49 years to step a mast!

[rickinnocal]

Construction on my "Glory B" began in 1962, and today, for the first time, she had a mast stepped.

She was launched - mastless - in 1996, but the original owner, after taking 34 years to build her, passed away in 1999 without ever rigging any sailing gear. The second owner just bought her as a cheap place to live, and it was therefore left to me, the third owner, to get a mast up.

Here she is heading back to the berth from the yard with a mast standing for the first time in her life.

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz213/rickinnocal/Mast%20Stepping%20day/P1040494.jpg

Now to find a replacement boom. |:(

Richard

[sailboy3]

wow, nice.

[peter radclyffe]

timing is everything

[floatingkiwi]

Hey . 1962. That was an important year for me too. You have done a beautiful and righteous thing here. What length boom are you seeking mate?

[SchoonerRat]

Nice job, but ya know...

It ain't a sailboat till ya hang the rags and kill the mill.

Getting a boom on her will be a lot easier than raising the mast. When are you planning your first sail?

[currach]

2 years before I was born and she has definitely aged better than me:rolleyes: Still given the old boat's history I wouldnt rush into a boom too quickly. As for the sails I would say anytime before 2019 would be showing indecent haste:D

[SchoonerRat]

She's just a late bloomer, once they mature, it happens real quick!

She wants to go sailing, I can see it in her eyes.

[floatingkiwi]

She's just a late bloomer, once they mature, it happens real quick!

She wants to go sailing, I can see it in her eyes.

And where, may I ask, are her eyes?

[SchoonerRat]

And where, may I ask, are her eyes?

I...uhhh....if you look....

Well she does want to go sailing!!!!!

[Ian McColgin]

Finastkind.

[rbgarr]

Have you mentioned before what design she is?

[Phil Y]

Wasn't there a thread about a boom being stolen somewhere?????

[rickinnocal]

When are you planning your first sail?

It's going to be a litle while, yet.

As well as finding and raising a boom, I have to install all the necessary sailing gear - foresail track and blocks, winches, cleats, a mainsail traveller etc. I also need to find and buy some sails.

Richard

[rickinnocal]

Have you mentioned before what design she is?

She was designed by Skip Calkins. She's a modification of his 50' sloop based on "Legend". The original builder wanted a little bigger, so Skip opened up the canoe stern of the 50' boats to a transom, and pushed it back to 54', making room for a stern cabin. I have all the original designers drawings, complete with Skips hand-drawn changes and notes.

Here's a picture of "Amante", one of the boats to the original 50' design...
http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz213/rickinnocal/calkins_50.jpg

You can see a few other cosmetic changes... The builder chose to go with the rounded windows in the main saloon as opposed to the squared off ones on Amante. I also have no ports in the below deck stateroom. The ports are actually still in a box in the boat if I decide to install them - but I'm not a huge fan of holes in the hull, so I probably won't. The stateroom has a nice heavy lexan skylight, so it's plenty bright and airy.

Richard

[rickinnocal]

What length boom are you seeking mate?

Around 20' - 21'.

Richard

[rickinnocal]

Wasn't there a thread about a boom being stolen somewhere?????

Yes... It was me that posted it. I'd bought a boom for her, and it was stolen from off the deck while the boat was in the Marina.
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?125437-Stolen-boom...-San-Francisco-West-Coast&highlight=stolen
Richard

[chuckt]

By the way. Your boat and I are the same age and its 48 not 49. Well, I guess unless you boat was born in January.

[Phil Y]

Bugga-who'd steal a boom right off your boat? I'd be checking around the neighbourhood for any nice new varnished flag poles in front gardens. There's a Calkins 50 for sale here in Oz right now (has been for a couple of years in fact). Asking 85K Oz$. (I have no interest) http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/boatdetails.aspx?R=6949286
Phil

[rickinnocal]

Bugga-who'd steal a boom right off your boat?

The ex-owner of the boat the boom originally came off. She was broken up for salvage after he let her rot away in a weldng yard and stiffed the yard owner out of $15,000 in storage fees over about three or four years. I have an appointment to meet him at the sheriffs department on Tuesday, though.... apparently my efforts to find him got him rattled enough that he actually went to them and reported his boat stolen. The deputy was, shall we say "less than amused" when he found out that the alleged 'theft' happened two years ago with his full knowledge.


There's a Calkins 50 for sale here in Oz right now (has been for a couple of years in fact). Asking 85K Oz$.

That's "Amante". She actually sold a couple of weeks ago, for a fair bit less than the $85k. Turns out she needs a deck and a few planks changed out.

Richard

[floatingkiwi]

Mate. I have a couple of booms but they only 14 feet. BUT, I do have a solid 33foot mast that I am sure you could cut down for a boom. Or is the construction different?
Have all the hardware necessary to complete a boom aswell. Winches, cleats and traveller track and cars complete. If you can make it down the 101 to Santa Rosa area, You can have whatever you need. For free mate.
Don't waste any effort chasing negative energy with that idiot that stiffs people. End up getting frustrated and goin nowhere. Go for a fresh approach.

[rickinnocal]

Well, there are good people around the waterfront :-)

I had several people - thanks Steve, floatingkiwi and others - make suggestions, for which I'm really grateful. Last week, I was told that the boatyard in Alameda - Svendsons - might have a couple of large booms from re-rigs that might work, so I went down and spoke to the rigging boss. They had two 'suitable' booms. One was about 21' long, an older aluminum boom, looking a little tatty but sound, from a boat that was dismasted. The other was a literally 'like new' Selden boom, 24' long with all fittings and attachments still in place. Well, it turned out that the older boom was not yet available due to insurance company issues, but the Selden was. I wasn't too excited by that, though, as it was certainly worth far more than my budget was going to be able to stretch to.

Enter the owner of the yard, Sven. The price he quoted me, literally, made my jaw drop. It was really just a token payment compared to the cost of a new boom. I was very grateful, jumped to accept the offer, and rushed to load it up :-)

Here it is ready to come back to the boat....
http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz213/rickinnocal/Rigging/02011537.jpg
...

And here's the end of the boom to show what type it is... (Not my new boom, but the same model from eBay)
http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz213/rickinnocal/Rigging/Boomend.jpg

I'll post some better pictures tomorow.

Richard

[floatingkiwi]

Excellent.