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Well, I WAS building a boat...


Action Tiger

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Okay, okay. I know I said I was back on my other boat, and I am. Glass is curing now. Meantime, the tiny guy decided HE needs his own boat, and he's right.

Luckily for him, the scrap pile was full, and we already had a model, and a rough plan to work from...

I will post some pics of it here.

Peace,

Robert

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Okay.

This is the model we are replicating for youngest son, who fell in love with boats this year.

The real deal will be about 7 feet long, and have maybe 10 feet of sail area. Just enough to fart around with.

This project is filling time while epoxy cures, and then, in a few days, as the primer and paint start to cure on the bottom, as I start to really wrap up my sailboat, dang it. Whoo-hoo.

I'll put up some pics of the little boat when it goes 3D. Yes, we are going to paint it just like the model.:)

Peace,

Robert

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Well, I'm not sure we got enough sheer in there, but it's close enough for a town this size, eh? I'm going to finish up the epoxy parts today, then Junior is a full partner.

He already helped rip out the wales, chop false frame head "spacers" for the slotted inwale, and trace, cut, and laminate the bits for the breasthook and knees.

The little guy is a workhorse, and a slave driver.

I will always set aside all my junk for the kids, though. :)

Peace,

Robert

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Well, it's pretty close. The "frames" are cosmetic, but a necessity. This is a character boat, after all, a copy of a toy, and it has to look right. :)

Now that the glooping is over, the little one is all in. Lots of plain carpentry, now, and he's good for that.

Slotted inwales, rubrails, a thwart in the eyes, another in the sheets, and undecided amidship.

The little mast will step at the aft end of the fore thwart.

I think I may have enough Dacron to make about 6 feet of lateen sail. If not, really nice bed sheets it is...

And, yes, I'm still glassing, filling, and sanding the other boat.:)

Peace,

Robert

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Oh, no. The sail is purely affectation to appease the child. I'm hoping maybe it will actually sail a bit, but the important thing is it LOOKS like the toy boat.

The whole project is really just a desperate ploy by an old man to buy time. The kids don't last, they quickly oitgrow me, so I gotta get my kicks in while I can. :)

My buddy has been eyeing it for a fishing boat, for these little ponds we got around here. I am not sure he realizes how tough the little one is, and how hard it will be to get this boat away from him!:)

Peace,

Robert

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Oh, yeah, a slotted inwale, faux frame heads and all. No skimping on this goofy little boat. And, you bet the inwales will be let into the breasthook and transom knees.

The three "frames" are where the thwarts/decks/sheets will go. A little sunken foredeck of sorts and some short stern sheets, to match the model as closely as we can.

I may be ready to put primer on my big boat next week. I hope. This is a pleasant respite from glassing, fairing and sanding. :)

Peace,

Robert

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Awww, Chick, you're making me blush, and I just trimmed my beard, so you may be able to tell. :)

Seriously, this little boat is two fold, though. It's a fun way to play at building something, but also a gift for my son. I am Captain Close Enough on my own stuff, but for money, or my family, I do sometimes to it "right".

Oh, and my other boat task has been sheathing vertical surfaces with glass, and the constant fairing and sanding necessary to fair a hull. Fitting fiddly little wood bits is way nicer than more longboard. :)

Big boat is getting close, though. I may hit her with primer next week, or the following.

Peace,

Robert

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I get ya. I'd rather build little boats, too. I want to build an 8 ft. "super-dink". It would be a pram-type planing bottom dink with a 25 hp mptor. I've had a couple of these little guys that were made of fiberglass, and they are lots of fun to drive. A wooden one could have lots of fancy woodworking in it. 

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I'm not going to lie, Chick, I considered using some of the left over wale spacers and have a "puddle duck" regatta. These little guys will give us good reason to keep visiting grandma's pool... That would be great-grandma to the kids. Papa, too, bless them both. Actually, we have a few putt-putt boats powered by candles we run in the pool now and again, too.

Incidentally, the ballast ratio is way too high in one of the walnut boats. It swamps easily. :)

I know some of y'all never want to see rain again, but gosh what a few days for us...

And, I can't work on the little boat in the rain. She's outside! Tarped, for now.

Peace,

Robert

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Ken, we got a kite, then flew the camera up the air on a harness, and activated the shutter by remote control. Simple. :)

The real horror, though, is the puppy ate the boats! Well, the puddle's gone, anyway.

Today, may be the last bit of fairing goop I lay on my Frolic, which means I may be doing real priming next week!

Peace,

Robert

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