Mike Pennington

Yep, we send him across the boarding plank first, to take out any resistance. You of course noticed how nimble he is on his feet. In truth, he is a professional dumpster raider. He was really upset when they dumped the bin early that day. :wink: I wouldn't have believed he could walk along the edge of the dumpster like that, but a picture is the proof.

Argh! I just lost a long post that I spent some time writing. GRRRR! Basically all over again, yeah, I'm starting to get the picture. I'll lay out the girth widths of my CY using the graph technique to see if I truelly understand. I have my plank widths per station already, so I'll see if I can come close. :idea: My next hurdle will be the planking, I plan to buy some battons to help out with making the patterns, and also investigate the scarphing jig Iain illistartes in 5-6. 19 foot plank lengths seem a bit awkward to handle. Later Greg, thanks for the swift kick in the brain pan :wink: Mike Here is the reason I lost the post, a view from about 2/3's of the way up the Eagle's main mast. To see a few more neat pictures, check out Lars Opland's User Gallery at www.aurorawolf.com only the index page comes up, the site is still under construction, just click on gallery.

Okay, I'll go make my head hurt again you convienced me.

Salty, Dave!

Through bolting the lead bulbs should work, but some flat weights, like railroad tie plates might work as well right above the keel. After sailing with Laura's dad, Mark and his Weekender the Flyer, I think you may eventually decide to go with the keel mounted ballast like Ray's. One thing I know for sure is, you have my vote for just plain gumption. I love that boat of yours, and my hat is off to you. Keep on creating, Mike

Thanks, Greg I am assuming you mean section 3-7, lining off? That part made my head hurt I will probably stay with the four plank for now, since I already started the molds. Stupid me, hired on with Providence Medical Center in Anchorage, at least for a short contract. My wife wants to buy another house, tax deduction :roll: It seems I can only stay retired for a few months at a time. So, this means I am not going to set the molds up on the frame, until I move into that new place. Thus I am reduced to small progects like restoring the Twin-Keeled Islander 23 which is out at my homestead and making ten foot oars out of white spruce and cedar in my garage. Actually, the oar project has caught my interest. I am not sure about my choice of woods, but it is what I have on hand and what the heck, I'm having fun. Mike

Mark, Just call me Mr Gloating The interior has just a little bit of water in the space beneath the cockpit every day. I am not sure whether there is a crack in the fiberglass or if the leak is in one of the hoses of the two through hull drains from the cockpit. The good news is the water does not lreak out of the hull :wink: This may mean no water will leak in. I am making slow progress getting the cockpit to thaw out, I am letting the warm weather and the green house effect of the plastic tarp do the work. When I have the time, I have been angling one of my space heaters down on the giant ice block. The lazzerrets are another matter, one has a gas can frozen fast, the other a plastic pump. so I am definately waiting on the weather to thaw those. No structerial damage that I can find, no exposed wood in the framing. The hull seems to be a couple of inches thick :shock: pretty solid. One of the bunks and right where you step down into the cabin, has a little damage in the fiberglass inserts where the wooden deck plates fit in. I think I can repair this easy enough. The large water tank is empty, but I haven't found the fill port yet. Partially because some of the old cabinetry is still in the way. I plan to use these pieces for paterns, so I am very reluctant to take them out of the boat, until after break up. I'll flush the tank when it stops freezing at night. It has been very hard not to go out and drop a bunch of money on new axles and steel to build another trailer. I am trying to hold off, until I buy that house and boat shop. The old one is trash, as far as I am concerned. Well I might use it to haul some wrecked cars to the junk yard. It seems I gain a few every year, kind of like rocks floating to the top of the lawn after each winter. One of the disadvantages of living at the end of civilization, the dang outlaws dumping their stolen or unwanted cars. The Troopers don't seem to be interested in hauling them off. Nor the owners. Then to top things off, I got another dang job offer. I didn't even apply for it. :twisted: Don't these employers know I have boat projects going on? Mike

Greg, My set of plans for the Caledonia Yawl are in excellent condition. Definitely new. I did perchase his book as well, and although it is fairly general by covering several of his boats, and not just one, it does explane his methods. I purchased my plans from the Wooden Boat Store, and I later found out he sells an updated set for a seven plank boat versus the four plank set from WB. I have also heard something to the effect about him living in another centry. However, from what the builders say from the site we both joined, he is very good about honoring his work. Though he may be a bit slow and someone also made a joke about him using a pencil to write an appology. His plans may be a bit more expensive than the ones WB sells, I payed $150 for the four plank set and the seven plank set cost $200. That may be because there was more work involved in laying out the off sets for molds. Or todays prices. The conclusion I came to about the detail of Iains plans is that you have to put your thinking cap on, study them well before beginning. A more experienced builder might breeze through them, and have no trouble. But I plan to make plenty of paterns and check the build out as I go. I am itching to start, but my time is taken up by the Islander 23 I just bought. Mike

Yepper! A lot of folks display their boats at the Katchemak Wooden Boat Festival in May, down Homer way. On shore at that, not me, I like to cruise off shore. :wink: Somebody's got to show folks what the sails are for. 8) Captain Jake, go ahead and enter, do us all proud. Mike

:oops: maybe I should stop posting late at night :oops: Or take a fresh breath of air every once in awhile. Dang fumes from the space heaters. I only go in long enough to get rid of the water. To many folks have died by similar circumstances. Yes, I am saving the wood for patterns. Mainly, the joinery has just fallen apart. Or some previous heavy handed owner got carried away. The wood is marine ply I believe. Very dark and multiple layered. Some of it I may still be able to use. This is what the original interior looks like, picture from Tim's Ballerina in Scarborough, England. The head is missing in mine, but with our new laws, I'll need one with a tank anyway. That or bring your own bucket WITH a lid. :wink: There is a large water tank under the forward port bunk, I am hoping it is still good. The sink (Tim's boat doesn't have one in the cabnet shown) next to it is also in good shape as well as the single cabnet on the starboard side. The rest is in peices, I did salvage the small cooler, even the refreezable ice pack is still there. Well, I have to go do a little looksy at www.aurorawolf.com before I drive out to the boat yard. And continue the big THAW :shock:

Believe me I am estatic, I started the unthawing the cockpit and bilges today, and ripping out the cabins wood work. The hull is a monster, now I know why she has lasted this long I'll step the mast after I get rid of all the ice. A new trailer is on the books too, the only thing the one she came on is good for is to haul junk cars and a place to restore the Nathayla on. I have been posting photos on my new website, the main page is not up yet, but the galleries and forums are working. Mike

I got to be nuts, maybe crazy, or perhaps insane :shock: Next time I say, I want to restore a boat, somebody please shoot me. You'll be doing me a favor. Ten hours to travel fifteen miles, I wasn't even a mile from where I found the Islander 23, when I started having trouble. There has to be over a ton of ice in the cockpit and bilge. Poor ballance, the trailer was rocking all over the place, you would have thought we were out to sea. Heck, I was only doing 20-25mph. Then disatster, the boat shifted to port and the keel was rubbing against the tire, smoke everywhere, and lucky I didn't have a blow out. It took hours to get her centered again. Lucky I had a generator and welder at home. I had to weld some plates to the frame to block up the keels, which I should have thought of in the first place. :oops: I must say, it is nice to have friends. Folks a person can count on, my wife called them up for me, and I was surprised at the help that showed up. One friend even went out and plowed the driveway, fresh, where I was taking the boat. A special thanks to Herb, Steve, Rich,Lars, Doug and Ike. But most of all my wife, Joan, what a super firstmate. Even though she had to go to work at ten tonight, she hung out till five, before she made the trip home. What a lady. Heck even the State Troopers waved as they drove by, I thought for sure they would stop and get a piece of me :roll: However, all is well now, and the Islander 23, Nathayla, is now at my old boat yard. Tomorrow the unthawing begins :wink: Mike the duefuss

Believe me, I am not ready to retire the Aurorawolf yet. And you can bet one weekend, at least, will be dedicated to Harding Lake this summer. Besides, I want to see what goodies alexander dredges up from the bottom. I might get another good deal. :wink: The twin-keeler may be an Islander 23, built in Essex, England. Not the California version. Tomorrow is the big day for the move, I have her all dug out and the trailer ready to roll. I got the bill of sale this evening. Speaking of treasure, I found charts, four deep sea reels, a flare gun and a pile of fishing gear. Even an out board fuel tank, extension cords and that is only from half of the lockers. And the hardware, my God, cool stuff. :shock: Real blocks! And bronze everywhere.

Ray, Frank, let me take a peek at your new website, most excellent. 8) I'll ask my grandaughter if she'll help me out, but since we got her potty trained it has been tough to get her to go else where. Maybe the motor well will look promising? :wink:

Good advice, Mike. There is a trucker's car wash on the way to where I am taking her. Hopefully the self draining cockpit drains aren't clogged. I really would like to nock as much crud off as I can, before taking her to the pole barn. It snowed a foot last night, so I get to dig her out again, after I get a permit to move her from the DMV. I think I'll chain up too, before I move her out of her tire tracks with that four ton come-a-long. And Yepper, Doc, the more I climb around her, the more I find that needs doing. I just hope the framing is in good condition under the bilge ice. So far I haven't found any exposed wood, so it may all be glassed over structure. I certainly hope so. I emailed the webmaster of the Twin Keeler Organization in England to see if he can help me ID her. And perhaps a hint where to look for an ID plate. I looked under the mast step and aft bulk head, no luck so far. And bad luck or not, I am going to rename her. Phenoix II, has got to go. She has been squating here long enough to get an Alaskan name after her rebirth. A little later today, I'll take a tape measure to her, at least I'll know her length. I plan to post my progress on the new web site I purchased from Frank this weekend. So you can all keep in touch with my trials and tribulations. Yes, as usual, I filled my plate. But I won't be bored this summer that's for sure.

Today I dug my way from the road to the boat. Of course it is still snowing :roll: I used my handyman jack to break the wheels loose, she has been sitting on this trailer since 1991, I believe. By the depth the wheels were sunk in I believe in the same spot She is in poor condition, dirty, the outer wood molding rotten. The hull looks good though, except for one patch up forward. No bulges in the keels, no cracks in the fiberglass that I can find. But for $200 I don't think I got ripped off :wink: The rigging, five sails, winches, stove, anchor and all sorts of odds and ends are still aboard. The trailer included, although it need work too. Heavy! My little 1/2 ton just spun out. In the morning I'll hook up my four ton come-a-long and pull her forward a bit. Then try again. I am still not sure what the heck she is, except maybe British. I will try and post a picture or at least a link to Frank's weekender site where I have a photo album. See last page of Mike's Vacationer. Yes, I have my work cut out for me. But I am game and the eventual reward would be fantastic. I have friends that owe me big time and I have a way for them to work that little debt off :shock: http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQDjAgAYab2w87TBZcLNjK8DYdMaqCQ29mTHJHsgCF9DVv2PcVtkHM8ZRsVwqLJs5ZDhjsf47tgVSn*3qAP1Onj6m6Ag3eXPDrU9my589iNvl3T4s!yaE3OqQKNtzjDY/P3190021.JPG?dc=4675564896172107880

Dave and Ray, I found this link http://www.boatbuilding.com/article.php/advantagesoftwinkeels and I'll certainly find out later to day just what I am dealing with as to design. I am also going to tow her out to my old homestead and see if I can't dry her out in the pole barn. I feel like the kid on the Disney comercial, I keep waking up, a bit excited to sleep well.

My sister in-law's husband called me the other day and asked me if I was interested in buying a boat for cheap. He found a flat bed trailer that he wanted with a sailboat on it. He said if I bought the package deal and gave him the trailer he could swing the deal. Fine by me if the boat was worth it, I figured I could salvage enough hardware to make the $200 spent well worth the deal 8) After driving for an hour in four wheel drive down a one lane Alaskan trail :shock: I spoted a blue and white hull on a trailer. I about had a heart attack "TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!" I tried to pretend that I wasn't interested and shook my head with a couple of fake growns. I crawled under her, I climbed on top of her and even stuck my head through the hatch. I didn't know what the heck she was, I couldn't find any plates with any kind of name. I think she is about 22' to 24'. She is a double keeled sailboat, with a little hull damage up forward, the teak trim is shot and the interior was in rough shape. It looked like someone at one time had started to restore her, she was at least clean. Then I spoted the sails 8) My heart did another flip flop right there and then, talk about angina. No dang camera, just a little bit of bad memory. I went on line and did a search. I'm not sure, but I think I found a twin keeled Hurley 22. I got the call earlier this evening, I bought the boat for $200 Hopefully, in the morning I'll take possession. I have a shoveling crew lined up to dig her out and a couple of trucks for the tow, incase I get stuck. If I can figure out how to post a pic, again, I'll show you my new boat. I believe the boat can be restored without all that much work. I certainly think I can repair the hull. The winches and the rigging are in good condition. I am a little worried about the framing in the bilges, because I saw about three inches of frozen water that had leaked in from the hatch over time. I don't know what I have yet, but I am excited, more to come later. At the bottom of this link is a picture of a very similar looking boat. http://www.twin-keeler.org/newsletter/twinkeeler4_2005.pdf Mike

Mark, Bad Alaskan! SHHH! I'll be up tomorrow to look at the boat building progress. Mike

Mike, Two or three years back I epoxied my tear ducts shut. My eyes swelled up so bad, I couldn't see for quite some time. Ventilation, mask, gogles and protective clothing, no problem. I work with biohazard organisms for a living, and I can honestly say I am probably just as afraid of epoxy as I am bio bugs Today, I have been making mold patters for the CY. The tracing paper/butcher paper, is working out well. Tomorrow morning, I may even go buy some cheep plywood and start cutting the molds out. Well I hope that is not wishful thinking. My son is visiting and I think the draft has just been reinstated :wink: Greg, I don't think I would even attempt the CY without Nick's site. I also have the WB mags three issue CY feature to work off of. Some of those guys are taking a long time to build, nice boats, I may take my time too. But who knows, sometimes I go beserker.

Thanks for the link Brad, Looks like I you folks found just what I need to continue on. That's right Berry rub it in :shock:

Of course this green horn never heard of MAS. :roll: Any hints what the MAS initials stand for or a link? :wink: I appreciate the advice Charlie, I really would like to glue up the stem and transome. Waiting two months, would definitely put the cramps on my new project. And of course, Dave, I wouldn't be able to help but make progress reports. I've been going nuts without a NEW project. Oh sure, I have plenty of little things that I could do on the Vacationer. And I do have plenty to do to get ready for our spring mess-about in Homer. Although only Admiral Mark has confirmed so far. We are going to miss the AS You Wish and her AWOL Skipper John M. And Jerry should be gettting back to me soon. Mike

I received my plans for the Caledonia Yawl and Iain's book, last week. After only getting to study the plans for two days, I had to take and emergency trip up north to Fairbanks. Argh! I didn't even get to visit Mark and Family :oops: Too much stress pulling off this last pirate raid, but my mission was accomplished with flying colors. However, I am now finally back home, and my plans are still layed out the way I left them. I think the skull and cross bones I left on my office door kept my Wife and her house keeper out. I'm ready to attempt the challenge too. First the strong back then the molds. I probably won't start the stim, keelson and planking until after May though. My garage is attached to the house and the dang central air intake is in the garage. Idiot builder! My Wife would kill me if I even tried to mix epoxy. I'm glad I'm just renting this place. I like Iain's book, it covers a lot of building techniques and helpful construction hints. I ordered the plans from WB, not Iain himself. I later learned from Nick Grainger's site that Iain sold plans himself. There are some great links here too. http://www.mavc2002.com/cyforum/index.php Iain sales a seven plank set of plans for $200, WB's four plank set is $150. And it only took five days to recieve them and $8 shipping. The shipping included the Clinker Plywood Boatbuilding Manual too. I was a little irritated at myself, at first, I'll admit, for not doing enough research. But then I realized the KISS principle might not be a bad idea. I'll stick to the four plank build for starters. What comes later, we will just have to see. The WB plans for the CY look fairly extensive, although I am not thrilled with the idea of poking holes in the full patern set to lay out the molds. I am working on tracing out the mold paterns instead. Now planking, and scarfing, woo-doggy! I found John Brooks and Ruth Hill's book, How to Build Glued Lapstake Wooden Boats very instructive, also. The plans do not have full patern sets for this, it is a fit as you go deal. However, his book does explain how-to, with ways to make your own patterns and jigs for scarfing. I love the Grey Seal, myself. Mike

I agree, if it can be launched, go splat or bang, and perhaps cause some considerable damage, guys are usually okay with it. Myself, I have been buying books and even a set of plans. Iain Oughtred's Caledonia Yawl from the Wooden Boat Store, the four lapstrake plank set, I didn't find out about the seven plank set that Oughtred sells himself, until after I put the bucks out to WB. :roll: Not sure when I'll build this boat, but I wanted to try something new. I have some learning to do first, though. I also, took the lines off the Loon, a twenty four foot open schooner rig. I added these books to my library: Forty Wooden Boats Fifty Wooden Boats How to Build a Woden Boat - David C. McIntosh The New Cold-Molded Boat Building - Reul B. Parker Confessions of a Boat Builder - James D. Rosborough Tolman Alaskan Skiffs - Renn Tolman Clinker Plywood Boat Building - Iain Oughtred How to Build Glued-Lapstrake Wooden Boats - John Brooks & Ruth Ann Hill Otherwise the dang winter and cabin fever are growing on me. My Wife, Joan may even give me back by boat shed in the near future. The Vacationer was to tall for it anyway. But I did have visions of grandur, saw dust everywhere, tools spread all over, a wheeled strong back to get in the way. :wink: Mike

Mark and Family, It is good to hear that the gang is back in the boat shed. I need to do the same, but I think I would have a serious problem, especially if Joan had to give up her fancy interior parking space. :wink: Happy Holidays, :x-mas: Mike