Don Silsbe

Farmers Insurance has provided us with both liability and replacement insurance on my “homemade boat” (as it appears on the policy), along with the motor and trailer. No inspection was required. It costs about $150/year

The second coat looks better. There are a few spots begging for a third coat, so I will do some sanding and apply a third. This week is a cool one, which will work in my favor. One thing I noticed— I painted the forward section after the after section, and I did not thin the paint between sections. There was a noticeable difference in the orange peel between the two, the bow being lumpier. That tells me that I need to pay closer attention to maintaining my paint to a 40% thinned point. The fact that Devthane is an industrial polyurethane hints that it may start out thicker than our marine paints, hence the high dissolving ratios. One more thing. There was a little part I missed on the forward bit of Two Bits, so I dabbed some paint on with my brush. I didn’t spread it out very much, and the brush was a low-to-medium-priced brush. The paint laid down, and was the smoothest of the whole job! That said, I would love to learn how to spray paint boats, but I have no tutor.

It looks to me like a dodger is the best solution. But a simple spray cover would also work. There are several options for the attachment method. I have my eye on the Loxx Pull It Up fasteners, although I have no experience with them. Other possibilities are the ubiquitous Lift-the-Dot and Twist-Lock fasteners. Simple snaps are also possible, but are notorious for ease of un-snapping. They are all available through Sailrite, if you are a do-it-yourselfer. I’ve included a link to the Loxx page on their website. While you’re at it, look at using Top Notch 9 for the fabric. https://www.sailrite.com/search?keywords=Loxx

Do anything possible to make it fun for the kids.

Midday Report Well, it was an ambitious plan, anyway. And a but naïve. I made a batch of paint, and thinned some of it 20% after the induction time. I painted the forward half with this. I found the paint to be still thicker than I expected. For the aft section, I thinned it to 30%. Better, but still a little heavy. I think I’m gonna give it a second coat this afternoon (thinned to 40%), and let it harden a couple of days. If need be, I’ll sand it with 320, and try a thin coat on top of the other two. It is still better than what was there before. The roller worked great. I rolled it on masking tape to remove any lint. It held up to the job, only giving up one tuft of mohair. FORWARD HALF AFTER HALF

Today’s the day. I will apply three coats without sanding in-between. I will allow each coat to dry, but re-coat as soon as possible, while the poly is still green. I will be generous with the T-0031 reducer, thinning to around 20%. I’m adding the thinner just before use. I have some 4”, 3/16” nap rollers that I got for the job. They were recommended by a professional shipwright from Wisconsin (on YouTube, Boatworkstoday). The temps are not supposed to go above the mid-70’s. Fingers crossed!

I took a design of experiments class once. The teacher told us to write down our expected results before we ran the experiment. If the results weren’t in line with our expected results, we should consider the results as “learning”. I suggest that you do the same. You might learn something. From what you said, you sort of already admit it. My wife loves the high sprit, since it doesn’t come close to her head. She says my cat ketch is the best boat I’ve ever had.

@Paul356— In the 60’s??? I think you’d better break out an actual thermometer. Better question: When was ice-out? Whatever the answer, you beat out Ted Johanson. Way to go!

OK, boys and girls, I have repented for past sins. I believe my mistake was not paying attention the the evaporation of my thinner. I think the paint simply got too thick for the final coat. To quote Peter Noone, “Second verse, same as the first!” Today, Two Bits got sanded down to a smooth surface. This afternoon, I dabbed gray primer where needed. That’ll get a second coat tonight. Tomorrow calls for fair weather. (Meaning, I’ll fair any holes and spots that look needy.) By then, my rollers will have arrived. Monday and Tuesday are booked, so maybe Wednesday is the big day to roll on a couple of thin coats of blue. Let’s do this! Get this— I put on a long sleeved tee shirt and bibbed overalls to do the sanding. Then, I put on my respirator and gloves, rolled up my sleeves, and got to work. Rolled up my sleeves??? Doh!

B’B’s built-up mast is very easy to make. I know that on my Two Paw 8 an aluminum top section was available. One might be available for yours. (See photos below.) B&B also fabricates end plugs out of Starboard. I would not hesitate to build another one of these masts. (I’ve built three so far.). It’s easy as pie, and would save you a lot of weight. This weighs 7#. Here are all three sections. The top section has a shaft added for a masthead float. The section on the right is shown inverted, with the bottom towards you. This is how I built up the mast tubing to fit the existing mast step diameter. This is a closeup showing how I built up the sections to fit into one another. The hole in the bottom of the right (lowest) section is how I prevent mast rotation. The plans call for something different, but there were reasons for me to do it this way. On this boat, I made the sections removable, so I can take it apart for easy storage. On my Bay River Skiff, they are permanently glued together. Also on that boat I used some lumberyard Spruce for the top section.

Looks great!

Cruising on Avocet this winter has introduced me to sailing with a wonderful group os small boat sailors, tje West Coast Trailer Sailing Squadron (Florida). It has inspired me to have a go at a second design iteration for a tent. The list of attributes must include: 1) Being able to sit up inside. 2) Being able to make my morning coffee out of the rain. 3) Being weatherproof enough to withstand a 20mph breeze. 4) Being able to adjust the anchor without dismantling the entire tent. There are other fish to fry right now, but I’ve already started sketching.

Today, Avocet is on her way back home to Wisconsin. I am grateful to Ted for sharing her with me, and trusting me to care for her. The attached video was one of the highlites of my trip to Florida. Ted flew down for a few days, and we sailed in Charlotte Harbor. The broad reach back to the ramp was thrilling. IMG_8945.mov

Russell Brown’s series is awesome and intimidating at the same time. He is such a perfectionist! Alan Stewart’s series on building a Core Sound 15 is also excellent. https://youtu.be/bPjfXCXAxwE

Image IMG 2479 will not appear for me. EVERYTHING— every wooden surface is coated with three coats of epoxy. Two, at the very minimum. This makes your boat an epoxy/fiberglass boat with a wooden substrate.

Andy— Your new boat is going to be so different than Wildcat! I’d love to be a fly on the wall when you start getting acquainted with her. Unfortunately, I probably won’t get to see her this summer. Our Michigan summer gets interrupted by three weeks of cataract surgery, back here in NC. Keep us informed!

I always like to luff my sails as I approach a dock, in case I need to make another pass. But every situation is different. Also, with a light boat like the Amanda, she will react to puffs, even with the sail luffing.

Andy— I got a ride in a CS20 mk1 at a messabout once. Wow! What a nice, large boat! So happy you found her.

I’ll bet that leading the halyard aft helps a lot.

I wasn’t too concerned about the righting stresses on the c/b trunk. It is securely attached to the bunk panel on the port side with glass tape. The starboard side is then intrinsically connected via the trunk’s structure. (Avocet’s trunk has a reinforcing cap of fiberglass over the entire final structure.)

I vote in favor of a/c, at least in the Gulf States. Summers on a Mississippi bayou are sweltering. I would have many sleepless nights, cruising there.

I agree with Kennee, that the location of these “Silsbes” (funny) is not that critical. I like them to be such that I can reach to both ends of the compartment below. I’m not talking about the front face. I’m talking about the sealing surface between the underside of the lid and that inner rim of the assembly shown in your photos. There needs to be a constant gap equal to about 1/2 the thickness* of the gasket foam you intend to use. I used a 3/8” (10mm?) thick foam seal, so my gap is an even 3/16” (5mm). The way I got this was by making my rims flush with the rest of the assembly, setting my router’s depth to 3/16”, and running it around the rim. I’ve attempted to mark up one of your photos, to explain what I mean. The black squiggly line is mine. Hope this helps. * An assumption on my part. I don’t see this specified on the plans, which I have not reviewed in a long time.

I hesitate to reply to this, because I don’t have an Amanda or Spindrift. But the halyard should be lowered first, then the leech of the sail tightened up to the reef point. The downhaul should then be transferred to the grommet in the luff of the sail associated with the reef points. Then, the halyard is drawn up to put the boom in the “normal” position, more or less. Finish by tightening the new downhaul. You may then gather up the excess foot of the sail with the nettles. Again, this is a general answer, and not Amanda-specific. I do reserve the right to be wrong! But I’ve been waiting for someone qualified to answer your question, to no avail.

I believe that both are beneficial. I wish I’d had the time to do Avocet’s c/b. It would definitely help her pointing ability.

You're starting to see the finish line, now! She’s gonna be a beauty.