USS Portsmouth 1843 Sloop of War

 22 Dec 23:

The second USS Portsmouth was a wooden sloop-of-war in the United States Navy in service during the mid-to-late 19th century. She was designed by Josiah Barker on the lines of a French-built privateer, and built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, directly across the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She was described as an improvement over USS Saratoga built in the same shipyard a year earlier. Portsmouth was launched on 23 October 1843 and commissioned on 10 November 1844, with Commander John Berrien Montgomery in command.

One of Skipper's favorite ships, as her ancestor Lt. Benjamin F. B. Hunter was Sailing Master onboard during the Mexican-American War. 

FMI: USS Portsmouth

Let The Stripping Begin

22 Dec 23:

3-4 coats of good, but old, paint on HENNING. There is evidence of a previous scraping attempt, so the paint surface is uneven in many areas, completely worn in others and in good shape on some of the wood. So the decision has been made to "wood" the boat, IOW get as much paint off as we can.

TotalBoat sent us some stripper to try, the gel will encapsulate the old paint as we remove it with scrapers.

This Helix mixer worked great and cleaned up easily.

We tried many scrapers, but these Allway and Titan scrapers have stood out as the best. The little right angle pick also comes in handy. 

The first application removed the paint in the section where the scrapers are.

Scraper lessons available for a small fee. Materials included.

 Log of HENNING.

Triple A Quality Improvement Model

22 Dec 23:

In my other life I am trained in Management Systems (Safety) and Quality Management programs. I've been tortured in a lot of classes with different process and continuous improvement programs, which invariable involve acronyms. One popped up recently, PDSA, used by NHS among others. Plan-Do-Study-Act. 

Scenario: We need a boat hook that works for different style boats. Ask ourselves, is our current hook optimum? Assessment = No. So we Acted and bought a new pole/hook and reentered the improvement loop.

Some of the process improvement acronyms can become quite long an unwieldy. So I applied the continuous improvement process to the continuous improvement process (CIP2CIP) and came up with a simplified process, so simple that even a Marine can do it. My guiding principle was the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid. 

My acronym is Triple A, Ask-Assess-Act. Developed from training and experience I absorbed from 20 years in the US Marines and another couple of decades as an Air Line Captain. 

Feel free to use this at work or in your daily life. Action is the key, one must be a self starter. I know a few of you out there. And if your Team needs help, feel free to contact me at lewis dot kent gmail and I can help out :)

P.S. No plan will work if it is not communicated, and I just happen to know a certain Skipper who has her degree in Communications. She speaks semiotics and semantics, along with some Old English, a splash of French and a lot of Pirate. 

Bama pi (til later),

"Clark" Kent Lewis

My Real Job

17 Dec 23:

I disappear off the blog from time to time, duty calls at my day/night job as Captain for a major air line. Spent a few days flying the lie, then got some great recurrent training at our simulator facility.

It's a nice counterbalance to making sawdust, turning jet fuel into noise.

Fly Smart,

"Clark" Kent

Mess About

 10 Dec 23:

We needed to get photos of a boat hook so our Penobscot 14 ST. JACQUES volunteered to be the photo ship. Skipper played the role of paparazzi and I beat the water into submission for a few minutes, successfully finding my way 30 feet back to the dock despite the impending malestrom, or forecast galestrom. 

Skipper, aka Dock Wench. Just ask her, she'll tell you. 

Howgozit Abaco Dinghy

 04 Dec 23:

Current state of affairs. Stripping continues.

Bahamas Boatbuilding

29 Nov 23:

While sorting through 288 back issues of WoodenBoat Magazine, the cover photo on NUMBER 135 March/April 1997 caught our eye.

Inside are articles on Bahamas Boatbuilding, which includes a story on Abaco dinghies that were built by Mr. Winer Malone. (Image Credits: WoodenBoat, Number 135. March/April 1997)

There are very few documented records of  boatbuilding in this beautiful part of the world. We'd like to thank the WoodenBoat crew for researching and publishing the article, Kurt Adams for writing and Benjamin Mendlowitz for taking the photos. But most of all, to Mr. Malone and for sharing his knowledge and skills, many, many times with boatstruck total strangers. 

FMI: 

WoodenBoat Magazine Digital and Print Issues $42.95/yr

All Back Issues - Digital. Individual Issues up to Complete Collection

Boatstruck

22 Dec 20: 

Boatstruck. Author Michael Ruhlman spent some time at the boatyard of Gannon and Benjamin, learning about the craft of wooden boatbuilding. He offers up the definition of "boatstruck" in his book Wooden Boats: In Pursuit of the Perfect Craft at an American Boatyard.

"Some people become boat smart; others are simply struck. Something happens to certain men when they see a boat, and they become crazy. A man, or the occasional woman who is boatstruck shows no discernible outward signs of the illness....On the contrary, the boatstruck look more than reasonable. They are successful people. They are smart, cool, self-possessed, and they are pretty good on the water. They brim with a free and adventurous spirit. You tend to like these people - - they can be inexplicably magnetic.

And yet there is something exquisite about the condition of being boatstruck. An ecstasy runs through it, compulsive and contagious. You can see it, sense this delight, even if you happen to be free of this affliction yourself or don't sail or even if you don't particularly care for boats. Sometimes a beautiful boat is simply worthy of devotion, reverence and awe, and no one doubts it. A beautiful boat is as obviously invaluable as a Leonardo sketch or Monet's water lilies. The boat can be a magnificent structure." (p.11)

We know all about being boatstruck, and so do our friends Dozer, Murray, Webb, Richard, Alan, Scott, Doug, Steve, Ned, Maynard, Benjamin, Nat, Chris, Ann, Anne, Aileen...we've left out more than a few...

BARBASHELA struck us hard, especially Skipper.

...and now HENNING, among others...

...to be continued...

Grizzly Belt Sander

02 Dec 23:

This 1/2" x 18" Grizzly Belt Sander ought to come in handy in the nooks and crannies. The head is adjustable to different positions and there is a dust vac port on the other side.

Born To Be Wild

02 Dec 23:

Skipper tricked me into thinking I needed a new bike, turns out she got one also. We bought Momentum Vidas and are very happy with the smooth ride and easy shifting. I got a rack and saddlebags so we can raid our local grocery. 

Last ride for the Schwinn and Huffy. They're in good shape, and will probably roll up to our nearby D.A.V. store in time for Christmas.