She swims! The Dark Harbor "MELINDA" is launched...

[Art Read]

So, now it's official, I can finally say the name out loud...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p4aad33ba6502b5943b4398af89615947/fafa25b8.jpg

(I believe the picture above shows me asking "calmly" for a hammer to drive in the drift bolt that I "forgot" about before putting her overboard... and I'd also like to offer, again, a great BIG "thank you" to forumites Rodger, Annie and David for everything they did to help make things happen just when they needed to. You guys, and all your help, were invaluable!)

[ 09-28-2003, 02:28 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

[Donn]

http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

[Clipper]

Congratulations !! May she have fair winds and smooth sea's

[htom]

Sweet she is.

[mmd]

She's beautiful, Art. What the hell is that goop she is floating in? :eek: !!

[ahc]

More pics! More pics!

[Dave Fleming]

http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif http://media5.hypernet.com/ubb/icons/icon14.gif

ACES Art, the very best with "both" Melindas.

SWIMPAL and me

[JimM]

Art
Melinda looks like she will fly over the waves. Very pretty boat. Enjoy

[ 09-27-2003, 03:33 PM: Message edited by: JimM ]

[JimD]

Way to go, Art

[Meerkat]

smile.gif

[imported_Steven Bauer]

:D

[Doug Wood]

Congratulations! She's beautiful. Don't forget to post some pic's of her under sail.

[Hughman]

Well done! Art!

I shall salute the event with a drop of Tullamore Dew in Melinda's honor ....both of 'em! smile.gif

[ 09-27-2003, 05:47 PM: Message edited by: Hughman ]

[ishmael]

Congratulations Art. That thrill is rare, enjoy it to the hilt. And more pics! :D

[Buddy]

Way to go! She's beautiful. Dis you get the sails up? Did you get pictures? How did she sail?

[reddog]

She's beautiful Art.Can't wait for some pics under sail.Looks like you launched her into pea soup though??
Earl

[Scott Rosen]

Congratulations Art! We've been awaiting this moment for a long time. She's even more beautiful in the water than she was in the shop.

[LarryJacobson]

Art,

Because you've done such a great job of sharing your progress with us along the way, it was very satifying to hear about the launching.

Congratulations and ditto the other requests for more photos.

[Wayne Jeffers]

Beautiful boat, Art! :cool: :cool: :cool: Well done!

When will she try her wings?

Looking forward to more pictures!

Fair winds!

:D :D :D

Wayne

[Concordia..41]

Congratulations! May she bring you hours of joy in return for every minute's labor.

Regards -
Dave & Margo

[Art Read]

Thanks! And sorry for the delay in getting more pictures up, folks. Things have been a bit "hectic" around here for awhile... And I'm just about physically and mentally shot... SWMBO, the puppy and I took "MELINDA" out for a short spin around the harbor this morning, and then I ran her the 7 or 8 miles or so over to the Center for Wooden Boat's docks on Lake Union.

Let me tell you something... One has some pretty "profound" thoughts while staring down into the bilge and contempating the keelbolts of a boat he's made from scratch while making a passage a couples miles from shore... in deep water... for the very first time... But "MELINDA" herself behaved admirably. She seemed to shrug off the big powerboat wakes that convergerged on her from all sides repeatedly like it was all a great "lark" and if anything, seemed somewhat "put off" by the smelly, noisy contraption on her stern that I saddled her with for the passage.

Suffice to say, she arrived safely, (and dry!) and is waiting patiently for me to get organised enough to put her "clothes" on and get her out sailing! We did run the jib up at the dock just after launching her yesterday. Just for fun. She surged and tugged ahead against her docklines as if she has been just as impatient as I've been to get going! Splicing, lashing and siezing begins in earnest tomorrow...

The bad news is that she's got a bit of a "weight problem". She squating by the stern pretty noticably. Putting some weight up in the bow will help, but I suspect she's gonna have to come out again to get a "shave and a haircut" on her ballast keel. I always kind of had a funny feeling that I built that damn casting mould too "generous". Sigh...

(That funky algi bloom is something ain't it? I gotta admit, I wasn't thrilled when I first got there and saw where they wanted to put MY boat. Then I thought about it a minute. And yep, it washed right away as soon as I got her out into open water. Made a mess of the docklines and fenders that got dropped into it though... ;) )

[ 09-28-2003, 01:51 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

[Dave Fleming]

Not to worry, cajole RGM into snagging a Skil 100 from you know where and go for it.

Messy job but alternative is grinding or hand planing, uhg.

Advice for what's worth...
You can always add ballast but it is the pits to have to do what you are facing, folla?

[Art Read]

I hear you, Dave. My worst nightmare has been that she'd float about three inches, (or worse!) below her marks. This isn't "quite" that bad. Maybe an inch down at the stern and an inch up at the bow? But she's GOT to lose some weight somehow. She ain't gonna get any lighter, over time, and I kinda like the waterline painted where it is...

[Wiley Baggins]

Art Read,

I would have run out of superlatives had I tried to comment on your numerous progress photos. However, now that she "swims" all bets are off. She really is a beauty. Thanks.

[Concordia..41]

Get your gear organized aboard and spend some time under sail. Then think about a keel-ectomy.

Your stories and work do my heart good. Enjoy!

- Margo

Edited to add that Melinda has joined the ranks of Waione, Sonja and several other WBF boats that I hope to someday fineagle a sail aboard.

[ 09-28-2003, 08:56 AM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[Ken Hutchins]

Beautiful, congratultions. smile.gif smile.gif smile.gif smile.gif

[Mrleft8]

Sigh..... That's just plain old beautiful..... Sigh....

[Art Read]

Finally got a few more pictures up...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p73152b1974883c64538a1e4a57344928/faf770f4.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pecf39f79e7e108be63bc29d58ff46c2f/faf770e8.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p8a98683b2840e1f9f34529e2319df2d8/faf770e1.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pba3f95dacc6712c29cadfba2477961c7/faf770cc.jpg

(From left to right: Annie, Rodger, (our own "RGM"...) myself, David, (from David Toner Boatworks...) "Toot", (from the infamous "Swivel gun" thread a few years back...) and my brother-in-law, and all around "Can do!" guy, Tim...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p8f08cd14a2a0c0730c44d8183f73827c/faf770b8.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pa1c96a388ce98c2667e2a92669929d37/faf770b4.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p62cd94e3396e6f50d9516033c6e1e82b/faf770c3.jpg

[Art Read]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p0f76e7fc3e02063cd01adc7e4f0f41c4/faf770ad.jpg



http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pf751a21661f7c9b9a9454fb4c231cee0/faf770a7.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p64477020533e4b326f5d82d222698a99/faf770de.jpg

(These last two pictures show a bit of what I'm concerned about regarding her "weight issue"... I'm afraid she really wants a lot less "mass" hanging off those keelbolts...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p867fe08b6bf8f24eccb23f2b174a4804/faf770d2.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p6c1ed23dfb6db611fb9eaf44a0a0df5d/faf770c7.jpg

It occurred to me, long after all the guests and the boatyard crew had left, and I was just sort of sitting alone on the dock, staring at the boat in the gathering gloom of twilight, that nobody from the boatyard had ever come up to talk to me about payment! They just sort of quitly drifted away before I even got the chance to thank them for doing such a good job of putting her safely in... I'll be paying them a visit with a "token" of my appreciation on Monday...

[ 09-28-2003, 03:48 PM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

[Norske3]

...all of the above to ya and that little ship......she is to pretty to put in the dirty water...looks like pea soup.

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Art, great job beautiful boat. Congratularions :D :D :D

[Dave Fleming]

Art, that marina up the Duwamish?

[reddog]

Art;
You must be proud.She's a work of beauty!I agree that you should sail her a bit before returning to the shop for modifications.A lot of the old designs carried some internal ballast for trim.
Enjoy.
Earl

[John B]

fantastic. Congratulations Art.

[htom]

I don't see an anchor on her foredeck, or the mass of the associated chain. Not that either of those would lighten her keel, but they might tip her towards being in trim.

[Jamie Hascall]

Congratulations Art! I wish I could have been there. I think I'll try to take a swing by the CWB to see if you might happen to be there. Good work and our best to you and Melinda.

Jamie

[Ed Harrow]

Be still oh beating heart; I've not had such an experience since SWMTMH first walked into my physics class...

Nice work. (And thanks for including all of us in the process.)

Ed

PS: Somebody ought to do an honorary "Dingo" post ;)

[Lion]

Stunning! Look forward to the sailing report and photos.

Lion

[RGM]

Art and Melinda, your launch day was alot of fun. The pictures turned out well Art. Annie and I had a great time watching the whole thing unfold. Thanks for the opportunity to help and thanks for the good time.

[Roger Stouff]

All right! :D

[capt jake]

Very nice Art!! smile.gif I am sorry I couldn't make the launching. :( I am buried in home projects at present.

She is a sweet boat!!!! smile.gif smile.gif smile.gif

[Mrleft8]

PS: Somebody ought to do an honorary "Dingo" post

--------------------
"ABSO-FLAMIN-LUTELY! :D Stone tha crows! :cool: Ya old cobber! smile.gif I mean thats flibberdy jibber wackeddy! ;) Ya old Gallah!!! :D Why just this arvo I was talkin' with me possumpoop, an I says "We arta....(an ofcourse she stops me dead in me tracks and points to the flamin' big pile o Tuart in the yard.... :rolleyes: )
How's that?

[LisaS]

Art -

She's lovely!

Fair winds -

Lisa

[TimH]

Looks incredible Art! The first DH 12-1/2 launching in a long time probably :D

And at least its a lot easier to remove led from the keel than add it! :D

[nedL]

Congratulations Art!!! She is a thing of beauty. It has been great following you duringher creation. :D

[Matt J.]

smile.gif :D :eek:
Wow. Simply WOW!
and congratulations.

[Willin']

Art,

OHMIGAWD!

Be proud...be very proud!

Cheers,

Mark

[Dave R]

Aw, Art. Ain't she sweet?

Good job.

[Ian McColgin]

Fianstkind.

[Alan D. Hyde]

Beautiful, Art.

May you and yours enjoy her for many years to come.

In 2103, perhaps sailors may talk of Melinda as we now talk of boats such as Waione.

Alan

[Tar Devil]

Phenomenal!

Enjoy your hard work.

Green with envy,

Phil

[Rich VanValkenburg]

How many times can you hear the word 'Beautiful!', Art? Well here's another. The whole story is pretty cool, and I've been watching your work for what seems a long time. You done good. She's a beauty.

Are you really certain she's over-ballasted? Battery placement, beer cooler, and other stuff might level her out.

Rich

[jeff pierce]

Congratulations, Art

I have been watching your progress with great interest. You have done a fantastic job and she looks glorious in the water (even cruddy looking water like that).

Have fun

[Keith Wilson]

Glorious, just glorious. She'll improve the scenery wherever you take her. An inspiration to us all! WELL DONE!

[John Blazy]

Vey aesthetic design and construction, Art! Sweet lines, great woodwork, and who needs more!!

I hope your sailing is as invigorating as I imagine. - JB

[Art Read]

Thanks again, folks! I'm overwhelmed! Here's a quick update from yesterday at the Center for Wooden Boats:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/pe0a0689db37105cfe1b2715edf829439/faf476ca.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p82638fb5bc010ee468e53227f3293e0d/faf476c6.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid81/p1b116fe68129bf9300a2eab2d12d47c9/faf476c2.jpg

Sails set for the first time! But I still have a few details to sort out. Need to drill some more holes in the gaff and boom for the main sheet and outhauls, couple of halyards still need some untwisting, the jib sheet fairleads still need to be located and I really out to tune that rig a little more carefully and get everything moused and pinned before I go casting off the docklines... It WAS tempting though... 'Specially with the crowd gathered for the Wooden Boat Regata Awards Ceremony standing there "egging me on..." ;)

I might be subconciously "dawdling" a bit too... I feel a bit like the kid who's had the girl he had a secret crush on all thru high school suddenly call him up and want to go on a date! Just hope the reality comes anywhere CLOSE to the long held "fantasy", if you get my drift... :eek:

[Jeff Robinson]

Congratulations Art. She looks superb clothes on and off.

JR

[Lion]

STOP THIS!...

..... cruel and unusual punishment.

Art, she looks so stunningly beautiful...and unobtainable..... it almost makes me wince in a combination of admiration and envy.

Lion
(....know what you mean about feeling coy after being approached by a long admired and hitherto distant woman....I think it happened to me once....or was it a figment....).

[brian.cunningham]

Three cheers! Enjoy!

[Art Read]

"...and unobtainable..... "

NONSENSE! It was just over five years ago, on that very dock in the three pictures above, that SWMBO was getting frustrated listening to me "pine over" all the other beautiful daysailors there that day and how I couldn't find any really nice ones anywhere for myself. (It was the weekend of the "Festival"...) "Why don't you just build one?" she said. "If you can make a perfect little model of a big boat, like the one you gave me, why can't you build one of these little ones, full size? Seemed reasonable at the time. So I bought some plans. And Bud MacIntosh's book. He said, "If you want to badly enough, and you'll pay attention to what I'm going to show you, you too can build the "best boat" in the world...." So I started lofting. Then I found the "forum". The rest was just hard work, time, (LOT'S of time) space enough, (that you can basically pre-empt for the duration without concern for the noise, dust and dislocation) money, (but "usually" in fairly manageable chunks spread out enough that it never hurts "too" bad...) some good friends to help with the "tricky" bits that are beyond you, (THANKS RGM!!!) or tools, (Thanks Tim!) and a stubborn streak. A big capacity for denial helps too...

But if I could do this as a first "real" woodworking project much less a boat building, I guarantee anybody else who wants to badly enough could do it too. I've looked at the work done by countless other "amateurs" here and have been consistantly humbled. But my own experience shows that almost any well designed boat, "worried" over obsesively enough, even by someone learning as they go, somehow manages to come out looking pretty good. And hey, if you're any smarter than me, your's might not start off "ass heavy" on her birthday! ;)

(Edited to add that I DO recomend having an SWMBO with qualities like those possesed by MELINDA's namesake at your side however. She made it all possible... and could just as easily have made it impossible... ;) )

[ 09-30-2003, 03:28 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

[Alan D. Hyde]

A toast to Melinda, and to Melinda:

Health, happiness, and prosperity for many years to come!

And don't leave a drop in your glass. Bad luck, you know... :D

Alan

[True Love]

Three Cheers to Melinda and Melinda! She's truly lovely, Art. You must be so proud, and rightly so.

It'd be great if WoodenBoat would do an article on her - your efforts in building her, etc. At the least I hope to see her in the Just Launched section.

Congratulations on fulfilling your desire for a beautful, beautiful boat. You have her!

Cheers - TL

[John B]

Exactly what I was wondering about TL.
Did WB send a correspondent over to observe and photograph.? If they didn't they should have.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE WB. :D

[TimH]

Originally posted by Braam Berrub:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by mmd:
She's beautiful, Art. What the hell is that goop she is floating in? :eek: !!Thats exactly what I was thinking :D

Mr. Read you gotta find some water to do the hull justice!</font>[/QUOTE]They launch wooden boats into that green stuff cause it seals the seams tight temporarily till she takes up :D

[Leon Steyns]

Congratulations! She's a beauty... You're in more than one way a lucky guy!

Looking forward to that WB-article.

Greets, Leon Steyns.

[Ross M]

Adequate superlatives seem difficult to conjure. She is a beautiful piece of work, sir!

[John of Phoenix]

"Why don't you just build one?" she said. "If you can make a perfect little model of a big boat, like the one you gave me, why can't you build one of these little ones, full size?" You realize, of course, that you're living in a beer commercial. :D

Wonderful! :cool:

[videoguy]

Art I wish you and the one's you love many happy years of sailing in her. You did a fine job. smile.gif smile.gif ....Phil

[Tealsmith]

Beauty! Congrats.

[cs]

:cool: FANTASTIC!!! :cool:

Chad

[Greg H]

:D

It's been a long time, from the early days of the forum. Congratulations!!! She's lovely!!!

[johnw]

Wow--your first project? I was one of the people egging you on at the CWB dock. I figured you must have built quite a few things to come out with that nice a project. Come out sometime and I'll pace you in a Blanchard Jr. Knockabout, I'll bet yours is faster as well as better looking.

[Art Read]

Well darn, John... I didn't remember that there were any "forumites", other than Nicholas and I, there! (Guess it just stands to reason in that crowd, eh?) Then again, I can't claim to recall, clearly, much of anything about those couple of days surrounding the launch... I REALLY wanted to throw off the docklines right then. I mean REALLY. Even with nothing but a piece of scrap dockline to serve as a jury mainsheet... It's just as well I didn't "cave in" to temptation though. One of the shroud turnbuckles that I hadn't really "inspected" again since we threw the mast up before launching still had the broken wooden matchstick that I shoved in to hold the toggle "temporarily" for want of another "proper" cotter pin in my pocket at the moment! :eek:

Still, she's coming along quite "swimingly"... Bilge still dry as a bone, 60 or 70 pounds of lead in the bottom third of a five gallon bucket "standing in" as triming ballast shoved up as far as I can get it up in the eyes of of the boat under the foredeck. (Still needs some more "drastic" attention to get that waterline where it want's to be, alas...) and I'm just about done tweeking and fussing with the running gear.

Oh! She got her first "job" today! A photographer and company were doing some sort of footwear "fashion" shoot down at the docks while I was splicing and whipping some odds and ends on deck and asked if they could photograph their "model" in front of the boat... I didn't mind... When I asked if I was likely to ever see those pictures anywhere "interesting", they said, "Sure! Look in the socks department of REI in about six months... They might be on the labels!" :rolleyes:

[ 10-01-2003, 11:29 PM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

[johnw]

Hey, back when I owned Yankee Venture, the Center got paid for a shoot on her deck.

[gert]

Superior art and skill- unbeleivable- never in my lifetime could I acheive that, very very well done. I think you should keep her in the living room.

[True Love]

Art,

When do you plan to take her out for a little spin?

[Art Read]

Well, TL... Just when I think I'm almost ready, I remember yet another piece of gear I haven't made up yet, or a piece of hardware still on the shelf that got "overlooked", but I think I've got things just about in hand now. (Actually, this has been the the BEST part of the whole proccess... "Seamanly" things! ;) )

SWMBO has the day off tommorrow... That's the "target". (Cross your fingers!)

(Gert... LOL! Part of me has wanted to pick her back up and bring her back home where she's "safe" ever since I launched her! But to paraphrase: "That's not what boats are for...")

[garland reese]

Art,
Congrats! She is truly beautiful. I can't believe it is your first such project! It sure is an inspiration to me..........mine's still a ways off though...I'm still a "dreamer/schemer" :D
Be sure and get someone to take pics of y'all under sail!!
Garland

[Norske3]

So, how much do you want for the boat? smile.gif

[TimH]

Originally posted by Art Read:
Part of me has wanted to pick her back up and bring her back home where she's "safe" ever since I launched her! But to paraphrase: "That's not what boats are for...")[/QB]Art you could always build a big glass case in your front yard :)
smile.gif

[Art Read]

Last chance for an official "progress update" before the first sail... I took these just before knocking off for the day. SWMBO and I take her out, under sail, tomorrow morning. (I'll post a few pictures of her under way on another thread...)

Thanks for all the help, encouragement and inspiration over the months and years, folks! It wouldn't have happened without you!

"...and so ends the 'voyage'..."

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid82/p502fb917a987a4a74cf0ecaf47fbc6d8/faed2f19.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid82/ped18c544c380400a96a36f4ed4ef50d3/faed2f14.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid82/peaf457dfad7480370ca4f0bacc9eed9b/faed2f0e.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid82/p5c0ecfa33014ae55c9b8290b087b7ac6/faed2f09.jpg

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

an absolutely stunning boat Art... Congratulations and fair winds :D :D :D

[John B]

I just waterblasted the hull,sanded off the topsides , removed the prop,sanded some bits below w/l, scraped off the sprit and went racing around for some paint/stuff etc for tommorrow. I'm had it.

But those photos are a tonic.
HOW did you resist sailing her today though??
Have a good sail Art.

[Bernadette]

Art, another wonderful boat has been launched into the world...thanks to you. As humble as you may be; she is a very beautiful boat which will be noticed wherever she chooses to go...enjoy!!!!