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Lapwing #27 Lula


Kennneee

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14 minutes ago, Don Silsbe said:

I don’t think the Japanese engineers of these products have any idea how we use them here in the States.


? … or maybe that's the reason they raised the bar and build Tundras in Texas and Titans in Mississippi. Great little boats like Lula look good going down the road, not dwarfed by those big rigs.

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The Van has a 3,500lb. towing capacity.  The trailer weighs 250-300lbs.  Lula at this point probably around 200lbs.  Should be an easy tow.  I think the 2 surfskis sticking up pretty high and creating a lot of drag as well as the load in the back created part of the problem.  The terrain is pretty hilly and I passed a lot of trucks going up grades.   In hindsight I think I was pretty rough on the van.

I took it to the dealer yesterday and they changed the trans fluid twice and $450 later wished me luck.  We have around 300 miles more to drive and will baby her with my fingers crossed.  I don’t think this leg of the trip will be very relaxing, especially with the rain.

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Well,  here is another chapter of Ken’s Less Than Excellent Adventure. We ALMOST made it to Port Angeles to catch the first of 2 ferries to get home.  Around 64 miles shy in a pretty remote spot our transmission totally let go. Had to get towed to a repair shop that is backed up 1-2 months before it can get to the $6K repair job.  Left the car there and strapped my 2 surfskis on top of Lula.  Rented a UHaul truck and loaded it up with all of our stuff and on we went.  We made it home yesterday.  All in all, I would certainly would have preferred not to have had this happen.  

I have found over the years these sort of problems often lead to meeting some nice people.  The tow truck driver was a great guy and bent over backwards for us.  The women at the Uhaul rental drove 20 miles to deliver the truck to us.  Another guy followed the tow truck which was towing the van which was towing Lula.  He was a long time sailer/circumnavigator and loved Lula’s lines.  He hung around and offered us his help and had great stories to tell while we waited for the Uhaul truck to arrive.  

The good news is my tanbark sails are finished.  Now I just have to unpack and put my tools in action.  Still a lot to do before those sails are ready to be used.

 

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Aiieeee… ?
 

Always nice to find some grace in the midst of… well, however one characterizes your kind of recent experience.  And to see grace from others it’s helpful to choose grace for one’s own self in the midst of the frustration… at least after reasonably managed cathartic expression of the frustration (if needed ?).
 

It’s refreshing to hear your travel story as travel stories these days are way too full of angry people. 
 

Glad to hear things are coming together… at least eventually. And, yeah, the boat looks great on the trailer.  (And even a better complement, my wife said Lula looks really pretty.) ? 

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There was a time I loved working on cars.  That is no longer the case.  I grew up with my dad owning a junk yard and cars were my playground.  These days I would rather eat worms than work on my car.  I can’t even identify the parts under the hood anymore.  I will stick with boats! Most days I know the difference between a halyard and and anchor.

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Ken,

 

I m sorry to hear about your transmission issues. I am afraid that it was probably caused by you. Owners manuals usually say that when towing, take the car out of overdrive. The problem is that the cruise control locks the car at a constant speed, this causes rapid shifting on those rolling hills. The modern transmission has more gears to meet the demands of EPA for higher miles with smaller engines. It is a mechanical marvel but cannot be abused.

 

Glad that you made it home. I look forward to Lula's next chapter.

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Graham- I came to the same conclusion but a bit late.  Should have read the manual, eh.  I can’t unring that bell and learned an expensive lesson.  Trying to keep my foot from swinging around a kicking myself in the behind.

Unpacking and soon to get back in the shop.  Have to decide whether to do yearly  maintenance on Rosie or finish Lula.  Could have worse decision to make in life.  Thanks for the input.

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  • 1 month later...

I have been working pretty slowly these days.  Lot’s of other things that need doing but still making forward progress.  I have the hull painted with System Three Pennant.  I rolled and tipped it and am happy with the result.  If you look closely you can see some fine brush strokes but they are not objectionable.   I rolled and tipped Rosie with Alexseal and it looks like it was sprayed.  I am still glad I am using the waterbourne System three.  No horrible smell and so easy to clean up. The shear strake will be painted a dark green which will look nice with the cream colored hull and deck. The bottom has been coated with epoxy and graphite.  I wanted a black bottom and brought the black coating up around an inch above the designed waterline to create a contrasting stripe when she is in the water.   Still need to paint the interior and deck but don’t expect that to take very long. 

Mahogany ply was not available when Graham and Alan cut out the parts for Lula.  Graham was nice enough to send me some mahogany veneer which I was planning to use to cover the Okume transom.  Longs story short, I found a WRC board in my stash and resawed and glued on the book matched pieces on to the transom.  I like the look.

With the help of a couple of friends and Luanne we flipped her right side up, back the trailer on Sunday.  A friend with a CNC router cut out the Sapele  name and trail boards.  I have ripped up the rub and trim rails.  They will get installed next week since I am heading over to the San Juan’s on Rosie for a few days.

Most of what I have left to do are things that I enjoy.  Adding pieces of wood that accentuate the beautiful lines of the boat, rigging, and details, details, details, etc.  In the home stretch. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Luanne (AKA Lula) “inspecting” her namesake.  I cajoled her into helping me install the rub rails and trim yesterday.  Sure is easier with another set of hands.  I am laminating  a Sapele coaming.  The upper strake and deck, interior, still need paint, nonskid, etc.

 

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Beautiful work. 
As I’m finishing my ski boat I remember the frustration of final things that cause me to drip and kinda mess up what I’d gotten to where I wanted… such as onto the finished paint… or glopping onto the varnished brightwork….
 ?

BUT… this looks like a beautiful boat that will provide much sailing fun. 

?

 

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Ted- Thanks for the compliment.  The home stretch always takes longer than we expect and those frustrations you mentioned are certainly there.  That said, making the trim pieces are my reward for all of the “sticky” and dusty parts of the build.  At this point I am ready to move on from lot’s of epoxy work and getting to fit and shape wood is my happy place.  The bandsaw is my friend!

Cheers,

Ken

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Your boat looks lovely.  Speaking of brush marks, I just finished painting my Two Paw 8 with Devthane, and it came out horrible. It is worthy of a separate post.  But here’s a horror photo.

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Sorry if I came off snarky about Japanese vehicles, but it is how I feel.  I do believe that Graham is right.  In my Ram and a friend’s GMC pickup (as well as my minivan) we have a Tow/Haul button.  It drops the transmission out of high gear, and revises the shift points in the computer’s logic.  We both pull heavy travel trailers.  Once, he forgot to switch on his Tow-Haul mode.  It cost him a new transmission.

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Don- You will have to try harder to offend me.  I don’t take opinions about manufactured products personally.  It is entirely possible that the van is not up to standards but until the transmission failure it has been one of the most reliable and functional vehicles I have owned.  Graham and others have pointed out my mistake and I own it.  Read the manual in 2015 and should have remembered to push the button in to keep it out of overdrive.  Expensive lesson but the sting is gone and the van is back.  Enjoy your travels!

Cheers,

Ken

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  • 1 month later...

Hi All- Lula is taking shape slowly.  I have started on some rigging and have all of the painting and non skid complete. I wound up using Kiwigrip for the non skid which I have used on my last 2 builds.  Very satisfied with the result.  Unfortunately I only had a litre on hand which was barely enough.  Should apply a second coat at sometime down the road.   Still have a lot of varnish to tackle. 

I noodled a bit on how I would mount the masthead float to the mizzen mast.  From the pics you can see what I came up with and I think it will work fine.  I also modified the arrangement for holding the mainmast upright in the tabernacle.  I used a threaded insert mounted in a block of wood and secured it to the aft side of the forward bulkhead. It will accept the bolt which will be inserted from the bow.  

Ken

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