Little Egret: an Egret-style day sailer

[BillyBudd]

Johnno and Ross -- I had no idea that this was a from-scratch design. Nice work, Ross--do you have a website or such showing the design? Knowing of John's occupation (same as mine) I had naively thought he'd done a landsman's proportional reduction of the hull which I had wondered about yet, coming late to this thread on the WBForum, I didn't speak to it. I'm less thinking, as I was once, that Little Egret might just buck John off on his inital sail. No worries now, mate. BTW, John, in my view, you're about to enter into sailor's paradise with splicing, rigging, whipping. A right happy time is right in front of you--and lots can be done on your living room floor with sailor's palm, needle and thread. You're going to like 3-strand line for rigging. Cheers, BillyBudd

[T. Traddles]

You can find Ross here: http://www.baysidewoodenboats.com.au/

Little Egret looks very nice and John has done a fine job in building her. I am keen to see her on the water as I have been thinking a skiff this size would be a perfect beach cruiser.

[Denis House]

Hi John, I've been following this since Ross posted the link in his blog. On so many levels it has been inspirational to see you approach and then master each step. Congratulations on your lovely vessel, wishing you and yours many hours of safe and fun sailing.
Denis House.

[johnno]

Hi again all, and thanks for the encouraging comments Denis, T Traddles, BillyBud, Ross, et all! Much appreciated. Main mast now slides in nicely. I'll ease the fit of the mizzen a tad today, and put the rudder on. Pic to follow.

[johnno]

Aaaaaaaaaah, my last official day at work today, lots of speeches and a big lunch, put the kybosh on too much boat building activities, but what a lovely feeling. Home in time, and still slightly sober enough to fit the centreboard, and centreboard capping board.

I got out the brace I inherited from dad, and had recently refurbished. What a joy for driving ordinary old screws! I'd noticed many posts to that effect on here, so decided I'd give it a try. Not once did the bit jump off the screw head, so all the varnish is intact. Whew. Also started to get the rudder put together again.......

[BillyBudd]

So you've been bounced out...and up? Now watch those zillion bits of everyday critical info slip right out of the brain and be replaced by things put aside -- like boat building. Life returns! You'll see (said the one who let those driblets of data dissolve). Very nice rudder. My Phil Bolger Chebacco has a bottom fin with the boat bottom above it working as does your upper fin. I like it. It looks like it answers the critique of the Egret rudder -- that you'd lose control in a seaway. Sails? Have you sails? --BillyBudd

[Denis House]

Hard to imagine what the very last day of a working life feels like, will get there one day myself. All of the folk reading this blog know exactly what you'll doing though and can't wait for the sailing stories and photos.

[62816inBerlin]

Cheers from a lurker!
Isn't all that white shiny surface going to put you off stepping into the boat at all?!
Eagerly awaiting the sailing pictures.
Gernot H.

[johnno]

Billy, sails are in the living room, waiting patiently until I have finished the masts, and spliced up the various bits of kit needed to hoist them. I've added a second 4" lower rudder position so when off the flats I can drop the rudder a bit. Not sure if I'll use it, but I thought I'd build it in anyway.

Denis, the last day of work felt very boozy! Not at all the way I hope to spend my not so much retirement as just a new set of interesting challenges! I'm extremely glad to be well rid of unappreciative clients and ignorant civil servants and politicians. I'll miss the nice folks I worked with, and the good clients.

Gernot, many thanks! I know, it's a worry! Perhaps a shoe rack under the thwart, what do you think?

[timo4352]

Congratulations on your retirement John.
I figure I've got around 12 years yet to go... Too soon to start counting

[Dan St Gean]

Your floorboards should take care of the flats debris that finds its way into the boat. Nicely done!

Dan

[johnno]

Of course, when in retirement, one turns to more passive pastimes......

[Larks]

Nice job John, I've knot tried one of those but you've roped me in to feeling the need to line up a few projects like that while I'm over here, just to tie up a bit of spare time.........

[PeterSibley]

How about a planked up model of your favourite design Greg?

[jsjpd1]

Just 22 more years to go and I'll be there too! In the mean time, get that sucker done. There's sailing to do! Congratulations, btw.

Jim

[RFNK]

Oh oh ..... time to scratch the b_____ thing John!

Rick

[johnno]

I know Rick, but it's raining, with a max today of 18..I wish I was in Samoa

[johnno]

Nice job John, I've knot tried one of those but you've roped me in to feeling the need to line up a few projects like that while I'm over here, just to tie up a bit of spare time.........

I've only got one thing to say to that Greg, and that's knickers! And don't let 'em too close to a Turk's Head....

[62816inBerlin]

...

Gernot, many thanks! I know, it's a worry! Perhaps a shoe rack under the thwart, what do you think?

Not a bad idea on a biggish boat, but you gotta put a coconut-fibre doormat on the dock too!
I normally take my shoes off and sail barefoot, save in the coldest of weather.

Frequently have to remove footwear when launching the Mirror anyway.
Not so much of an issue in the bigger frozen-snot daysailer, as I can slosh a bucket of water over the seats and into the cockpit anyway. It drains out of the bailer as the cockpit sole is above the waterline.
To be serious, some bare/oiled teak floorboards (not so easily marked by sand clinging to shoes) that can be removed and washed outboards?

Gernot H.

[johnno]

Gernot, great pic, love it!! It probably got lost back in the depths of this thread, but I have some stained floorboards to go in...they're fitted, but are now waiting patiently indoors. One of the next steps is to run the under-floor pipework which connects to the bilge pump. These sharpies don't collect water around the centreboard trunk the way a V-bottom does, so the drainage runs down the chines. Then I'll drop the floors back in. I've stained them with a waterproof water-based stain deep into the timber so I can easily refinish them each year. If I could have got affordable teak I would have gone that way, but the hoop pine will do for now.

[johnno]

Another rainy day...learnt a back splice...snotter control lines made.....

[P.L.Lenihan]

Nothing like winter rains and bone chilling 18C temps to keep a good man indoors playing with rope........as long as he doesn't hang hisself with it, due to the dreaded winter blues, I say!

Getting more and more excited to see the launch day.When does the ice clear out there, John? Last Tuesday, my time tomorrow down there or is it sometime in October?




Cheers!


Peter

[PeterSibley]

Ah! The shameless cynicism of the Northerner, mate you don't know how we suffer when the sun's not out !


Cheers!


Peter

[P.L.Lenihan]

I believe I'm begining to get a sense of it, and it ain't a pretty thing,Peter.Nosirree! My sympathies to all and may the sun return before it is too late!



Cheers!

Peter

[62816inBerlin]

@ Johnno: that looks just beautiful!
@ all others on the underside of Earth (how's that for Eurocentricism?): our so-called summer has been more like your winters recently. It's noon and the thermometer outside my office window has just barely scraped past the 20° C mark. That picture of me was taken two years ago. In 2011 and in this year, we had less friendly conditions for our messabout meetings.
Cheers,

Gernot H.

[P.L.Lenihan]

Wimps, I say! Yer all wimps!......except all those who aren't! So there!



Cheers!


Peter

[RFNK]

Wimps indeed! And whingers! Phew, expressing all that emotion was exhausting; I'll have to have another coconut!

Rick

[BillyBudd]

Johnno -- you might enjoy studying this link for a "pro-splice." http://web.comhem.se/~u77479609/eyesplice.html

Brion Toss in his book on rigging does the pro splice a bit different, but the general thrust of these refined splices is that they snug up tight.

Cheers, BillyBudd

[johnno]

Billy, thanks for the link...I've actually seen that one during my research, and saved it already...very neat! It's amazing how much info is out there if one goes looking, in particular the animated knots. More mast painting today and make some halyards.
cheers
John

[WX]

I was tidying and sorting a bunch of data and backup CDs this morning and came across an animated knot application that Chuck sent me once. I've haven't been able to use it as I run Linux and it's a Winblows app.

[johnno]

Can't go sailing without all the rigging...Sunday morning...better bite the bullet and try to make some wood blocks. Slept in, so no time for epoxying, but I have some hardwood around so that'll have to do.

First step, mark out four blocks, get the grain direction right.....




then drill some spindle holes with my $15 plastic drill jig...and then remark block outlines so that blocks match holes which slipped a bit!



Align sheave on hole and mark drill holes for opening.....


mark out and drill these holes....


cut out blocks....

cut out gap for sheave.....

[johnno]

Just have time before lunch to rasp one roughly into shape....



Hopefully by dinner I'll have four rasped up, sanded down, and with some pics to post. Tried making a grommet last night with synthetic fibre rope. Needed a strand 4' long and it just didn't hold its shape. I think I'll just splice together a ring, because I want to keep using the same rope I made the snotter lines with.

[PeterSibley]

Those blocks are brilliant John , that jigsaw of your must be the best there is ... my bit of rubbish would destroy itself just looking at 50mm hardwood !

[johnno]

Peter, it wobbles a little bit, but predictably if you begin a cut at too fine an angle. I find a bit of pressure makes up for this, as does cutting a tad wide and taking off that millimetre in a second with a nice rasp later on. I'm glad I bought it. For my limited purposes, and with no room for a good bandsaw, it serves its purpose.

Okay, I admit, I didn't quite get 'em finished today, and taking a lazy lunch didn't help. But it shouldn't take long tomorrow. The first is soaking overnight in linseed oil.

The little fret saw cut first helps align the rasp....


Trying to get a bit of a production line going....


after a quick pause for a pic, this one is now dunked in linseed oil....

[PeterSibley]

​Any idea what timber it is John? The finished product looks great !

[johnno]

Thanks Peter, I enjoyed making them. Helped along by looking at the prices of conventional blocks, and bought wooden blocks. I have no idea what the timber is.. a bit of construction lumber left over from buildings decks and fences. Possibly spotted gum? What do you think? It does have a few fine cracks in it, so I'll have to see how it stands up to being cut and oil-soaked. Hopefully it'll be okay.

[PeterSibley]

Spotted gum would be my guess too. I used to make low speed high load bearing / bushings from tallow wood soaked in diesel for a few weeks. It lasted remarkably well!

[WX]

She's going to look a picture with those blocks Johnno. All mine are going to be bog standard stainless and Delrin etc.

[timo4352]

Very nice.
Different approach from Tim M's blocks. Simple and effective.
Thanks for posting.
Tim

[johnno]

Can't match Tim's lovely blocks, but I am a simple guy, trying to be effective. You should see the first one drinking up the linseed oil. I put two inches in a paper cup, stuck the block in there, and it's all soaked up. Just like my old cricket bat.

[Tim Marchetti]

very nicely done. if I had done mine by hand they would have taken forever and not near as nice as yours

[BillyBudd]

Here's a theoretical fly for your oinment, Johnno. Your sheave pin is a point load coming down onto the block cheeks, which are oriented not as cross grain, but with parallel grain that could, under extreme load, split. If your blocks were skinny (which they are not) and if your loads were significant (not!) then it'd seem that you'd like cross grain or think about letting in a bit of a brass/bronze "lintel" under the pin to spread the load. "Just keeping you honest...!" Or do we differ? I was convinced to turn my PNG rosewood block cheeks so the cross grain took the (minimal, but not taking any chances) load of a Bolger Chebacco. As it turned out for me, with 8 -10 coats of varnish, one see "brown block" not grain, so my/your preffered grain direction becomes lost. Have fun making rope strops, seizing things tight, tighter, tightest. -- BillyBudd

[johnno]

Hi Billy, thanks for keeping an eye on me! hehe Actually I'm not sure about the loads, I think there might be a lot of variety in loading once the blocks are in action, in addition to the load on the pin. For example, there's quite possibly changes in lateral load on the cheek joints with lines coming in at one angle and out at another. This could be pronounced in an uncontrolled gybe. The top and bottom joints between the two cheeks would be stressed in this circumstance, and a cross grain would very easily split along the grain.

In any event, progress has been frustratingly slow. Actually, the only frustration really comes from wanting to get on the water. I should realise that once that happens I won't have any more fun building tasks, so i should slow down a bit and enjoy what I'm doing.

These blocks really are the blind leading the blind though. I can't find a single step-by-step on the stropping on the web anywhere, though there's plenty of great stuff on the wooden blocks themselves.

I mentioned I couldn't make a grommet with the rope I have, and I want to stick with using it, as I like it, and I'm using it elsewhere on the boat. This is because it's an artificial fibre, and the open length of strand needed to plait the grommet is four feet. That why I decided to just splice it together.

Again with this rope (very high quality, by the way) the splice thickens up the rope quite a bit. I tried whipping the splice the whole length but it was still thick, and then stiff to boot.

Anyway I persevered, and got one made up. Even though the rope was quite tight on the block, I could still lever it off. The grooves I had made were obviously not deep enough.

So I redid all the blocks with deeper grooves, and everything seems more satisfactory. However, if anyone knows of a nice illustrated guide to the steps through making the strop and binding it on, I'd love to see it.

First pics show the process, last two show the deeper groove, and the strop reattached. I need to whip it a bit tighter yet, but it's not going to fall off.

I have used quite a small thimbles because I want to keep the overall length of the block and thimble to a minimum so that the mainsheet is close to the centreboard cap, minimizing the cleating off angle. And I couldn't find any circular thimbles in Brisbane and didn't want to order them from somewhere.









and the second go....

[PeterSibley]

I think you might be the one writing the manual John, that's a very good looking result.

Two queries , what is the rope and from whence did it come ?
Is there any reason not to run the rope groove across the bottom of the block as well as the corners , perhaps making it more secure ?

[RFNK]

They look great to me!

Rick

[johnno]

Hi Peter, the rope is a Liros 'Classic' traditional 3 strand polyester yarn. I buy it from Deck Hardware in Sydney, arrives next day..great service. About a dollar a metre. It was the closest I could find to a plain coloured good quality rope in Australia.

You can run a groove across the bottom but it will turn the rope more at right angles two times, so this way, it's about half grooved out across the bottom because I've really cut a rounded groove deep across the corner, so there's a less abrupt transition of angles.

[PeterSibley]

Thanks John, I've bookmarked that site . Liros Historic 3 strand? I've had a few polypropylene lines , all salvaged from Australian Army tent kits .Remarkably good stuff, extremely UV resistant , non stretch and strong . All in a charming green !

[BillyBudd]

Johnno. You need to disassemble the 3 strands (and need to prefigure length of line needed x 3 + extra), and with one strand bring it back on itself to make a new 3-strand rope-- all of the same strand. No bulge, all smooth except where you feather out the final tucking in -- there you'll get some fuzz looking out from the grommet. Can you get hands on a copy of Brion Toss's book -- title something like "Apprenctice's Guide to Rigging"? He goes into it. Has a drawing of a guy who gets his re-stranding twisted with a grommet that looks like a moebius strip--a bummer. Perhaps look up on google or in WB Forum search "rope grommet"? IF not PM me for details. Re: loading on blocks. Sounds like you're right. Shorter distance on lateral load, tops and bottoms secured to each other, etc. But so far, and I've had a few instances of gybeing that's not been too tough, the blocks hold up. -- BillyBudd

[PeterSibley]

I wonder if this is the same line ?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-strand-...#ht_1722wt_938

[johnno]

I wonder if this is the same line ?
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-strand-...#ht_1722wt_938

Nope that's polypropylene,