Identity

It has been a while since I'm thinking about a visual identity mark for Arpex. Most ideas revolve either around the letter "A", for obvious resons, or else about a harpoon. Which is basically where the name Arpex comes from - from Arpoador, the harponeer.


The symbol to be chose should be displayed on the main sail. The theme should also reappear on some other details on the boat...

Ok - now the bow is closed and laminated...

By now the forward deck has been sandwiched and laminated with two layers of glass cloth. And that is quite enough now, for the deck structure. But, if I think of it, it will still receive the anti-skid cover. Which in a way or another also adds to the structure. 

But anyway, what matters, is that I have also glued on a PVC tube which will supply the attachement for the tampolin. Im not sure whether the position of them is ideal. If they aren't, they will have to be relocated later. 

Valmir is progressing with the ama. But the weekend it might be ready and painted. Tomorrow all anti-skid pads will be glued into position. He said his plan is to paint with poliuretante on Friday.... That plan might work, or it might not. I'll have to wait and see.

Deck lamination and work on the ama

After propperly radiusing the deck edges and sanding all over, filling the drillholes and removing the dust with a vacuum cleaner, I have laminated a layer of glass cloth on the forward deck. It was the first larger area lamination that I have done in a longer time. Lamination is critical of course. And if it comes out wrong, it gives you a lot of work to clean up and correct.

This time all went well - but not perfectly. There are no blisters on deck, and also the transition to the forward cabin deck is without fault. However on some small spots the glass didn't make the deck radius very well, and small blisters have developed. Therefore, in order to apply the second layer of glass, I will have to let this layer cure, to then sand out the blisters, fill them with filetting goe, and then glass all over it. Had the blisters not occured, I would have considered glassing the second layer directly over the still sticky first layer. A lot more sanding will be involved now... 

The good side is, that I will have more time to prepare the gluing and lamination of a PVC tube along under the deck edge. It will mask the boundery of the new glass layers, and also later serve as the attachment rail for the trampolin.  

While I was busy laminating, Valmir primed the ama. It will soon be ready to receive its poliuretane paint. 

Valmir also produced the first sections of anti-skid. I have chosen to produce them in a light sand colour. This will greatly reduce the sun glare from deck. It is of the same shade as used inside the cabin. In my opinion it will also look neat, in contrast to the white hull, the wooden deck between the hulls, with the addition of small varnished wooden parts (like the edges of the deck hatch), and dark green sailcovers and a stripe around the hull. A quite traditional scheme, I guess. But it is how I would like it best, I guess. 

Some might argue that a modern boat should be faishoned in a more updated dress. More like the Gunboat catamarans, for example. I have looked into these options, but I allways fell back to the timeless, and in my opinion more functional scheme of a white hull, decks in a slightly off-white colour, and the addtion of a pleasing colour. Since I have all the nice peroba do campo wood in the hatch construction, I would also like  to show it.

On Aleguá from Angra to Rio

Sailing is a great sport and pastime. No matter what your equipment, big or small; when you are out on the water with good company, all landbound problems seem to fade away.

Sailing Aleguá from Angra to Rio with my brother in law Mauricio and my brother Andreas was very special, indeed. Aleguá is the first boat that my father bought for family sailing, when I was about 8 or 9 years old. We spent many holidays sailing with all family, father, mother and 3 kids, pottering about the islands of Angra. These times belong to the fondest memories of my youth.  

Aleguá, a "Gaivota 23" model, has seen some sorry times since then. When the family went abroad the boat was only sparsely used, and little investment in maintenance has left marks. But the Gaivota 23 is a vailiant little boat. Its all fiberglass hull, with an inside keel of only 80cm draft has taken all abus unscattered. It offers a great cockpit. and a capable little cabin. However, its short keel does not make it a good boat to sail to windward. It is on a reach and on following winds that the little boat execells.

It is exaclty the story of the boat and the very fact, that it is happy with only little maintenance expense that made the family allways hold on to the boat. And now my sister and her husband Mauricio are putting hte boat back into fine working condition. They have already rigged a new mast, exchanged eletrical wiring and systems and renewed and checked structural parts. Now all is needed is a new coat of paint on the deck,  topsides and bottom, and a new set of sails, and Aleguá is ready to give joy to a second generation of a happy family. My sisters kids love the boat already.

Since the rigging and systems had not really been properly tested on sails before we left, the passage started with some aprehension. This feeling might have been slightly amplified by the fact that the wind was exactly contrary to our direction, which would, if the condition persisted make our passage an unrealistic prospect.

However, we suspected that the wind would abate to a flat calm during the night - and that is also what the forecast said. So we took our chance, and looked forward to sail on Aleguá again, after many years. After years of sailing on bigger boats it felt odd to sail on a small boat again, where crew position makes great effect on the trim. Hoisting the foresail, which included hanking on, in 12 -15 knots of wind was an entertaining experience. After a short while of sorting things out, we were soon adjusting sails and trim, and sailing happily away towards Rio, fighting the contrary wind, and to make matters worse, into a considerable current of about one knot, too.

On hist first real sail on the boat, Mauricio, the new commander of Aleguá, is getting acquainted with his new vessel, and happy with the prospects of future adventures. 

Mauricio was also able to confirm Aleguás good maneuverability and nimble steering when the wind and current washed a channed marker right into our path. A smart reaction on the tiller avoided embarassement. ;-)

Soon enough the wind died away as predicted. As night fell we started the engine, and motored away in a flat calm towards Rio. The good 8 hp outboard took us reliably through the 65 odd miles.

A moonless night brought a phantasticly starry night, and phosphorescent water. Schools of fish would light large patches of water, and could be seen as luminating firetails, darting away as torpedores trough the dark water.

Just as the day started breaking we were motoring along the coast of Rio, along Ipanema and Copacabana beaches.

 

Arpex from the water

Morning rising ower Rio de Janeiro as seen from the water.

It is allways a suprisingly splendid view. Specially when looking towards the Arpex rock, with the Dois Irmãos and Gávea Mountains in the backdrop.

Gone sailing... Or: Arpex on the Beach

Guys, I'm gone, sailing. Instead of construction progress reports you'll have to make due with this nice image from Arpex Beach. Or even better still; leave the computer, and go out to the water yourself too. Look what you might be missing if you don't...

The image was taken on the first day of canaval this year. Rio has been blessed with splendid weather during these festive days... Hope the weather favours our sailing passage from Angra to Rio too.

Classic Boat - March 2012

Brazilian Classic Boat circuit is getting a little attention in Classic Boat Magazine.

Forward deck sandwich closed

Closing the forward deck was a hard job. But I got it done. The sweat ran in buckets. The heat was intense. Valmir was back, after a few days off during carnava, working on the amal.  

Not, that I have layed in a wooden block at the spot where the forestay will be attached. At this point I will attach a fitting with through going bolts. Having the wooden block will allow me to attach this with confidence.

The next step step now is to laminate the deck with glass. I hope to do that tomorrow.

Foaming

The last day of carnaval was a very productive one - in the boatshed. On a day with intense heat, I managed to get seriously close to closing the deck sandwich. What looks like a simple and straigtforward job, actually takes lots of time and physical effort. Mainly due to all the screws which needed to be removed from the first  layer of ply. And then the drilling and screwing of the edge batten.

 First the edge batten needed to be cut, than screwed on to check the fit, and to cut the poliestirene foam. After all that, the batten needed to be removed again, only to apply the epoxi. Then the whole things gets screwed on again. Thank God for my eletric screwdriver!

One day more, and I will be able to glue the second, cover ply. And one more still, and I'll manage to laminate it with glass and epoxi.

A small stride for man...

We've had our share of carnival for this year. I really like that crazy, sensuous time of the year. There is a magic in the air, which promotes relaxation and well being.

But this year my mind is focused on other things. Changes in my professional life will require me to stay away from Rio for a while. And travelling, of course, means a break in boatbuilding. 

I was hopeing for a break in between jobs, during which I would finish Arpex. A month or two of concentrated building time (estimated about 200 man-hours), would bring it to the water. But the break didn't materialize. Instead, I'm required in projects out of the country. Bad for the boat. Good for my bank account. Which is good for the boat, and me. And, make no mistake, I'm looking forward to the changes, and thrilled by the challenges ahead. Everything is going according to plan.

And that is the reason why I was slightly embarrassedby my slip, on last Saturday. ... But now I'm back on track. The closing of the forward deck is proceeding smoothly. 

Today, I've glued on the first layer of ply. Adri gave me a helping hand today, again. And I was gratefull for having her helping during this critical job. Obtaining a good bond between ply, with the stringers and hull is important. Afterall, this forward hull section will receive all sorts of funny torsional, compressional and bloody othier sorts of forces from the mast and forestay. 

Of course, the polystyrene/ply sandwich and glass sandwich will be bonded to the hull mainly by the glass. But a sound construction requires all parts to fit and bond well together. And I think I've got that done in the first layer today. A tough job. Sweaty.

My cousin Florian and my brother in law Mauricio came to say hello just when I was finishing with filleting inside. I don't think I made a good figure, when I emerged from inside the hull. Had they arrived 15 minutes earlier, they would catch me cursing and swearing, stuffed and claustrophobic, inside the bow, covered in filleting epoxi, and stressed to close all gaps, in order to obtain a good bond. Anyway,... all went well, and I was happy with the job. the plan is to proceed with gluing the polystyrene and ply by tomorrow. and the day after I will cower in glass and epoxi. That will be Thursday than. On Friday, I hope to glass the cabin's decks. And on Saturday I'll go help bring Aleguá from Angra to Rio. And then I'm off.  Where to? Wait and see. 

Carnaval 2012

Images from: OGlobo