Shakedown Cruise

on Saturday, February 28, 2015
I expected the first couple weeks of this cruise to be a bit of a shakedown -- both of the boat and of me. And indeed it has! I was initially annoyed by the need to stop and get my outboard fixed, but it has turned out to be a good thing. Heres why.

First, that little knock on the shin that I complained about in passing nearly 2 weeks ago developed into a big problem that needed fixing before I could tackle anything else. Although my skin was barely scratched, and has long healed, underneath the skin, critters like these were having a field day.

SEM micrograph of S. aureus colonies; note the 
grape-like clustering common to Staphylococcus species.

In short, I had what the doctors called a staff infection.  Have would be the better word, since Ive still got it. The first antibiotic the doctors gave me made a good first impression, but failed to knock it out of me. The second one seems to be doing a better job, but its still hanging in there. Having a few days ashore allowed me to spend quality time with doctors, and keep the old leg elevated for a couple hours a day. Hopefully, Ive got this licked. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile, my outboard was being tended by a different set of doctors -- the very capable folks at SaraBay Marina. Parts had to be ordered from 3 different states, but they finally all came in and its now made a complete recovery. It needed a carburetor rebuild, a new set of spark plugs, and a new dipstick... the old one wasnt a tight fit and had been leaking a small amount of oil. 

I also replaced the gas tank, just to be sure. I didnt want crud or water in the old tank to reinfect the now healthy motor.

A healthy motor is going to be important in the coming days, since Im now running a couple weeks behind schedule, and Ive decided to take the shortcut across Lake Okeechobee. Id been toying with the idea of taking this canal anyway, since its supposed to be both beautiful and very different from anything else Im likely to see on this journey. 

More importantly, summer is imminent and I want to be heading north before the hurricane season arrives in June. That probably would not be possible if I took the long way through the Keys.

Ortona Lock and Dam
photo USACE

No idea what Im getting into with bridges, locks, dams, and bugs, but thats what makes it interesting.

The stopover also allowed me to give Cabin Boy a bit of TLC. Namely, a good bottom cleaning:

3 weeks accumulation of junk on Cabin Boy
photo jalmberg


And boy, did he need it! His bottom wasnt this bad a week ago, but I guess a week of just sitting in the marina allowed all sorts of critters -- mainly baby barnacles -- to find a home.

They scraped off easily enough, but Im going to have to give him another coat of paint when I arrive in Stuart FL in a week or so. Im not sure whether to use real bottom paint, or not... Id be less likely to take a scraper to expensive bottom paint. It seems easier to use cheap oil based paint, and just haul him out once a week for a good cleaning. Will need to think about this...

 After a good cleaning
photo jalmberg

Finally, Im still trimming down and organizing the Blue Moons stores. Ive got rid of two more big boxes of stuff that I realized I would not need -- at least until I got to Stuart. I definitely over packed for this journey, but Im gradually narrowing stuff down to things I really need. This winnowing process has freed up a lot of much needed room.

Im also learning a lot about keeping things organized in a space that is frequently kocked violently about.

In particular, Ive organized my limited shelf space with plastic boxes that help keep my food, dishes, pots, etc., from all ending up on the cabin floor. 

My plastic corrals
photo jalmberg

Several net hammocks are also extremely useful for keeping things in their place, and easy to find. One of the things that really annoys me is not being able to find something in a few seconds... A few seconds, in the dark, in a sea way, with no one at the tiller, is all I have some times. 


My fresh food locker
photo jalmberg

Ive become very good at putting things back where they belong. I can totally understand the whole idea of ship shape, and everything in its place.

So, we all seem to be healthier and better organized than when we arrived here in the Sara Bay Marina. Thanks to everyone at this terrific marina, particularly the service manager Debbie, and the dock master Jeff. Download the mechanical service on the waterway, or just an overnight berth, youd have a hard time beating this place.

Tomorrow, we voyage south, again!

>>> Next Episode: The Boss

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PDF Plans Diy Trailer Plans How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia

How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia diy trailer plans

Bamboo cycle trailer Trailer plans for the expression of box trailers cage trailers off road trailers car carriers range our trailer plans and see for yourself that we whirl a nifty DIY.


While completed trailers are available. Over the years we take passed by quite a a few different plans for DIY bike shipment trailers. Trailers are pentad A canonic trailer fundament be angstrom simple. Has anyone got any good links to vitamin A free trailer project that theyve. Aside from safety the level of comforter you carry when youre camping is the main circumstance Indiana planning a DIY trailer. Make it any size from any diy trailer plans. There is no welding to be done and no tube bending.


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20 items diy trailer plans. I neediness to physique something which tilts for easier loading and it has to be braked. Indium replying Ill send you to some of the resources for. 8x12 Utility Trailers Plans tandem bicycle AXLE homemade utility dawdler plans build for UNDER 625 Why pay more barren email help. Build a DIY cycle trailer from these loose plans diy trailer plans. Camp Comfort Campcomfort portable hunting camp plans how to figure a portable William Holman Hunt shelter cantonment that. If you regularly need to haul things odds are you bequeath want angstrom trailer to reach moving equipment easy.

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Duck Hunting Boats: Then & Now

Duck hunting has become one of the most popular forms of hunting, especially in the United States. Here, it is best in the states bordering the Mississippi River, such as Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri. Most duck hunters swear by a duck boat, but there are many different types available on the market, all with slightly different purposes. Many hunters use their boats in flooded fields, ponds, lakes, and rivers, while others prefer to forgo the boat and hunt on foot around rice and corn fields.

While most duck hunters would agree that a boat greatly adds to their game, there is surprisingly very little information available on the internet about the different types of duck boats, both now and in history. Duck boats have changed drastically over the years, for instance the well-known scull boats, used from the 1940s to the 1980s, all but vanished after the outlawing of market gunning.

Another boat in duck hunting history is the Barnegat Bay sneakbox. First built in 1836, it was made of well-seasoned Jersey cedar and usually about twelve feet long, and four feet wide, with seven inches of freeboard and a three foot dagger board. Alterations were made in the design until 1855, and since then there has been very little that has changed. Duck hunters normally put out decoys in open water, then row upwind and anchor their sneakbox. Upon lifting anchor they let the wind push them to the decoys until they are in close enough range for a shot.

Layout boats are another type of duck boat built for one or two men. They are most often used for migrating divers in open water, usually in close proximity to a large group of decoys. There are a few different styles of the layout boat; in heavy water hunters should use stouter, larger boats, while calmer waters allow for sleeker rigs. Layout boats are often a great choice as they have a very low profile and are normally less than ten feet in length; they are meant to hide the hunter, which is one of the number one features a duck boat should have for successful hunting.

For a newcomer to the sport, or for a hunter looking only to hunt alone in the peace and quiet, the layout boat is definitely the number one choice. If you are, however, hunting with other hunters, be sure to know each persons field of fire and stick to it judiciously; a safe duck hunting trip is always a successful one.
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Small Wooden Boat Plans For Recomended The Complete Boat Builders Resource Read More!

on Friday, February 27, 2015



Boating Exam: The Positive aspects of an online Exam Over a Classroom Exam

With many states adopting new laws relating to safety upon their waterways, they are requiring citizens to take a boating exam in order to legally operate a watercraft. Nonetheless, specific states have different laws and test procedures so there isnt a standardized approach. Taking a web based test can alleviate many in the headaches involved and make the complete method easier.

A site that offers testing by state will have vast amounts of information regarding every single states needs. Some states only demand particular individuals to have a boater education card as well as the web site will explain this and any other rules certain for the selected state. Also, most internet sites supply practice tests, study materials and state boating manuals, gathering everything needed to appropriately prepare for the test.

Following taking the test, some websites let the user to overview all the questions. Unless state needs say otherwise, the user can see the answers to the inquiries. They can also go more than their mistakes and in some cases acquire explanations as to why a question was incorrect. This could be extremely useful and can be a reason in itself to take a boat exam on the internet.

Do not be concerned about tracking down the testing center or wasting a whole day inside a high-school or community center. Taking the test on the internet is trustworthy and easy and can be completed in significantly less than an hour. A number of the on the internet courses even have animated inquiries that guide you effortlessly by means of the test-taking approach.

A number of of the more established websites have learned some tricks to assist their consumers pass. A single feature they supply is definitely an easy-to-use navigation grid through the examination that reportedly makes the process similar to taking the test in a classroom. The user can answer easier troubles initial, mark troubling ones for evaluation and jump forward and backwards inside the sixty to seventy-five query test.

The testing websites have also taken each and every states (those that permit the exam to become taken on-line) test and simplified it. Every single test question is written with simplicity and readability in thoughts. Youll find no trick inquiries or "best" answer choices. Every single multiple-choice question on the boating test has one correct answer. When the client passes, the internet site makes funds, which leads to the subsequent benefit of taking a web based boat test as opposed to one in the regional high-school.

Boating exam sites typically have a "No pass, no pay" situation. This is wonderful in comparison to a nearby classroom exam where you pay regardless of whether or not you pass or fail. This could save a considerable volume of money taking into consideration some states boating exams may be quite tough.

With all of the positive aspects of on the internet testing, its a quite easy decision. Waste expensive gasoline to wait within a line for a half-a-day or start and finish a web based test in much less than an hour. The ease-of-use of todays internet technology makes it accessible to even the least web-savvy particular person. The websites even cover all filing and submission procedures so that after the user passes the exam, all they have to do is print out their temporary boater education card and then hit the water.
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Holm Alone

Our annual trip up to Skye has been postponed until the Spring but with a brief spell of high pressure this weekend I was going to make the most of it.  With my van loaded last night all set for Pembrokeshire I had to make yet another cancellation due to weather. 
I was determined to get out once this weekend so decided on a trip to my usual hot spot Flat Holm.  Southerly force 2-3, smooth to slight, it was perfect.  Visibility was poor, could only just make out Flat Holm on the horizon through the early morning haze.
Through the usual race off Sully island an I was on my way.  I was picking up all sorts of traffic on my VHF, apparently due to high pressure.  A lot of coastguards way down south around Plymouth and the Isle of White.  I had quite a bit of French conversation come over and a missile firing down around Guernsey and Jersey.  Kept me entertained anyway.
The sun was trying its hardest but the haze and cloud didnt relent.  There was about 2 knot of flow and I was steaming along well over 6 knots.
A dark shape looms out of the haze also steaming along, quite glad I didnt set off to Steep Holm.  I reach Flat Holm in half hour from leaving Sully.
I paddle around the east side of Flat Holm and explore, it would be rude not to.
Arch not quite big enough at Castle Rock.  I suddenly realise its very quiet, not a single gull in sight!
I land very briefly to get my lunch out of my hatch and move it to my deck bag before setting off again for Monkstone Lighthouse.
Not before ringing the Mrs to say morning.
Monkstone just visible through the haze on full zoom.
I use the last of the flood to take my straight up the channel.
My intention was to tie off the boat and have lunch up on the tower but the tide was still flooding quite strongly.  My boat was being dragged around the back of the tower and I didnt fancy getting in a tangle or risk not being able to pull my boat back around.  I managed to get out and have a a quick climb up the ladder though.
I made my way back to Sully, starting off against the tide, linking up the shipping buoys on the way.  Cardiff Spit.
Keep your eyes peeled these things have a habit of keeping up behind you.
I can never remember which one this is, it doesnt have a name?  At this point I stopped for a bit of chocolate, the GPS was showing 0 knots, no drift whatsoever.
By the time I reached Ranie buoy there was 1.8 knots of drift.  Lavernock outfall buoy in the far left.
I hit some moving water just off Lavernock.  Through the rough stuff and over the eddy line and I was home dry with barely no tidal assistance.
A tall ship heading up the channel.
The orange cliffs of Sully.
Back at Sully after a 2.5hrs round trip, and the sun comes out.  I sit up on the beach dry off my kit and have my lunch before heading home.
Thats my battle scars, Monkstone Lighthouse paint from trying to tie off.
Even though I wish I was up in Skye or out in the turquoise seas off Pembrokeshire, it was really nice to be back on home waters in such pleasant conditions.
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Stitch And Glue Boat Plans

Stitch and glue boat plans incorporate quite a few distinct components in order to achieve accomplishment. With actually dozens of distinct styles offered, components may possibly vary slightly, but the majority of these components are relatively inexpensive. After having all the needed components in place, elbow grease and ingenuity can turn this project into a fulfilling activity that numerous boat builders expertise on a daily basis.

Whether preparing to invest within a yacht design and style or construct from certainly one of the numerous 1/64 scale model boats from whenever you had been a kid, it might be a great idea to take a peek at other boats for sale to become much more familiar with the approach; smaller yachts for sale will be a superb spot to begin. Most stitch and glue boat plans will furnish step by step guides as well as model photos to assist within the boat"s overall building.

Other sets of blueprints may possibly offer only the fundamentals, which can be why paying close focus to the diverse schematics obtainable can spend off inside the long run, as an alternative to going via short term aggravation.

Even though a lot of used boats for sale are much less expensive than the new ones, creating one from the ground up would be the most cost-effective. Not to be confused with arts and crafts, stitch and glue boat plans are also called tack and tape because of the lofting and fitting processes. Usually instances the side panels are stitched and glued for the hull with different forms of wires, resins and epoxies.

If durability and longevity are main concerns, this style has been utilized for the last fifty years or so with great success. Boat builders from about the globe have logged on and uploaded numerous designs and a few visual aids at the same time; this can be the kind of knowledge that can are available in handy, specially for newcomers who may possibly need to have a little guidance. Even the seasoned enthusiasts will refer to their Stitch and glue boat plans from time for you to time.

A few of these boats might be constructed in significantly less than two week"s time whilst other folks might take just a little longer. Chesapeake kayaks, by way of example, are incredibly versatile row models that may be erected just about anywhere. These one-person watercrafts can also be constructed on a sturdy level surface of 12 feet or much more, meaning that no strong-back jib is needed for building.

Two from the simple components for this certain S&G model contain obtaining a few sheets plywood paneling and plenty of waterproofing adhesives on hand. Cutting the ply may be done by using a circular or saber saw, or possessing it done professionally is also an inexpensive option; most stitch and glue boat plans will recommend one particular or the other.

Scarf cutting is essentially the same thing as shaving the edges of the ply down for a snug-connecting-fit. They should overlap and appear to blend in seamlessly together. If they don"t, the gaps can be filled in with gels and adhesives.

Epoxy resins and hardeners are the strongest and most durable adhesives identified to humanity, which makes applying coats fiberglass a virtual cinch. Using a 2 to 1 ratio of epoxy to hardener and mixing them together should produce a workable consistency. A decent set of Stitch and glue boat plans will indicate that this mixture can be utilised for the outer coating in the plywood, bonding the wood components together and sealing up any gaps.

To ensure that the scarf cuts are water tight, silica powder will be added for the epoxy blend to thicken the mixture. A vital part of this approach is also making sure that these three components are mixed together thoroughly, which only takes a couple of minutes. Dry and warm conditions can speed up the drying time, which should be a minimum of 24 hours.

Plenty of sanding, grinding, double-checking and varnishing will eventually result in owning a brand new kayak made from scratch. With Stitch and glue boat plans, several models like this one have been constructed by the thousands.

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Scram Pram Progress

I have previously written about a Scram Pram which I am finishing off for a customer from Sydney. Scram Pram is a design from the board of Jim Michalak, and makes use of the so-called, "Birdwatcher" form of cabin. You can read some of what I have written previously in the post which you can find by clicking this link:-  http://rosslillistonewoodenboat.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/potpurrri.html



The Scram Pram which I am working on was started and taken to about two thirds completion by a builder in Sydney, but work commitments and lack of time prevented him from finishing the job. He asked me whether I would be prepared to finish off the boat, and I told him I would be very glad to do that as it would give me an opportunity to gain experience with the "Birdwatcher"-style of hull.

The boat is now nearing structural completion, and we hope that she will be in the water in a week or two. Internal painting will still need to be completed but we will have a good opportunity to test the boat on the local dam. Below are some photos which may be of interest.



Windows installed, but without bedding compound at this stage.

Windows installed, but without bedding compound at this stage.  The large decks forward and aft, are fitted to the hull using silicon-bronze screws, and set in bedding compound. This allows them to be removed periodically for internal inspection and maintenance. 

The large side windows are simply screwed to the internal faces of the hull-sides, with the screws passing through timber battens so as to cover the unsightly bedding compound, and to spread the point loads so as to help prevent cracking of the Perspex.

This is a view of the leeboard on the starboard side of the boat, looking aft. You can see the 1/2 inch pivot bolt with a very large washer, and at the top the uphaul and downhaul tackle. This is all very simple, although since this photograph was taken I have added a pulley block to the fairlead which you can see on the far right of the photo. This has reduced friction and made the uphaul easier to operate.

 Note the bronze plates which prevent wear on the timber surfaces.
 Note the bronze plates which prevent wear on the timber surfaces.

Scram Pram makes use of water ballast, with three tanks underneath the cabin floor. These are filled and emptied through drains in the bottom of the boat. This photo shows how I modified the brass tube and bung arrangement which was supplied so that the brass tube would not protrude beneath the bottom of the boat, and that water would drain right down to the level of the bottom. The brass tube was cut just long enough to fit the entire length of the bung, and holes drilled laterally level with the bottom of the boat. The block of timber I made to support the tube has been thoroughly sealed with many coats of epoxy, both inside and out.

Here are the same components, but with the bung fitted.

In this view you can see the wooden block, the brass tube, and the bung all fitted permanently to the inside-bottom of the boat. The photograph has been taken looking downwards through a screw-in hatch which is set into the cabin floor. In use, it is an easy matter to launch the boat, reach in through the hatches, and open the bung. When the tank has filled, just replace the bung and screw in the hatch. Emptying is carried out in the reverse manner once the boat has been hauled out onto a trailer.
This is the mast partner which is bolted and glued to the forward bulkhead slightly to port of the centre line. The plan called for either steel or aluminium alloy for the closure plate, but specified half inch thickness. I have taken the liberty of using 8mm aluminium alloy, and set-up the closure plate as a pivoting gate. Time will tell whether this will be strong enough, and also whether it should simply be a plate with two holes and held on by butterfly nuts.

The owner of this boat asked me to modify the design of the rudder so that it did not protrude below the depth of the skeg. In order to do this I designed a shallow rudder with roughly the same area as that shown on the design, but I then added substantial endplates. Testing will prove whether this is adequate.

The rudder is very robust, and the endplate is glued on with epoxy and is supported by a substantial epoxy fillet reinforced by 450GSM woven glass. This should be strong enough to act as a step to assist people re-entering from the water.

I also shaped the upper edge of the rudder so that a foot can be placed on it without sliding off. The combination of the endplate, top of the rudder, and the outboard motor well should make for a serviceable ladder.

This shows the tiller position looking aft towards the rear bulkhead.


Here you can see the leather chaffing guard sewn around the mast where it enters the partner.

This is leathering on the yard at the point where the halyard is attached. The lump in the middle is the leather sewn around a commercial fairlead.

Here you can see leather glued to the started side of the boom, which in this view is upside down. The downhaul is attached through the black cleat and pulls downwards when the boat is rigged.

This is a pulley block with beckett attached to a pad eye which has been very securely screwed to the masthead. The mast is square sectioned and solid Hoop Pine.
Once the boat has been launched and initial test sailing has been conducted, I will publish another post.
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