My boat - The Abbygirle

New Tools

2007-12-07T16:46:00.000-06:00

Hello again to all who read my little blog.

Winter is officially here again and I am layed off as of Monday the 10th of 2007. I've been in the shop this afternoon. I have spent a lot of time looking at the boat and wondering where to start. While I've been wondering, I decided to fire up the shop vac and clean out the summers debris... spider webs, spiders, moths, flies, dirt, dust and anything in general that could have accumulated in and on the boat while I've not been around.

Tools !

My wife has purchased me some new tools... actually for Christmas but,... I get them now.

She, at my request :), bought me a beautiful counter-sink set with tapered drill bits, stop collars and plug cutters made by Fuller. I have been wanting a set like this ever since I read about them on Dave's site. I can finally retire the junk that I have been using to drill my counter-sinks... at least to somewhere deep in the tool box where they won't be in my way.

Quality tools, to me, means that I can produce better results with more accuracy as well as doing my job easier. This particular set is designed to drill the holes with a taper identical to that of the screw that is going into the hole. This is very important when using hardwood. I have found this out the hard way. Last winter, without the luxury of this set of special counter-sinks, every hole that I drilled had to be drilled with two separate bits and counter-sinks to allow the silicone bronze screws to properly imbed themselves into the wood without breaking. Life is going to be so much easier now..... I love my tools. :-)

My wife is sooooo nice :)

Anyway, I did not install the cabin's beams or the batten after making them. I just left them laying on the boat all summer. As a result, the batten has lost some of it's arch. So, I have fired up the steam box and am cooking another piece mahogany right now to re-make that batten.

The beams were ok. Nice and straight like they should be.

Till next time....

Rusting tools.

2007-12-06T06:25:00.001-06:00

Just a quick note here.
I worked in the shop just a bit last night. Some of my tools have been rusting. The tables on the band saw, as well as both drill press had much surface rust, apparently due to the cold weather, so I spent some time cleaning those up last night. I used a scotch bright pad on a die grinder for the majority of the rust and finished up by hand and coated everything with a very thin layer of machine oil.

Ever since I fired up the heater the rusting seems to have stopped. There are a few more tools yet to be cleaned.

I also spent some time looking at and thinking about the boat. I'll be laid off after the weekend and will have much time on my hands.

Summer of 2007

2007-11-18T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hi to everyone who visits my little workshop.

It's been a long summer and I have much to tell. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any work on the boat. Summer brings warm weather and that means lots of work at the concrete plant where I work. If I have failed to mention earlier in this blog, I drive a concrete mixer for a living, as well as many other things around the plant like dump trucks, tractor / trailors, bucket loaders, the forklift, the skid steer and anything else that I can do. Warm weather means contractors want to pour concrete... and we've poured a boat load of it this summer, (ship load actually).

If you've visited this site before, you'll notice that the first slideshow to the left has a completely new set of pictures... and I've added a music video from one of my favorite artists... Kitaro. Hope you enjoy the music.
The pictures show some of the work that I did on my boat last winter... 2006-2007.

I'm looking forward to working on her again this winter while I'm laid off work.

Aside from working at the concrete plant, I've accomplished much in what little spare time I could salvage out of my days and weekends.
(I typically work 8 - 12 hours per day... 6 days a week).
(During the fall harvest I was working as many as 16 hour days and 7 days per week for about 8 weeks straight.)
Just a note... this is about the same time as last year when "Abbeygirle" came to live here with us.

THE WORK
As mentioned in the "Tuesday, May 1st" posting, I had started several flower beds for my wifes flowers, bulbs and bushes in the back yard. I also landscaped the front yard with much of the same. A real patio was in order as well so, I built a 13' x 17' patio out of Dutch coblestones. Two different size stones in three colors. This I did while working 12 hour days and staying outside as late as 10:30 PM... for a week with temperatures in the high 90s ! UFFDA !!!

If interested, pictures of everything are available to view at the following link.

http://vicslittleworkshop.shutterfly.com/action/

Here's just a few pic's:

I also, (during the harvest), organized a benifet ride for my boss who has been diagnosed with colon cancer. In September, a friend of a friend twisted my arm a little bit and convinced me to buy his motorcycle... a 1995 Honda Shadow ACE VT1100 c2.

Shortly after buying the bike I found out about my boss' condition and decided to host a benifit ride in his honor. I had to take off work on a couple of sundays to research the route and the stops but, on October 21st, 2007 we rode! We had 11 bikes, one van (our mechanic... just in case !), one bright red corvette (my boss' father inlaw) and my wife in her car. A total of about 20 or so people actually riding and many other people (including Ron & his family) showed up to see us off. It was great !!!

"Ride for Ron" was a huge success. I originally intended to buy only 15 or 20 shirts and hoped to raise enough money to cover the cost of those shirts. I ended up ordering 45 shirts (with an additional 10 to back order), sold all of these with the exception of 4 or 5 of the smaller sizes. The donations were enough to pay for all of the shirts as well as an additional $1200.00 or so to give to my boss Ron to help him with his medical / nutritional expenses due to the cancer treatments.

We rode approxamately 170 total miles from central Illinois (USA) into Indiana, around two state parks (Beautiful fall scenery), and back home. When we got home we all stopped at Ron's house for a "Meet & Greet" with Ron and his family.

Again, pictures of the ride can be viewed here:

http://vicslittleworkshop.shutterfly.com/action/

Here's a few pic's of the "Ride for Ron"

Here's me...

Ron, his wife Lori & two daughters.

Now, at last, I come to the news that I've been waiting to tell for some time now !

As I have mentioned on the front page of this website under "About my Boat" my boat was built by
KAUFFMAN BOATWORKS, OSPREY, FLORIDA.

On Sunday July 29 of 2007 (this summer) I was contacted, via e-mail, by a man who's name happens to be... George M. Kauffman, who is one of six children of George H. Kauffman, the founder of Kauffman Boatworks and the builder of my boat...

Wow.

I never expected my little website (blog) to reach quite so far... this is awesome to say the least.
I have since been contacted by two more brothers in the family, John and Karl Kauffman.

Kauffman Boatworks is no longer in business. I don't know when he started building boats but, from what the Kauffmans have shared with me, Mr. George H. Kauffman was born around 1920, took part in WW2, started building wooden boats in Osprey, Fl. untill he switched to building fiberglass boats and moved his shop to Venice, Fl. and eventually stopped making boats all together in 1970 to take a job as a foreman at a yacht yard in Massachusetts on the Island of Marthas Vineyard. He later passed away in 1987 in Boston.

That's about all that I've learned about Mr. Kauffman, as the builder of my boat other than the fact that he did have hired workmen to help build the boats.

George (the son) seems to be quite familiar with the building process as he has explained in much detail how these old boats were made.

Thank you very much to each and every Kauffman kid who has contacted me regarding my old boat. You have all "made my day" !!!

I wish that I could post the 4 pictures that George has given me but for some reason they won't load onto blogspot... I'll keep trying though.

Untill next time....

Happy trails.

2007-06-23T20:57:00.000-06:00

Well, it's Saturday night now (June 23, 07) and I thought that I might update this blog.
A couple of nights ago I actually decided to work a bit on the boat. It's been quite some time since I have as I've been very busy with work and our yard.

I've had the cabin & cockpit soles (the floor surfaces) partially removed for quite sometime now to install another floor (a brace under the actual floor surface).

I had replaced the entire floor and it's bracing over the winter but, failed to seal up the screw holes underneith... some 85 or so holes... a futile effort on my part - - - to be lazy.

Anyway, I finished removing the 4 sections of plywood that make up the soles. I mixed up some filler epoxy and commensed to filling said holes. While these sections of plywood were removed, I thought that I might as well go ahead and mix up some CPES and saturate the screw holes in the plywood where it is fastened to the floors.

The plywood is now completely reinstalled and I am confident that if anything fails it will be my craftsmanship and not water damage such as rot.

Something to remember... This is not a "NEW" build. I'm only repairing and old boat and although I wish to do my best... and hope that it looks good too (whenever possible), I am using scrap wood whenever possible as well as reusing old wood taken from the boat to reduce my cost. The plywood for the soles (in the picture above) is new lumber as well as the floors (braces) but many of the pieces not so noticible are made of either scraps or wood removed from the boat. Some of it is not attractive but, "oh well". "They're in the bildge... right".

I am under no illusions about what this boat is worth or what it will be worth when it is completed. So, I am making every effort to keep cost to a minimum. I do still intend for this boat to survive another 20 or 30 years if not more.

The Abbeygirle (Her Namesake)

2007-05-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

The Abbeygirle

The boat is named after our cat Abbey.

This cat appeared out of knowwhere apparently. During the fall of 2006 I was working long hours haulling grain for a local elevator. I would often take my wife with me. One evening, we arrived home around 9 or 10 o'clock. After unloading the pickup truck (lunch bucket, water jug... whatever) we heard this meowing. We searched everywhere. Realizing that the sound was coming from under my pickup truck I layed down and slid under it. This kitten was wedged up under my truck between the cab and the bed and it's frame rail. I have no idea how long she had been there.

So, being just a kitten (and scared of everything and every sound) I allowed her to stay in my garage. Well .... she wound up living in that garage all winter. My wife had thrown out an old comforter that she no longer wanted and set it on my boat... intending for me to put it away with her other garage sale items. Abbey decided that this would make a nice bed... on my boat.

I worked in the garage most of the winter and so did Abbey. She had to get into everything that I was doing. She was my little helper. :)

At some point I started letting her out, eventually allowing her into the house. She was an instant hit with the inside cats (two - both males). She showed an absolute fear of the street in front of the house and thus... kept to the backyard... and usually stayed within whistling distance. Yes, she comes to a whistle... just like a dog ! Abbey would often spend the night outside, even in the snow, and in the mornings I would just crack open the back door and whistle.... and her she comes.

She addopted a "CAT" house that I had built many years ago for our daughters cat (an outdoor cat). This "CAT" house is a two story, insulated structure with a cedar shake roof. So, we didn't worry about her staying warm outside in the cold weather.
This little house, with a cat inside it, will hold enough heat to prevent a bowl of water from freezing even at temperatures down to -20 degrees F.

Eventually though, we all grow up and begin to loose our childhood fears... and Abbey is no exception. One evening this spring she shot out into the street in front of our house and tangled with a car. She suffered a fractured pelvis bone and a severe concussion as well as a scrape to her belly. That was weeks ago. Now she is back to normal. Ripping through the house... terrorizing everything and everybody in her way. Whooop Whooop, go kitty go !!!

Anyway, it turns out, Abbey is not afraid of water like most cats. We often find her taking a shower with us. She absoutely wants to be involved with everything that we do, water or not.

I figure that when this boat is finished she will be comfortable going along on weekend trips to the lake. Due to her accident... and the wife putting her foot down about her being outside, she is now being harness trained. Yup ! Harness trained... and doing quite well too :)

Abbey is learning to walk on a leash... just like a dog. When the boat is ready to go... so will Abbey... fitted with a harness and leash... maybe even a miniature "kitty" flotation device too.

Nice weather is here... so is yard work :)

2007-05-01T21:10:00.000-06:00

Spring is here and I'm back to work full time. I've also started with the yard work. The boat is on hold right now... for awhile anyway.

My wife and I just bought this house less than a year ago and we would very much like to spruce things up a bit. A little landscaping is in order.

Well,,,,,,,,,,, maybe just a scosch more than a little. The yard hasn't had much care for a good many years and much of the previous efforts to landscape the lot have long since been forgotten so, a lot of work is in store. I've been working for several weeks on two particular gardens for my wifes flowers & bulbs located in the back yard. The soil is hard as a rock... and full of it too.... rocks that is.... full of 2" river rock (previous landscaping ideas long since ignored and forgotten about). I've had to remove hundreds of pounds of this stuff from a 15' x 4' section of ground. I did this by actually hand screening every ounce of soil down 12" deep. I then added about 2" of mushroom compost and spaded this in. Then I added another 1"-2" of peat moss on top of this and spaded this in as well. The result is a very nice rich potting mixture that will hold moisture and provide a wonderfull place for the wife to plant whatever she wants to. Last but, not least, a couple inches of organic mulch to cover everything... and we have a garden.

I've dug up and hauled off two truck loads of sod...
I've hauled in a truckload of organic mulch... two truck load of organic compost... several contractor sized bales of peat moss... 3 tons of mason sand (for the new patio to put the new patio furniture on).

So much work to do... I do admit though... I love gardening !
My wife also bought two large tomato plants ! Planted them in a large pot (24" dia.) that I set up for her. She also picked up a couple of bell pepper plants and put those in a couple smaller pots.

We have a very small lot with two out buildings so, sunlight is a factor that has to be considered with everything. This is why the vege plants are in pots... the most direct light is right on the patio... and we think that it will be cool to walk out the back door and pick a fresh tomato... next to the back door !

Abbeygirle, our outside cat (who the boat is named after), bit off a bit more than she could chew last night. Late in the evening, while we were relaxing in the back yard on our new patio furniture, she decided to run out into the street... she hit a car... or the car hit her ? Anyway, she has a fractured pelvis, and a good concusion. She is very lucky... and so are we. The wife has set her foot down and stated that Abbey can no longer go outside without a leash.

She was originally a stray and basically lived in my garage (the workshop). She has, in the past, always been afraid of the street and the cars so, I always figured that she could stay outside although, I knew that the street out front posed a real threat. She has become a part of the family though and we intend to make sure that this won't happen again.

More about Abbeygirle to come later.

Shop Notes:

2007-03-21T20:27:00.000-06:00

I've been down for awhile. Seems like I must have worn out the 80 gig hard drive in this computer. Had to send the computer to the doctor and have the hard drive replaced.

Anyway... while it was out... I had to bend another board. Rather than remove my gutter's downspout again, I opted to go ahead and build a simple steam box. Wow, it works great to.

Nothing fancy here.

The hinged door is sealed with standard weather stripping and the box itself has dowel rod inserted throughout the sides to support the wood and allow the steam to surround the workpiece. 45 minutes to warm up the box and 45 - 60 minutes of steam and we have bendable wood.

I used the same heater and boiler set up as before. A really nifty little gadget. All was made out of scrap laying around the shop and even the hinge and weather stripping was salvaged from another project in the past.

As far as what I've been working on .............. I've been trying to finish up the fuel cells inclosure as well as the bracing for the floor above the fuel cell. I've also been filling holes... lots and lots of holes. Other than this, there's not much to report

Shop Notes:

2007-03-04T04:39:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in a previous post how most people have a set of plans (drawings & instructions) to work from. Some do not have such plans to work from. I have found on a few occasions though, that a drawing was necessary. Drawings take an idea from one's mind and put it down on paper enabling a person to see how something is going to look. It can also enable one to see the different dimensions (side, top & front as well as 3-d). A drawing gives a worker the ability to apply measurements (dimensions) to his idea, there by making it possible to "test" it's workability. If your attention span is a bit short (for what ever reason) the drawing helps to keep your idea in focus too :).

A lot of what I'm doing is more or less duplicating something that was already there. Maybe it was broken or deteriorated... but, it was there. Some of what I'm doing to my project is completely from scratch... like the keel repair, the bulkhead between cockpit and cabin and the fuel cell's enclosure. I've had to improvise these ideas in my head and work out how they will be made. Drawing has helped a lot with this.

I used to draw a lot as a kid. In school, I had 4 years of drafting. It's been many years and I've forgotten much but, I can still draw basic pictures and apply the dimensions. I wish that I had a lot more math (geometry) background. The ability to work with angles and other geometric functions is very useful.

The making of the bridge (mentioned in the previous post) was possible thanks to my ability to draw... I had first constructed the box enclosure which hangs between the two bulkheads. Before installing the bottom (3/8" ply), I layed a piece of wood (straight edge) across the bottom ledges of the box and took 3 measurements from the bottom of this straight edge down to the keel. These 3 measurements were taken from precise points along the length of the box. This is how I determined the correct height of the bridge and it's angle or pitch. I actually transfered these measurements to my benchtop and drew it out full scale onto a piece of poster paper that I had stapled to the benchtop. It worked out pretty good too.

I plan to buy all new drafting tools again and set up a drawing table in the shop (somewhere) for future drawing projects. I have plans to add and addition to my house someday and, I'm planning to do the job myself. Also, I have some landscaping ideas to incorporate into the big picture of the house as well as enlarging my shop another 14' to the north. Being able to draw all of this out on paper will help to bring it all together and in perspective.

Here's a couple of pic's of some seating ideas that I have. These pictures are of two seperate boats and were downloaded from the picture galery at www.Boatdesign.net. Their really nice looking seats.

My boat's seating wasn't original but, I do know the basic idea how the cockpit seats were made...( plywood-fold down)... I did't like it either. The back seat was constructed with a heavy steel frame and was basically a bus seat... very heavy too, probably 150 pounds. I hope to design something similar to these pictures for the back seat, which I want to wrap around the port side, maybe both sides. I'll have to draw it all out and see what happens............... Untill next time... ; )

Shop Notes:

2007-03-03T00:10:00.000-06:00

I've been working on the fuel cell's enclosure again. Ever since I made the decision to locate the fuel cell in the cabin under the bed I've been concerned about a few issues like.... how will I design the enclosure..? how will it balance and support the weight (approx. 160 + pounds full of fuel) as well as the weight of two people in the cabin (on top of the fuel cell) and so on..?

I designed the box some time back using 3/8" plywood but, still have been concerned about the weight factors. I've needed to create something to support this weight without causing any undue stress. I've been considering how the cabin floor is supported but, can not see enough room in the bilge to utilize braces in the same manner. I do need to spread this weight out as much a possible though.

I came up with what I refer to as a bridge.

The idea is to spread out as much of the weight as possible across the keel itself (the strongest element in the bilge at this point in the boat).

It's designed to attach directly under the fuel cell's box and sit directly on the keel.

The fuel cell is 47" long and 18" wide. It is supported and enclosed by it's box which "hangs" from and between the first and second bulkhead in the cabin.

The bridge is approx. 27" long and 6" wide on top. The center of the bridge itself is constructed of one piece of 3/4" mahogany in the center, sandwiched by two pieces of 3/4" plywood. The top and bottom are 3/8" ply... the bottom piece being just wide enough to cover the width of the keel while the top piece being a bit wider will support the the weight being transferred through the bottom of the box. The plywood on the bottom of the bridge (being softer than the keel) will eventually compress if it is stressed... sort of "adjusting" or "seating" itself, at least this is how I imagine it to work.

In this picture you can see the bridge sitting in it's position on the keel. The piece of 1" x 2" was used to check clearance across the entire length of the box... It fit really... really good !

This should work very well.

Shop Notes:

2007-03-01T23:34:00.000-06:00

New hatchway dryfitting.

Today, and the last few days, I've been able to work a bit on the boat. Not as much as I'd like though. Sometimes, it's just better to walk away for a time, which is probably what I should have done the other day when Mr. Murphy slipped in to visit. Things have been slow going all week.
New Bulkhead Dryfitting.

I have worked (on and off) on the hatch cover as well as the new bulkhead and today I've focused on the fuel cell incloser too. You'll see in the pictures that I've made a little headway... kicking and screaming all the while..... ;(

Fuel cell incloser roughed in.

Fuel cell getting a test fit.

I have constructed most of the lid for the hatch and it's looking fairly nice so far.
Sooner or later everything will come together and actually be assembled permantly... still have a ways to go though. I have to fabricate a dash as well as the seating (at least the supports for the seats), coat everything with CPES and then at some point soon after I'll be purchasing some sandable primer to apply to the entire inside of the boat... Hulls, Cabin sides, Beams, Bulkhead... the works. I'll have to have a good start on the dash and the seats before this can happen though. Untill next time..... :)

Shop Notes:

2007-02-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

Shop safety.
No... I didn't hurt myself yesterday, and murphy didn't get me either.

Shop safety is always important. I'm sure that everyone's heard your supposed to wear safety glasses... blah blah blah... Well, I believe in shop safety. I can't swear that I ALWAYS put on my safety glasses when I fire up a saw but, I can say that I should! Safety glasses are really a must... one doesn't realize how important or sensitive his or her eyes are untill one or both of your eyes are damaged. Working in a machine shop many years ago, using diamond studded grinding wheels, I wound up with a piece of a diamond inbedded in my eye. This wasn't life threatening but, it did require a trip to the eye doctor to have it removed from my cornea. Sawdust, metal shavings, wood chips and splinters all pose a real threat to our eyes.
Loose clothing is a definite no no ! Jewelery (big rings, necklaces) is not smart either.

When using saws (bandwaw, table saw, jointers etc.) a push stick is always smart. When I first bought my band saw I wanted to play around with it, experiment cutting little things. One of the first things I made was a simple push stick to keep my hands and fingers away from the blade.
I can honestly say that many times in my life I've had to make due without the use of one or more of my fingers or a hand... even an arm ! (I still have both arms and hands as well as all 8 fingers and both thumbs). I've had 4 broken arms. I've also broke, cut, gashed, smashed and whatever else you can do to terrorize one's hands and didgets many times over in my life time. Trying to tie one's shoes is a real bummer with only one hand.

I keep a medicine cabinet in my shop (with a mirror) stocked with peroxide, bandages, gauze... the bare essentials to patch something up if needed, at least untill I can get to the hospital, if needed. The mirror is handy too. Even wearing saftey glasses, you are still going to get something in your eye once in awhile, especially when your on your back under the truck and looking up ..................................................

Shop Notes:

2007-02-27T05:47:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was a disaster... more or less but, a disaster.
I was trying to re-fabricate the individual pieces that make up the hatch cover ( a completely new hatch) and could not make the simplest of anything without messing it up. The hatch face I made three times... this is just a piece of plywood approximately 5" x 24" rectangle shaped, nothing fancy... no bevels... or curves... or radius'... just a rectangle. Three times... :(

Today will be better and, I hope to finish the hatch cover pieces and move on to the bulk head.

Shop Notes:

2007-02-27T05:47:00.000-06:00

Murphy... I know your in here !

2007-02-26T16:17:00.000-06:00

Ever have one of those days when you know that Mr. Murphy is lurking somewhere behind you watching everything you do, and he's making sure that you can't do anything right ?
Well, he's in my shop right now. It seems that I cannot perform the simplest of tasks today. I've messed up everything that I touch... Everything !

Shop Notes:

2007-02-25T09:37:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I installed the remaining floor braces and then the cockpit floor itself. The floor consists of two layers of 3/8" plywood. The plywood was completely treated (both sides as well as all edges) with CPES to prevent water damage, and it will surely see it's share of water. The first layer was layed out and stapled with galvanized 1/4" x 1 1/4" crown staples basically at the corners and centers of each side to keep it flat until the second layer could be layed out and fastened. Each layer consists of two pieces of ply... one fore (running the full width of the floor) and one aft (likewise). Each seam is positioned directly above a brace. The seam on the first layer is positioned forward of the center (athwart ship) of the floor while the seam of the second layer is positioned aft. The second layer is secured every 5" all the way around each piece with SS #8 1 5/8" screws predrilled and counter sunk.

In the very back, the first 15"-18" forward of the transom is a separate piece of plywood (single layer) left unattached for access to the bilge. This piece will eventually have holes cut into it on either side of the keel for bilge pumps. The keel is solid (no holes connecting the bilges) so a separate pump for each side is necessary. This is also where the batteries will be mounted, one on each side, to the outside near the hull.

Now that the floor is in, I can grab my trusty bucket (an upside down seat) and start to heat and dig out the epoxy plugs on the cabin sides to tighten them up. There are 13 screws on each side. I got no less that 1/4 turn out of every screw and as much as an entire full turn out of some and, all but one tightened down. I had to remove one that was stripped and re-drill for a new screw.

Later, I decided to take a look at the hatch. This thing is crooked and it's been bothering me for some time as to whether or not I should mess with it. I can't stand it... The wood around it (coaming ?) is rotted in places and it's just not square...

So, I started by removing all of the trim around the opening. I grab my square and straight edge and start studying this picture. I think this procedure requires a beer. Drink beer while looking at square crooked hole. Think..... think..... measure this.... measure that.... drink... think.... measure... you get the picture, right. Finally, I decide to start with the upper left (looking aft) corner of the hatch opening. I figure that I'll start with this corner and square everything else to it. So, with straight edge in hand, I begin to mark off excess wood that will need to be removed. I grab a rasp and my surform and start to shave off said wood. Remove a little wood here... a little more there... a slight cut from the jig saw in a couple of corners, a little more shaving and whalla ! SQUARE.

I can live with it now. Time to call it a night.

Hats off to Dave "Rational Root"

2007-02-24T09:31:00.000-06:00

I recently mentioned that I've ran across another blog where "Dave" is building his own boat by scratch. See his link on the left (Daves Boat). Dave lives in Ireland. It is cold in Ireland and even in the summers it doesn't get real hot I gather. If you read some of his blog you'll see that he doesn't have a garage or shop. Dave is building his boat outside... in his yard.

This post is sort of my "HATS OFF" salute to Dave.

My wife and I moved into our current home about 9 months ago. We previously lived in a house that "sucked" with a grand garage... 24' x 36". The garage/shop was actually bigger than the house ! Anyway, we wanted a larger / better house and had searched for 6 months or better until we found this one, and bought it. The point that I'm trying to reach with this paragraph is that we could have settled on many other houses (nicer houses) a lot faster... but, I needed my "SHOP" space to work on my boat. My boat was mostly bare wood at that time (on the outside) and I didn't want it exposed to the weather until it was finished.

Dave is building his boat outside... ! It's dark when he gets home from work. He has to drag his tools out to work, run power cords, set up lighting, perform his work in in the midst of half light and half shadows and then has to put everything away each and every night when he is done. This drudgery alone would prevent "ME" from working more often than not. Oh, did I mention that if it rains... or even looks like it might rain... NO WORK. He doesn't have any of the luxuries that are often "TAKEN FOR GRANTED" when working in an enclosed, well lighted, dry... heated shop where he could just come home from work and walk through a doorway and pick up his tape measure and square and go to work on his pride and joy.

And Dave is not alone in this either. I am sure that many a boat builder works under these conditions.

I would like to share some of those luxuries here with Dave and any other readers that happen across my blog.

So to Dave and everyone that works in less than favorable conditions I take my hat off to you as a salute to your perseverance and dedication. More power to you !

One has to have a place to store the many tools that one can collect... and I have been collecting for a few years... Two drill presses (stand up model and a bench top model), radial arm saw, compound miter saw, band saw ( I love this... and I use it all the time), cherry picker, combination disc / belt sander, air compressor ( I waited many years for this ! ), air nailers and staplers and many other air tools like impact wrench, sanders, grinders etc..., cordless drills, circular saws and a host of many other tools.

My walls are covered with tools, clamps, gadgets and supplies that I've found necessary (or at least thought so). There are many shelves to store shop supplies like paints, epoxies, putty, cleaners, solvents, oils and on and on...

Like most small shops, I have built most of the shelving and storage devices used here, like the storage bin behind my bench grinder to organize the various grades of sand paper. My mountain bike is hoisted up and suspended in the rafters on a simple rope & pulley system. The cabinet in the corner (I did not build this) stores my books and magazines as well as my stereo system and shop music (gotta have my music.... I love music. At this very moment I'm listening to Kitaro's... Kokoro from his album "An Enchanted Evening, Live").

There are lots of storage bins / drawers for things like nails, screws, bolts, nuts, washers and so on (various different sizes). Anybody who works on things (a real "Do It Yourselfer") will eventually collect a boat load of this kind of stuff... and I like to stock many fasteners and supplies so that I don't have to dash out to the store every time I need a screw for this or a washer or whatever. I used to own my own truck (tractor trailer rig) so, I found it very useful to keep a well supplied shop. It just costs too much to pay someone else to do your work for you. Let's not forget about that ever so important "concrete floor" that my creeper rolls across so nicely............ :)

Last, but not least... you just got to have a refrigerator to keep your beer cold ! and close ! :)

Enough I say... Enough......................

Again, my hat is off to you Dave. Keep up the good work and persevere.

Shop Notes:

2007-02-23T22:31:00.000-06:00

O.K.... Yesterday, after I got my cabin's cross beam (batten) set in it's jig, I mixed up some C.P.E.S. For those of you who don't know what this is, C.P.E.S. stands for Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer. C.P.E.S. is actually a two part (50/50) epoxy in a thin liquid form (until it sets up). In it's liquid form, it is about the consistancy of deisel and is used to coat wood (especially the end grain). When it sets up (dries), it seals the wood from future exposure to moisture. I get my C.P.E.S. from a company called "The Rot Dr." You'll find them at...http://www.rotdoctor.com/

Anyway, I mixed up a batch and began to coat parts. I've been making parts & pieces to complete the floor, the fuel cell's incloser, the cabin beams and so on for a couple of months now and finally some nice weather has arrived so that I can open up the shop and coat them. The C.P.E.S. is some really strong stuff... and highly flamable too. The first time I used this stuff I didn't wear a resperator. My neighbors (who like to lounge in their back yard all of the time) couldn't stand the smell from 150 feet away. Needless to say, I wear a resperator from now on.

That was last night. Today, I went ahead and decided to strip the rest of the cabin's inside walls as well as the inside of the cabin face. I was hoping not to (trying to be lazy I guess) but, after working with the cabin beams it was obvious that the cabin's side panels were quite loose. They wiggled side to side quite a bit. So, I made another exectutive decision... I would have to locate all of the screws that fasten these sides to the side deck, dig out the plugs (made of epoxy) and remove these screws one at a time and roll them in epoxy before re-inserting them and sinking them tight. There are 13 screws on each side.

Time to clean the shop and call it a night...

I like to sweep the floor every few days and make sure that my tools (not being used) are put away. There shouldn't be any more stripping, unless I've missed something.

See ya............................ :)

Shop Notes:

2007-02-22T14:16:00.000-06:00

Today I learned to bend wood using a steam box.

I needed to bend a length of Mahogony 3/4" x 2 1/2" x 54" for the cabin's cross beam.

I got the idea about how to build the steam box from my book by the Woodenboat Series... Frame, Stem & Keel Repair at http://www.amazon.com/Frame-Stem-Keel-Repair-Woodenboat/dp/0937822426

This book has some really great information about so many things.

The heater is of course my deisel powered salamander. The water tank is an old fire extinguisher that I had purchased a couple of years ago for $2.00 at a garage sale. It's made of stainless steel and it worked great. The steam box is a length of downspout from the gutter on the back of my wifes "Hut" behind the house. I usually use this downspout to channel water into a 30 gallon plastic drum, mounted sideways with a spigot on one end, so that I can collect rain water for my house plants.

It worked great too. The workpiece is currently laid up in the jig to set and dry. Now I think that I'll mix up a batch of C.P.E.S. and start coating some of the many parts I've made in the past weeks. It's a beautiful day outside and I for one am taking advantage of it.

Shop Notes:

2007-02-21T23:16:00.000-06:00

Today was a productive day. Despite it's beginnings, I actually accomplished more than I set out to do. We'll start with last night....

Last night I was tired. I transfered some measurements from the boat to my workpiece, with the intent of cutting that piece today. Even after measuring several times, I just couldn't get the numbers to add up right. I finally realized my mistake, corrected it, remeasured and was satisfied. Time to give up and close shop.

Today, I went to the shop with the intention of just grabbing that piece and starting to cut. I recently read on another fella's blog http://davesboat.blogspot.com (he's building his boat from scratch) that one should measure four or five times... then cut. This prompted a memory from high school where the shop teacher told our class to "Measure twice and cut once". Makes good sense. So I grabbed the tape measure and measured the distance across the cabin where the last beam would be installed and then checked that measurement against the workpiece and I'll be... It was wrong ! Not a great start but, at least I didn't cut it out wrong. As it turned out, after remeasuring and making the needed corrections, that particular beam turned out to be the best of the three. The angles were right. The length was right. The arch was good... all in all I was very impressed with my work. Someday, I just might advance from a Wood Butcher to an actual Woodworker, if I'm lucky.

Anyway, I completed that beam, gloated a bit, and grabbed the bulkhead for another dry fit. Looks like it's going to need a bit of trimming in a couple of places. So, I haul that out of the boat and on to the bench for some marking and trimming. Another dry fit and all seems good. Wow, two for two...

I then removed the bulkhead and set it aside. Now I have to mark the center of the last beam and the center of the front of the cabin for the installation of a cross beam (a beam that runs fore and aft across the top of the cabin beams). After marking the centers I clamped a piece of 1" x 3" Mahogony stock across the beams and lined it up with my marks on each end. I then marked each beam where the cross beam intersected, to cut notches for the cross beam to sit in.

Time to give some credit to the man (or woman) who built my boat. This person has a lot of my respect because he was able to build a boat... probably several, and I am only learning to repair one as yet. But... I wish that I had a whole bunch of what ever he was drinking when he did some of his work on this thing... I mean, screws drilled in within 1/16th" (or less) from the edge of the wood. The beams were all crooked (spaced 15" on one side and 17" on the other ?). The cross beam... again, crooked... not even close ! An inch and a half off center on one end (this is what prompted me to remove the roof in the first place... so I wouldn't find myself laying in the cabin some peaceful night on the lake, staring up and thinking to myself "why didn't I fix that").

Ok, enough complaining... :)

I removed all three beams, one at a time, and cut the notches as needed. Had to attach a piece of stock on the cabin's forward wall at the top (above the hatch) to have something to secure the cross beam to... this is where the original one was installed an inch and a half off center and the screws were set in literally on the edge of the board. There was no other way to secure the cross beam here using the same holes and not enough space to redrill new ones. I'll have to fill those holes, as well as all of the other 10,000 holes in this boat, some of which I have already filled. That's something that I have failed to mention anywhere else in this blog. Many of the holes that I've encountered I have filled by inserting a piece of dowel peg rolled in epoxy. I've filled a lot of holes this way, fills the hole and seals it from moisture too.

It has occured to me today, during contimplation, that the average boat builder starts with a pile of wood and a set of plans and begins to build his boat... from that pile of wood up (frames, hull, cabin....). As for me... I had a boat to begin with. Then, slowly but surely that boat keeps getting dismantled, right down to a bare hull and frames almost. And then I get to build it back up. But, I haven't got any plans. I always have been difficult :)

Ok... after cutting the notches and reinstalling the beams, I went to install the cross beam and realized that this thing is going to have to be bent, steamed and bent. If I just attach it on one end and force it down, attaching it to each beam as I go, it's going to force the first two beams down, out of shape, possibly even causing them to fracture. Sooooo, off to the house we go to fetch a book that I know will give me the information I'll need for this proceedure. Frame, Stem & Keel Repair found here > http://www.amazon.com/Frame-Stem-Keel-Repair-Woodenboat/dp/0937822426 I have resourced this book many times and find it to be very informative.

I finished off the evening with setting up a jig to be used for bending my 1" x 3" for the roof and locating a suitable container to use as a cooker for my steam. Tomorrow I'll learn how to bend wood... with steam. See ya.............................

Shop Notes"

2007-02-20T21:55:00.000-06:00

Today I finished the templates for the new bulkhead. Actually had to make two templates (out of 3/8" plywood), one for each side of the boat. The big thing here is, getting both templates lined up and spaced just right on the sheet of 3/4" plywood being used for the bulkhead so that when it's cut out and fitted into the boat it will match up on both sides like it is supposed to. I'll cut the thru-way out later before the final installation.

So many things started now, I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed. The floor is started but, not finished. The same is true for the fuel cell inclosure, the roof and it's beams, the seating, the dash and now the bulkhead. I haven't actually started the seating or the dash but, during the quality time spent sitting on my stool, staring intently at my work and of course... soaking up some quality beer, it came to my attention some time back that before I can finish the floor, I must have a plan for the seating and how it will attach to that floor. Before I finish the floor I must install the bulkhead. Before I can start the bulkhead I must remove the cabin's roof and replace the beams. Before I can finish the beams I must have the bulkhead cut and shaped and ready to install. Before I can... and so on ... and on... and on !

I'm sure that everything will come together in the end. I just don't want to get to a certian point and realize that I've MISSED or FORGOTTEN something and then be forced to make an executive decission... do I just leave it like this ? or do I tear it apart and start over ???

Anyway... I made the bulkhead today and cleaned up a bit around the shop. I also got set up to cut the final cabin beam. It's all layed out and ready to start cutting. It was during this layout that I realized how tired I really was. When I get tired I start to make stupid mistakes so, it was time to quit. I'll cut out the beam tomorrow and fit it in on the forward side of the bulkhead. The bulkhead will actually be attached to this beam. This will give the cabin some well deserved additional support... Later................

Shop Notes:

2007-02-19T22:25:00.000-06:00

Well, the break in the snow has allowed me to get in to the shop two days in a row... oh boy!

I removed the second cabin beam. I used the first beam as a template for the second one. Ordinarily this shouldn't work because each beam is a different length therefore, the arch will become greater as the beam gets longer or visa versa (which ever).

Anyway, the original beams are so warped and mis-shaped (and I suspect not made correctly either) that as I eyeballed across the top it was obvious to me that it would work out fine. And it did too. I traced out the beam, cut it, shaped the underside on the workbench and then installed it. Eyeballing across the top again I could see that there was plenty of wood that needed to be shaved off across each beam to get the overall arch of the roof to blend as it passes over each beam.

I did run into a small problem. While standing inside the boat using a surform to shave the topsides of the beams, I was looking down the cabin's side across the window (top down) and noticed that the top of each window was protruding out, somewhat twisted. I got out of the boat and looked down the sides of the cabin from the bow and indeed, the tops of the windows were being pushed out by the beams I had just installed. The beams were too long and the angle on the ends was slightly off (maybe 1 degree), just enough that the windows were really messed up. So, I surveyed each side and caculated in my head just how much wood needed to be removed from the ends of each beam and how much to correct the angles so that the windows would fall back into shape, made my marks on the wood and removed the beams. A couple more marks here and there... a few carefull brushes across the disc sander at a 4 1/2 degree angle and wallaa... Reinstall the beams and recheck the windows and... hey ! they don't look half bad...

I spent the rest of the evening carefully shaping each beams topside edge and started to make a template for the new bulkhead that I mentioned in my previous post. To be continued...

Shop Notes:

2007-02-19T08:32:00.000-06:00

Good Morning to all...
Not a whole lot going on in the shop yesterday. Bought a few pieces of Mahogany to start replacing the cabin beams. The original beams are 15/16" thick. The replacement beams will only be 3/4" thick but, they will be a bit wider to maintain their structural strength.

Removed one beam. Cleaned it up a bit, removing the crusties and what not, so as to use it as a pattern to duplicate it's arch on the new piece of wood. The original beams were fastened with only one screw on each side. Why, I don't know, since this did allow them to "spin" if it were not for the roof itself preventing them from doing so. Seems to me that 2 screws on each side is the smarter choice, as well as proper drilling and placement of the holes. So, that is what I did.

I made the one beam, positioned it, marked and drilled for 4 holes... 2 on each side and installed the first beam. Performed the ever so complicated technique of "eyeballing" it's position, relative to the top of the cabin, and grabbed the rasp. A little shaving across the fore side of the beam, to give it some slope towards the bow, and all looks good.

Today, I plan to remove the second beam and repeat the above proceedures. When this is done, I'll have to remove both beams to give them a good sanding and treat them with CPES before they are reinstalled permantly. After the first two beams are completed, I'll be able to remove the third and final beam.

I haven't decided how I want to do this one though. I'm considering fabricating and installing a full bulkhed from hull to hull and floor to roof with a thru-way into the cabin. The reasoning for this is to fully inclose the fuel cell's box (which will be in the cabin under the bed). Also, this would allow me to design a larger, stronger dash to accomidate the new teleflex steering system and guages previously purchased as well as a switch panel & fuse box for the electrical system... To be continued...

Back to the Boat.

2007-02-16T00:45:00.000-06:00

Work has officially resumed on the boat. Got out the grinder yesterday afternoon and proceeded to grind off all of the nails and staples holding the roof on the cabin. Hundreds of 1" quarter crown staples ! ??? Found some more rotten wood under the fiberglass near the center of the roof. Also found a couple of broken cabin beams. All 3 beams were loose and warped too. For that matter.... I've been finding a lot of loose screws all around the boat. I've been making a mental note of them and intend to come back and remove them one at a time and roll each screw in epoxy and re-insert it into it's respective hole, tighteng it... the boat, as a whole, should be much tighter/sturdier when this entire project is completed. Felt good to be in the shop :)

Cheap snow for sale now...

2007-02-14T19:32:00.000-06:00

This morning it was back to shoveling snow again... My wife said we needed stamps. It was just a way to get me to go out (Valentimes day you know) and buy her Fanny May's Pixies... boy are those things expensive. I came up with a way to recoupe some of my money back though... anybody want to buy some "CHEAP SNOW" ?

We did get a total of 13.5 inches of snowfall. That's a lot of snow here in Central Illinois. Oh, guess what... it's going to snow again Friday and Saturday :) oh boy!
http://vicslittleworkshop.shutterfly.com/action/

The blizzard of 2007

2007-02-13T16:49:00.000-06:00

Hey Hey ! It's snowing!
We're actually under an official Blizzard Warning here in Central Illinois. We are expecting a total between 10 and 15 inches by mid-night tonight.
I scrambled out the back door around 8:55 this morning to shovel the drive and I kid you not... by 10 am the back door that I had scooped out an hour earlier was drifting over 8"-10" again...
So, I scooped it out a second time and went back to shoveling the driveway. At 11:am it was blowing closed again! A fella can't get a jump on things no way no how around here today.
I shoveled and scooped for three hours, got the drive cleared, and the back door was drifted over another 8"-10" again................. I give up ! For the day :)
More pics of today's adventure at...http://vicslittleworkshop.shutterfly.com/action/

Kitchen work today

2007-02-12T15:32:00.000-06:00

No work in the shop today. Still coughing up violently and taking meds. Oh well, I've got a project in the kitchen that's been on hold for awhile...
The kitchen faucet has been giving us trouble from the day we bought into this house 6 months ago and now is as good of time as any to fix it.
The faucet's handle was quite stiff and once you had it in the "on" position you couldn't adjust the temperature. So, I shut the main water off, disassembled the faucet into a pile of plastic, metal, rubber and ceramic pieces. Cleaned everything with a brass wire brush, sprayed it all with "food grade" silicone and then re-assembled it all to look something like a kitchen faucet.
I told the wife it works real easy now ! The first time she used it she nearly pushed the handle clean thru the wall behind it. :) I gotta not let things go so long.

Boat Repair:

2007-02-11T17:06:00.000-06:00

This is where the boat stands now. The glue and paint are gone. The floor in it now is temporary so that I could get inside her to work. The white paint that is left yet(upper sides of cabin) will probably remain as it due to the fact that it is in very good shape and doesn't want to soften with the heatgun.

Work is at a stand still.

2007-02-10T23:02:00.000-06:00

O.K.... Have been trying to learn more about this blogger stuff and the web. I've not been working on the boat too much lately. Having some health issues. It seems that having bronchitis, temperatures hovering around zero, 4"-6" of snow and 3 or 4 days of stripping the glue, adheisives, epoxy and fiberglass with a heat gun and a putty knife out in my shop apparently do not go together very well. Lungs are quite racked right now. Will resume soon though.

I did get all of the glue, goo and gunk off of the boat though as well as the fiberglass on the top of the cabin and bow. She's bare wood now, inside and out. This pic was taken just b-4 finishing the stripping... you can still see some of the blue paint and goo on the inside of the cabins interior.

I have most of the pieces for the new floor and it's support's and bracing all cut and shaped and ready to be coated with CPES, and then they can be installed. Also, I've cut all of the pieces to form the new fuel cell's inclosure. This will be in the cabin under the bed. These pieces will have to be coated with CPES as well. Am awaiting for temps outside to get high enough to open my shop doors for ventilation. My only heat source in the shop is a diesel powered salamander.

!!!!!!!! CPES doesn't mix well with open flames !!!!!!!!

To be continued: