Andrew

Greg No! the idea SWMBO had was to get 'free' eggs from them, but we've had them 5 months now (from chicks) and all we've got so far is pooh!! Kydocfrog Someday I hope it's finished enough that I can post a photo When the seat backs are on (hopefully today) I'll post a progress shot Have fun Andrew

Here's the (horrible) picture of the seats (top view) I've cut out the majority of the 'aft' portion of the seats to give some more cockpit room, but left enough of a 'lip' so that I can put in a 'slatted' seat top across the whole length of the seat while still giving some legroom (see starboard side). This will be removable, and can be stored in the cabin while underway. Slowly but surely, its getting there!!! [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

Sorry Greg It's an Aussie acronim(sp) for chicken crap (pardon the language) On a MUCH lighter note, I got the majority of the seats in today. I've done a bit of a mod that I'll try to draw (badly) in paintbrush Andrew

I went away for a week to the gold coast with SWMBO and the kids. We had a great time and saw rain for the first time in months. We have been on water restrictions for months and the rain was a godsend - it rained all down the east coast for the whole week (it didn't ruin the holiday, rain in 80-90 degrees was good for us, we even played mini golf in it). First the good news - I now know that the cabin is water tight (without the fiberglass on the outside). The bad news - water, chook pooh (cause the neighbour thought they might like a run around the yard) and the heat, combined to make a lovely mess in the uncovered cabin!!! I've spent the day shovelling water and chook pooh out of the cabin, then I dried everything under some 500W lamps (very close to the wood) - I guess I'm going to have to keep the lamps up to it for another couple of days to be 'really sure' and then I'll sand the whole lot back and epoxy it. Looks like I might be having a few chickens for xmas dinner!!!!! Andrew

Dave I just realised that its DuckWORKS (http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/). Didn't duckworths use to be a motor oil in the 70's :? :? Andrew

Thanx all Phil, I managed to download the duckworths article from their site prior to it disappearing WHEW! I've been practicing my rope skills on some old sisal I have in the shed (its pretty awful and 'hairy' as ropes go). I've found that it's not too hard to strop a 'blank' block (read 'square piece of scrap wood'). I'll have to have a look around for the English Braid - I'm sure it exists in OZ, but probably under a different name!! - Living so far from any real water is also a hinderance - no one stocks much 'boat' stuff. Ah well that just means I'll have to travel to the coast for Xmas Andrew

Hi again I'm about to start making some rope stropped blocks for VAZTR (in a similar manner to the duckflats method) and have another few hunderd questions :oops: What rope should I use for around the blocks? I'd like to make the rigging look 'olde worlde' if you know what I mean? I was thinking of using manila, but am a little worried about its propensity to rot. I have heard of a synthetic manila called 'lexoflex' or 'synthflex' from Denmark, I'm not sure how much it costs though :? I have also seen some BLACK poly rope that is supposed to be UV stable and rot resistant etc. I seem to remember that Phil Gowan or Barry used some good looking rope on their boat. Also, is there a substitute for the tar used on the twine that creates the grommet on the strop? I was thinking of just using non-coated twine and then 'painting' the twine with epoxy - so it never moves again!!! Thanx for the help Andrew

Thanx for the informative and quick reply Barry. I'm assuming there is a point at which the 'bigness' of the chord becomes 'too much'? (think of a sideways teardrop) [i'd draw it but the work firewall won't let me send pictures] and I also assume that the chord 'bigness' is dependant on the length of the foil. Having made this plethora of assumptions, would it be fair to assume that a longer foil with a bigger chord would out perform a similarly proportioned but smaller foil? or does this just cause more trouble than it's worth?? When I think 'foils' I think plane wings, and having argued as I have above (if any of the assumptions are right) then why dont they put 747 wings on Cessnas? What I was aiming at was if I double the foil length of the rudder and increase the chord accordingly, will I get a proportional amount of performance increase?? Thanx Andrew

Barry Would it be asking too much for you to give us (me) a 'cross section' view of the new rudder? and the reason it will perform better? I haven't started the rudder yet and if this will be a big improvement I might just skip the regular shape. Thanx Andrew

Ken What a brilliant idea - and what a money saver. I can ask my mother-in-law to do some cooking for me over Christmas Barry - I'll probably go for 1/2 inch CCX down the centre - and coat it VERY liberally in epoxy - finding good wood round here is a pain!! - On a better note I joined the local wooden boat association today and they have an add for a lumber yard in Sydney (3 hrs drive) that will sell you a complete weekender supply of wood/screws/fittings/sails etc. I might give them a call about masts! Thanx again to all on the board Andrew

OK... So I'll go the Ken and Wayne way, but (oh god no...not ANOTHER question!!) if the centre of the mast is watertight do I have to use 'good' plywood to make up the 3 1/2" square (as Ken did) or can I use a 'cheaper' grade. I am asking not only to save cash but to save travel time. If I want anything better than CCX I have to go 400Kms to get it!! Thanx again Andrew

Frank I think Oregon (Australian) is comparable to your Douglas Fir. I've spoken to a number of people about this (builders, boaties etc.) and all seem to think it would be OK for the mast - just about all outdoor building around here (decks, pergolas etc.) are done with either treated pine or Oregon. Andrew

This is why I LOVE this board Perfect answers every time!! And I can feel a money/effort saving coming on... If I combine Wayne's and Ken's ideas I should be able to get 2nd hand wood (cheap) and a lightweight mast without taxing my Homeresque brain. Brilliant PS. Ken, do you think you really need the ply between the fir? I would have thought that laminated fir would 'hold itself' Thanx Andrew

SO I'm up to the part where I can start thinking about the wood for the mast... I priced up Oregon (AU$22 per metre solid, AU$33 per metre flitch), I daren't price up cedar (and isn't it too soft anyhow??), so I'm thinking about maybe doing the 'birds mouth' thing. But it scares the b'jeebers out of me. I have the woodworking skills of Homer Simpson [well maybe a little better, but not much!]. Will this cause me too much pain and heartache? Is it as easy to stuff up as Frank made it seem (sorry Frank ) ? Am I just wimping out? I'm looking for some more inspiration here guys (and gals). Andrew

Scott I'm thinking of putting 'marine'carpet in the cabin of my weekender, but to get rid of the water problem I'm going to'velcro it in place, then at the end of the day I can hang it out to dry. Would this be possible in the lockers (I don't know what size/shape etc.)? Andrew

WoooHooo Got the new router today! B&D, still one of the cheaper models, but with variable speed and heaps of attachments and a two year warranty, I might just try Toms idea!! Andrew

Conversion was easy Frank, I didn't What I've done is put a triangular piece of 1" stock through the hole and butted anothe small piece of 1/4" ply on this. With the glass it shouldn't look any different! Andrew

Think I found it Steve Its says it is also known as Dorado?, Mahi-Mahi and Dolphinfish. Ugly brutes ain't they? Andrew

Whew! The girls were about to ban me from conversing with the dolphin (mammal) killers on this site :wink: Now I've just got to find a picture of this Mahi-Mahi to prove to them that it's not the real thing. Thanx Steve!!!

Hi I'ts been a while since I saw any Weekender stuff on here, so I thought I'd put up my first picture (if the work firewall will let it through!!) The 4 inch gap at the back of the hull sides is caused by the metric plywood sizes here in OZ!! I had the same problem on the deck and thought I'd cut the deck wrong or maybe even cut the keel wrong (that would have been a great start The foam inside the cabin and cockpit is from work (all the PC's come with it). This will go in the fully enclosed forepeak and behind the seat backs. The bird poop is for decoration :oops: Who knows - maybe this year (financial) Andrew [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

Dolphin?? :shock: My girls would disown me if I told them I ate dolphin. Or whale Barramundie is a beaut fish to eat, and fun to catch too. Andrew

Scott 'n Frank Thanx again I just put the port side on and had a quick look in the forward hatch - what was I thinking :oops: getting in there to paint I can kneel in there but there's no way to get anyting below my chest in there as well - looks like I'll have to hang upside down to finish the paint on the port insides Andrew

Konrad This is one of those episodes that you will remember long after the smell has gone - and it's a good one to remember for Colin's 21st party. It's times like this you know you are a 'family', you wouldn't do this sort of thing for just anyone. One of my 'events to remember' happend on a four hour drive from my in-laws house back to home. My youngest was 6 months at the time (I've got three) and we decided to stop halfway and change her nappy. As soon as we put the new nappy under her (the last one of course!) she pooped. We were dreading having her in the baby capsule for two hours with no protection, so my wife (nothing phases her after 3 kids) took out a 'sanitary napkin' (is that understandable in the US) and put this under her. It was the longest 2 hour car trip of our lives - and of course - no accidents all that way. Andrew

Antony Great to see another Canberran on the board Hope all goes well in your building - and remember your money has to be spent on someting, might as well be a boat!!

Dave My Ryobi cordless drill has been working nonstop for over 8 years - Its great (after I epoxied it back together after a drop from a great height :oops: ) - But the router was also Ryobi (possibly the cheapest one they make!!) Mike OUCH!! :shock: I didn't notice the crack in the 'straight edge' for the next few cuts I did - I was too busy treating the saw with a whole new lot of respect!! Just goes to show how complacent I had become with these 'easy to use' tools - now I'm back to the 'kids, these things are REALLY REALLY dangerous' stage, and that's probably not a bad thing Andrew