out of the workshop entirely: a new heater is going to live outside where it won't be in the way of anything :). And as mentioned above, I am going to try and flog the PM plywood on the forum "Market Place", as the Joubert gaboon plywood is appreciably (>= 30 %) lighter. If I haven't been able to get rid of the PM plywood by the time that I'm ready to start, I'm not going to worry and will use it anyway ;).
So, while I'm not actually starting the build yet, I am flagging my intention (yet again ;), in part to put salt on my own tail to get cracking with the workshop!
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7th January 2012, 01:38 AM #2
Alex, I thoroughly enjoyed following your Wood Duck thread and look forward to seeing how Setsuna unfolds. The name is fitting for your second, wiser build:
...she is depicted as older and more sophisticated than the other Sailor Senshi characters.
I hope you take the advantage of the warm weather to enjoy Wood Duck while prepping and planning for the Setsuna build. I offer the following feedback on my GIS sail building experience:
--I tackled the sail first before buying a single piece of wood. It gave me something to do in the cold of winter which is when I got the green light from "the boss" to build. It also provides me with a source of inspiration to finish the boat; I have a sail, it should hang on a sailboat!
--The cost of materials for me in the US was about 1/2 to 2/3 of the price of a professionally built sail. Part of that can be attributed to having a sewing machine at home that features a zig-zag stitch setting.
--I enjoyed the mental challenge of learning sail theory (I, too, read Sailmaker's Apprentice but also supplemented with WBF and this forum's discussions). My goals for the overall GIS build were about having a creative hobby that results in a useful sporting device. Making my own sail fit in with my goals.
--I used a sail design application (SailCutCAD) to assist in the panel development. It's free. My assessment is that SailCut requires a good deal of comfort with both sail design concepts AND computer skills. It has been noted by some very authoritative voices that working the design on a computer without having a plotter to print the panels directly on the cloth is just silly. There is merit in that argument. I lofted all the panels by hand based on a printout of coordinates. I don't regret doing that, but it's not something I recommend lightly.
--One can take a more traditional lofting approach and by following some simple advice regarding draft depth and placement one should get good results. The big caveat is that you'd need the loft space to lay out the full 105 sq ft lug. I don't have that. I'm going to take a guess that you don't either.
--I am comfortable with making mistakes, correcting them or living with them. Several times I found myself sewing with no bobbin thread. The result is a bunch of tiny holes and time elapsed with no seam created. I have many seams I call "drunken monkey" stitches. They add character to my sail. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
--The interplay between sail shape and spar bend is important. By making my own sail, I control both the chicken and the egg. The flip side is that I have no one to blame but myself for the outcome.
I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor, and just as many well wishes for your current vessel!Dave
StorerBoat Builder, Sailor, Enthusiast
Dave's GIS Chronicles | Dave's Lugs'l Chronicles | Dave's StorerBoat Forum Thread
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7th January 2012, 02:48 AM #3
Really? Musing about whether or not to sew your own sail in a forum full of avowed DIYers? That's pretty funny. You expect an impartial answer here?
I did NOT make my own sail, and now I wish I had. The sail I bought is more than adequate, and I'm not about to throw it away. But I've already made one change (ditching the full-length battens) and I'm planning another (completely re-working the reef points). Even then, it won't have the fullness I think it probably needs for best performance. So I will eventually make my own sail anyway, some years down the road.
Now, full disclosure: Besides building my own boat (obviously), I also make my own beer, cider, mead, bread, and sausage. I hope to soon start making cheese as well. I build small robots from trashed electronic devices and have begun making a 3D printer from scratch (google "reprap"). My wife quilts, knits, cross-stitches, etc. My 14-year-old daughter bakes everything from scratch. My 17-year-old son is always covered in sawdust and welder spatter. He just got his hunting license with the intent to bring home small game for the table. And when the warranty runs out on my diesel Jetta, we intend to start making our own bio-diesel for it.
So, if you take my advice and build your own sail, do so in the knowledge that it comes from the lunatic fringe.
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11th January 2012, 10:02 PM #4
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your kind words, and your comments on the sail. It was in fact your blogspot posts that lead me to ponder making my own :). Once the current fuss being created by the work on the workshop dies down - and I have a workshop to work in at last, and more importantly time to think about it - I'll give it some more thought. In the odd moment i'll read/re-read your blogs :).
Cheers,
Alex.
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11th January 2012, 10:07 PM #5
Hi paulie,
I wasn't actually expecting anybody to jump on that one in particular - see my reply to davlafont above :). I used to think I was a bit of a DIY-er until I read your post: I hang me head in shame! I did use to make my own wine, though (nearly poisoned myself, so I stopped) and have taught myself to weld (after a fashion), but that's about it. Oh, I did make the sail for my 'Duck, but the design was already there and din't need broadseaming ;).
Cheers,
Alex.
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12th January 2012, 11:47 AM #6
Design for goat sail is already there and doesn't need broadseaming.
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12th January 2012, 12:19 PM #7
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12th January 2012, 12:35 PM #8
Right. The HWH is out ot the workshop. And the hot water is out of the HWH. BUT...some of the hot water is still in the workshop and lapping at around the bottom of my wood stack.
Actually, it's now cold water and I've mopped most of it up and moved the affected wood <grumble grumble, curse curse>. When the concrete slab was poured, it was supposed to have been finished off so that the water ran towards the front of the building (where the wood stack isn't) and not to the side, where the wood stack [/i] is (or was) <grumble grumble grumble, curse curse curse>. Fortunately, the better stuff - including the 6 mm PM ply and 4 mm Joubert gaboon - was actually up off the floor, whew...
That didn't prevent a panicky hour or so whipping around moving stuff and mopping up, though.
Also fortunately, most of the water went out the door in a flexible pipe used by the plumber for the purpose, so the wood heap only got the trickle, not the flood - although the trickle was bad enough. Since the (brand new) HWH now lives outside permanently and the plumber is currently sealing off all the old pipes, that shouldn't ever happen again. Another bonus of the new arrangement is being able to permanently remove the poly pipe attached to the old HWH overflow that has been annoying me for over ten years as it has got in the way of most activites on that side of the workswamp, including welding, vacuuming, walking about, closing the door, etc., HOORAY! It was almost worth moving the HWH for that alone!
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12th January 2012, 09:44 PM #9
I've noted this elsewhere (on Mr Storer's facebook page), but I'm adding it here for completeness.
The Boss's isn't too thrilled with the idea of me starting another boat right away: the 'duck being finished, she has discovered that I now have a lot of "free time", which is to be saddled up and put to work painting various parts of the house :(. Urgh, I loathe painting, especially doors, they're worse than boats! I'm going to try to get the workshop sorted out first, at least, and then there'll be an attempt at a bit of, er, persuading of The Boss to let me start. There is the vexèd question of the plywood to sort out in the meantime, anyway...
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13th January 2012, 02:59 AM #10Senior Member
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But without the swamp, what will Mr. Snappy do????
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13th January 2012, 09:26 AM #11
Bother!
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13th January 2012, 05:01 PM #12Senior Member
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There's some great information on broadseaming a lugsail from Todd Bradhaw here. Almost a book on sailmaking in a couple of posts. Save it all locally in case some of the links to extra files disappear with time.
Ian
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13th January 2012, 09:22 PM #13
Hi Ian,
many thanks for the link - which will come in useful even considering MIK's statement above regarding the GIS sail.
Cheers,
Alex.
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19th January 2012, 02:46 PM #14
Jumping the gun...
1. Workshop tidying. The stack of ply on the left is the 6 mm Pacific maple on the far left, the 4 mm gaboon to the right of that. I would prefer to store it falt, but I don't have the space
In the process of tidying up bits of the workswamp, I found a pool of water big enough to keep tadpoles and small fish in, up the back. It was about 50 mm deep before it eventually drained away again. The water is still coming in despite my efforts to block it, and venturing further afield outside to see where it might be coming in, I also found this:
2. Water-erosion problem. If I don't get a solid concrete pier under this rock, it will one day plunge down through the wall of the house...
Follow this link to my Flickr account...
So if I don't get this done pronto, we're in real trouble. This is going to cause all sorts of delays - time, effort, financial - and comes on top of the return of the tennis elbow (both of them). Don't hold your breathe on the start of this Goat. As the title of this post indicates, I've gone and jumped the gun on this project :(...
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19th January 2012, 03:06 PM #15Senior Member
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Two separate problems.
I wouldn't put a pier in yet. It will just wash out. I think I would lay in some plastic and backfill under the rock with coarse gravel and then bundle it together with some rebar and *maybe* partially stabilize it with concrete mortar on the outside (Just a bit to tie things together. Not enough to block the flow of water.) Much like a French drain.
Then I would dig a sump to collect water and put a pump in to remove the immediate threat. Then you have time to see to the source.
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