Rain

31 Jul 22: 

Rain: https://youtu.be/NKDme1x6H7k

Nutshell Pram EXCUSE ME 30 Jul 22 Boom Attachment

 30 Jul 22:

We had a question about how we attached the boom to the mast on the Nutshell Pram, we tied a vintage Sunfish sheet snap shackle to the sail lacings with 1/8th inch diameter New England Ropes Dacron cord. I suppose the cord could have also been run through the boom beehole. The attachment point on the mast is marked on the plans, where we screwed on a vintage Sunfish eyestrap.

Jack Stand Door Stop

 30 Jul 22:

Our friend Dave was recently making a doorstop for his shed, which caused us to think about our Boat Works doorstop, Capn's Jack's car jack stand repurposed. You may have spotted it in use at the Carriage House in Florida, and it certainly made the trip up to the Tidewater region in Virginia.

Important notes, this door used to swing wider open and was held open by a piece of line to a Sunfish block and cleat, but the deck was added later and it still sits a bit proud. We planned for the deck to settle a bit, so until it does Capn Jack's jack stand has been called into action. We painted it high vis colors with "heels of paint" left over, TotalBoat WetEdge Fire Red and Rust-Oleum High Performance Enamel Safety Yellow. 

Follow us for more amazing repurposing ideas!

Old Bench and Stool

30 Jul 22:

We found an old bench, I bought it to ponder the shape and purpose, and as a possible model for future bench making projects. We think this may have been a farrier's bench, guessing because of the side cleat that has horseshoe size nail holes in it. Or possibly a variation on a sail rigger's bench. Either way, the carry handle and storage bin are very thoughtful and useful for boat works projects.

While we like patina as much as the next pirate, this has a bit much, and there is a piece that will need replacement.

So we pulled out the power washer and cleaned off the gunk. It's still wet in this photo, next step will be to spray it with some TILEX to let that work on the grime in the grain.

Stay tuned.

1963 Alcort Sunfish LEAF

 30 July 22:

The 1963 wooden Alcort Sunfish CHIP has a new name to go along with her new home. Emiliano and crew renamed her LEAF, and she hangs out  with The Artful Sailor when not entertaining the crowd at this year's Pocket Yacht Palooza. So far she has 2 new sails and a new paint job, among other things.

(Image: Artful Sailor)

LEAF was spoiled in Florida, but she may be even more spoiled in Pt Townsend, and certainly more sailed.

Herreshoff Boat Works

 30 Jun 22:

A post card of the Herreshoff Boat Works from about a century ago. While some folks may know the name primarily from the America's Cup yachts, Herreshoff built a great number of small boats, famous among them the 12 1/2 and the Amphicraft.

12 1/2 BULLDOG in the Herreshoff Museum.

Amphicraft PRIM ready for planking. (Image: HMCo Museum)

PRIM at the Providence Airport 2018ish. Was still there as of Sep 2019.

Hobie 16 Sighting

24 Jun 22:

Checking out one of our local beaches we spied two fellow sailors prepping a Hobie 16. Fun to watch and learn from others how they tackle launch and recovery. Nice to meet some kindred spirits, we heard from them later and they had a nice day on the water.

 

8 Siding Spar Gauge

25 Jul 22:

Once we get the Nutshell Pram mast tapered we need to mark it so we can shape it to 8 sides. A spar gauge is the way to go, so I made one.  But I had to overthink it for a while...

Marked and cut out a piece of spruce to make the guide. Used standard 7-10-7 dimensions, gleaned from Greg Rossel's book on boatbuilding.

Now what size hole to drill for a Ticonderoga #2 pencil? Turns out it wasn't 1/4" or 5/16". So off to the hardware store, thinking maybe 9/32" would work. Not wanting to make 3 trips, I bought 2 other bits as well.

9/32" bit did the trick. Drilled one extra hole just to confuse estate sale people down the road. You might spot the new Crescent Nicholson round file and handle we bought, general purpose, didn't have one this small, because another option would have been to round out the 1/4" hole a little.

DeWALT 20V Brushless Electric Plane

 24 Jul 22:

We have to taper and 8 side the Nutshell Pram mast, thought this might be a good time to get an electric plane, we chose DeWALT because it matches our battery system. The first job for the plane was to remove excess epoxy from the mast blank, it made short work of it.

Privateer

 25 Jul 22:

A walk down the riverfront row of houses revealed that Privateer...or was he...Captain John Sinclair lived here in the late 18th Century. Another reason Skipper feels so at home.

New Gate

21 Jul 22:

We enlarged our side gate so Skipper can get her wagon through...or a dump truck for the tree service crew.

 

Custom Covers from SLO Sail and Canvas

21 Jul 22:

We like or Sunbrella covers from SLO Sail and Canvas, and most times we leave them on if we are taking the boat on and off the Dynamic Dolly to use the dolly for another boat. The only issue is this midships buckle can snag on the dolly strap or upright as we slide the boat off, creating Sailor Words to come forth. I emailed SLO and suggested they move the webbing back 2 inches, and got a nice reply. Their pattern is set for now and they have an instructional video to go along with a kit, so they're not going to change the pattern. BUT, they did mention that when I order another cover I could ask them to put the strap wherever I wanted it. That's excellent customer service, and good to know info.

 FMI: https://www.slosailandcanvas.com/sunfish-sailboat-spars-on-deck-top-cover/

Benches and Stools

 20 Jun 22:

We scored this stool and bench at a local resale shop. Not sure what the bench was used for based on the same size holes on the side rail, but we like the tool compartment underneath. We'll clean them up and put them to work in the shop.

Nice dovetails on the stool. And methinks people were smaller back then.

Sunfish Rudder Assembly Carriage Bolt and Nylon Tube Measurements

20 Jul 22:

The 1960-1971 fiberglass Sunfish had a carriage bolt and nylon tube as part of the rudder releasing mechanism. OEM parts are getting harder to find, but similar parts can be sourced from various hardware businesses. Silicon bronze is preferred for the 1/4 inch diameter bolt. Here are the measurements.

Sir Paul MCCartney Sunfishing

 20 Jul 22:

Sir Paul McCartney has good taste, seen last week out cruising his Sunfish in the Hamptons.

Good spot for crew, his wife Diana.

Good form, he's tacking, lifting the sheet and boom over his head, maintaining positive control on the end of the sheet and steering with his butt. These are some of Skipper's tricks. She also likes to steer with the crook of her knee. 

Images: Matt Agudo

Small Boat PFD Survival Gear

 19 Jul 22:

When I flew in the Marines we always wore a survival vest, which was full of all kinds of fun things to entertain you if you were forced to land or ditch. A few of these items we are slowly incorporating into our PFDs. So far they all have a whistle, signal mirror, flashlight,  knife and waterproof cell phone. If we are  wandering further from shore we have a handheld VHF with DSC. 

For flights over water an inflatable life preserver was attached, and one pocket held a small O2 bottle for emergency underwater egress. The rest of the pockets were filled with a space blanket, fishing gear, basic first aid items, sunscreen, energy tablets, water bottle, pen flares, etc... Everything was tied in with small cord.

We should add a night signal that flashes SOS, that would meet Coast Guard requirements for coastal cruising. WHile we don't plan to boat at night, it would be nice to have if we had a significant breakdown and needed assistance.

1967 ALCORT Advertisement

 20 Jul 22:

We always find interesting information in these old advertisements from ALCORT. We were wondering in this photo if the end of the halyard was fashioned into a makeshift boom vang. 

Those kits are cheap, we should order some!

Alcort Sunfish Half Model

 20 Jul 22:

Man, you could get all kinds of fun Alcort merchandise back in the day. They offered this nice half model. Maybe we need to make one. Or if someone wants to send us one...

Sunfish Cover Repair Complete

 19 Jul 22:

Well this was a multi phase repair project but the cover is back in action on PHOENIX. We also added a second V-Brace to the handle to augment the V-Brace on the tongue, this should help keep the bow under control when dollying or trailering. For those who have to bump over rocks, roots, small farm animals, etc... it helps to run a bow line from the bow handle to tie down the bow to the dolly.

Dynamic offers two dolly styles for the Sunfish, this one is for the non-gunwale hung boats with the metal deck edge trim dating 1960-1987. The other style is for Sunfish built 1988-present, it has a special fitting on the bow tube that slips under the rolled edge gunwale. 

If you need a dolly, we can get one shipped to you in CONUS, free shipping. Contact us at lewis.kent@gmail.com

Blind Hole Patch

19 Jul 22:

Have a hole in your pontoon hull and not sure how to repair it? Here's how, straight out of the Laser Performance Repair Manual.

 

Grumman Lateen Sail

 19 Jul 22:

Our friend Alan spotted a Grumman lateen sail rig for sale up in New York, so he grabbed it for us and we'll go up to recover it. We are looking forward to trying out both the lateen and gunter rigs, and see if either will support some canoe sailing.  It was also exciting to get the original rigging guide.

Typical Dutch Ship

19 Jun 22:

We bought another painting by our favorite maritime artist Charles Lundgren. It is of a Typical Dutch Ship circa 1782. It is enroute to us now, we saved it from Florida. Here is a teaser.

 Skipper's ancestor Pierre Surget was known to sail under a Dutch flag from time to time, as his mood suited and as needed to evade excessive scrutiny and unwanted attention from warships or privateers patrolling certain ports. He was sailing during this time period, we're just not sure if his flag was Dutch, Spanish, British, French or that of the newly formed United States. 

Clamps

 19 Jun 22:

Your daily dose of clamps. We got these spring clamps from Howie, who worked at Alcort from 1960-1978, and then did warranty repairs for another 10 years. He taught us a lot about the innards of the Sunfish and Sailfish.

Sunfish Line

 19 Jul 22:

Here are the specifications for Sunfish lines that we follow. We like New England Rope Sta-Set for the larger diameter lines and 1/8th inch diameter Dacron cord for the small stuff. We order extra 516 for a bow line  and a few sail ties and extra 3/16 to make a line bridle.

Blackwater River, Virginia and South Quay

 11 Jul 22:

We took a visit to our local history museum and learned some interesting things about the local waterways and marine traffic. A lot of folks are familiar with the first settlers, Jamestown Island and the James River, but if you head inland a bit you'll find the Blackwater, which runs from Petersburg down into North Carolina and the Albermarle Sound. In the late 1600s and early to mid 1700s a lot of traffic moved on the Blackwater, they had a nice port at South Quay in Virginia until it silted up and then the Brits burned it. The Blackwater was a good waterway to move goods to areas 30+ miles inland, and to avoid the taxful eye of the taxman on the James, Chesapeake and Elizabeth. 

River traffic continued for the lumber industries for quite a while.

Trains supplanted a lot of the river transport, we are having fun learning about local rail and maritime heritage.

It will be fun to mess about on some portions of the Blackwater, one area goes through a nature preserve that is still full of old growth cypress. We'll take the motorboat or maybe the Penobscot, depending on how far we want to venture.