Phil Gowans

FYI: I couldn't see that the anti metric side had much to stand on, but for those interested there are some out there with other ideas. I looked around and found this: http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/Metrication/metrication.htm

When I was in school the metric system was touted to be the thing of the future and the United States would shortly be forced to into switching over to it because it was so superior to the arbitrary system we had inherited from the provincial English. I for one was ready for the change and couldn't understand why many couldn't see this coming eventuality. Older people especially seemed to be the most stubborn. Well time has passed and now I are one of them - (older that is). I still feel that the metric system is nice to use since it matches our system of arithmetic (base 10). I wouldn't say the metric system is completely superior in every respect. Natural systems of measurement also have some advantages. Take for instance measuring rope in fathoms. People (even though many are different) have a natural way to measure a fathom of rope. Stretch out your arms and you have a fathom. How do you do that with meters? Measuring with a foot / inch scale offers many easy ways to divide up distances. For instance to find the midpoint of 3/4" object you have to measure 3/8". It takes no real thought to compute and with a scale marked with quarters' date=' eighths, sixteenths marked it is even easier. Doing such types of things with a metric scale isn't near as nice. Ten divisions on a scale just so we have base 10 arithmetic is not necessarily better.[/list']Doing certain types of processes don't always lend themselves well to a different way of doing things. For instance with measuring in the kitchen. Most old recipes used common types of objects for measuring. For instance every kitchen had a cup, a teaspoon, and a tablespoon. Precision was not the issue - convenience was. When something works find why switch over to metric? When I lived in New Zealand, I never could figure out their system of recipes. Perhaps it is because they did everything based on weight not volume. (A question for you kiwis - Do you use weight because you are metric or is it unrelated?). I'm sure there are more ideas out there. This is all that come to mind. At this point of over 50 years of experience with the imperial system and relating everything to it, I don't mind if the US does not change. I was in N.Z. when they converted from pounds to dollars and I remember the horrible time many of the older kiwis had with that change. They felt lost and many had more trouble than I did with pounds & shillings. They would hold out their hand with money in it and say "take what you want". Look at this web site for an interesting view: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ockham/stories/s11563.htm

Simon, I didn't even attempt to conform to the waterline. My graphite is about 5 inches higher than the chine all the way along the hull. Because my hull is dark green you have to look really hard to see where the separation is. My goal was "British racing green". I find that my green looks almost black. Because of the angle of the hull and the kind of lighting you get on water, dark colors look really dark. For that reason I wish I had chosen a bit lighter color. I don't think the hull sides really attract that much sun, at least on a weekender. Remember that when the sun is at it hottest it is shining on the deck not the sides. My dark deck does show some signs of getting too much sun though. I'm glad I keep ALOHA covered 99% of the time. SeaEagle, PVC - totally sacrificial. That's an interesting idea. How would you attach it? That's where my no metal on the bottom becomes a problem.

Barry, Thanks for the detailed reply. I can see I need a lot more time. I had originally decided to make time and drive down around Tacoma skipping the ferries so that I knew I could be there early enough for my sail. I've got about 1000 miles to drive each way. If I high tail it the first day maybe I can do that trip on the way the second day. I don't even know where I will be on the boat, just that the first day it will go to Sidney and will be in Canadian waters for the race. I would love to meet with you, but knowing just where I'm going to be and when is really hard to predict yet. Hopefully I'll be able to know more as I get along. I was even planning to sleep in the car if I had to just because the traveling is so up in the air. I looked up Sammamish and it's not too far from Seattle. It sounds like I need to at least go to the CWB on my way. Perhaps the next week we can get together - Fish & Chips sounds great. Thanks again.

Barry, What's that web site? I am going to be in the Puget Sound area for that sail training next week. I don't have to be there 'till Thursday morning. I'm allowing 2 days drive up and 2 days back the next week. Hopefully that will give me a little free time. I'd like to check out a few other things while I'm there. Is the CWB a good place to visit? Could I see that Friendship sloop? Is there anything else I ought to see? I plan to check out Port Townsend a bit while I'm there. I haven't been to Washington State since the Worlds Fair. (What was that '64?) I have a niece in Edmonds and a nephew in Yakima. I wish I could come a few days earlier and run into y'all at the Festival, but I'm leaving SWMBO for too long as it is and don't want to be gone over Mother's day as well. Any suggestions?

Simon, I don't remember the mix ratio. I know the first time I put it in I used lots more than called for and it worked fine. I usually mix it like I do cabosil. I think the only danger would be using too little that it wouldn't provide the UV protection. I got my graphite from a fellow boat builder. He just gave me some. I is just a fine power. System 3 sells it and here's what they say in their book:

Yes, I used the heavy 24-oz. cloth recommended for stitch and glue to protect the keel bottom. It is not a mat, I've also been warned not to use that. I also used it on the chine edges. Then I painted on a few coats of graphite / epoxy mix. I wasn't quite sure about this step, but some driftboat builders recommended it. I originally launched in late 2000, so I've had a little over 2 years on the boat. This spring it was time for a good "dry dock" inspection and some maintenance. The tape had started to separate from the stem at the upper edge. It looked pretty ugly. I filled that with some epoxy - you can't even tell it was done now, except for the shiny spot of graphite there. I have beached the boat lots in sand, mud, and gravel and even banged into some rocks. Our shores on many reservoirs are quite varied. I have left her beached for up to 3 days at a time. The report: During the inspection I found a few gouges on the keel and the worst section on the very bottom it had worn away all of the graphite coating, but there was no exposed wood anywhere. I used the 24-oz. cloth because I had it (this was before I had heard about using kevlar). I was very impressed with the way the keel had held up. I was very glad I had gone to the effort of doing this. In fact it really wasn't very much effort and I had the epoxy and cloth so the expense was nil. It was easy to fix the gouges. A little sanding some thickened epoxy and a new coat of graphite - As good as new. I considered the sacrificial strip. I'm glad I didn't do it. I sometimes sail in the Great Salt Lake. For those of you who think you are salty sailors, you have no conception of how much more concentrated the salt is here. There is more than 10 times the salt in the Great Salt Lake than the ocean. For this reason, I did not want any metal (screws etc.) in the hull. Here's a picture of the bottom. The brown redish brown is the color of the micro-balloon filler. The white scrapes are just that "sanding" with a paint scrapper. The black is not shiny now, more of a dulled black. It still looks good though and there is no need to paint.

I've been also dreaming about a vacation to the Norfolk broads. This link is a yacht rental outfit that has some neat gaff rigged boats (along with some others). They claim that you don't need any certificate to use their boats. They will take you out until you are comfortable with the boat, then it's yours. My wife wouldn't consider paying to go work on somebodys schooner, but she would consider this. If you aren't familiar with the Broads, it is Englands newest National park, and looks like a wonderful sailing time.

Derek I really envy you up in Washington. You have so many things going on with sailing and wooden boats. There's just a whole ton of things. Almost as much as New England. For Alcyone try the : Wooden Boat Foundation My dream trip on was on the R.Tucker Thompson of Opua NZ. You can volunteer on the Lady Washington For Historical, educational ship links for lots of links to Tall ships and Sailtraining[/url]

One of my goals is to try to simplify things on my boat and to make most things myself. Often that means making them a little more traditional. For my new lapper I wasn't sure I wanted a sail track on the deck. I decided to make some fair leads and attach them at the correct location right to the deck.

Mark, I think you've got something there. If your boat doesn't have a name, I dare you to name it: Babe Magnet.

I'm scheduled in a little over a week for 6 days on a 65' schooner out of Port Townsend for sailtraining. It's in conjunction with the "Old Gaffers Race" in B.C. I'm really looking forward to it. It's a live aboard experience and I want to do everything. I have been intrigued with the idea of life at sea so long I'm about ready to wet myself, which I will probably end up doing. I'm not after any particular training - it's the whole gestalt of the thing I'm after. There is no certification offered. I would like something that would offer me to be able to bareboat. This may be a little impractical to learn to sail a weekender, but I'm doing if for fun. I'll take pictures and put them on my site. There are some great sounding experiences out there. The one last fall I was tempted to do, but couldn't spare the time was a 3 month sail from San Diego to the Bay of Islands NZ through Cabo, Marquises, Tahiti, Tonga, & Rarotonga. It covered "room and board" and all port stays and it only cost $2000. You were considered as if you were crew. I really had to think hard about that one, but I was afraid that my boss would find he could do without me if I was gone for that long.

I use 2 single blocks. A buntline hitch to the becket on the bottom block reeved throught the top (port to starboard) then starboard to port on the bottom so the line will come out on the port. This I run through a block attached to the bottom of the of the fore shroud and to the cockpit.

As mentioned scarfing plywood is much better than scarfing rub rails. There is so much more surface area for the glue to hold and so much less stess on the joint of a large panel. I would still recommend scarf joints on the plywood dispite my side little problem :oops: . BTW for rails I used 18' mahogany benders that I had cut the day before so they would be fresh. I wet them well and still had 1 break. It was a good thing I bought 2 extra. There really is a lot of force on those rails.

One of the best places for ss I've found is Suncor Stainless although I have had good luck with ACE hardware too. That way you don't have the freight. My favorite ACE place stopped carrying most of their hardware, but I've found some others that do keep a good stock.

Ray, I agree, the Stevensons offer quite a deal. Their plans are quite complete for the builder. Their web site pretty much shows much of what a study plan would. However, they do not have line drawings. Personally I like to see them. They gave me permission to put them on the web and I hope that the drawings will further attract people to the Weekender. I would also advise anyone serious about building also purchase their video. It offers some great suggestions and tips for construction.

I don't understand it. I have IE 6.0 and updated to Acrobat Reader 5.1. It acts like it is going to work (that is: takes some time and has even showed the Acrobat about box) but says done and does not display. Prior versions of IE worked. I can even open the file directly with the IE OPEN option, but from a link it doesn't work. :roll: It just doesn't loat Acrobat at all. :?:

The Stevensons don't sell a study plan. What they offer is a complete construction booklet. I have drawn up some line drawings if you want to look at those. The best set is in pdf: http://www.pragdata.com/Philboat/WePlan.pdf, but I can't get that to load with my current version of IE. I don't understand how they do plug-ins so I've not yet been successful trying to figure out why, but it works fine with Netscape.

I want to make some fenders myself, this link is the best I've found. http://www.dsv.nl/~salmaj/ropefender.htm

On my spreader page I show this picture: and have this text: My attempt was to get the spreader as small as possible. Many others are quite larger. You would want to make sure those dimensions are adaquate for your boat. Hope that helps.

To this point, I've fabricated a number of items for ALOHA out of stainless steel. The're quite easy to cut with a cut-off wheel on a circular saw. The hardest thing to me is drilling holes. A good cobalt drill bit helps some. The best thing about doing it, it's all been FREE. A local SS manufacturer lets me take their scraps for nothing. :wink: But, if you don't want to do the drilling, Tom's work looks good. I wondered why he didn't offer a spreader.

Arnie's right. I'm currently putting a through bolt on the bottom of my spreader. The forces are just too great. My mast was split from rotational forces. Nothing that epoxy can't fix. But don't use just a screw. Even though my mast is hollow I put a large cap on the top to plug the hole making it essentially solid, so a through bolt will work. I'm also making a ss band to reinforce it for extra insurance.

Now that's service. Thanks Frank! :BIG: Seaman Recruit I can handle.

Poggy bait - is junk food, especially the fattening kind. Malts, candy, chips etc. Gedunk - is a place to find poggy bait, most pxs, or ships have a gedunk. Sometimes gedunk can be items purchased at a gedunk. I've not heard the term Gedunk Gofer, I assume it is someone who frequents a gedunk.