Action Tiger

Is it really that much more mild this winter? Seem to remember drifts of snow surrounding your last project. Dories and skiffs always shock me with how darn lovely they are. Peace, Robert

This thread had nothing whatever to do with a professional boatbuilder building a boat for a paying client. You may remember I gave nothing but compliments and made a few jokes, and not at your expense, nor in any way teasing you nor denigrating your craft, on a thread of yours, and you flipped out. Then you come here and post rude comments. Yes, I know. Jokes. Ha. Ha. I have been posting for years, and not just promoting my business. Frankly, I only shared because everyone here has been polite, even when explaining my mistakes or decisions I made they disagreed with. Shoot, PAR gave me what for a few posts ago, and never had to be rude. But, dang. The thought of you coming along and dropping your crass opinion on my future threads makes me reluctant to post them. I may not post anything else here. Peace, Robert

Depending on when you lived in SF, you may have cut me off on my bike while I was cutting through traffic delivering packages. Peace, Robert

The horse is dead, guys. I plan to make the lift pump just a standard square type type with a plunger and flapper. I have made a few, and they work pretty well. Hard to clog. Peace, Robert

Don, I dig. I was chewed out in all caps for making a joke. I dig. And I endeavor to always be polite, and to correct any misunderstandings in a timely manner... My boat isn't crap. It isn't made with the cheapest crap I could find, but rather the best quality available. Frankly, the fir I can get is head and shoulders above the imported marine stuff. Did I mention the ultra expensive order of "marine" luaun garbage I rejected just before deciding to use fir? I lost my deposit rejecting it. And, yes, it is childish and jerky to quit posting. Sorry everyone. I'm a childish jerk. Meh. I will start a thread about some semi spoon oars I'm going to make for a rowboat, and the lift pump I'm going to make for my sailboat. And many other things, as has been my custom, because I'm not just here to push my business. Peace, Robert

Greg, I've been building anthropometrically measured skin on frame kayaks for some 20 odd years. With one stick, I can measure a person in about ten minutes. Then, about 60 hours later, I can have a frame ready to test fit, then skin. I like cutting mortises and lashing. They are very meditative. I also enjoy straight, plain wood. I've done several sampans, punts, pirogues, and skiffs in plain wood. Lapped sides and cross planked bottoms. Just dumb old pond and swamp boats. I built a bunch of strip/glass canoes and stitch and glues, and swore I'd never do glass and gloop again, hence the title of the thread. My fave is skin on frame. Then wood. Then ply. Then, anything with epoxy.:) Peace, Robert

Ken, Thanks for the kind words. I love this place, man. Lots of cool friends I would never otherwise be able to meet and speak to. It is AWESOME. But. Man. I just DON'T do internet. I do one other forum (about boats) and a fowl magazine (hehe) and that's it. Too much anonymous bile, for me. When I was jumped for cracking jokes, I apologized, and deleted ALL my comments that might have offended. Is my boat odd? Yes. Is domestic fir ply crap? No. It is just disappointing to share and have your work called crap. But. I still have a Sneakeasy to restore, a CS 17 to rehab and finish off, a Kudzu boat to finish painting, and lift pump to make, some spoon oars, a canoe story... By the by, we just watched Life Aquatic, and I thought of you. Nice to "hear" from you, mate! Peace, Robert

It looks rude in my post when I apologized to my grandpa. That was my grandpa. I'm third generation painter. Trained, and worked as one for years. Only paint under duress, now. Peace, Robert

Greg, I quit warming the epoxy. The idea worked, but the environment was still too cool, in my opinion, for a good cure. I just wait until temps are good, now. This boat also reminded me why I quit using epoxy years ago. I don't like building boats this way. Peace, Robert

Tim, Nice to build boats with our kids, eh? Not so nice when they expose our quirks by emulating them, eh? I have used only latex paint on my boats for years, as oil based paints and supplies are harder to come by around these parts. I am applying it to my long suffering Firefly build in a much too intricate pattern, I realize too late. I honestly think some of the new latex porch and floor paints are better than older alkyd style paints. Sorry grandpa. Good luck! Peace, Robert

Paul, I always appreciate your words. And I thank you for the compliments. But, I ain't fishing, ain't being a teenager, and ain't quitting the forum. Though I have been posting less and less. That may continue. I have already had to defend my choices on this thread, had the materials declared substandard and the design lacking in substance and looks. And, now again. I have spent a few years here, trying to build good relationships with people. I truly, truly consider some of you my friends, and I'm trying hard to get myself all the way over to the right coast to see y'all in person. I just don't really Internet because I don't dig computers, at all, or this stupid smart phone that is hard to type on. This is pretty much it. Well, there is one other boat forum, but no other internet. It's extra time and effort to document and post progress. Not a lot, but enough. I truly am sorry if everyone is going to miss out on anything, but I'm also adamant about rudeness. Paul, you were very considerate and rational when you laid out the shortcomings of Doug fir. That bothered me not one whit. My boat was very clearly called crap. It's right in post #102. Insulting and rude. Period. Of course, we can always say later how we were joking when we said rude stuff, right? Wrong. Peace, Robert

Meh, I got plenty of other stuff to share. I just really can't tolerate rudeness, especially when it's anonymous and petty. I have met too many neat people here to leave, or let this ruin anything, but I'm pretty much done sharing this project. I'll post a picture of the finished boat. Peace, Robert

You know. I have thought about it. I'm done with this thread. I was out working on the foils, and I just could not help thinking about my crap boat. Sorry, guys. One bad apple spoiled the barrel. I'm not going through all the work of posting to be insulted again. I'm done. Bye. Peace, Robert

Sweet. I like your plane guide. Peace, Robert

The other one is much harder to read. These are awesome, Chick. You are a good story teller, Feller! Please, keep,with the fun tales from the "good old days". They're great reads for us all in the slow times, and they reveal a lot about you. I love it! Peace, Robert

I guess? I didn't try to use cheap crap, but domestic ply rather than imported exotic hardwood from the rainforest. The time I've taken has been fairing with a longboard by hand. It takes a while to go from one end of a twenty foot boat to the other with a hand longboard. And, I'm not sure it's that unusual to fair glass. I've had to fair every glass application I didn't use peel ply or a substitute for. Maybe if I was a pro I could do better. I run about 50 miles a week, many of them "slow", say 8-9 minutes. I regularly run 17 minute 5ks and 35 minute 10ks. I also throw down sub 3 hour marathons. You know, slow... Thanks for the implication my boat is crap, though. Between biting my head off for joking on one of your threads, and insulting my boat and work, you may just be the one to drive me away from here, for good. Peace, Robert

Oh. Maybe I'm thinking of some other famous fly fishing guy. Oops. Peace, Robert

Yeah, I figured you meant Lefty. Sad to be upstaged as a fisherman by your wife, eh? That's a lovely fly. What size is the hook? Peace, Robert

Okay. I'm assuming you mean Lefty, Lefty. What's a deceiver?

To be clear, the ply itself is fine. Fir ain't all that bad. The cloth I applied, though, is a little, um, wavy in spots. Well, the fill coats were wavy. It all looked much smoother before the color went on.:) Peace, Robert

Oh, yes. My wife is so excited for me to finish this stupid boat, so,I,can fix the Sneakeasy. Me, too. There is a fair amount of work when I look at it, but 90% cosmetic. Whee! Peace, Robert

Yeah. Orange. I was bummed, at first, because I was set on yellow, but when, ahem, we, saw the orange... Ah, well. It's gonna look crazy. That's all that matters. I made my mizzen partner/step today. I need to glue it up and glue on my skeg. Those and the leeboard mount are the only bits left to glue to the outside. The hull is undergoing ONE more round of fairing, because. Well, why not? It's never gonna be perfect, but there are a few large, flat surfaces here. I think I may mess around and finish this thing one day. Maybe. Peace, Robert

Terrible news. My wife found this viscous orange color. I have to admit, I like it very much. No more yellow boat. But, the priming is almost done. I think one more round of prime and sand and fill and sand and prime and sand and fill and prime, and then I can paint. Foils are getting final foil before glassing, and the spars are being addressed, sortof. Oars, too. Mostly. The loose ends are flying together! Peace, Robert

Please tell me you hooted like apes when you unearthed that thing! Nice work. Peace, Robert

Oh, Dang. Commodore 64. Haha. My buddy had a Vic20, then Commodore 64. Shoot, now he's some computer nerd for someone making big bucks. Me? I figured computers were a fad and bounced. Ah, well. My friend can't draw or skateboard, so I think I won, in the end.:) Peace, Robert