Monday, June 11, 2012

Lofty Ideas

I love having a little house.  But there are some downsides.  Like not having a formal dining area.  And not having enough room to loft pieces greater than 10'.

This whole time I've been lofting I've been fretting about the larger pieces.  It occurred to me the other night, while I was lying in bed wide awake, that I have the perfect surface in which to loft.  And it has been sitting under my nose this whole time.

The shed.

Of course, the shed!  I can't believe I haven't thought about this sooner.   The shed is 10'x20'- there's plenty of room for those troublesome larger pieces on the outside wall.  All I'd have to do is tack up two sheets of my 1/4" meranti to smooth out the T1-11 surface.  So that's exactly what I did.


Great idea + fantastic weather = all three planks, done.  

For what it's worth, Val makes a fantastic assistant.  His crazy long arms are perfect for holding up battens.  Speaking of battens, the plywood I'm using for the patterns (the 1/4" meranti) makes a great batten- I just cut out a 3" strip of it, and it worked quite well. 

In other boat related news, all the bulkhead patterns have been cut out.

 Progress.

Things are going faster and slower than I anticipated.  On one hand I'm surprised that we're nearing mid-June, and I have yet to play with the 1.5 gallons of epoxy I've purchased.  On the other, I'm proud of the progress I've made.   I feel like I'm moving steadily forward each day, and that's a wonderful feeling.

9 comments:

  1. Having stated mid-April, it looks like you are doing very well given all your other projects. ;) A puppy is a huge project. What about using the shed for building Scamp?

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    1. Thanks!

      Good question. The shed, while very spacious, has no access to power and is of questionable construction. It was on the property when we bought it (and we made it look somewhat presentable) but it's very dark, has poor ventilation, and while it is probably safe, I still don't trust it completely.

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    2. At least you have a sheltered side you could put your awning next to. ;) Have you decided how you are going to join the two panels? Scarfing joint? Homemade puzzle joint? I was thinking about homemade puzzle joints, but will have to be very careful in measuring and cutting to make it fit correctly, but that way may be overly time consuming. Then of course fiberglass the joint.

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    3. I wish! An awning would be fantastic!

      I'm going to attempt to scarf using a block plane. From what I've seen, it looks relatively straight forward (I'll give it a few tries before I reach the main event), and it's a skill I really want to learn. I should really give it a shot the next time the weather is decent. Thanks for the reminder!

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  3. Necessity is the mother of invention and I don't think anyone has thought of this invention before. Brilliant idea Julie.

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    1. Thanks! Anything that gets the job done, right? The only downside is that shed wall faces my neighbor's field of view- so any lofting I do is with her constant rapt attention. And I'm bound by the weather. Today was so soggy there was no hope at all of getting a damn thing done!

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  4. I sailed Scamp with Howard Rice at the first Small Craft Academy. Its a wonderful design that is simple yet capable, small yet spacious. Due to her ease of trailering and setting up you will use her often. Brings friends, dogs, food and smiles. You will never want another boat 'cept maybe the all powerful sailing canoe Yakaboo II designed by Geoff Chick.

    Jim Farrelly

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    1. Hello Jim!

      Thanks for the comment. SCAMP sounds perfect for our little family, and your comments on how she handles really make me feel like I've made the right choice. I'm envious that you were able to sail on one, let alone with Howard Rice! That must have been a great experience.

      That canoe looks like it'd be a blast to sail!

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