Steve Day

Garry, I got my hardware and sail from Graham this past Thursday. I finally got a good weather day on a Saturday, so I got a bunch done. Alas, I left the camera at the shop and can't upload any pictures tonight. I turned her over and cut the hole in the hull for the centerboard. I was able to epoxy the trunk in place two weeks ago and was set to do the hole anytime, but had to screw my courage up a bit to actually do it. I used the plunge router and a flush laminate bit. The cut was really fast and clean, but I couldn't cut more than about 2/3 of the hole because the router couldn't reach. :oops: I finished the remainder with a hand coping saw. The hole looks really good. I also cut the holes for the self-bailers (one in each hull) and drilled the holes for the bolts to hold the hulls together. Finished out the day cutting and epoxying the blocks for the bottom mast plug and the mast step. Finished the bushings for the mast, so I will be able to put that together tomorrow. It's starting to look like I will have it ready by the time the weather allows a normal person to sail in Nebraska. Steve

Garry, Man, you're just truckin' right along on your boat. You must be working in the evenings and weekends. I can only get out to the hangar on the weekends with any reliability, and that only works when the temps are above about 40. Building a boat up here in an un-heated facility can slow things down quite a bit. BTW, I think you asked me what the wood was in my rubrails in another thread. I used two plys of poplar with a ply of oak on the outside. Bends went quite well with that makeup of woods. Steve

Guys, I started a good discussion here. Thanks for all of the thoughts. The long discussion from Klaus is a welcome diversion. I would have expected our friends "down under" to be sailing while we are all discussing it up here with all of the cold weather. :wink: I think I am going to put my eye down low. I will be putting a block in the floatation compartment and will fit a substantial eye that I happen to have on hand. Thanks all for the interesting comments. Steve

Guys, I would like a few opinions on the placement of the bow eye on the spindrift. In the pictures supplied on the disk that Graham provided, the tow eye looks like it is quite high on the bow. In fact the center of the eye appears to be a couple of inches below the rub rail. One of the complete boats featured on that same disk shows the tow eye lower on the bow, if fact just above the place that the sides join the bottom pieces on the bow. Down where a trailerable boat would have the eye for the winch line to bring the boat onto the trailer. Based on my experience towing boats, I would think that the lower position would tow better, particularly in any kind of sea. Anybody have an opinion, or practical experience that would either confirm or debunk my thoughts? I am getting a lot closer. The construction on the floatation compartments is complete. Now I am turning my attention to centerboard trunk, mast, mast step, rudder, and oars, in generally that order. This thing is starting to look like it will be finished soon. Looks like good temperatures for boat construction this weekend. Steve

I'll vote for 2005 with a delivery in the November time frame. It would be very nice to have one to replace my 2004 calendar at the end of the year. Thanks for all the hard work, Frank. Steve

Well, it finally got warm enough to work on the boat. I was able to get out today and put some time in on the floatation chambers and get the tops epoxied onto them. Also got the block under the mast step epoxied in place. Here are a couple of shots of the progress. I just might get this done by spring. Steve [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

Thanks for the good words, Graham. I was extremely careful about the measurements when I cut and sanded to get the final line on the hull and thought I was doing OK. However, I did not get a batten against the hull until I was fitting the keel. That was when I spotted the "dish." It isn't too deep (less than 1/4"), so I'm not too worried about it. It will stand up to the "20-foot test." Your words are good advice to boatbuilders that are cutting out and getting ready to "go 3D." I know that I will pay a lot more attention to this when I build another boat. Steve

Frank, Maybe a calendar that is 1/2 year off (July - June) from what everybody else makes. That way you could have time to get it done and the work would be in the winter/spring rather than the "high" sailing season of late summer/early fall. I am using the 2004 calendar with last year's pictures and enjoy it nearly every day. It is nice to look at other projects that have been successful to inspire me to be diligent and complete my boat. Thanks for all that you do to make this forum work. Steve

Now I find out. I guess I should have called earlier. I found this same problem, but forged on ahead and sucked everything up to the nesting bulkheads. It really isn't too bad, but you can definitely see the "dish" in the hull on my boat. Now I'm wondering if the performance will be affected appreciably. :oops: No use crying over spilt milk. I'm in too far to consider any changes now. Garry, That is a nice looking boat. Maybe we will get together one of these days and be able to see if there is an appreciable difference in our Spindrifts. Steve

I have to put a few words in here. I stitched my Spindrift 10 using the butterfly method all by myself. It was "interesting" to do it that way and I would encourage anyone to get at least one other person to help. However, I did get it done by myself with no major problems. Once I got the general shape, it was a matter of tightening a little here and there to gradually pull the bow sections together. I believe I got a fair hull. Reading Graham's advice and using my own experience, I would highly recommend the butterfly method. Good luck on your repairs. Steve

I know it is off-center and it fits quite neatly in front of the galley area. I think that is one of the slicker design aspects of the Belhaven. I was looking at the picture and thinking that the one end of the slot looked like it was further away from the keel than the other. I was pretty sure it was an optical illusion, but wanted to ask. Thanks for the reassurance. Steve

Laura & Alexander, You are doing great! Keep working on her and keep the pictures coming. We love to see you doing something you will come to love. Steve

Scott, That is a slick looking boat! She looks very good. I really like the looks of the glass on the sides. One question. In the second picture, we are looking at the hull from behind the transom. It appears the centerboard is not aligned with the centerline. I suspect it is an optical illusion, but it got my attention. Is it, or isn't it? I'm sure it is built as the plans indicate, as you are doing an excellent job. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. I just wish it would warm up here so I could work on my boat. :cry: Steve

Frank, I just never pictured you looking like that! I knew someone would do that, but I didn't expect it to be you. Glad to see there is still a lighter side to this forum. Steve

Barry, You got a lot more out of yours than I did mine. I ended up selling it to another guy when I was in college. I don't know what ever became of it. However, it started me down a path that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I'll never forget the project or the fun we had on that boat. Steve

Mr. Scott, Welcome to the site! We are glad to see that we have another convert to our way of life. Building boats is an experience that is unforgettable. Whatever your age when you start, there is a tendency for you to want to make more boats once you make one. The motives for doing more vary, but I think it is primarily because it is fun. I was floored to see that there really was more than one person that has built the "Sailing Surfboard" that was in Boy's Life all of those years ago. That was my first boat too, Barry. I had a ball on that boat around Boynton Beach, Florida and learned a heck of a lot about sailing. Started me on a lifetime in and around the sea. I too was laid off from a 20 year job in Florida and found myself working in Nebraska for the last 10 years. We long to get back near the ocean, but my present Spindrift project will get me out on the water in Nebraska, if I can find water that isn't frozen. Good luck on your project. You will have a lot of fun with it. Steve

Styge, I just took shipment on my 6061 T6 tubing as specified in the Spindrift plans. I got mine from Speedmetals in Willoughby, Ohio. They weren't the cheapest I could find, but four days after my order, the tubing was on my doorstep. It was really easy to order and they were VERY customer oriented for my really tiny order. I have to admit, it was a lot easier since I was ordering 72" lengths. Their website is: https://www.speedmetals.com/default2.asp Thanks, Steve

Hey guys, I am down at Guantanamo Bay on a visit with my mother-in-law, who is visiting as a VIP for Cuban-American Friendship Day. My Father-in-Law was Base Commander down here during the water crisis in 1964 and is much loved by the Cubans on the base and the military personnel serving here. We had a little personal time this morning, so we went sailing in a Hunter 306 for a couple of hours and just got back. Great sail! :D Temperature was about 80 degrees and wind was about 10 knots from the north. Bay was absolutely beautiful. The photo that accompanies my notes was taken on my sailboat in Point Clear, AL. Unfortunately, by the time I cropped it down to get out on the site, you can't see any of the sailboat. :cry: I really enjoy seeing pictures of the participants in the forum. Keep them coming. The only down side to the trip down here is that I will have to go back to cold country. I'll be back in Nebraska on Sunday :cry: Steve

We used draw knives a lot with the Boy Scout Troop I worked with in Florida. We did most of our Pioneering Projects without many lashings as we used holes and pins to fasten the poles together. It was really fun to teach those boys how to use the draw knives and they got a good feel for how it was done in the "old days." I find the draw knife and spoke shave really useful for projects like the oars. I have drawn out my oars and will cut them and start that process soon. Right now, I'm taking advantage of the warmer weather to do epoxy work. Are we havin' fun yet? Steve

What I nice looking rig. Bright finish on the hull and multi striped sails. I'm jealous! Steve

I would have to agree with Frank. I use Raka and find Larry to be a great guy, eager to help. His product is the only one I have used recently, but I spent a lot of time looking when I was researching my Spindrift project. Top notch stuff, great service, very personable and friendly folks. It just doen't get any better than that! Steve

Crop the photo down and it should reduce the size. Another thought would be to reduce the resolution. Steve

Oyster, We're on our way to Guantanamo Bay this month and will be passing through Norfolk. Looks like you're a bit too far for me to sneak down on the way through. We keep the Beneteau on the east shore of Mobile Bay in Point Clear, AL at the Marriott Hotel marina. I don't know where BayouLe Batre is, unfortunately. Maybe next time, Steve

Oyster, York is about 90 to 100 miles west of Omaha on I-80, depending on what part of Omaha you're going to. When we go to the airport to fly out of there, we generally can make it in about 1:45 from the house in York. If you look at a map of Nebraska, York is about 1/2 way between Lincoln and Grand Island. Incidently, we are almost exactly halfway between Chicago and Denver, too. There is not a lot of water around here to float a big boat - that's one of the main reasons we keep the Beneteau on Mobile Bay. How far are you from Norfolk, VA? Steve

Perhaps I should have started with something like "How to keep your epoxy (maybe even 'buns') warm." That's certainly where it all ended up. There are a couple of great tips in this thread. Thanks for the discussion, Steve