SteveKos

Hello all. Well today was the day I finally put 'Aqua-bat' to the test and got her feet wet. All was arranged to meet some friends at a local beach and to have a launching ceremony, champagne on the bow (poured of course) and everything . It all nearly didn't happen though, as there was a problem with the new trailer's lights. It turned out to be a blown indicator fuse in my car. I remember someone saying once never to plug a trailer plug in with the ignition on as it can cause accidental shorts. That's what it must have been . Anyway, I tracked down the problem and replaced a blown fuse, which fixed the lights, and off we went. I unloaded the boat and started rigging up. It took awhile even though I had only just finished rigging her last night. On the beach it's another matter! I got lots of comments from passers-by which was a nice ego boost . On the beach all rigged and ready she made a pretty sight. I have more shots to post and others being sent from friends who were in attendance. I should have a video too which was shot by Labrat who met me down there as well. Anyway, how did she perform?! In a word, great! The spindrift is a lovely boat to sail. Agile but forgiving and very stable. The winds were failry light - to 10 knots - and ideal for a first outing. I was able to get used to the layout, controls and handling in very benign conditions. She sails great on all points of sail, and cuts through the chop easily. The only issue I encountered was that I have a bit of an issue with slight lee helm. Not real bad but I need to fix it. I knew that with my sail I needed to bring the daggerboard forward a bit, but I had to install the trunk before I could check it with the actual sail. But I think I can tackle it in a few ways: The sail is laced very tight to the mast. I was going to loosen it off anyway, and that should give me another inch or so of CE to aft. I could adjust the mast foot a bit to get a bit of rake aftwards. This will move the CE about another inch or two. My daggerboard seems to have a rake to aft. I could possibly add a fillet to one edge to get a slightly tighter fit and eliminate the rake. This might give me another inch or so. This sail is a 'test' sail by Polytarp International. It wasn't expensive and I deliberately wanted to try out the sail so I could gauge the balance of the boat. I can order another one with a different sail shape to move the CE aft and try that. I could install a small mizzen. It would have to be off centre to allow for the tiller, but I could install a mizzen of only a few sq ft, which would not only balance the helm, but also give me some more sail area. (I'm not sure about this one though). Any other suggestions for correcting this issue? Other than she sails beautifully and I'm sure I can sort out the helm balance.

You are right. The thought of having to cartop the boat even with a boat loader isn't appealing. I can now keep my boat on the trailer and hitch up within seconds and I'm gone. Much more sailing to be had that way!

Bought the trailer yesterday. I wasn't expecting to get one as good for the price, but spotted this one on Gumtree and it's going to do very nicely. Not the best shot but I will post more after the launch, which is happening tomorrow morning!!

I guess I did it all wrong with the drilling. I used a hand drill, fast speed and no water. It got red hot but eventually I managed to break through. Another lesson for a future time .

Latest forecast for the weekend looks good. Might be a good time to start getting excited Yes Bob. You are invited if you can make it. I've planned it for Saturday morning at Seacliff. Give me a call if you can get there. Some more pics: I was scratching my head about how to stow the oars. I came up with a simple but very effective solution: The oars are very strongly held and it takes quite allot of force to budge them The springiness of the oars means that they stay put with just the shock cord and the little pad eyes as retainers. I will post some more pics of the mast set up and the rest of the rigging hopefully tomorrow night.

Yes, but that's the romance of it all! There's no satisfaction in just buying a boat off the shelf, only the enjoyment of sailing it. Building a boat from scratch and then sailing it - now that's a feeling no money can buy! Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

Tonight I started attaching fittings, starting with the rudder: I had some trouble finding a stainless steel spring clip such as Graham recommends, so I used an old kitchen knife blade. I cut it down with my Dremel, and bent it into shape. It works perfectly,but I ruined 2 drill bits drilling holes to attach it. Oh well, nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without sacrifice I am now attaching rigging fittings. I seem to spend ages just standing there thinking, trying to make sure I get the fittings in the right places. I did fit a cleat in the wrong spot on the daggerboard trunk, so I have had to fill the holes and I'll paint over those tomorrow. I will need to make the dolly to get the boat outside so I can set up the mast and rigging. That will be done over the next couple of days. I have pretty much completed the boat loader. Looks like launch is on track for this weekend, if the weather cooperates.

I used a local (Australian) brand - Norglass Paints. I used a 2 pack polyurethane for the hull, and a single pack premium marine gloss enamel for the topside. Both are Opal White (light cream). The white in the earlier shots is the undercoat only, which is two different types. I used Norglass Pri-coat first, but I used a Dulux external grade primer/undercoat for the other two coats. I like the Dulux better, as it has good fill properties but a better flow so it left a very smooth surface without much sanding needed. I used a total of 3 coats of undercoat and 2 good coats of enamel. The enamel is very opaque and covers really well without many runs, so 2 coats ended up doing a great job. I have not got enough left for a full coat so I'll keep it for touch ups. For an enamel it seems to be very tough. The varnish is Weatherfast Poly Clear marine varnish. I think it is a single pack Polyester varnish with good abrasion resistance and high levels of UV stabilisers and inhibitors. I am applying 5 coats of that on all the brightwork areas. I was going to go with a 2 pack clear gloss on the brightwork but I had both and decided to go with one that was easier for maintenance.

A few pics of the feature bits with their first coat of varnish. I was amazed at how just a few bright finished feature bits make such a difference. With the rudder finished the same 'Aquabat' is going to look a picture. . I am definitely aiming to christen her next weekend as long as the weather permits.

First coat of enamel on the topside. This looks great! It was worth the effort to clean up and fill all those little imperfections. I will still apply 2 more coats. This is one case where my photos don't do justice to the reality . The cream colour is a bit darker than the photos show (flash). This is going to look great contrasted with the bright finished feature bits.

I was thinking of the mini for the Spindrift 11. I don't quite know, but I'm not an aggressive sailer so I don't imagine I will need something too large. Is there a guide somewhere as to which size they recommend for various boat hull sizes?

Thanks for that Dale. Looks like the info I have read on other forums is biased to the negative. I will get hold of an Andersen bailer then and get it installed. Still happy to be guided re installation tips.

Sorry my post does read pretty much like a case against the Andersen bailer rather than a question. Actually I really haven't decided. Sounds like there are good some reasons why they are so popular. I remember when I was much younger and not really interested in sailing at that time a friend had a sailboat that i went out with him on a few times. He had an Andersen in that which I recall worked very well. Are there ant tips re installing it so there are no leakage issues? Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

Hello all. I am thinking about what kind of bailer to use in my Spindrift 11. I notice that many people opt for the Andersen self-bailer but I have read about a lot of problems with them leaking, and not being effective unless you can get a decent speed up for them to be effective. Considering the potential problems with sealing and seating the cut-out, and the cost of the bailer itself, whether a simple bucket and sponge would be enough. Considering the design of the Spindrift, there's plenty of floatation and the cockpit isn't very large. I would imagine that even if it was totally swamped, it would still float well, and a minute or two with a hand bailer bucket would get enough water out to get underway. I just use a large sponge on my kayak and it's amazing how much water can be removed quickly with just this.

If one of the jobs of a good primer is to reveal imperfections then it certainly worked. I got to it with some Agnew's Water Putty and filled and leveled everything I could find. Then I applied a second coat of primer. This time it is much smoother and the finish is getting pretty good. I think this second coat is so good I will hardly need to touch it other than a very light sand to get some little gritty bits off here and there. So it's top coats this week, and clear coating the bright finished bits after that. I reckon I might be ready to wet her weekend after next. By the way, I've got a name for her. "Aquabat". I think this is a fitting name for an agile little boat that can do all things well, whether sailing, rowing or motoring .

Just the one update pic today. The first coat of primer/undercoat went on today. I was a bit shocked to see all the blemishes I thought I had smoothed out revealed as being less than perfect! Lots of little dings and dags , chips, pin holes and stuff I didn't see before were highlighted as the primer was applied. I will have to do some more work with the sander than I was expecting to get the topside truly fair. I guess that's what prep involves . Even so, overall it looks nice, and will come up well after several primer coats are applied and sanded. Something I wasn't expecting though. I shook the can well before opening, but as I got to the bottom there was a thick layer on the bottom. I expect that was a high-fill thickener that should have been mixed into the rest before using, but the instructions don't mention stirring the paint before using. I will mix the next can more thoroughly!

A couple more photos. The tiller glued up. Taping off the areas for bright finishing, ready for priming the topside.

Yes, the mast is almost finished. I've got the 3 section glassing done, but I can't finish the mast completely until I get back to the topside. I need to get the sail foot positioned re the mast collar and then I can trim the mast top to suit the length. I still need to make the sprit for the sail but I will use a length of aluminium tube I have on hand for the time being. The rudder box is complete, just needs the tiller handle finished, and all varnished. I had a bit of a rework to do on the rudder box as I didn't make the centre filler long enough to mount the tiller handle on it, so I had to fit a top piece to the rudder box. I've almost finished making the boat loader too. I will make the dolly over the next couple of weeks. Still a bit to do but I'm loving it!

Fitted the rub strip tonight. It's only aluminium but I don't expect to be dragging it over rough ground too often, so it will suffice I think. It's embedded with Silicone and screwed in place. I also removed the masking tape protecting the gunwales. On the first side I just tried to lift it off, by pulling it up, but it left thin strips stuck to the timber along the painted edge. I used a utility knife to cut along the line, which worked, mostly, but one one section of about 4" the blade slid up on the fresh paint and left some of it loose like a sliver. Fortunately I had some mixed paint in a pot just left out, so I removed the skin off the paint, and underneath was still ok, so I just applied a bit with a rubber glove to the spot. It will be fine I think, and it won't be seen right under the gunwale. Just shows you've got to be careful with sharp knives! I used a different technique for the other side, I removed the tape by holding it close to the edge by the painted area, and lifted off while twisting it towards the hull, breaking the paint line easily without any problem. Learning - always learning!

Well, fortunately the weather man can be wrong sometimes. Today was an unexpected window of opportunity to paint the boat. 18deg C, 58% humidity and fine. I must admit that being the first time I have used 2 pack polyurethane paint, and being a bit overwhelmed with all the technical gobbledigook about how to use it, I decided to try painting with it straight with no thinning and just rolling, no tipping, because I couldn't get anyone willing to help with tipping-off at short notice. I did try rolling and tipping the transom, but it didn't make that much of a difference anyway, although I probably could have done the whole lot myself if I had been brave enough . To my surprise it wasn't all that hard, or different to other paints I've used. It flowed well straight out of the tin (mixed of course), and being fairly cool it didn't go off too quickly so I could deal with any developing runs while it was still wet. The finish wasn't perfect, but my fairing wasn't either, so I was prepared for that. But actually the fairly high-fill properties of the paint and the slight stipple in the finish helped to mask the imperfections anyway. These shots give a bit better look to the finish than it is, but it isn't too bad. Not professional, but that was never my goal anyway. My boat is a utilitarian project, not a showpiece, so I'm happy with the result.

I question whether it does much for this either. It is a waterproof barrier, better than virtually any other coating. Rub rails, keels, chine strips (these are not in B&B plans, but can be added), or fiberglass and other laminated materials are the best for protecting the plywood, but you pay for it in weight. These are not fragile boats. A little care avoids a lot of minor damage. And remember, if you can build it, you can repair it. Well said H. The great thing about S&G building is that there is virtually no damage that cannot be repaired with the same tools used to build it in the first place. I dropped my kayak off my roof rack once and it split almost in half crossways at the front bulkhead (it is made from 3mm oukume). I thought it was done for but I was able to repair it almost good as new in a couple of hours. Also, when building it I noticed toward the end of the build that the aft transom was off square (I know, I know ). I just cut it all off straight, sanded it all true and epoxy-taped it back on. No-one would ever know (except for the photos I published on another forum). Obviously the bigger the boat the more time and expense in making repairs, but it is reassuring all the same.

Looks like I'll be stalled for a week or more with winter-like weather for tge next week or more. I called Norglass for advice on applying the 2 pack poly paint I'm using, and they tell me that I should not paint if max temps are under 18 and humidity is above 70%. Oh well, I'll have to focus on the other jobs, although I'm getting to the end of them now. Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

Ok, this is where the boys leave the room (me). All I want is a finish that looks good, is reasonably durable and can be applied by a non-professional with passable results. It seems everyone you ask who's supposed to know has a different opinion. I think I'll just chose and have done with it. Life's too short to wring one's hands over which clear finish to put on a few bits of timber. Like with all things, there's no perfect solution to any problem, only different ones. Thanks for the advice and education, but sometimes just making a choice and moving on is the best choice. Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

Ok. Well I think I might change to the one pack then. I still have enough left from my last build fpr the little areas I am needing it for. It's a couple of years old but it should be ok if I strain out any hardened bits. Not much needed. Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

What about just priming with an epoxy primer? I bought one which is water thin and was recommended just as a primer under varnish. My first question would be why? What does it do that a thinned "primer" coat of varnish would not do? Just because someone makes a product does not mean there is necessarily even the slightest reason to use it. Next I would wonder what it is, the product that is? Penetrating epoxies are just solvent thinned epoxies. The result being that all of the characteristics that make epoxy what it is are compromised. Is this stuff thinned epoxy? For me to do something, I need evidence that their is a good reason to do it. I have never seen nor heard of any particularly good evidence that epoxy under varnish on solid wood accomplishes anything better than the varnish does by itself. I have found, from experience and from others, that trying to refinish wood that has epoxy under varnish is a royal pain in the @$$. I am open to new ideas and new products. But show me evidence first that it is an improvement. Thanks H for that. I just read the manufacturer's (Norglass Paints) instructions again for the 2 pack varnish I'm using, and - surprise surprise - they don't actually recommend a primer under it at all. I was sold the primer by the salesman in the boat supply store (!! I'll be returning it - if I can find the receipt ). The manufacturer's guide doesn't even stipulate thinning the first coat, although they do say it can be thinned if wished (which I think I will, to get a better penetration into the timber). They advise appying the 2 pack coating straight over a good clean but unprimed surface. Live and learn as they say! Just confirms again that you can't trust everyone in a boat supply store. I'll have to suss out the best store (and staff person) to consult for future projects, and even talk to the manufacturer to confirm recommendations. I thought I was gaining in knowledge but I still find that there's so much mis-information around on all subjects, even from so-called 'experts', that one could be forgiven for staying away from DIY. But thanks to forums such as this one the dangers of making huge un-correctable mistakes are minimized.