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Glad to keep you on this side of the bar Chris!

I love the way there are always new things to discover in the world of boats. I just learned about sheer legs a year ago and had a hard time finding info about them online....

Drum roll please.....

Duckworks says that after the plywood is attached to all sides of the foam (using thickened epoxy) the gunwales should be wrapped in glass! And I quote, "ideally going from...

Any update on this project? BY:D

Yes, Steve is correct. And Alex, there will be glass on the bottom, as well as some bronze runners on the skegs. One of the reasons I chose this design was because it was light enough to carry myself...

A friend told me that the original design sometimes had fractures at the bushings because there was a lot of pressure with minimal reinforcement there, but I'm not clear on the truth. .

So the latest version of the pram comes with closed cell foam, with a plywood sandwich. There is an inwale (pictured), and a cap/top piece and a partial bottom piece yet to go on....

Nice story Tom. How do you choose to sleep ashore vs on the boats?

The reefing line (one on each end of the boom) is long enough to accommodate for the sail shortening up as I reef. I snug down the fore line first, then use the aft line as an outhaul. I tie the sail...

Mine is shamelessly based on Yeadon's, which may or may not be based on McMullen's...

Downhaul is the smallest fiddle block I could find. While not technically part of the reefing system, without...

I'm envious of the space and the boat. Nice work. My "shop" is a friend's borrowed garage, just big enough for a portage pram!
...

Yeadon is right of course!

James, you have a good head on your shoulders. You are so right- buy a new trailer. Enjoy bringing the boat places, not sitting on the side of the road!

-Bruce

James- My mast traveler looks a lot like the one you made. It is leathered and constructed with painted mild steel. It works beautifully and doesn't bind.

I like having a loop to tie the halyard...

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/loco-day-2-and-more-8-e1505700216129.jpg
Thanks for the interest folks. Get your paddles ready, oars may dig too deep!

Practice your capsize...

It's not exactly wooden, but the fast commuter ferry from downtown SF to Oakland will get you zooming across the bay, into the interesting marinas and docks on the east side for just five bucks. It's...

I agree some of his writing is on the gloomy side. I don't even know if his books really qualify as sea writing, so much as mood writing. From the NY Times obituary, "Mr. Raban’s literary narratives...

Also, if I invited more than four people, things might start to look like this out there:

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/the-spectators-e1674184712664.jpg

I dug up a picture of the Salvage Chief. It was fun to explore all around her:

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/salvage-chief-1-e1674184540407.jpg

Jonathan Raban, the English, Seattle-based writer who sailed the Inside Passage, motored down the Mississippi, and wrote several books about boats passed away this week. I liked his writing and his...

I had breakfast on the Salvage Chief a few years ago. That was a memorable experience... Sunshine? Just come in August. You can even swim without freezing off your tender bits then!

Uh, cause I want to re-create this scene:
https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/towing-e1443834847213.jpg

If you can get here, we'll find you a boat!

This isn't like a carnival cruise, where Gopher tells you the activities for the day. This is a ton of fun, but also some responsibility for everyone being self sufficient, comfortable running...

This is the time of year where I am tired of being cooped up by the dark and rain and cold. I start to plot adventures and bug people to think ahead about all things to do in the long, pleasant days...

Agree that my Sunbrella needs recoating... As for some of my friends, even if it isn't soaking up, it is still kind of damp and dries a bit slow after several days of rain...

-Bruce

A few other PNW sail & oar guys have tents similar to this:

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/andy-tent-1-e1673840349679.jpg

This one belongs to Andy M and I think it is...

I find that the plasticy materials do get damp- depending on the relative humidity. There's not much to be done about it.
https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/sleeping-aboard-1-2.jpg...

I'm not fond of Sunbrella for camping-cockpit tent. It's too heavy and hard to dry out on the fly, once it gets wet. I prefer the lighter more plastic-ey materials since they repel water and are...

You always make this look easy. Keep up the good work!

Rod, I agree with things people have said above. I have used Sunbrella, and Odyssey with success for boat covers and cockpit tents- but you didn't tell us what you were planning to cover and how it...

Lover of Archery-

That sounds like quite a tale. Glad you lived to tell it!

This is one of my favorite pics from the Inside Passage:...

Tom, this is a good story, well told. I agree with Alex that your shot in the stone boathouse is definitely one of the great sail & oar shots of all time. Nicely done.

James' thoughts above send...

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/luna-asteroid-1-e1673133398313.jpg

I decided that I needed a more suitable dinghy than the old sit on top kayak for Luna, so when Duckworks...

csmead- glad you are getting out there.

Agree with the comments made by others about checking your peak halyard and outhaul.

Jamie's comment about some form of mast hoop is a worthwhile one. I...

If the boom/yard are the right size, it is no problem at all. The deck may need to be reinforced to hold your hardware/blocks, but the stress isn't all that you'd expect.

In ten plus years of...

So I stumbled on John Hartman's video of his Viver Jewell over at Off Center Harbor.


https://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/the-coastal-pocket-cruiser-jewell-by-francois-vivier/

I know we're...

Like a bad penny, this thread wakes up again...
I finally got around to disassembling the rudder post/tiller.
https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/rudder-head-2-e1662340007705.jpg
I...

J. Madison, I'm baking you some bread when you get back. You are coming back, right? |:) I'm super appreciating your story.

Your descriptions of the places off the boat are great. I wish more...

Given that it's fall and I think I've gone through all the modifications and changes to the boat, I'll wrap up with an op-ed.

Here I am watching ships make the turn at Turn Point, on Stuart...

Adding a mast float would be a trade off and seems like it might get in the way of various lines. I think I'd rely on keeping a good watch, early reefing, and avoiding going on in bad conditions...

Immersion is a really interesting and important question for us northerly sailors. One some of us choose to ignore entirely. When I first started going on extended trips in row boats, and sail & oar...

I should have mentioned that I would value any other motor tips from those so inclined to discuss.

Speaking of ferries and navigation...
...

Back on the definition of lug, I ride steel bikes, sort of the wooden boats of the bike world. A certain generation of them have "lugs" where the tubes are brazed together....

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/travel-lift-1-e1666145813123.jpg
Let's move on to less comfortable items... like watching your boat be hoisted in mid-air! Actually, it was fun to...

Good advice noted above, especially about sail vs oar. Also consider if you will have the need to strike the rig frequently. That's where a lug rig is really helpful.

Also consider how much you...

I'll bring my 1978 Viking Husqvarna up to your place! But seriously, I think we're equal- you've got a formal seat!

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/coffee-1-e1663018682213.jpg
...

Wow Chris- looks like a lot of work ahead of you- but I think you are smart to go with you gut- figure out what you have on your hands so you can really address the problem and not let it haunt you...

Ben, you are so right. Sockets would make for a more stable set up. I'll work on that for next season.

https://terrapintales.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/at-the-helm-channel-1-e1666146056839.jpg
...

Thanks for the tips on the inflatables. FM is unmoved. Comically so. I'll definitely give her another chance to see the light before I huff epoxy fumes.

One thing she really, really liked on the...