Steve Day

Konrad, In an attempt to service your request, I went back to my photos and made them a bit larger. Here are a couple of samples of the revised photos showing the progress to date. Steve

We got a good day's work in today and managed to get the stern "tunnel" planking on the boat. We also cut and dry-fit the bow planking from the sheer to the chine. There are a couple of adjustments to make to that planking and we will glue that to the frames sometime next week. It doesn't look like too much is happening until you start to plank. 8) I am beginning to wonder whether anyone is interested in this boat because there have been precious few comment from you guys. Are you looking at the thread? Should I continue to post pictures? Here are some shots of the boat at the end of the day today. Steve

I finally got out to work on the boat today. I was figuring that we would be working on the final shaping of the forward ribs and planking from the stem back to the existing side planking. I got there to find that Wally had cut and made the initial dry fit of the tunnel planking for the starboard side. The bend is quite interesting and the cuts are intricate, so we need to make a few adjustments before we glue the planking in place. I was able to shape the forward ribs so that we can fit the forward planking tomorrow and Saturday, along with the tunnel planking. Could be an interesting couple of days with a lot of work accomplished. Here are a couple of pics of the dry fit tunnel planking. Steve

As we had hoped and prayed, the storm was a non-event for us personally. Our 40 footer weathered the NW winds quite well with no damage. The wind had her heeled over in the slip, but the mooring lines held her away from dock and pilings. The other boats in the water that we work with also came through just fine. The neighbors just to the north of our marina lost about 1/3 of their pier to the NW winds and waves, and there was damage to several of the piers north of the marina. The hotel (we keep the boat in the Grand Hotel Marina) lost some railing along the seawall to the waves. We got 2.78" of rain and winds of 35 40 knots. The eye of the disintegrating storm passed over us at about daybreak. Most of the damage came after the eye when the wind switched over to the NW quadrant. Steve

Very nice work. It's always interesting to make the actual pieces and fit them together. You can see so much more like that than you can on some computer screen. Keep going, and keep taking pictures. Steve

Your boat looks great! There is no feeling like sailing in a boat YOU BUILT! Congratulations! Steve

We haven't blown away yet! The storm will make landfall around midnight tonight as it is turning into an extra-tropical storm. Looks like we will get a lot of rain with winds up to 50 knots or so. We doubled lines on the boat this morning as a precaution and are going to ride it out here at the house. More to come on the morrow. Steve

Wally and I were able to get to the shop together today and put the first two pieces of planking on the side of the boat at the stern. We were slowed down by some errors in the dimensions of the frames where we had to glue small pieces onto two of the frames. These adjustments were made on frame 11 and the planking was put on. Frame 2 had the pieces glued on today and will be ready for planking on the forward section before Thursday. Between Hurricane Ida's approach and our work and meeting schedules, we won't get a chance to work together until Thursday. Hurricane Ida is approaching our coast and all of the models I have seen are predicting landfall at the mouth of Mobile Bay sometime Monday night or Tuesday morning. We were just told that the storm is now a Category 2, but it is predicted to weaken as it comes ashore. There is a storm surge predicted at about 4 to 6 feet in Mobile Bay, but that will depend on where the eye actually comes ashore. We are hoping and praying that the storm will be a non-event. Here are a couple of pictures that I took of the boat today. Steve

Mike, Good to see you're back at work. Nice progress and interesting vent structure. I like it! Steve

I agree with the recommendation for Barkeeper's Friend. We use it on the boat and it is even recommended for glass top stoves at the house. I have not found a better stainless steel cleaner anywhere. The Star-Brite products have a new cleaner for bird & spider poop (a constant problem on a sailboat here in Alabama). I tried it on the boat yesterday and it really works with very little labor (a good thing). Star-Brite also has a great rust stain remover and fiberglass stain remover. They are all about $13 a spray bottle at West Marine, but really work well. Steve

Amen!

I was just taking a "shot" at Mike with the short Simmons comment. It was good to see he was able to get up there. Steve

How did that short "Simmons" get in there among those B&B boats? Steve

Incidents like that make a person wonder about requiring qualifications to run a boat. There are not too many people like that, but there are enough of them out there to make you wonder. One of the greatest sources of entertainment (when I am not involved) is to watch some of the drama at the local boat ramps. Steve

Ow! I thought you were playing with the 12 now. Sorry to hear about the 22. At least, when we built them, re-building them is not too difficult. Have a good one, Steve

When we used to go from West Palm Beach to West End or Lucaya in the Bahamas (about 55 nm), we used to leave in the evening and arrive the next morning. That put us out at sea at night, but our approach to shore was in the daylight. I would recommend you not try to approach your destination in darkness in any case. We had relatively small boats and always ran in company with others on that crossing. If one of us got in trouble, the others were nearby to assist. The EPIRB is a great safety device, and I do not go to sea without one. However, I never go expecting to use it. It's kinda like the parachute I used when I flew sailplanes. A VERY EXPENSIVE seat cushion, but really cheap insurance, if needed. Contemplating a trip like that is very interesting. I suspect it would be quite an adventure in a Core Sound. Steve

Mike, Glad to hear you were able to make it over to Graham's for the messabout. I am sorry that I missed it, but it wasn't going to happen for us this year. It's good to get home after all of that traveling! Steve

Well, after over a week away from the boat build, I spent a good portion of today working on it. Wally had cut the keel planking while I was gone and we glued and screwed it in place today. After placing it, we beveled the sides of the keel to prepare for the next planking. We still need to do a bit more on that, but it is mostly ready. I also added reinforcement to the stern "block" to better secure it. You can see the progress in the photos. Joe, Do you live in St. Petersburg? Welcome to the forum. I hope we can help you get started in boatbuilding. If you have any questions, please ask. Someone here can probably help. Steve

Mike, I understand the situation. It was probably quite pretty up in the "hills" coming back. We were up in Atlanta helping our son (aka "kidney boy") settle into his new house early in the week. You know the drill. Put in faucets, fix toilets, make a few cuts to fit the 'fridge in, install a medicine cabinet, etc. We went to New Orleans Thursday to see "Cats." Our daughter is on the touring company as a crew member. It is fun showing people how neat the Garvey is and how well it can take rough water. I'm sure the "short" Simmons is a lot like that. Steve

I agree! Good on 'ya, mate. Steve

Larry, Glad to hear you're still alive and well. I am out of town in Atlanta, GA visiting our son and his new house. Gina would not be happy if we didn't come up here to see the place and her "baby." Should be back by Wednesday. Steve

I have a really busy week this week. I don't know whether I will have time to dig out the pictures until sometime next week. I will get them as soon as I can and relay them to you. In the meantime, there was at least one thread about the Diva2 build here on this forum. Here is the thread starting the project: http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=5548.0 Here is the thread showing progress on the Diva2: http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=5655.0 Here is the thread as we were getting ready to paint: http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=5733.0 Here are some shots of the launching: http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=5751.0 Hope those help, Steve

Didn't get time to work on the boat this past weekend, but was able to get pictures of the progress to date. Photos are attached. Steve

I have Diva2 pictures. What would you like to see? That's it on in my Avitar. Steve

He mentioned Port Arthur. I think his son is near there. He commented that he was taking a skiff over there. I did not hear which one, or why he was taking it. He is hoping to stop by and see the Rescue Minor on the way back, if we can arrange the logistics. Steve