Steve W Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 I've made major progress since the last post and I'm close to launch. Pluss "Jazz Hands" officially has a new name. It's a bit of story, but I'm not making you read this......so here goes. 14 years ago I relented and got my daughter two cats. We went to a neighbors barn, overrun by feral cats and found two females that looked to be about 7 or 8 weeks old and brought them home. Very entertaining these two were. Bootsy was the dominate one, a great hunter and general tough cat. Skeena was supposed to be "Christina" but my youngest couldn't say it and would call her "Skeena" and it stuck. She was skittish, one day loving and the next day giving you that look like she had never seen us before. She sometimes would disappear for many days and I'd fear a hawk or fox had got her, and then she would show up, covered in burrs and ticks. We would hold her and pluck them off her and she would then stay for a month or so and then pull the same stunt again. She was always thin and smallish. In the winter she would wait at the door, and head out and then come back after ten minutes and then give us that look like "Why did you let me out in the first place?" I'd play my guitar and she would head butt me relentlessly. Did I mention as cat's go, she was beautiful. She tolerated our dogs even though you could tell she didn't have much respect for the tricks they did just to get a treat. After she was about 10, she started to transition into more of a house cat. Helen had developed allergies for her but she still let Skeena stay in her room each night. Skeena would be lay on her head and they would sleep. When Helen went off to college three years ago, she would still stay in her room, coming out during the day to grace us with her presence. I'd never been a cat person, but she just grew on me. A couple of weeks ago when Helen was home on break, she told me Skeena seemed thin, but I didn't think much of it, because she had always been scrawny. But the day after Helen went back to school, I picked her up and she was clearly very thin under that beautiful fur. Suzanne and I took her to the vet and they gave an ultrasound and she had many tumors and you could see that she was in trouble. Steroids were prescribed to give her some weight gain, but that was all they could do. This past Thursday when i got up she couldn't get up on the couch when I played guitar without me lifting her, but when I did she went through her usual routine, head butting me until I just layed on the couch and let her lay on my chest and play. After I went to work Suzanne said she layed in a sunbeam on the rug, walked by the dogs and actually acknowledged them. She went outside and stayed out for 20 minutes and then came in and retired to Helen's room. That night when we checked in on her she had passed. She just crawled into a cozy spot and looked like she passed without distress. I didn't realize how much she meant to me (yes I cried). We decided not to call Helen as she had two finals the next day at school. We decided to go visit Helen in person that night and tell her. I googled "Skeena" and besides being a river in Canada, the Urban dictionary had this to say: skeena back-up; "i've got your back." when you're a gangster and some jerk is going to jump you, you ask your closest gangster friends for some skeena and then they jump in to assist with the butt kicking. I laughed as read this as she was really Helen's sidekick. And I thought that sound like what you want in a boat. Something that has your back. We've bought a new camper and I can see the Core Sound won't have my wife aboard much ( I love her, but she doesn't have the water gene) so changing the name didn't seem like a big deal. And being the boat is grey like Skeena it all made sense. Here when I am really close to launch a Cat-Ketch, the name just shows up. I made a card for Helen with the urban dictionary definition and a picture of the Core sound line drawing and the word Skeena displayed with the same cat paw as I have on Wildcat, my Sea Pearl. Suzanne and I had a big dinner with Helen. There were tears and stories and a bottle of wine (Strange when your little child is 21). When we got to the realization that we were all just lucky to have her for 14 years, I gave her the card. She was so excited about the legacy of Skeena living on. So there you have it. And here is Skeena today: The spirit of Skeena lives on. Windows are in. The hatch will be on tomorrow. Masts and Spirits are done. There is work for sure, but I can see launch is closing in. I'm taking this Friday off and I'll have three full days to focus this weekend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrary Posted April 8, 2019 Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 "Skeena" really looks nice. Hope to see her in October. I like the name and history of the nice kitten. We have two cats -- half sisters from a farm. Same mother, different Toms years apart. The oldest (14 yrs & all black) is very "skitish," and a third the size of the younger (6 yrs & orange). Our 4 kids and 11 grandchildren have never seen the older one. -- but she's very affectionate with me. But the young orange one pals up even to strangers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 Pete, many of our friends have expressed "You have cats?" Same deal. Very skittish. If all goes well you will see her twice in October. Once at the MASCF and once at the Messabout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chespearl Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 That is a wonderful story Steve. After reading that Urban Dictionary definition, there's no way you couldn't change the name . Obviously meant to be. Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Ludwig Posted April 11, 2019 Report Share Posted April 11, 2019 I loved your story about Skeena. I'm a cat person and have had them all my life. Many have come and gone over the years, with many different personalities. Two are sitting on my desk with we right now waiting for breakfast, and a third, my "personal" cat, Mitty Kitty, is rubbing back and forth past my face, in front of the keyboard. I gotta admit a tear or two as I read your story. Your boat will be "blessed" with her new name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted May 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 So I leaned in shop class the difference between a good engineer and a great engineer is how you recover from a mistake, because I was told in school we would make mistakes. Bottom line is I glued my mizzen tabernacle improperly. Alan sent me plans and a drawing. I got everything right in construction, but when I glued in the mast step, somehow I had the mizzen tabernacle tipped parallel to the front tabernacle (it's perfectly wrong), without taking into consideration the radius-ed block that supports the base of the main mast. So my masts aren't perfectly parallel. Last night I contemplated my options. The unfortunate part is the tabernacle is perfectly glued into the step and I think it would be difficult to remove and I've ruled that out. I think my best repair is to move the pivot hole back about 5/8" which is how much it is off. To do this I'll have to either fill and re-drill (simple), but this thins the support aft of the bolt It's built up on the inside with a lot of glass, but the outside only has a couple of layers. Choices include making an aluminum gusset to strengthen this area (easy) or scabbing on a bit of fir and re glassing, re-drilling, etc (harder but would possibly look better). I think both would be just as strong. Any thoughts? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted May 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 Well, after fooling around and all your encouragement (just joking....but the silence was helpful), I decided to build a new tabernacle and get it positioned right. I figure if Randy can go from a sloop to a Cat-Ketch this should be easy. Sucks because it's a week setback to launch, which now mean probably June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted May 5, 2019 Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 A mizzenmast tabernacle is good stuff, and it solves your minor problem. You will thank yourself every time you rig, also gets rid of a mast crutch to hold the masts at the mizzenmast (aft) end when you trailer. When I made our mizzenmast tabernacle, made it slightly too low making it a problem to enter the cabin with the masts down. I would make mine 1 1/2 higher than I did so I can squiggle into the cabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted May 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 Jay, the short time I had it on was proof it was a good addition. Dumb mistake! But the new one will be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted May 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2019 The weather here has been very lousy. I don't have the boat waterproof enough to leave outside, so work has been a bit slowed because I need to roll it out of my garage to put the masts up. But my dumb mistake on the mizzen tabernacle is almost over. My son Teddy helped me tip up the mast and mark it's proper location. I made a little template to rout the mast step into the base and routed the base last night........it came out nice. If fits snug and I think by this weekend we'll be past this self made problem. Unfortunately I'll be gone for a week on a family vacation out west and momentum will stop until I get back June 3rd, but I'd like to get past this before I go. I have a trip scheduled to go to Lake Champlain. At the rate I'm going it might be with my Sea Pearl, which is frustrating. Between work, HS track meets and honey-do's, time has been scarce. On a real positive note my good friend Doug bought me a oil lamp. Here it is hanging in the cabin. Up in Maine last year on his Cornish Shrimper we used his lamp to take the chill off the cabin. I'm super excited to have this aboard. Last night I snuck out in a totally dark garage to light it and it really makes a cozy cabin. I know y'all southerners don't need any heat in the cabin, but up here the evenings get cool and on a small boat this is the ticket. Thank you Doug! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Silsbe Posted May 16, 2019 Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 Beautiful oil lamp! I’m jealous. In my old engineering circles we used to jokingly say “Get it right the second time.” You’ll be glad you made the modification long after the one week delay has been forgotten. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Stein Posted May 17, 2019 Report Share Posted May 17, 2019 That’s so darn salty and nautical looking I can almost hear your boat creaking happily and wavelets tinkle the hull as a loon calls out on a cool evening! Toll 8 bells and break out the banjo! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted May 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2019 My camera does some optical illusion, but trust me, finally parallel masts. A great day of gardening and other stuff yesterday. This morning I got the mizzen tabernacle faired and tonight I'll check it for smoothness and prime it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmosSwogger Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 The curves you put in the aft end of the coamings look great; it really compliments the lines of the boat. I wouldn't be surprised if future builders duplicate them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted June 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Hopefully if the weather is right I'll launch soon. NYS is slowing my registration process and that may delay me, but I'm sorting out little details right now. The latest is these battens. This one is the top main batten. The top one for the mizzen sticks out of the pocket at least 6" and all 4 at the top of main and mizzen have two grommets. The little black chafe protector I assume goes outward and I'm not sure about the length. I'm sort of thinking they tie in, but my plans don't show anything. I posted it here for future WTFers.. Help! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmosSwogger Posted June 15, 2019 Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 I have no idea if this will help or not, but Alan has a good video on battens. LINK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted June 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2019 Amos.....just what I needed. Never saw battens like that and couldn't find anything in my plans.......forgot about the vids...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted July 14, 2019 Report Share Posted July 14, 2019 Steve, any first launch details? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted July 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 Jay, this boat build has tested my patience. Hot (probably not for you) weather, a family member with health issues, graduation parties, a camping trip, and three kids home for the summer. But I made a short list of what's left. Paint 2nd coat on mizzen tabernackle. lube and test new suzuki motor finish the rubrail install. finish varnishing the drop-boards remount hardware in holes that were fill and drilled. Figure out why my sails don't go p and down smoothly The worst part is that the state of NY has to do an inspection so I can get a hull ID number. I'm not going to let that hold up a launch. We have plenty of lakes that don't have much law enforcement. But as soon as she goes in the water there will be a full report. I think I can finish it completely this weekend and once this heatwave passes we should be good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted July 19, 2019 Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 I can appreciate the heat, we are building Graham’s new design and it has been over 100 degrees in our shop daily. But it is a moist heat, about mid 90% humidity levels. So my productivity is way down too! Looking forward to seeing both both you and your boat at the Messabout! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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