Following the Pied Piper.

[snow(Alan H)]

Graeme
Seen this?

http://www.sail-world.com/NZ/index.c...=0&tickerCID=0

[Candyfloss]

Twenty-three boats. Piedy racing is still going strong.

That yellow boat with the pointy bow, "Smiler", came up on TradeMe again this morning. $3,500 with Autopilot, solar panel, new outboard & a bloody ugly f/g dinghy. Her mooring in Big Shoal Bay, off Sulphur Beach is $1000 extra. I don't think you'll do better than that Andy (hint, hint).

[AnalogKid]

I was just looking at it again on TradeMe, I've got a search for all things Piedy e-mailed to me daily.

Unfortunately it's not an option, the savings cupboard is bare after the UK trip. Not that I've got any regrets about that, it was the last chance to see my dad, and I wanted my son to get to spend some time with him before my dad is too ill to appreciate it. So for the moment I'm just watching and learning so that when I'm ready I'll know a bit more than I do now (not hard really).

On a lighter note, I don't know if you got all the hardware with your boat, but this main sheet traveller might be useful, $50 on TradeMe.

Andy.

[Candyfloss]

Thanks for that Andy. The same guy also has a dunny for sale.I put in a bid for both.

[AnalogKid]

Spotted the yellow boat on its mooring this morning, I had plenty of time to look because the bridge was a car park.

[Candyfloss]

I had plenty of time to look because the bridge was a car park.

Oh. There has been some time when it wasn't?

Thanks for that John. I wondered if it was some new fangled arrangement that I had not yet encountered. Well, it's only going to cost me 50 bucks to get some good parts which no doubt will be useful for something, or someone else will buy it.

Tell me the dunny http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=375745076 looks good.

[Larks]

The dunny looks good. A new TMC one is $199.00 AUD, repair kit if needed $29.00 AUD.

[floatingkiwi]

Luxury.

[floatingkiwi]

Twenty-three boats. Piedy racing is still going strong.

That yellow boat with the pointy bow, "Smiler", came up on TradeMe again this morning. $3,500 with Autopilot, solar panel, new outboard & a bloody ugly f/g dinghy. Her mooring in Big Shoal Bay, off Sulphur Beach is $1000 extra. I don't think you'll do better than that Andy (hint, hint).

Hey thats not too bad eh?

[Candyfloss]

Not too bad at all Kerry. Surely you can salvage a dunny for your boat?

Thanks for that Greg.

[floatingkiwi]

Ah yeah, sure. I got a couple of them but I don't want one in the boat. Takes up too much room for something that gets used once a day for a minute. Plus the extra holes in the boat. If she was 35 or 40 feet, for sure.

[Candyfloss]

Not the most productive day yesterday. Figuring out how big the battery box needs to be put me in a bit of a tailspin, but I got it sorted, framed up the berth at the pointy end & cut the bunkboard & hatch. The bunk in this area needs to be fairly strong as people will be climbing in & out of the hatch to access the sail locker;

[Candyfloss]

Some more Victorian patterning;



and another small bulkhead;



gives me the base for a set of shelves;



Hope it's not too overwhelming. I'm sure it will look different after I cut the holes & it's hidden behind the dunny bulkhead, & then there's the squabs.

[Candyfloss]

And now Rat Attack;



http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=376763869

Man, that is a list of gear. Piedys really are the best value going.

[Candyfloss]

I now own a dunny. I'll be in Auckland on Friday delivering a friend to the airport, so hopefully I can pick it up then.

[Candyfloss]

I feel so badly about this. I emailed Brian Peet to ask if there was anything he could do to help save Mercia & he replied with this;

Hi Graeme,

I forwarded the Trademe ad to Bill Townson a few days ago and he forwarded it to a young guy who’d been asking about Piedys. Hopefully the young chap will take up the challenge. I also rang the owner of Mercia and he told me the entire rig, keel and rudder were missing. The cockpit is missing and the boat has been exposed to the weather for many years. I hate to think what it looks like inside or if there is any rot is lurking in the boat. However I’m sure someone will pick it up with a $1 reserve.

Have you thought of selling your ’no-name’ and embracing Mercia. It is a rare boat for two reasons:-

• Bill convinced Des to design the boat and Mercia was the starting point of the class. Pied Piper was started after Mercia.
• Both these boats are not like any other Piedy. They have slightly higher chines in the bow and stern area. Des altered the design to make them easier to build.

From a historical point of view, wouldn’t it be better to transfer all your gear across to Mercia? You would then have a real classic on your hands.

Regards,
Brian.

Yes I absolutely agree Brian but fact is I could not do justice to Mercia, just because she is Mercia. She is not the boat I need. I could not build the things I need into her; I would feel morally obliged to restore her to her original condition. Someone else can hack her about if they so wish, but I certainly could not put a Mk.2 cabin top on her, and that is my bottom line for a Piedy restoration. Mercia was designed & built as a young man's boat & to my dismay I find every day that I am no longer a young man. Lots of Piedys have made the same or similar modifications as I am making, and in fact when I am finished this boat will be a lot more original than when I bought her, but I could not do any of that to Mercia. Goddammit, she's MERCIA

[Candyfloss]

And today it's One Xtreme: http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=378074419



$5,500.

The sale of Mercia closes tonite. There are several bidders and the price has risen to $3.00. I will let you know the outcome of this tense and exciting battle if the world does not end. And I doubt that it will.

[Candyfloss]

I put in a bid for her at $3.00 only to find that I have been auto-outbidded, which can only mean that wayneoh1 is willing to pay any price for her. This is very encouraging.

[Candyfloss]

At the end of the usual flurry of activity at the end of the auction, Dangermouse69 (Dan, an engineer from the North Shore) bought her for $100.00. I hope his intentions are honourable.

Yesterday I sold some more of my framing gear, so with an injection of capital I'll be able to get the stuff I need to get on with my boat. Hurrah!

[Candyfloss]

After a late start on Sunday morning I set about tidying the heads area. This will all have to be tickety-boo if I want my crew to be enthusiastic about keeping it clean. There is a higgeldy-piggeldy butt joint that needs disguising, so I cut some ply strips & glued them in, and a half frame that needs hiding, so I cut a little bulkhead & glued that in;



Being in a mood for detailing, I had another look at the chainplates & found that a 6mm filler would nicely flush out the top half, and a 9mm pad over the lot would tie it all together & finish beautifully under the gunnel;



On the port side, it even disguises the fact that the two original blocks don't line up;



Now they will be plenty strong & much easier on the eye.

[Candyfloss]

Yesterday I laminated up a sole for the heads. Such a little thing, it took me half the day;



Two layers of 9mm ply & I had to cut round a stringer where I could not see. It is possible to sit on it & work the handle, but there is no more room than you absolutely need.Drilled the limber holes in the forward frame & reshaped the deck beams on the stbd side preparatory to making the big bulkhead at Frame D. Next I have to find what angle the coamings are going to sit at so I can cut that into the bulkhead.

[Larks]

Nice work Graeme. Can you still get to all of the plumbing to clear any blockages with it sitting behind that frame like that? Would it be worth cutting say a 100mm round hole through the frame to be able to get to the plug/nut at the base of the pump?

[snow(Alan H)]

Where is the holding tank going..............

[Candyfloss]

The fresh water tank is going there Greg, so the dunny will have to be easily removable for servicing. I'll glue the hold-down bolts into the sole before fitting it, & maybe use wing nuts to hold the dunny down. The area is so tiny that any work there will be very difficult. Even getting your pants off will be a bit of a trick. The reason for the placement of the water tank is that the galley goes above it and that area is inaccessible & wasted under the galley shelf.

On a side, the galley shelf, at about 600mm deep & only 200mm above floor level is also pretty difficult to access, on your hands & knees peering into the gloom, so I'm thinking of putting a drawer there. It will only be openable to halfway before banging into the bunk opposite, but that's way ahead of whatever comes next. It will be interesting to make, with the front not square to the sides & once it's in, there's probably no getting it out again............or maybe I'll hinge the galley top, but then there will be nowhere to put the dinner you have created so far while you rummage for the one ingredient you forgot to get out.

[Candyfloss]

Yeah, right Allan.

[Larks]

How wide will the galley shelf be Graeme? Would it be conceivable to have two doors with the shelves (quarter round) attached to the doors so that they swing out with the door like a corner cupboard unit? It'd mean that you miis out on a wee bit of space where you'd have had a corner instead of a quarter round but you'd see everything on the shelf when the door is openened.

[Paul G.]

Where is the holding tank going..............

One would consider one to be the holding tank until one does not hold any longer

[Candyfloss]

Indeed one could Paul, & probably will.

Or perhaps one could use the Piedy Ploy. Turn up the stereo full volume, chase everyone else out of the bay and ablute in peace & solitude.

[Candyfloss]

Great suggestion Greg. I'll keep it in mind when I get serious about the details of the unit.

[Candyfloss]

Yesterday morning my paint arrived from Altex in Tauranga & I couldn't resist trying it in the forepeak. I had sanded all this area a week or two ago, so it was ready to go;



What a stunning difference one coat of undercoat makes! Now I really am getting excited about what I can do with this boat.

I have been thinking about softening the harsh Arctic White that marine paint invariably is with a touch of cream. My concern is that it will just look dirty, like the very pale grey the boat is presently painted does. The entire interior needs to be painted, apart from the Sapelle trim, so it's a lot of paint. Would it look good if I painted the hull cream & the rest white? That would be the bulkheads, the bunk fronts, the entire toilet area, the overheads, & the galley in white. How creamy would the cream need to be to make a good contrast? Not this creamy I think;



Another reason for wanting cream is that the tinting medium cuts the gloss somewhat, which will help to hide any remaining imperfections. If I tint it & then don't like it, I can always paint it over & use the cream on the deck.

[Paul G.]

try a hint of green

[Candyfloss]

I may be half Irish Paul, but I hate the colour green. Looks great on grass & trees & stuff, but I refuse to wear it, except on Paddy's Night.

Making slow progress in the heads;



Next thing to do in the forepeak is to complete & install the anchor locker, to which end I cut & fitted these supports for the lid;



Another coat of paint in there today & I can fit the shelf.

[Crux]

What I have done successfully is to mix undercoat and gloss together which gives a sheen rather than a gloss finish and does not show up scrathes when you have to wipe off marks with Jiff or scourer pad. The internal hull planking ca be quite roughly finished but it doesn't show up as much as a gloss would. The bulkheads have a nice easy care sheen without the soft chalkyness of undercoat. I just use white. I don't know what Altex think of this - probably sacrilege -but I have been doing it for years. I first used it when I was bottom finishing skiffs (Cherubs and 18s) which we sanded down with 300 wet and dry before each series. Cutting the gloss off was too much hard work and we were always making repairs and patching dings and it made it so much easier to hide the new work. - cheers James

[Candyfloss]

I'm sure Altex would have a blind fit if they heard, but I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work so long as the u/c & t/c were from the same range & from the same manufacturer. They are designed to be compatible.

However, yesterday I could contain my curiosity no longer, so I tipped all the tinting medium I had, about half a film canister full, in slow stages into one of the two one-litre cans of white gloss I have. It looks about right so today, instead of fixing my friend's windows, I'll nip out to the boat & try it in the anchor locker. In there it won't matter if it's not quite right, & if it's totally wrong I'll use it on the decks.

Put another coat of undercoat in the forepeak & made this little deck beam to strengthen & finish the area at the forward end of the hatch, where the PO had ripped out the old hatch & fitted a new one (off-center & crooked, but I can't be bothered fixing that);



I'll be fitting my mooring cleat to the bit of kingplank left between the front of the hatch & the back of the anchor locker, so it had best be strong!

[Graeme Forrest]

Altex used to have a semigloss white in their enamel range but withdrew it after I had about quarter of the interior of my Golant Gaffer painted with it. I phoned their tech department to object and they suggested I mix u/c and t/c together, adjusting the ratio to get the desired level of gloss. also stated the result would have better adhesion than the original semigloss t/c

[Candyfloss]

How 'bout that. Thank you Graeme, and welcome along.

[Candyfloss]

Tried my new paint in the anchor locker & it was much too dark, so I cut it one to one with white & it looks very warm & inviting;



I had a really bad morning, knocking the paint cup over twice, but I finally got it done & fortunately I didn't lose much paint.

[Chip-skiff]

This might be a foolish question, but why does the anchor locker need to look "warm and inviting?" Wouldn't a darker colour, that won't get mucked up by the weedy rope and chain, be a better choice?

[RFNK]

Hi Graeme!
I think the cream looks great! I did Pipsqueak's interior in a cream colour (Berger Paint's Skin Deep) and I really like it. It brings the fawny colours out in the brightwork.

Boat's looking great!!
Rick

[Candyfloss]

Hi Chip. You're right of course, the anchor locker does not need to look warm & inviting, unless you like very small, damp, dark, smelly places, in which case you are not welcome aboard. As John says, it will be boxed off, but it is easiest to paint it now, before the bulkheads go in.

In this rebuild I am starting at the front & working my way back. Soon I will put up the coamings, and when the boat is (mostly) finished I will drop the roof on. When she is enclosed there is sitting room only inside & it is nice to be able to straighten my back while I am working.

Thanks Rick. There won't be a great deal of brightwork on the boat, just the coamings & the trim, but I'm sure it will look great.

[Paul G.]

the anchor locker does not need to look warm & inviting, unless you like very small, damp, dark, smelly places,

Im not quite sure how to answer this, as Oscar Wilde once said- there is only one thing worse than being witty and thats not being witty...

[Candyfloss]

Hey, hey Paul. What have you got against small, damp, dark, smelly places, and those who inhabit them? Oh. Oooh. Now that I have typed those words I start to get a sniff of what you are saying here. Let me just say that most of the trouble I have experienced in my life originated from the pursuit of those who owned such an asset, and that I am an incredibly slow learner, and ownership of such an asset will not debar you from joining the merry crew of the good ship "Ceiligh", should such an opportunity occur. Nor will the non-ownership............

Hey, did you check out the new Piedy edress John posted? Now those guys aren't afraid of digging a hole for themselves. What am I getting myself into? Will this be like my last four marriages and end in disaster? Or will they feel kindly disposed towards a couple of geriatrics creaking around the Gulf in a sailing classic sportscar? I must send in my membership application. What do you think, if a Piedy was a sportscar what would it be? I'd go with a Mk 1 MGB GT. Sorry John, definitely NOT an E Type. And no-one need post "A Reliant Robin".

No, seriously, it's cool to see that they have updated their website and are actively seeking new membership.

[Paul G.]

Your classic sports car is definitely an mgb gt. Mine in a similar torn leather rust in the sills, sidedraft su's laycock de normanville mk2 jag of a patiki, goes bloody well but we are just not too sure for how long!

[AnalogKid]

Surely the Piedy's more of an MG Midget or perhaps a bugeye Austin Healey Sprite.

And perhaps that would make the plastic under 26's like the Tracker an MX5 - does the same thing but without the character and soul.

[RFNK]

Ah, the dulcet tones of Kiwi babbling .......
Rick

[Paul G.]

[Paul G.]

see above I knew it wasnt right!

[snow(Alan H)]

The old land crab. I can still remember the 'hydroelastic' suspension on Mums, no good going around corners but nice for a 'park up' with the girlfriend

[Paul G.]

Drifting a bit here but what do you think of Gaboon for deck ply- the usual treatment though, glassed, all holes filled and drilled etc. advantage is weight opposed to it rots pretty easily if damaged. Does it really matter with ply if it has no voids and is sealed?

[Paul G.]

The old land crab. I can still remember the 'hydroelastic' suspension on Mums, no good going around corners but nice for a 'park up' with the girlfriend

What have I done!!! Regurgitated morris memories that are best left in the dead zone. That said the 1800 version did goes bloody well (while they went)and had heaps of room.
I cant help myself....