Following the Pied Piper.

[Candyfloss]

A little bit of boat bling!;

[floatingkiwi]

Bloody nice job on that tiller handle mate.

[Redeye]

Paul, for the price I paid for my boat, I could have bought the lead for the keel & maybe a new cruising main. They want $300,000+ for Balvenie. No way you could build her for less than a million, and then you are going to have to rig her. Damn good time to buy a used boat.

These are not very encouraging words for someone who just bought a set of plans...

But I have noticed there are a few good value 32s around at the moment. But also some work to be done - Spoiler was looking in relatively good condition in 2009, but seems to have been let go pretty quickly.

[Redeye]

btw, Graeme,

The cowbell looks fantastic. Much better than the cowbells we see and hear over here everyday.

[Candyfloss]

Thanks guys.

I hope my crew are better looking than that Red, even if they do bring their own cowbells. You bought plans? What of?

[salt stains]

Hi Graeme. Thanks for sparing the time to show Di and me your creation - there is nothing quite like seeing a boat in the flesh. It's interesting how little things make a lot of difference. The big one for me was the seat backs - just far enough out from the side to ensure that my shoulders and head don't touch the coamings and at a nice angle for back support. Being 6' I have sat in way too many boats that are really uncomfortable! That mast base is a work of art - you described it well earlier in the thread but holding it in my hand and inspecting the work is a different thing. The anchor well was a smart bit of thinking too. I had thought of having the bottom sit on top of the stringers but I can see how the additional depth of gluing the bottom underneath the stringers just makes that subtle difference that allows the anchor to fit. I must admit I was in two minds about fitting hand rails to Rum Go until I saw yours and had a chat about it but that is going to be one of my projects once I get the sailing systems sorted out.
I am thoroughly enjoying this thread. Keep up the good work. Keith

[Larks]

Lovely bit of work Graeme, though I'd be inclined to rename the cow bell a cheese grater with all those go-fast weight saving holes. Very Ben Lexcen.

[Candyfloss]

I didn't drill the holes! They'd be in a more regular pattern if I had.

I did however cut 50mm off the front end. It was ridiculously long, plus all four sides were dished, presumably from the casting. It was going to take forever to sand it flat on three sides (who cares about the bottom? Only cockroaches see that), so shortening it up killed two birds with one stone. It's still bloody heavy.

[Candyfloss]

And today the tiller extension. The glue-up from yesterday;



And after lots more wood dust;





Next I have to buy the universal fitting (Ronstan RF1121 or RF1127) & fit the extension to it.

[Candyfloss]

You're right Keith, tiny details make a huge difference. I agonised for hours on my drawing over the slope for the seat backs, which also dictated the width of the shelf behind them, & the width of berths. Then I mocked it up in the boat, it felt right, so that's what I built. It feels good to me too, & I'm nothing like six foot.

It was very nice to meet you & I look forward to crossing paths out on the Gulf.

[snow(Alan H)]

He did design a launch, around 8.8m, but decided not to proceed when the Logan 33 came onto the market. I've seen Des's drawings & the launch is typically pretty. Something to aspire to when we all get too old for sailing.

John
Where are the small launch plans kept? would be interested in seeing them.
Cheers Alan

[Johnmac]

Alan, obviously I've given the wrong impression, there are no plans - Des only ever did a profile drawing of the launch. cheers John

[Candyfloss]

And here, especially for Gregs benefit, & because myself, I'd almost forgotten what they look like without masking tape on them somewhere, Ceilidh's coamings;



And the cabintop free of tape;



Before re-masking for the nonskid. Sigh, does this never end?;



Actually, the main reason I stopped today was because I ran out of masking tape, & this being Thames on a Sunday, there is nowhere to buy the stuff at any price. And I was cold. And thirsty. And tired, because I sat up half the night watching the All Blacks hammer Ireland.

[Larks]

Impressive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I missed the game, was it as good as the last one?

Lovely job on the curve and fit of the tiller extension Graeme, will you have something to keep it centred on the tiller when folded back? i.e. a pin in the tiller and hole in the extension or even a couple of epoxy embedded rare earth magnets or something?

[Candyfloss]

I haven't seen a half as quick as Aaron Cruden since Sid Going and Stephen Bashop. He was blinding for 25 minutes when he pulled a hamstring, by which time the ABs were 30 points ahead, Sonny Bill Williams (I take back everything I ever said about him) having scored two trys. It was a fabulous game (if you're a Kiwi, what else can you say about 60 to nil), but the scrum still struggled. Keven Mealamu was back & that helped. At least they've fixed the bloody lineout, no lost throws.

[Candyfloss]

Bought the nonskid & was finishing masking off and who should roll up but Marcus. He must be psychic or something, 'cos I was fervently wishing for help with a product I've never used before & the can implies it goes off in a twinkling, & so it proved;



Smear it on real thick, not hard since it's the consistency of mayonnaise, then run over it with a big, rumpty roller to raise a surface that'd wear the arse out of your wetsuit in a trice. Amazing.



I love the colour. Someone must have told them that EpiGlass' old Deck Cream was so intense you had to cut it with white two to one to make it tolerable;

[Larks]

It does look great Graeme, what is the product?

[Candyfloss]

Greg, I'll post a pic tomorrow.

[Candyfloss]

O.K. This is the stuff;



And here's the surface I got;



Forty bucks for the litre that covered my decks, plus the rumpty roller that I forgot to include in the shot, at retail price, at Reid's Hardware, so for a Marine Product, pretty good value. Those who have used it tell me it wears pretty good too, but I'll let you know in a few years. Comes standard in Cream, Pale Green, Pale Blue, Grey & Pale Grey. Any colour to your order. The list of ingredients on the can is scarey, but it's water clean-up.

Hey, ain't the guys on the can having fun?

[Candyfloss]

Miserable, freezing day, didn't even want to get out of bed, but I got the tiller, the extension and RF1127 all in the right place & heading in the right direction;



Masked off, & put the final coat of varnish on the patch on the galley top;



If anyone asks me I'll say it's a patch of special, heatproof varnish, just don't put that hot pot on it. That'll confuse 'em.

And did some other little jobs too small to mention.

[Candyfloss]

Finally got the cover for the petrol tank locker made;



And glued dowels into the two remaining keelbolt holes;



This will allow me to relocate & redrill the holes. They say that assumption is the mother of all f**kups, & I managed to bring this little gem of wisdom to mind before I glued in the dowels. I put a little bend in the end of a bit of wire that was laying about (this is a farm you know) & used it to reach into the holes, find the bottom of the keel stump & measure, accurately, the length I will need to cut the keel bolts off to, because they are now much too long. Just as well that I measured the depth of both holes, 'cos the aft one is 190mm deep, & the forward one 220mm. Cutting all the bolts the same length would have been a disaster. MORAL: Never assume anything.

Actually, while on the subject, I'd best put a straightedge along the keelbolts & make sure they are all in a line! Never assume anything. They must be pretty near vertical, simply because they have little choice. They are quite long, pretty near in the middle at the top (by this boats' standards), & judging by the one bolt I uncovered, pretty near in the middle at the bottom. Sighting along them would be the best test. Memo to Graeme; do that tomorrow.

Also, while I was driving the dowels down the holes, I took the opportunity to measure how out of vertical they are. The rather surprising answer was that the forward one is perfectly vertical, but the aft one is the culprit, 4mm off vertical over less than 200mm length. Pretty serious. And another reason why getting the keel off was such a bitch of a job. Getting it on wouldn't have been much fun either, it's not like you can bounce the boat up & down on it. Surely they must have suspected that something was seriously wrong. Ah well. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

What happens next is a bit scarey. I need to locate the centers for my new holes & drill the countersinks, I guess you'd call them, for the washers & nuts, then continue with the holes, oversize by 2 to 3mm, hopefully coming out exactly where the old holes come out. No way to tell 'till its done. Then take the keel outside, stand it up, lop off the keelbolts, run the threads down, bring the boat out and stand it on top. Sounds easy.

I'm running out of excuses to not finish this boat. And why do I have three little Candyflosses, lovely though she is, along the bottom of every post "frame"? One of them hides the "Edit" button & I need that!

[RFNK]

Best colour for your non-skid too Graeme! I used that beige/cream on Pipsqueak and even on really hot days it doesn't get hot - unlike light blue and green, which seem to really hold heat.

Rick

[Slacko]

The day I put my keel on was pretty full on. I was using the travel lift at the yard so time was money.
I sat the boat on the keel, then used a drill down the holes in the boat to mark the top plate of the keel which had a flange around the outside for bolts.
Then it was a simple task of lifting the boat up to get between to drill out 20 x 12 mm bolt holes in 10 mm plate, lower back down to cut and dry fit bolts.
Then lift back up and smother the top plate with 5 litres of thickened epoxy, finally dropping on for the last time and bolt up.
It then sat in the travel lift overnight so the icing could set, after much eyeballing to make sure it was on straight (A step missed with yours the last time obviously!)
That evening I just crashed into bed a happy man!

[Rayjing]

Gidday Graeme, am back across the ditch having enjoyed a couple of weeks back home. Thanks for showing the boat,it looks as good in the flesh as it does in the pictures.I will try and post a couple of pictures when I work out how to do this. I enjoyed the beer . Cheers

[Redeye]

We had that deck paint on a boat I sailed on quite frequently. Seemed ok, but there was some other stuff I saw somewhere which had a finish like 1000 grit wet 'n dry. That stuff was awesome.

Does anyone simply use graded sand anymore? Fine casting sand "salt-shakered" over a layer of fresh paint grips bloody well. Also wears stuff out fast like the soles of your feel and anything which happens to rub on it.

[Candyfloss]

I tried the sand-on-wet-paint technique on Candyfloss & couldn't get the sand on evenly. There was always a "broadcast" pattern on it. Aaron tried the rolling-on-the-paint-with-the-sand-mixed-in technique & that was worse. We had to sand it off & do it again. Now he sprays on a special grit mixed with the paint, which is what I suspect I have (used to have!) on my boat. It's not particularly grippy.

[Candyfloss]

Dry-fitting deck hardware;

[Candyfloss]

Finally got the galley fiddle rail on;

[Candyfloss]

Real ugly weather today, cold, pelting rain, blowing a gale. Pretty average Kiwi winter day, really. Sanded the cockpit floor, then couldn't resist offering up the still unfinished main hatch to see if I'd got the nonskid patch right;



Looks ok to me. It was too windy & too gloomy to risk painting anything, so I came home & put a first coat of varnish on the tiller & handrails;

[Candyfloss]

Second coat of white gloss in the cockpit;



The first coat was a bit of a disaster. There was a fog that closed Auckland Airport for two days & it was so cold & damp the paint went off with a matt finish! I should have known better. Not a problem except for the hatch slides which I thought I had finished, but needed another coat.

That leaves the non-skid & the cockpit's done.

[Aliboy]

Perfect weather for painting today.

[Candyfloss]

Hi Aliboy.

Yep, much nicer day, but not so nice that the paint went off properly overnight, so instead of laying out for the nonskid I bolted down the winches;





Big nuts!

[Candyfloss]

Wal swung by with his little digger this morning to stand my keel up & I supported it in this little cradle what I prepared earlier;



Then I finished the nonskid in the cockpit;





That's the end of the painting! Well, as much of the painting as I can do, my mate still has to blow the gloss on the topsides, but since the boat is watertight, there's no longer a reason not to take it outside & give Brian back his barn, so I guess that'll be happening sometime soon.

[Candyfloss]

Meanwhile, PictureTrail are after me to renew my subscription, & considering how near to the end this build is, I'm not all that keen on doing that. I'll review my options & see what's best to do.

[Larks]

you'd have to be happy with the look of that Graeme, she looks terrific with the cockpit floor now painted (and all of that tape gone)!!!

[salt stains]

Hi Graeme. A bit of catching up - I love the curved tiller extension - I've never seen that done before - magnificent!
Ah, the winches and non-skid - all done - she looks a proper little yacht! Can't wait to see the pics with the topsides done, the keel on, and in the water!
All in time for summer.
We will be back in Auckland in a couple of weeks and can't wait to get Rum Go out to see how the rest of the sails look after a bit of TLC.
Keith & Di

[snow(Alan H)]

Graeme
Not sure how 'PictureTrail' works but if its like the other 'storage in the sky' ones, if you do not renew your photos will not be viewable on this forum - that would be a bummer

Looking stunning, would have to be the prettiest PP around.

[Candyfloss]

Greg, I'm over the moon about it. I couldn't be happier about the way it's come up, & there's still the handrails to come.....and no more masking tape!!!!!

P.S. I did find out something about masking tape when unmasking the cockpit coamings. That tape had been there for so long, months maybe, it was really hard to get it off, 'till I thought I'd try a little heat. Apply the heat gun, keep it moving steadily, it came off a treat. The brand I use is "Painter's Green", warranted for seven days outdoors.

[RFNK]

You could put some dome nuts over those other nuts Graeme. Looking great!

Rick

[Candyfloss]

Thanks for the kind words Snow. I'm not cancelling my subscription, but there is 480 or so of my pics on this thread, plus another hundred on the "Candyfloss" thread which I'm sure no one is interested in any more. I'm just considering downgrading my account to a cheaper option & shortening up my pic count.

[Redeye]

There's something about polished wood and white paint.

It truly looks great, Graeme. And She will definitely be one of the nicest, if not the nicest Piedy on the water.

I'm not sure what your music tastes are, but I could see myself at anchor as the sun sets gently sipping a glass of something red and listening to a little mellow jazz, and enjoying the sight of those beautiful coamings matched up against the deck and cabin. Or perhaps even without the jazz, as the lapping of the water against the hull and the calming sounds of the anchorage in a gentle evening breeze play the sweetest melody of all. LIFE!

[floatingkiwi]

Before re-masking for the nonskid. Sigh, does this never end?;






Apparently it does.
















Impressive .

[floatingkiwi]

Meanwhile, PictureTrail are after me to renew my subscription, & considering how near to the end this build is, I'm not all that keen on doing that. I'll review my options & see what's best to do.

Whats the story there mate? Do they charge you to store pics?!! There are plenty of free ones. I use Shutterfly and it costs nothing. Suck all ya pics out and stick them in a free slot. Be a shame to lose them. Don't lose them.

[Candyfloss]

I'm not sure what your music tastes are, but I could see myself at anchor as the sun sets gently sipping a glass of something red and listening to a little mellow jazz, and enjoying the sight of those beautiful coamings matched up against the deck and cabin. Or perhaps even without the jazz, as the lapping of the water against the hull and the calming sounds of the anchorage in a gentle evening breeze play the sweetest melody of all. LIFE!

And then the rest of the Piedy fleet arrives!

[Candyfloss]

I've still got all my pics on hard drive Kerry, so barring computer disasters there's no problem with losing them, & I wouldn't mind re-posting the last 100 or so if I could find somewhere cheaper to do it from.

[Candyfloss]

Progress in the cockpit;



Inspection ports fitted, VHF aerial fitted (& VHF, & all it's wiring), latches fitted to petrol tank locker cover & cover fitted to boat. Tiller finished.

[Candyfloss]

Marcus came round this afternoon & helped seal & screw all the deck fittings. It's not possible to make sure all the screw slots are fore&aft while tightening the nuts underneath all at the same time, & besides, it's one of my favourite jobs & it's great to be able to share it with someone who shares my enthusiasm for it. And then there was the hand rails. Perfectly on the edge of the nonskid, screwed up from underneath, can't be done alone;



Then we went down to SpeakEasy Bar & had a glass of wine. Be time for an out-of-the-shed shout soon. Just need to get the painter organized. I hate it when your future is in somebody else's hands. I guess that's why I'm not a team player.

In case anyone notices, the cabintop (secondary) winches are not centered in the white gloss area. The halliards wrap round the winch on the right hand side, so both winches are offset so that the right hand side of the drum is (more or less) in the middle of the gloss strip.

[floatingkiwi]

I've still got all my pics on hard drive Kerry, so barring computer disasters there's no problem with losing them, & I wouldn't mind re-posting the last 100 or so if I could find somewhere cheaper to do it from.

Mate, I caught a virus from somewhere a while back and needed to reload Windows. I had to deal with saving some pics so as to replace them with the new installation. 120 GB of photos man. 120 GB! A couple of years ago my hard drive wasn't that capacity total. I should put them on some discs and stash those. I don't want to have to deal with that many, (probably more by now), files in the event of another meltdown.
Graeme, your boat looks like it just rolled out of a professional custom build showroom mate.

[Candyfloss]

Thanks for the compliment Kerry.

Some more little details;



Chainplate deckplate. Retains a bead of sealer to prevent water leakage. The outboard side was sealed when the chainplate was fitted.



Water filler. I even managed to fit it so the label reads from the right place when the cap is screwed down!

[Candyfloss]

Fitting out requires attention to the most minute of details & seems to take forever, but I've finally figured out how my rig is going to work & layed out the cleats & stuff to suit;



And the other side;



I won't bore you with the details of what goes where unless somebody asks.

Major milestone today, I finally cut the mast to length, poked the wire for the masthead light down the conduit & threaded the halyards thru the mast base. A whole days work & not even worth a picture!

Oh, that frame thing. It's my way of measuring the offsets between the mast base & the chainplates, so I could figure the right length to cut off the mast. I only calculated it five times.