July 5, 2009 by jeff
For the first part of the trip, I glassed the bulkheads in and did some work on the side of the starboard hull that was easily accessible. Moving the hull off the forms was the most stressful event of this project so far. I knew it was going to be difficult to get it clear of the forms, but with 9 lifters and a couple tries we did it. I think the boat survived far better than my nerves did.
The rest of the trip to work on the hulls was mostly uneventful. I’ve got the second half of the port hull foamed, sanded and ready for fiberglass.
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June 14, 2009 by jeff
I don’t know if I’d call it a launch, but I did indeed take the dory out for a little spin today. I wanted to check everything out and see what worked and what didn’t, before I took Ethan or anyone else out. I’m glad I went out alone; it took some getting used to, but all things considered, it went well. The boat sails in the lightest breeze. At times, I couldn’t feel any wind on my face, yet I was still ghosting along. It all may have been a bit easier if I actually remembered the rudder. I steered with an oar off the transom and it was quite awkward.
The boat also rows well, but the 5 1/2′ oars I borrowed were way too short, so when make a set of 8 footers, I’ll be much better off.
Posted in Boat Building Updates, Dory 12 | 1 Comment »
June 7, 2009 by jeff
First off – yes, this is one of those posts where the author realizes how long it’s been since he has posted and then promises to be more vigilant in the future….
Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve updated the progress on the catamaran building. Honestly, there hasn’t been a ton to report. I finished up the building season last fall and while I could’ve got another month of work in the garage, the falling temps and early nightfalls had me a little burned out on building, so I decided hold off work until spring. Well, spring came along and I was raring to go. Most of what I’ve done so far has been cosmetic work on the cuddy. I did glass the outside last fall, so I’ve just been fill-sand-repeat ing for some time. I also built the locker tops and did a ton of clean up work inside. When the weather has been nice, I’ve been outside trying to finish work on my 12′ sailing dory, so that’s slowed the progress on the cuddy somewhat. Slow cuddy progress or not, I’m so excited to be able to take the dory out soon. I’ll be sailing again!
Posted in Boat Building Updates, Cuddy, Dory 12 | Leave a Comment »
October 31, 2008 by jeff
we had a little impromptu pumpkin carving party tonight. Here’s Heather’s latest creation.
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October 30, 2008 by jeff
and the digging continues. I never thought the hole would get deep enough that he’d need a dump truck to haul away the dirt.
Posted in Ethan stuff | 1 Comment »
October 19, 2008 by jeff
Ethan and I headed out to a rock and mineral show this morning. He was soaking up all kinds of good info about one of his favorite subjects. Maybe tying rocks on Ethan’s list of favorite things to do, we went out to look at some stars at the observatory on the darker outside of town in the evening. Jupiter was very bright, and through the telesocpes, I was able to see 4 of the moons and even some of the bands on the planet. It was a super time. Here’s a couple pictures I took of ethan near lake nokomis. Click through for more.
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October 2, 2008 by jeff
Every fall, our CSA farmer has a harvest party and we pack up the car and head north. It’s an amazing thing for Ethan (and us) to be able to see where our food comes from and get to know our farmer and his family. We’re very thankful that there are people, like Charlie, that care enough to do such an incredible job of producing fresh organically grown produce and bring it (literally) to our door. Ok, not everyone gets it brought to their door; we’re the pickup site for 25 other families. Thanks, Charlie!
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September 27, 2008 by jeff
Golf and pirates may come and go, but Ethan has always liked digging in the dirt…and probably always will.
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September 21, 2008 by jeff
There’s a new pirate in town…I think I like this piracy thing better than the golf phase.
Posted in Ethan stuff | 2 Comments »
August 29, 2008 by jeff
Oh, man. the kid likes golf. Do they have any re-education programs that can fix this?
Posted in Ethan stuff | 5 Comments »
