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The Road Ends in Water

Brickyard Point Landing, photo by T

 

(to start of project)

The week following New Year’s was cold – record breaking cold – so it wasn’t the best time to visit the seashore; but that made it a good time to visit family. My folks now live on an island  outside Beaufort, South Carolina, which is about halfway between Savannah and Charleston. When I was growing up we took vacations here every summer, back when the place was still a little wild, so we have a lot of memories scattered around the island. When the last of my siblings left home, my parents sold everything in the suburbs and bought a house there before real estate got crazy. Now my own kids have grown up spending summers there, too, and on lucky occasions like this one our visits overlap with my sister or brother and the girls get to see their cousins. Continue reading “The Road Ends in Water”

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Hazards of Humidity (or lack thereof)

Curve in Transom

 

(to start of project)

 About those towels . . .

Here’s one of those little problems that you don’t really factor into work the schedule. It’s not covered in the manual, but it’s one of the major hazards of any woodworking project that spans several seasons. See, wood, as an organic material, has evolved structurally over millions of years to be very good at absorbing water at one end of the tree and transporting it to another. Every fiber, every cell, is designed for this. Just because you cut the tree down doesn’t stop that structure from working entirely. Imagine that! It still works like a sponge, and so shrinks and swells as it absorbs and releases moisture. But it does it so slowly, and our projects are usually completed so quickly, that we don’t notice it. Not so with a boat project that has already seen the passing of four full seasons. Continue reading “Hazards of Humidity (or lack thereof)”

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Resolute

South Centerboard Case and Deck Beams

 

 

(to start of project)

New Years Eve. No partying for us tonight – we’re packing for a trip to South Carolina in the morning, visiting family for a few days. The weather is only barely cooperating, with sleet and snow every night, warming enough afternoons to melt it off cars and roads.  We still have snow on the ground from before Christmas. Between that, and the fact that all four of us and three dogs will be making the 10 hour drive in one car together, it should be an interesting trip, to say the least. Continue reading “Resolute”

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Greeting Cards

The Red Shed in Snow

 

(to start of project)

Two feet of fresh snow has preoccupied us the last several days. It broke a record for snow in December here, turning our little town into Currier and Ives prints, and giving us fun things to do outside. Between playing in the snow and holiday preparations there’s been precious little time for boatie things – which seem strangely foreign at the moment, as though Summer is a place in the South Pacific.  It is time well spent, though.

In the meantime, it is Christmas Eve, and a good time to share a little cheer. Continue reading “Greeting Cards”

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Warm Inside

 

 

Big snow storm tonight. Took two hours to get home, and Terri is still stuck in town, staying with friends.

It’s already deeper than the dogs. Emily is outside with them, and they bound through it like antelope, or burrow like groundhogs. I can hear her laughing in the dark.

It will fall through the night and into tomorrow.

A good night to be warm inside by the fire.

We’ll have a White Christmas.

 

 

 

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The Centerboards

Final Centerboard Testing, half down

 

(to start of project)

We got our first snow of the season today. Big, fat, soggy white croutons fell all day long, vanishing as they touched the ground. It marks the end of fall here, and one year of working on these boats. Something about the calls of geese heading south creates a feeling of urgency, and makes me want to get a move on. I’m really looking forward to getting these on the water. Thankfully, the Centerboards are essentially done. Continue reading “The Centerboards”

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Adventures in Centerboard Design 4 – The Magic Crescent

The Magic Crescent

 

(to start of project)

So, let’s review:

A centerboard is more convenient than a daggerboard, simply because it kicks up when it hits bottom, and can be raised and lowered easily for beaching or sailing in shallow water. But, it’s less convenient because the space it requires is like having and extra person on board who sits right in the middle of the boat and refuses to budge. Compromises can be made to minimize the inconvenience, including changing sail size or position, moving the board forward of optimal balance, increasing weather helm, and/or reducing the size of the board. Any or all can be tweaked to give up more or less cockpit space. Continue reading “Adventures in Centerboard Design 4 – The Magic Crescent”