Calling All Bluejacket Owners/ Builders

[k4lmy]

Oct 20, 2012 Rick.. Third weekend.. of October..

How is your tender lift going?

Henry...

[Tom Lathrop]

http://www.woodenboatshow.com/ If there is a better boat show, I don't know of it.

Its a great event Rick, and Oriental is a good stopover point with the possibility of another cruise. Free dock and bed too. There is also the annual B&B messabout nearby on the Bay River the last weekend in Oct. Its nominally for B&B boats but we would not be run off.

[jimkeen]

All right then, I have figured out why Bluejacket builders disappear once the boat is turned over for the first time. It is the curse of S&G. the dreaded sanding ritual. So having built a few S&G boats I thought I knew what I was in for.
Well it aint that easy.
After you get the hull to look somewhat like the plans you need to sheath the behemoth you have created. That is going to take a LOT and I mean a LOT of epoxy. then you need to slather the hull, like icing a cake. Not once but twice. First time sanding using a 7 inch 80 grit sander, second time a little more gently. I used my Porter Cable RO sander with 80 grit.
Next step is to put the keel on and glass it in. Then a coat of primer that will be sanded off to find the low spots. Then more filling and 80 grit sanding. After that a final (maybe) coat of epoxy and a quick dash of 100 grit before the primer and bottom paint.
YIKES no wonder we never hear from builders at this stage.


Looking for advice, motivation and encouragement at his point.
And I thought three days at the Wooden Boat Show would be the motivation to remedy for the slow pace.

[k4lmy]

Yep Jim.. you are right on.. June for me has been a bit of a lost cause with some dental repair that went into the bucket.. and now with 100+ days and 80 degree nights.. Yes we have broken records.. Flats on .. keel , transom , and chimes taped.. and keel bow laminated today.. hope to put xynol on next week with a little lower temp.

Maybe next year we can have a BJ day at the WB show.. You , Rick and me.. Here's hoping...

Henry

[landlocked sailor]

I hoisted Surpise on to the cabin top this morning using the crane and a luff (3 part) tackle. That's from the driveway 11' below. It was too hot to proceed further but I still have to figure out the cabintop bracket. My gut tells me the ipe one I made is not adequate to support the torque of the dinghy on the crane 4'+ above the cabin top. I may need to enlist the services of a structural engineer. Fortunately my best friend from prepubescent years carries the requisite credentials.
Tom, I am sorry I missed your post from 5/7. I guess my lurking skills have been deficient. I will do my level best to arrange our schedule to make this happen this year. Best to Liz. Rick and Vivianne.

[Tom Lathrop]

Global warming is taking a toll on me. We are heading north tomorrow and hope to find less intemperate weather. Going to try Michigan and then Ontario. If still hot, who knows? Will wind up in Oskosh for the EAA shindig along with other nuts interested in aircraft. Back in August, hurricanes remaining away.

Tom.

[jimkeen]

Global warming is taking a toll on me. We are heading north tomorrow and hope to find less intemperate weather. Going to try Michigan and then Ontario. If still hot, who knows? Will wind up in Oskosh for the EAA shindig along with other nuts interested in aircraft. Back in August, hurricanes remaining away.

Tom.

Safe travels

[Tom Lathrop]

After working beyond my pay grade for a while, I have the new website up. No broken links so far. Parts are still under constructon but I think it is much better already. Should work well on IE or Firefox.
www.bluejacketboats.com

[landlocked sailor]

Looks great Tom! Vivianne & I are honored to have Cailin Fionn pictured on the BJ 28 page. Rick

[Mad Scientist]

So glad that your Bluejacket website is back up - because there are times when I just plain need to look at a beautiful boat!

Tom

[jimkeen]

Looks great Tom, so glad it is up.
Us BJ builders are busy at the task at hand.
I am currently working on the last bit of sanding before I can strike the waterline. Thanks to Ed I have some dimensions to work from. I know that every boat is a little bit different but I am hoping it is close enough to give a reasonable representation of where the waterline maybe.
Looking to turn over number 2 this weekend or maybe next week.
Thanks
Jim

[landlocked sailor]

I affixed the final version of the cabin top bracket for the dinghy crane yesterday after getting the parts back from the powdercoater. Had knee surgery last week so no cruises in August. Rick

[k4lmy]

Looks good Tom.. I am sure that you will get some new hits. Hope to see you in October at Georgetown.

Henry

[Tom Lathrop]

We will certainly be there in Georgetown and also cruise on down to Charleston as well. Would be great to meet all together, Monday morning perhaps, after the boatshow.

[ben2go]

Site looks good.I'm digging it with a shovel.

[Breakaway]

Bookmarked!


Kevin

[mcdenny]

Hi Tom, Looks modern! Good job. Works fine on an iPad too.

[potomac]

Yes. It's nice to have site that seems to be fully functional on Safari. Lots of times, pictures wouldn't load on the old site. Great work.

[Chas231]

Just wanted to chime in as a new Bluejacket builder. The plywood has been delivered, and the first two of many 4' scarfs cut, preparing to join the 16 panels making the hull. With all respect and admiration for all those who shape plywood scarfs with a power plane and/or hand plane, I've found a simple router jig is extremely accurate and easy to use. I feel as though I know the other Bluejacket builders through their excellent forum entries, blogs, and websites; and Tom Lathrop has been patient and very helpful with all of my questions. Looking forward to sharing my progress and discussing issues with other Builders on this forum.

Chuck

[DaveH]

Chuck,

Welcome to the family of Bluejacket builders! Yes, Tom Lathrop is one of the good guys in regards to a congenial nature and a vast knowledge of boat design and construction.

Best wishes for enjoying the same level of fun and sense of achievement I'm experiencing with my Bluejacket 25.5 build in Texas.

Regards,

Dave

[k4lmy]

Good Morning Chuck.. Also Welcome to the party.. Us Bluejacket builders are having fun .. You will also.. Wonder where you are located.. Those that we know of that are building are spread from Texas to the Northwest and from GA to Boston. So chime in and share your story. Have you thought about photo blogging your build? While the plans are good, Tom has done a good job, we all have questions about how to go about something. Also which version are you building? I know that we are full of questions, but we ( current builders) and those that have launched are interested in fellow Bluejacket builders. Something about birds of a flock fly together. Have fun and enjoy.

Henry

[Chas231]

Thanks for the encouragement! My wife Betsy and I are building the BJ 28 on Oak Island, NC. I'm retired, new to boat building, and am attending wooden boatbuilding night classes at Wilmington's Cape Fear Community College - and having a ball, despite the concerned looks from friends and family as I convert the area under our house into a boat shop. I have been documenting my work, such as it is, with photos, but this social media stuff is way more confusing than figuring out an 8 : 1 scarf. You all have set the bar awfully high with your blogs and websites! I really appreciate the offers of advice and support. I need it!
Chuck

[jimkeen]

Welcome Chuck from Taunton MA.
The home of an in process Bluejacket 271. Just waiting for warmer weather to put up my cabin sides and start the cabin top.
Good luck with your build and keep us posted.
Jim

[k4lmy]

Welcome Chuck and Betsy.. For she is a part of the conspiracy now. I do know where Oak Island is. My wife, Diane and I are also building a BJ28 and hope (translated expect) to be on the water this summer. I suspect you have found our blog on Flickr. www.flickr.com/photos/bluejacket28/ There are several others with photo blogs that I am sure will chime in with their web addresses.

You will need to join the gang down in Georgetown SC in October for the Wooden Boat show. There should be several older BJ's and a couple of newly launched ones there. If you would like to join the gang's email trail send me a PM and I will add you to our grape vine. By the way this is the first build for me also and I don't have a community college close by with a boat building school..

Henry

[ejds]

Also a welcome from the Northern Neck of VA. I'm building a 25.5 Bluejacket. It is still in the beginning stages, the hull panels are epoxied together, glued the inwales on and just started on the bulkheads.
All the different blogs are a great resource. Mine is at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/58798913@N03/sets
I also used a router setup for the scarfing. I started out with my power planer but it went up in a cloud of smoke on the first set.


I was pretty happy with this setup.

Egbert

[landlocked sailor]

I'll just chime in here to say welcome as well. I didn't build Cailin Fionn (BJ28) from scratch; Marvin Spencer did a masterful job on the bare hull. I finished her over a three year period and have enjoyed 2 seasons. We fully intend on being in Georgetown this year. Three cheers for Tom and Oriental, NC. Rick

[k4lmy]

Tom is going to have to reserve the entire pier at Georgetown for the Bluejacket gang this year.. Ed from Austin, Sally from Frogmore, Phillip from Atlanta, Rick from PA, Tom from NC , Henry from VA and who else.. Its going to be great. I agree .. THREE BIG CHEERS FOR TOM.........


​Henry

[Tom Lathrop]

Tom is going to have to reserve the entire pier at Georgetown for the Bluejacket gang this year.. Ed from Austin, Sally from Frogmore, Phillip from Atlanta, Rick from PA, Tom from NC , Henry from VA and who else.. Its going to be great. I agree .. THREE BIG CHEERS FOR TOM.........
​Henry

Add Tom Broadfoot from Wilmington, NC who was there last year also. Clint Shultz has also been attending Georgetown with his BJ27 that he upsized to about 29'. We have gone on a cruise to Charleston or Beaufort after the show the last two years and are open to other cruises as well. . There are also great cruising areas in the rivers near Georgetown and we have great cruising waters in the Oriental area too. Weather has been mostly great at that time of year with only one year of rain in the 18 years we have been going.

[jimkeen]

I am 50/50 for a showing. Not sure how "complete" it may be.

[Chas231]

Got all the scarfs and half laps cut, and Betsy and I got the first big panel glued up yesterday. I think it went OK - will find out when I take off the weights and clamp boards. It was chilly last night, in the mid 40's, and this morning the epoxy is hard, but not fully cured. Sort of feels like really hard taffy. I can still barely put a mark with my fingernail. Should I wait until it fully cures to take it apart? I have to finish making a table to hold the 32' panels, so it will be a while before I can start the next panel anyway. I started a photo blog on Flickr, if anyone wants a laugh - www.flickr.com/photos/chas231

[ben2go]

Looks like a good start Chas231.looking forward to seeing more.

[ejds]

A little while ago I glued scarf joints for the inwales on my Bluejacket and handling it the next day resulted in the joint coming apart. Lesson learned, wait another day in colder weather for the epoxy to cure. The pictures are looking good. Here are my Bluejacket 25.5 progress pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/58798913@N03/sets

Egbert

[Chas231]

Got the second big panel (4'x32') glued-up today. I realize now we're going to need some mechanical help moving these things. (I've encouraged Betsy to increase her weight training at the gym, but she's not quite ready.). Harry suggested a block and tackle, which will work, but I need some structural advice. I have a 13 foot span, and would like to install some pipe or beam on which a hoist could slide. Lots of support on the sides with triple laminated 2x10's, but nothing in between. I would need to support about 200 pounds. Suggestions?
Chuck