Useful knowledge of the day: Standard sizes for "crease irons," used to drive cotton home into plank seams.
Reference: WoodenBoat Magazine. Issue 24.
Friday, January 12, 2024
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Higgins A-1 Lifeboat
10 Jan 24:
The best of both worlds, take your boat with you when going flying. The US Coast Guard flew B-17s for a bit, designated the PB-1G:
"In 1944 specifications were drawn up by the US Army Air Force for a 27 foot boat, with two engines, providing a speed of 8 knots, designed to be carried by an aircraft and dropped by parachute. The Higgins Company built the boat and it was in full production by January of 1945. The initial boats were configured to be carried by stripped down B-17 aircraft. The boat was faired into the belly of the aircraft and as a result produced little additional drag resulting in the loss of but 6 mph airspeed. The boat was usually released at a speed of 120 mph from an altitude of 1,500 feet. The boat proved satisfactory in operation."
No mention of whether it would be okay to drop Skipper with the boat...
Video: https://youtu.be/dLXsF2CEydM?si=ebDrkhac9p5ip9V2&t=3702
FMI:
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Life Utility Vest System (LUVS)
09 Feb 24:
We're putting together a Life Utility Vest System (LUVS), similar to the life preserver - survival vest system used in the military, that we can use in the air, on land and sea. We'll be looking for a utility vest with enough pockets to carry basic survival gear, and with the pockets in the right spots so that an inflatable life preserver will fit over the top of it.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
My Other Boat is an Airplane
07 Jan 24:
My real work, flying the 717 for a major Air Line. Pays enough to support our boat habit :)
Boating keeps me grounded...or watered...
Saturday, January 6, 2024
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
Monday, January 1, 2024
Sanding
02 Jan 24:
Sanding, and more sanding. We worked on the aft thwart today, taking off remnants of paint with a DeWALT 20V Random Orbital Sander, 80 grit pad, hooked to the Dust Deputy/ShopVac. And there is paint inside the seam that needs to come out, so that we can glue the two sections back together. The crack is not a grainwaise fracture, it seems the two pieces may have been doweled together. We'll run a jigsaw through the crack to get them separated, sand and fasten back together with thickened epoxy.
Log of HENNING.
Skipper's Lil Boat
01 Jan 24:
Skipper wanted a keel on her boat so I added one. We took it for a sail ad it worked great. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
01 Jan 24:
We hope everyone has fair winds and following seas in 2024. To kick start the year, we rode our bikes yesterday (The Webb Influence). And today we got a boat in the water, Burwell Bay on the Lower James River, Virginia. 45F, light winds. Perfect for float testing and tow trials.
"FILLE" is Skipper's design, a hard chined 12 footer. Reverse transom to lengthen the waterline, maybe we'll add a sugar scoop to aid reboarding. But first, Skipper wanted a small skeg added to enhance tracking, called the "Hunter Skeg." To the workbench we went.
Beach support crew aka Master & Commander.
FILLE is French for girl. I also like FILLY.
Some movable human ballast, daggerboard and rudder will balance out her waterline. Would an offset centerboard work?
Will she stay a sloop? Inquiring minds...we do have a small gunter rig from the Grumman...and a lateen, both around 60 sf of sail.
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