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Steve Day

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Everything posted by Steve Day

  1. Good ideas, Oyster. I had not thought of the warming tray or the bun warmer. Both are a good idea. My shop is 4 miles from the house, so it is difficult to keep the epoxy in the house until I need it. I am keeping it in the house when I am not at the shop, but it goes when I go and it has plenty of time to cool off before I'm ready to use it. We have been blessed with really warm (for Nebraska) weather so far this winter and I'm hoping for at least another week or so, before the cold stuff comes. We have seen highs consistently in the 40's the past few weeks. Thanks for the tips, Steve
  2. Cm'on Greg. You'll get there. I have been fighting cold weather to get epoxy to cure. I finally brought the centerboard and rudder home to warm temperatures to get them to cure correctly. The centerboard is straight, but I'm going to have to do the rudder again because it has a bend in it. :oops: Maybe I can make it straight by cutting the "bent" portion off and putting additional strips to the other side. :wink: Ain't it wonderful building these boats? Later, Steve
  3. Can any of you that have built Spindrift 10N's help me with a dimension? I have perused the plans quite a few times and cannot determine where the seats/flotation chambers end on the after seats. The forward bulkheads of the angled seats are supposed to be 5" wide, but there appears to be no locator dimension for where that bulkhead is supposed to be. Graham, Are you back yet? Thanks, Steve
  4. I went out for a couple of hours yesterday and built cradles for the horses to hold the hull properly in the upright position. Covered them in carpet and turned the boat over. I am impressed with how light the hull is at this point. The boat looks impressive sitting right side up! (I'll take some pictures tomorrow.) I cut the strips for the centerboard and positioned them in the correct configuration for the next step, which is the epoxy. It looks like it will be warm enough for me to epoxy the board tomorrow. Christmas was quiet for us with the kids too far away to come home this year. :cry: But I got to work on the boat! Steve
  5. Hi guys! Merry Christmas. One would think we would have something better to do on Christmas than type messages into this forum, but I have a lull in the proceedings around here and thought I'd see what is going on. I have towed a dinghy behind my 40' Beneteau a little, but is an Avon inflatable. There never have been surfing problems with it becuse of its configuration. Besides, it wouldn't have hurt anything if it hit the boat anyway. When I know I'm going to be maneuvering a lot, I bring it up and put the bow of the inflatable right up on the stern of the boat and tie it off. That way the painter can't get to the prop and the boat can't get in the way of any of the maneuvers. I think something like that would be a good idea with a Spindrift, too, but I really haven't given it a lot of thought. I sailed tugs in the Navy, so some of the rigs we used there come to mind. The idea is to get the boat under control without leaving lines in the water and keeping the boats from beating each other up. In a harbor situation with relative calm, that's not such a big deal, but when there is a sea, it becomes more of a concern. Maybe some of you old salts might like to chime in on this. Steve "Tugboat" Day
  6. I made a minor milestone yesterday afternoon. The keel has been epoxied and screwed to the hull! It seems like it has been forever since I turned the boat over back in October, but I have been mostly sanding and fairing the seam tapes to the remainder of the hull. It is a labor intensive process, and I was away several of the weekends, in addition to a couple of open houses we put on. However, progress is being made. I am going to purchase the material for the centerboard this afternoon, so that I can work on that, too. I'm almost ready to turn the boat back over and start on the inside. Here's a picture of the keel in place. Steve [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]
  7. Lots of good boating around your area. I haven't had any occasion to sail there yet, but it looks very interesting. I've flown over that area a fair amount back and forth from Florida to the northeast. Ferried a few airplanes into and out of North Carolina near the coast, too. looking forward to sailing those waters in the future. We got sailing the Mobile Bay/Pensacola area with the Beneteau because we charter the boat, and have thoroughly enjoyed the waters and the people. We can't wait to move down that way to be closer to the boat and the warm weather. Steve
  8. So Oyster, Where do you hail from? Have you done anything down on the Gulf coast? Steve
  9. York, Nebraska and Point Clear, Alabama are right at 1200 miles apart. we generally drive down twice a year to visit the boat. However, I am ready to make a move down that way and am working on a location within 250 miles or so from Point Clear. I was looking at the Swamp Witch and thinking it would be an excellent Bass boat, or Bonefish, or gunkholer. I would like to meet the gentleman. Seems he is an excellent craftsman. Steve
  10. Brent, Funny you should ask. I have a 40' Beneteau at Point Clear on Mobile Bay which I charter when we are not on it. I've spent a good deal of time on the Bay and surrounding areas to the east (toward Pensacola). I love to explore shallow areas, but cannot do so with the 5'6" draft of the 40 footer. (This is one of the reasons I'm building the Spindrift 10N.) There are a lot of areas that would be nearly perfect for your boat between Orange Beach and Pensacola. You would be near civilization, but as you get further up the bayous, you can get away from it, too. Also, lots of relatively open water where I sail the Beneteau. Feel free to contact me offline if you like. I have quite a bit of information on the area. 8) Steve Good to see that you are going to be able to take advantage of the trailerability of the boat.
  11. Scott, Funny you should be considering the smoothness of the hull. I am sanding and filling my hull right now. It slowed the project down and is consuming lots of manhours, but the results should be worth it. I wish I could work on it more, but the 'honeydo's" and the holidays are getting in the way. BTW, I made a sanding block for a belt sander belt out of a scrap piece of 1/4" Okume 3" x 18" and it worked great! As I was telling a friend of mine about it, he mentioned that stores like NAPA carry 2-3/4" x 18" sanding sheets with adhesive on the back for automotive body work that are a heck of a lot cheaper than sanding belts. I made another block out of 1/4" and bought some of the sheets. These work as well as the belt (if not better) and save me money. As an added blessing, you get to work on your upper body strength. (The motion is quite similar to grinding on my jib sheet winches.) You might want to consider them. Have a nice Thaksgiving, Steve
  12. Graham, That is a slick installation! I have been thinking that I can eliminate a source of concern on my big boat by powering my Spindrift with an electric motor vs. a gasoline outboard. Obviously, I won't have to build a well, but it reinforces my thoughts about electric propulsion. Thanks for the cool photos. Steve
  13. Scott, You aren't boring me. Judging by the number of times the pictures have been seen there are a bunch of other folks out there that enjoy seeing your pictures, too. Keep 'em coming. I am catching a few construction hints from them too. Steve
  14. We had a pretty good day here in Nebraska yesterday. It got up to the mid to high 60's on Nov 11. All the guys had their motorcycles out and Steve was putting glass tape on the outer hull seams. Used a little heat in the morning, but had the hangar door open in the afternoon. Here are a couple of shots of the boat after I got the seams taped and one coat of filler on top of the glass. We're making progress now, but it's going to be cooler later this week. Steve [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]
  15. Scott, Very nice work! I particularly like the detail on the centerboard. (Do we call it a centerboard when it is off-center?) The boat is progressing well. Steve
  16. Those are great thoughts, Graham. We are thinking about building another Spindrift for a friend of mine here in York after we get mine done. I'm sure that it will not be the nesting version. Also, my son wants me to build one for him. That will most likely not be a nesting version either. The thing that swung it to a nesting version for me was the deck space issue on the 40 footer. Great discussion! Steve
  17. Brent, I would have to agree with Ray for most of the reasons he mentioned. Actually, a lot of those considerations went into my decision to build the 10N. I am living here in Nebraska and wanted something that could store and transport easily for me to "feed my habit" of sailing between trips to our boat in Alabama. I think the 10N is going to be nearly ideal for this purpose. Eventually, we are going to move back to the south and be near "Day's Dream" and I also wanted something that we can use as a tender for her. The 10N fills both of those needs quite handily. I would either recommend the 10 or the 10N for your son. Come to think of it, my Dad and I built an 8' pram as my first boat. Steve
  18. Well, I reached another milestone in the effort to get my Spindrift built. We turned the hull over this past Saturday and I have started to work on the shaping for the seams to accept fiberglass and epoxy. It is cool to go into the shop and see her in the new position. Here are two pictures of her. Steve [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]
  19. Scott, Glad to see you are getting some shop time. It's getting a bit cold here, so I am working on heating schemes at the moment. Looking forward to your progress. I was able to turn the spindrift over on Saturday and am now doing the sanding in preparation for the epoxy/fiberglass work on the outside of the hull. Steve
  20. I tried the 9 oz Solo cups. They work GREAT! I have mixed about four or five batches of epoxy since I switched to these cups. The rapid cleanup (throw the cup, brush and tongue depressor away) makes this my preferred method of mixing smaller batches of epoxy. I think I'll keep the other containers for any larger batches of epoxy. However, I've found that a couple of smaller batches, vs. a single larger batch, allow me to have better control of the reaction, so I think that I will stick to the Solo cups for the most part. Thanks so much for the excellent tip. Steve
  21. I am also going to try the solo cup method. I have been re-using the graduated cups that I bought from Raka and they work great, but sometimes it's bit tough to get the cured epoxy out of the cup. This looks like a neat way to get around that little problem. Thanks for the tip. Steve
  22. Take it from a guy who was the son in a project like yours - the memories last a lifetime. My dad and I built an 8' pram when I was about 12. I wasn't a lot of help, but I learned a lot. The boat I'm working on now is my fourth. I would give most anything if my dad were still alive to take part in this one, but he was here for numbers 3 and 4. Cherish the moments, your son will remember them for his whole life. I know I do. Steve
  23. I like that methodology! I have a little time before I get to that point, but I'm going to try this approach. All in all, this is well timed. Thanks for the great tip! Steve
  24. Wow! I guess I generated a bunch of questions. :shock: Here goes on the answers. I'm sure Graham would echo this. Make sure you stick right to the dimensions he lays out on the drawings. I cut about 1/8" to 1/4" outside the pencil lines with the sabre saw and took it the rest of the way to the line with the belt sander. I tried to be as precise as possible following the line and it paid off big time. The boat fits very well. The idea of the bevel on the forward section is great and it makes it fit very well. The belt sander is albost too fast for that bevel, but it makes a nicer surface than even my very sharp block plane. Take your time with the stitching. It will come together, but don't rush it and work the stitches together to keep excessive strain off any one stitch. 8) If I had a woulda, coulda, shoulda it would be to make sure you have at least two people present when you go 3D. That extra set of hands is invaluable, even on a small boat like this. I started the process alone and my buddy Bill showed up about 3 hours into the process. I wish he had been there from the start. The other bit of advice is that when you start to do the fillets (I started today), mix the epoxy thick enough to stand by itself. My first batch was a little too loose, and I was working with it for a long time until it started to set. :oops: The next two batches were about the thickness of Bondo and I used a little more fast hardener and it went a lot better. I am using Okume BS1088 plywood. I listened to the folks in the discussion group and opted for the lighter, more workable Okume over the Miranti I was thinking about. I bought it from Noah's and had absolutely no trouble with the order or the service. From my experience, I would recommend them highly. It was pricey, but worth it. The 4 sheets cost $55.00 US plus $120.00 US to ship it to Lincoln, Nebraska. I had to go about 50 miles to pick it up, but saved an additional $50 shipping by doing so. They shipped it out on Yellow Freight on a Monday and I had it in my hands on Thursday afternoon. I hope those observations help. I will be going sailing on my big boat for a week down in Alabama, so after tomorrow, you won't hear from me until after the 14th. Steve
  25. Greg, She is a 10N. Here is another shot of her completely stitched and ready for epoxy tacking. The ugly guy is me and the good looking lady is my wife Gina. Steve [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]
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