Small Boat Restoration: May 2025

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Smithfield Waterfront Early 1900s

31 May 25:

Our downtown waterfront, in the days before cars and Amazon delivery...

Commerce Street

Check out the schooner loaded with peanuts...

...And a shout out to the hard working people that made it happen.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Grumman Canoe Mast Step Made From Unobtanium

27 May 25:

We are getting ready to ship out a spare mast step for a Grumman 17 canoe. It appears that it will also fit a Grumman 15. These mast steps are evidently made from Unobtanium, Raresight or Costalotum.

There is one ebay seller who makes aftermarket parts, but here are the measurements should you have a metalsmith buddy who is bored, and you need to get a sail rig on that canoe.

The base of the mast is just under 1 1/4 inches square, and nestles right into the step, which is about an inch deep (+) to the bottom of the canoe.

There is a small metal mounting plate that is riveted onto the inside centerline of the canoe, the plate sticks up just enough to get 4 machine screws through and into 4 tiny nuts. If you do use the step, we'd recommend moving it regularly, like every month or so, for cleaning and coat with a corrosion inhibitor/non seize compound.

Maybe this will motivate us to try out the lateen or gunter rig on SCOUT, we bought them a while back but have not used them yet.

Log of SCOUT.

Monday, May 26, 2025

Bahamas Dinghy Mast Thwart and Floorboards Paint

26 May 25:

Today was a beautiful day for final sanding on the mast thwart and floorboards, we used 80 grit discs on a DeWALT random orbital sander. 80 grit may sound aggressive, but this Bahamas wood it hard and doesn't seem to mind. Plus we want to leave a little texture to act as non skid.

The wooden cleats on the underside of the aft floorboards were loose, so we took them off, put thickened epoxy in the screw holes, applied paint to the faying surfaces, screwed them back together and clamped the pieces together until the epoxy cures.

While that repair dried, we sanded primer on the mast thwart and removed old paint from the middle floorboard.

Aft floorboard with a coat of George Kirby oil based paint, tinted to Skipper Bahamas Blue

Log of HENNING.

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Bahamas DInghy Roll and Tip Kirby Paint

25 May 25:

Rolled and tipped Kirpy Paint custom color "Skipper Bahamas Blue." Applied over one coat of Kirby primer and one coat of Maynard Bray Off White. The roller kit came from https://www.facebook.com/KirbyPaintCompany and we used a Lowes 2 inch, short handle sash brush designed for oil based paints. We have 2 nice Corona brushes from Kirby but they are hiding somewhere.

Log of HENNING.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

TSCA Warraskoyack Chapter Spring Newsletter

TSCA Warraskoyack Chapter Spring Newsletter 2025

SitRep from Kent and Audrey -

We hope everyone is enjoying the Spring, water temps are coming up. Audrey and I rolled and tipped a few strakes on the Penobscot 14 ST. JACQUES after she got a TILEX bath...

This is hurricane rash from Hurricane Sally. We smoothed it out with some 60 grit.

Pettit EZPoxy Sea Foam Green with a dash of thinner is the flavor of the day, rolled on with Whizz 25003 4" Purple Velour 3/16" Nap Mini Roller 12-Pk from Kirby Paint, and tipped with Corona Orlando™ 9549 Series Angular Brushes.

Night time temps were dipping into the 40s so we evicted the Mustang and rolled ST. JACQUES in the garage with a little space heater, which kept the insulated garage temp above 60F and sped along the paiint cure.

This was back in February, bugs already...maybe they never went away...

...and now we are hoping two tires will magically swap themselves on our Day Sailer II trailer. Can you believe we had a bug find the paint back in February? Other exciting news...I forgot already...oh, I remember, we bought a new Type IV throwable PFD at Bass Pro Shop. It is red.

March came and went but I did find time to visit the James City County Marina in Williamsburg. We had grand ideas of doing a raid on Jamestown Island but that idea was overcome by events, in this case a fun new job as Flight Safety Manager at Hampton University. Boats and Airplanes, which to choose?! But we at least got a chance to check out the landside of the James City operation on a nice day, and evaluate the locale potential for future ops.

There is a well stocked Marina Store with very helpful employees.

Nice ramp with floating pier.

Fuel dock...check with Marina Office for hours of operation.

This is when you can tell that someone put some thought towards the customers.

Overnight parking is allowed, coordinate with the Marina Office.

Details say a lot about the way the facility is run.

Interesting Thule Hullavator Kayak loader that cantilevers up and down with very little effort.

Kayak and canoe storage area with secluded launch area...and I believe that there may be storage space rental for personal kayaks.

Steve B had no explanation for the SS BAUM at the Billburg Brew Pub. Nice spot to have a beverage and tell Sea Stories with indoor and outdoor seating.

Spotted a few ships on the way to the Jamestown-Surry ferry.

There's been mention of a canoe outing...

Sitrep from Steve B-

Not a lot to reported related to small boats... Over the last few months, continued to paddle the kayak, pedal the Hobie Adventure and go out on powerboats (specially, the one with the diesel heater). Several of the recent WX events, forced me to stay inside and do house projects and outboard overhauls. March is typically a buy month, as I get most major boat projects out of the way, so that I have more playtime out on the water.

On the work list is: to haul the cruiser OSPREY and clean and wax the exterior, I completed the engine maintenance in the fall; haul and repair fuel injection system on the open powerboat Skimmer, I had completed hull and other engine work in the fall; completed an overhaul on a small outboard for my grandson, to help with a skool project for the Brock Center, as he just completed fixing up a small Gheenoe and will be teaching people how to fly fish; open up the trimaran sailboat NiceTri, on boat stands, paint the bottom and clean and wax the exterior; playing on the Melonseed sailboat Shearwater as it need "no work at all". Photos of the projects. The outboard in the vice is for the school project.

SitRep from Eric S of Jamestown Ships-

Eric has been going back and forth from Jamestown to Mystic to keep an eye on the Susan Constant. He reports "The Susan Constant restoration is going well with the crew starting to hang the first new planks! Yes, Jamestown Settlement is planning to have Godspeed participate in Virginia 250th events in Norfolk and possibly another port."

For those not familiar, there will be OpSail events in the Summer of 2026 to coincide with the 250th Anniversary of American Independence. We have a couple of ships planned for Smithfield, the AJ Meerwald and Luna.

Steve E -

Steve and his Welsford Pathfinder SPARTINA are underway, cruising the Carolinas.

Image Credit: Steve Earley

Their travels are logged at The Log of SPARTINA.

Random Musing -

Speaking of the 250th, it must have been quite a different site on our local waters back in 1775, with small boats everywhere trying to "trade and evade." Coastal trade schooners, square riggers going up the James River, British warships...

SitRep from Webb C -

Our friend Webb Chiles should be pushing off today from Skull Creek in Hilton Head, he is taking his Moore 24 named GANNET out for a few days to nowhere in particular. For those who don't know, Webb is a Serial Circumnavigator, with 6 Circles under his belt, one of which was mostly completed on a 19 foot Drascombe Lugger...well 2 Luggers actually....His most recent circumnavigation was on GANNETT.

Webb and GANNET's travels can be followed at Self Portrait in the Present Sea. Take a cup of coffee with you when you go to check out that journal...

Radio Check -

Check in and let us know what you're planning for the Summer! Jamestown Day just quietly slid by along with the Cedar Key Festival. This week there is a raid going on down near Pensacola, the Florida 120. We used to taunt that bunch and hope that they have a good week, and that we all have a great Spring!

Cheers,

"Clark" Kent and "Skipper" Audrey

(Eight50) 449-484One

Jamestown Day

Jamestown Settlement

Williamsburg, VA