Spindrift 10 Build (by a 9th Grade Girl)

[TheWeezer]

Some more fun pictures! We plan on taking it out next weekend! 

[Don Silsbe]

Yay!  Can’t wait for the maiden doing the maiden voyage.

[Aphers]

Fantastic, fair winds for the maiden voyage!

[Todd Stein]

I admire the beautiful boat you build and you will have wonderful adventures lie ahead. I noticed particularly the significance of your sail number and wish to share with you one interpretation meaning of number 1385.  It is believed 1385 carries a message from the angels telling you that the current life transitions that are occurring in your life are the right ones. You should not let any fears and doubts deter you from doing what you have to do. The angel number tells you to trust your inner wisdom as well as the guidance from the angels. You will conquer the obstacles in life’s path. Sail forward, upwards and onwards and welcome what wonderful mysteries lie ahead!

 

 

 

[PadrePoint]

The Weezer has been working nearly every day all summer. Quite the work ethic in this kid (now a driver). �She tried sailing it once with her dad and we took it to the Wisconsin River a few weeks ago. �The winds were simply too strong for a sail that day so homeward we went.�
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We planned to take it this afternoon to a nearby lake (a long, great beach and a gentle breeze) but the trailer lights did not work and �needed to be fixed. It�s a do-it-yourself bolt-together trailer. �The paint on the various parts (I think) prevents the trailer from providing a ground connection between the lights in back to the hitch area.�
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I thought it to be a job that I should just do myself rather than sharing all the fun of trailer lights work with the Weezer� I guess I wanted to have ALL of the joys for myself.

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I pulled the wires out while attached to a lead line that I used to pull the wires AND another ground wire back to the lights. �After connecting everything again THE LIGHTS ALL WORKED.�

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The trailer and boat are so light I easily pushed it back across the street to The Weezer�s house. I think I could even pull it places with my bicycle. �I�ll suggest that she could just disconnect the trailer from her HUGE SUV and back the trailer in by hand (and even pull it back out.) �

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This afternoon, as The Weezer was working, I took my LONG neglected motorcycle on a back roads ride for a couple hours. I�ve got to start taking some time for riding, now that my boats are done.�

[PadrePoint]

First Solo Adventure

I am writing this after having pushed The Weezer away from shore. “Aren’t you coming with?” she said. “I wasn’t planning to.”  

 

VERY little wind… 2-4 mph if there is a puff… but it looks like the little Core Sound 10 moves on a whisper. Wow!!!  And, I figured I am a little big for the boat. I’ll give it a shot later.  It does look like it could be a fun sporty time in some breeze. 

She got out easily and moved across the river. Will she get back???  I feel like an anxious parent. Sink or swim… or rather, sail or swim it back. 

 

She is a competitive swimmer, and she has a paddle with her… and wears a life jacket. I am trying to muster all the inner courage I can to trust this will work and will be fun. 
 

Hey, some easy tacks and gybes and she makes it back… a major accomplishment.  That little boat really maneuvers well, looking almost like it goes less than 45 degrees into the wind. 

And she’s back. 

 

“Another run out and back?”  I asked the smiling kid. “You bet, yeah!”

 

So I sat on the bench while she sailed out and back a bunch of times… and I wrote this post. 

 

[PadrePoint]

Video

 

 

And, our experiment of just unhooking the trailer and pushing it to the beach worked, although we could use a few refinements, such as a keel roller and a handle at the hitch would make things easier (I’ll look into them.)

 

The Weezer pulled the boat up from the beach and placed it on the hitch. (I’m trying to help her know the little mistakes one can make with the procedures so she can learn to avoid them.)

I really thought this looked cute. It reminded me of when I pushed my 8th grade build (3 point hydroplane) on my self-made wagon-wheel broomstick-axel “trailer” the three blocks to a local lake for afternoons of tooling around. 

A very nice day for her first solo sailing. 

[Don Silsbe]

Now THAT’s a happy ending!

[Designer]

That is a pretty picture, the boat and the big smile. Congratulations!!!

Wheezer reminds me of granddaughter Marissa when she was that age. After sailing the Texas 200 in 09 while on the beach she instructed me to design a boat and name it after her, it became our center console power boat "Marissa". When it came time to paint the boat, I asked her what color should it be, she immediately said "pink". I said "no but I will meet you at red". I used up the end of that can of paint on Carlita. Unfortunately they grow up too quickly. Dr. Marissa has just started in practice and seeing patients.

 

I do like the pink Spindrift.

 

The only thing that I can see missing on your boat is the loop of light line (clew loop) that goes around the boom and thru the clew. It's purpose is keep the boom from drooping when you pull on the main sheet. The outhaul's job is control the draft of the lower portion of the sail. Without the clew loop it just flattens the lower part of the main. It will be more apparent in stronger winds.

 

It is good that you are a good swimmer but I hope that  you go thru some capsize drills so that you can self rescue when it happens. 

 

Good luck with your new boat .

 

[Don Silsbe]

I agree with Graham about the capsize drills.  I will send your neighbor Ted a soft shackle to use for that loop.

 

[PadrePoint]

Graham,

Yep on the clew observation. She was missing the outhaul line.  I’ve seen it before and will make sure she gets it in. I routed the clew loop to kind of work as an outhaul.  She’ll benefit from multiple repetitions of setting up, etc.  And once we get the boat to the beach at Lake DuBay we’ll likely try some capsize drills (it’s a great location for this). 
 

As The Weezer was heading across the river and my “parental anxiety” ramped up thinking about all kinds of awful possibilities in her first time solo adventure… might she get becalmed (no problem there; that little boat moves SO easily), she might not be successful at tacking or going upwind enough to get back (her first reversal of direction was a gybe that might have been accidental),  or worse a capsize.  I kept HOPING I wouldn’t need to go after her somehow.  But in terms of capsize, the gentle winds simply were not going to knock the boat over that day.  I’m hoping we can find some more times for her to sail her boat this summer.  I’ll bring Norma T as well next time for some pictures, videos, and as a “safety” boat. 

And, actually, she used Brightsides Red for the paint, mixing it with Brightsides White to achieved the two tones of pink. So really, it’s a slightly altered red boat.

Congrats on your doctor granddaughter’s new practice.  Very cool. 

 

My wife and I spent the afternoon today gently cruising my new ski-boat build (mostly at no-wake speed) through the popular nearby spring-fed Chain of Lakes of Waupaca, Wisconsin. It’s our 48th anniversary today. We spent our honeymoon at her family’s lake cottage only a few miles away so our little cruise seemed quite appropriate. (I’m liking my ski-boat more all the time as I use it.) The boat isn’t a B&B design but I’m really happy to have built it from the plywood and SYP boards that B&B were willing to sell to me when I came in my van to pick up The Weezer’s Spindrift 10 kit. 

 

Lunch break. 

Yes, that’s a working paddle wheeler.  I’ve ridden on it a few times. 

[Aphers]

Happy anniversary @PadrePoint 

[Andy B]

Weezer--Don't think I didn't notice that your Crocs match your boat.  Thanks for showing all these old guys how to turn out in style at the boat ramp!!!!

[Frank Hagan]

On 8/24/2022 at 6:00 PM, PadrePoint said:

My wife and I spent the afternoon today gently cruising my new ski-boat build (mostly at no-wake speed) through the popular nearby spring-fed Chain of Lakes of Waupaca, Wisconsin. It’s our 48th anniversary today. We spent our honeymoon at her family’s lake cottage only a few miles away so our little cruise seemed quite appropriate. (I’m liking my ski-boat more all the time as I use it.) The boat isn’t a B&B design but I’m really happy to have built it from the plywood and SYP boards that B&B were willing to sell to me when I came in my van to pick up The Weezer’s Spindrift 10 kit.

 

We're approaching our 47th in a month, so we got married just a year after you.

[Hirilonde]

You guys are old farts, only our 43rd next month.

[Don Silsbe]

I know that Graham and Carla have us beat, but we’re closing in on 52 this November.

[Kennneee]

Luanne and I got a late start in life in terms of our marriage.  It will be our 19th this year.  Knowing we would never match you guys for the number of married years we began celebrating “Lunaversaries” shortly after we were married.  So, I think we are heading for 228 next month!  Marriage graded on a curve, eh.

Ken

[Pete McCrary]

Annie and I tied the knot on July 11, 1959, and had our 3-day honeymoon at Tides Inn, Irvington, Virginia.  Now enjoying 4 children nearing their retirement, 11 grandchildren, and 9 +? great grandchildren.  The years just fly by!

[Don Silsbe]

@Pete McCrary— That’s awesome! You win!

Now, let me say the Man Prayer (from the Red Green Show)

 

I’m a man,

and I can change.

If I have to.

I guess.

 

 

[Joe Anderson]

Weezer

 

Congratulations on your build. Ritalou looks beautiful. I love the Spindrift 10. She is a very fun boat. Ted is right she moves easily in light air. You are wise to be selective about the wind conditions. Get lots of practice in gradually increasing winds. I have found a tiller extension very useful for allowing me to shift weight forward when necessary, also in stronger winds the extension is necessary to allow you to move up onto the gunnel. Pay attention to which way the dagger board goes in. It can be installed frontwards or backwards. Backwards will still work but not very efficiently and the board will be much more easily damaged if you touch bottom with the board in backwards. 

 

Happy Sailing.