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Hirilonde

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Everything posted by Hirilonde

  1. Ah, now this thread makes more sense to me. Now the 2 criteria are much closer.
  2. When I glue teak I clean both surfaces to be glued with acetone or alcohol. I do this to remove the natural oils teak has from these surfaces to improve the bond. I let the cleaner dry (only takes a couple minutes with tone or alcohol) so as not to contaminate the epoxy. I have never heard anything good about adding thinners to epoxy. If I am gluing very porous materials with epoxy I sometimes wet out the 2 surfaces with epoxy with no cabosil or 406 for absorbtion. Then I add the filler and apply a second coat before bonding and clamping. The heating idea Charlie mentions works well, but keep in mind it speeds up the cure as well, especially the stuff still in the pot.
  3. Hello all! I've been reading the messing-about boards for a while now and even joined and made a few posts already. I found this forum as a result of B&B and the fact that I bought plans for a Spindrift 9N so I will make my into here. I live in RI but work as a carpenter in a boatyard in CT. My son is off in college and my daughter is nearly done with high school. This fact (the financial aspect of it) and that I have a free place to store a boat meant it was time to get back into sailing. Last fall I bought 1967 Pearson Renegade #51. http://www.renegade27.org/ It was structually sound but a mess. I spent 8 months refitting her and have enjoyed daysailing this summer. Now this winter I add cushions, hopefully a dodger and a dinghy. This should make her ready for some serious cruising next summer. I spent a ton of time researching and debating the pros and cons of almost every conceivable option for a tender. I want a dinghy that rows and sails well. I want one that tows well but can be put on the deck of a 27 footer for long passages or stormy weather. I want to sail into a harbor in the afternoon on Hirilond
  4. Trailerable and ocean cruiser? I guess everyone has there own opinions but I don't really see both of those criteria fitting the same boat. My thoughts are that each would compromise the other too much. I beat myself up debating similar issues as well and couldn't find a suitable mix. I settled on an old Pearson Renegade which I refitted myself. http://www.renegade27.org/ Comfortable (relatively speaking) and seaworthy won out over trailerable.
  5. Sitka Spruce is the wood of choice over the years. The 7 Concordias I help take care of all have spruce spars. Long stringy grain and light weight. But I agree, that for commonly available lumber, Doug Fir is probably the best.
  6. I would think the plast-dip would work fine. The tacky characteristic it has for other solid objects has little if any relationship to how the coated rudder will flow through water. It probably isn't as drag free as the new high-tech hard racing bottom paints. But unless you are entering an important race; who cares? :wink:
  7. Looks like you had a great trip. Narraganset Bay is such a great place to sail. Many have proclaimed it the best small boat sailing on the east coast. I work in a boatyard and we have very few customers who could compete with Jeff in a fun/season contest
  8. At the boatyard where I work we repaint aluminum spars all the time. We use Awlgrip products on them. After prep and a serious cleaning of the surfaces we apply several coats of Awlgrip 545 2-part epoxy primer. If applied at intervals of 1 to 9 hours between coats it can be "hot" recoated; that means no sanding between coats needed. After 3 to 10 coats of primer (we have some very picky and wealthy customers) the primer is sanded with 400g paper and sprayed with Awlgrip 2-part linear polymer polyurethane topcoat. Some have us sand again and dress with clear. Awlgrip can also be brushed. The results, though not a car finish like sprayed, are still quite good. I will be using these products on my Spindrift 9N this winter. I will be "rolling and tipping" If you choose to use 2 part epoxies and polyurethanes make sure to read the MSDSs and DO NOT skimp on the safety equipment they call for.
  9. Is "plasti-dip" the stuff you dip tool handles into, like pliers?
  10. If there is any piece on a dinghy where resilience is more important than weight; you have found it. I am certainly considering weight for my choice for gunwhales, probably going to choose Sitka Spruce. But since every time I drag my tender the keel batten is going to suffer for it I think I am going to use African Mahogany. It has long stringy fibers that bend well and resist abrasion. It glues well and is quite rot resistant. I'm not sure how available it is in areas where boat building doesn't normally occur though.
  11. My mother says that when I was 2 years old I would row cardboard boxes with her best wooden cooking spoons. When I was 5 she would let me row the family pram in 2 feet of water and anchored on a short scope while she watched me row and my brother swim. I don't know how many kids today fell in love with boats early like I did, but if you find one you will make him/her extremely happy. Dave self-restored 1967 Pearson Renegade soon to be started Spindrift 9 Nesting
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