Graffiti excess

A really well cut video...

Serious looking french proa project

Trying the deck out

The structural part of the engine mount is now done - epoxied, pegged, glassed. All it needs now, is a coat or two of paint. Also the ama's internal structure is done, having received a finishing coat of polyester with dioxide, to white all the interior out. It looks much neater now. and for sure it improved the structural soundness of the hull quite immensely.

Since this part of the hull will serve only to store fails, fenders and the like, the internal structure is of no negative consequence, and adds very little weight.

I could not resist mocking up the deck with the engine sled. The picture below shows it at the approximate height above the waterline level. As it is, the engine sled will have a sufficient clearance above the water. A tackle system, which I still have to work out, will allow the sled to lower to the water.

The anchor mount is also prepared on the forward end of the deck. I will have to see how this works, in terms of handling the anchor, and in terms of making it fast. You might see the anchor mount on the upper right corner of the deck.

At first I had in mind to install the wooden slats with a slight gap of 5 to 10mm between each other. But when tried it out, and discussed the matter with others, I decided to install them joined tightly. This will avoid spray from below, and give a more safe feeling to the users of the deck. I specially think of my dear wife. Interestingly, it was Valmir who gave a precise analysis, putting the opinion that the gapped version equalled to have, even if only slightly, a sequence of "object and obstacle". Even in this mild configuration, the mind does perceive this, and translates it into a feeling of insecurity. Well, now it is decided, and I have started gluing and pegging the wooden slats. Since it is done in two by the time, to allow for the clamps, it will take a little while to conclude.

The sled still shows a wide open "mouth", at the front end. This makes it somewhat vulnerable to water slapping and flooding the sled. I will close this with some plywood.

The working deck

The working deck is coming together, and things are looking quite ready now. It was a hot, very hot day, full of work. But it was very much worth all the sweat. I do not need much more on the the decks and engine sled. Therefore, coming to the water by year end looks like an achievable prospect.

Mounting the sled

This weekend I received tremendous help from Ivan. He put his well equipped workshop available, and helped me to produce the hinged joint between the sled and the hull. Ivan is very generous with his resourceful help and inventive use of tools. To some, the sled may not seem to be a too complicated item to build. However, things need to be aligned, and true, and stout... Therefore the use of unaligned hand-tools, with which I use to work, is not enough. Now all is in place, and I have started gluing things together.  

Drilling these large diameter holes into the thick, hard wood was a sweaty job, which took me quite a while to accomplish.

What is this? ... Following good advice from my friend Gustavo Pacheco, I am installing a mini-skeg in front of the rudder, in order to avoid the snagging of lines and plastic on the rudder shaft. He also recommended cutting the rudder tube, which was sticking out a centimeter. 

Beam bolts

The reappearance of my drill also allowed me to work on the beam attachments. Namely I had to drill holes for the bolts, which will attach the beams to the bulkheads. Since both, the beams and the bulkheads are fairly hefty, the drill had a heavy job to do. Unfortunately I could not conclude the job, since the holes closer to the hull are in a somewhat tight spot, where my cordless drill has problems to fit into. More specifically, the battery is in the way. so I have to use my standard drill, from home, on the next weekend, to conclude the job. 

Working on the beams is a handfull. Since I can't leave the beams in place over the week, I have to mount and de-mount them.

Virgin Arpex

Here is a lovely simulation of our Ipanema Beach, with the Arpoador Rock in the foreground. It shows the landscape as it must have been about 500 years ago. A paradise. It reminded me a lot of Lopes Mendes Beach, on Ilha Grande, where such beauty can still be gazed upon in real life.

Click on the image to get a full seagulls eye view.

The engine sled

After quite a while of thinking, pondering and planning, I have finally started to put the engine sled together. Construction seems simple, so it is not directly understandable why it took me such a long while to think and ponder. The thing is, that, it it is not just the sled, which, of course needs to be built stoutly. It also needs to transfer the thrust from the engine to the boat, and thus needs a strong and reliable connection to the boat structure itself. Again I have turned for inspiration towards James Wharram, and his often ingenious and simple solutions, so that now, I believe I have worked things out.

Most of the structural parts have been cut and prepared. Next time, I will glue things together. The 4cm strong engine support board itself will receive wooden pegs, to make for a strong connection to the Ipê wood, which will make the connection to the boat. The ipê wood is so hard, my drill had a hard time drilling through it.

Back to the drill

My valuable cordless drill is back! The essential tool, which I had given up for lost, turned up again. I had forgotten my tool inside the boat, and then forgotten to lock the boat up three weeks ago. ... It was a sad thing because I use this tool all the time, and a replacement is expensive here in Brasil. And now, it is back and busy with work already.

Somehow, the way the tool disappeared seemed weird. This, because I had left the tool inside the boat. And the next day after I had left without locking, I went there to put things in order. And I found the boat locked up. Valmir had seen the boat all open, and was kind enough to lock it up. I seemed odd, that someone would creep inside and pick to old battered tool out of other things, and then leave, before Valmir had the boat locked. And I didn't think Valmir would take the tool. But he did, take it, in the intention of keepsake. Since he locked the boat anyway, I wouldn't really know why. Specially because he seems not to come to the club on Saturdays any more. Like the weekend after the loss. Which is when he would be able to meet me. And he didn't call me either, to tell me he had my tool.

But the fact of the matter is that he had it, and when he saw me, he kindly said he had something for me, and he produced the drill, all smiles.