maid of endor

[JohnPeer]

Yes that's right "Peer's Fancy"...
Don Peer is my dad
;-)

[westcoastchick]

Sweet little thing and she's going to have a fitted head. I'm impressed.

[JohnPeer]

Well here it is spring '10 already, and a launch date is set for on and about June 12th. Work has continued although my dad, as always, has been sidetracked with different projects...as well as some interesting travel.

My folks picked up a little Siren 17 for use on the Saint John River - perfect for there, a small cuddy with enough room to sleep two and a surprisingly big cockpit for such a small vessel.

Anyway, on the Maid:

The hull is fully caulked, with a first coat of paint.
My dad built the bowsprit over the winter...
The cabin is now assembled and bolted to the deck, roof to follow
She'll go in without the bulwarks and rub-rail finished, just to get the hull in the water (and out again if necessary!)...and the engine tested and run up.

Here's some pics from this past weekend (May 24)


John Peer

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320102.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320101.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ay23201019.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320103.jpg

[JohnPeer]

[donald branscom]

Well here it is spring '10 already, and a launch date is set for on and about June 12th. Work has continued although my dad, as always, has been sidetracked with different projects...as well as some interesting travel.

My folks picked up a little Siren 17 for use on the Saint John River - perfect for there, a small cuddy with enough room to sleep two and a surprisingly big cockpit for such a small vessel.

Anyway, on the Maid:

The hull is fully caulked, with a first coat of paint.
My dad built the bowsprit over the winter...
The cabin is now assembled and bolted to the deck, roof to follow
She'll go in without the bulwarks and rub-rail finished, just to get the hull in the water (and out again if necessary!)...and the engine tested and run up.

Here's some pics from this past weekend (May 24)


John Peer

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320102.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320101.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ay23201019.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320103.jpg

You should NEVER set a launch date!!! A lunch date is ok though.

I would finish that rub rail NOW when it is easy to just stand beside the boat. Trying to do work on the boat when it is in the water is much more difficult. Don't worry about what other people think.

Remember it is MUCH EASIER to work on on the land than in the water!!!! Think hard about that!!

IS the RENT on the space the problem???

[Sailor]

Wow, Had I known there was a MOE just down from me I'd have been by to visit. I'm in Shubenacadie so maybe not JUST down the way but close enough that a sunday afternoon drive in a random direction could lead me there........ Looking forward to launch pics.

[StevenBauer]

Looking forward to launch pics.

Me, too. I hope there are lots of them.



Steven

[reddog]

Well here it is spring '10 already, and a launch date is set for on and about June 12th. Work has continued although my dad, as always, has been sidetracked with different projects...as well as some interesting travel.

My folks picked up a little Siren 17 for use on the Saint John River - perfect for there, a small cuddy with enough room to sleep two and a surprisingly big cockpit for such a small vessel.

Anyway, on the Maid:

The hull is fully caulked, with a first coat of paint.
My dad built the bowsprit over the winter...
The cabin is now assembled and bolted to the deck, roof to follow
She'll go in without the bulwarks and rub-rail finished, just to get the hull in the water (and out again if necessary!)...and the engine tested and run up.

Here's some pics from this past weekend (May 24)


John Peer

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320102.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320101.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ay23201019.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...May2320103.jpg

John;
Good to hear you are still at it.I have looked for your dad's place a couple of times in my travels down to Hubbards but for the life of me could not see where the boat is.I'm still interested in having a look if you don't mind and can give a location or Civic #.Shoot me a PM if you want.
Thanks;
Earl

[JohnPeer]

""IS the RENT on the space the problem??? "'

Lol...you could say that...my mom wants it out of her back yard after 7 years!

no, you're right...there is much more work to do out of the water...and it will be. It's going in mostly to get the hull wet and see how well she closes up (or doesn't, lol). Remember, this hull was started about 15 years ago, and although she's been re-caulked, she's never been in the water

...and as well to align the engine and shaft...she'll be coming out again fairly quickly as I'll explain...

(We did the same thing with our schooner years ago...she went in hull and cabin tight just to get her out of the boatyard in East Chester, but there was much more to be done...although in THAT case, my dad DID work on her...but we could careen her against our wharf, where she floated at high tide, and sat on her keel at low...)

For THIS vessel, we have a boat house just big enough to pull her into right straight from the cove, once the slip ways are finished...I have some more boulders to move first. But she needs to be "launched" to get her around to the doors....

j

[JohnPeer]

[reddog]

Ha,ha, thanks John I think I have my bearings now.

Earl

[JohnPeer]

We will be putting the rub rails on actually tommorrow after all...they're soaking in the cove for a few days and we'll be firing up the steam box first thing in the AM (Earl, if you're around, drop down...just park at the fish plant site and stroll into the yacht club, can't miss us)...the tent is off and the boat is open for the first time in 7 years...sure is nice to see her from a few feet back.

Here's a profile view...bear in mind that there is a few inches of bulwarks not on yet, or the rub rails.

And no cabin top of course, that will actually not go on until my dad has finished the interior work. Anyone that has tried to build in 4'6" headroom will get why.

More caulking today on the transom...in fact she was opened up a bit too far so we fit a couple splines, and left one seam (well above the waterline) until we see how she swells...



Decided not to paint the bronze thru-hull fittings for the exhaust or head, like how they look nekkid... ;-)

Used "cetol" for the cabins btw, rather than varnish.
Will likely end up painting them in a year or two anyway...white most likely.

The "plan" is, for Friday or Sat - we'll leave her on her cradle for a few days at the top half of the tide, keeping the water below the little Saab as much as possible with the pumps...


Cheers
John

[StevenBauer]

Looking awesome, John. You must be getting excited.



Steven

[submariner]

Thanks for all the pics. I'm going to start lofting my long awaited MOE this summer and I'm finding this very inspirational. I notice that you have changed the design of the bowsprit, possibly shortening it? Do you have any commentary about that choice?

[JohnPeer]

Hi Submariner,

What you see there is just the "mount" for the bowsprit, e.g. there will be another much longer spar that will lie alongside it, and be "retractable" for trailering, docking etc...

It IS a slight modification from the original "fixed" plan, but will keep the line of the original plans...where the full bowsprit is part of the beauty, don't worry!

Keep in touch, as we'll post how the "retractable" sprit looks, you may like it....

She went in today...this AM we managed to slap on some copper bottom kote, and mounted the rudder...although she's not going anywhere...

The first hour or two as the tide came up around her, the seams leaked at first but I was surprised at how fast they seemed to close up.

The tide is ebbing now and we've the next 10 hours on the cradle until she floats off tomorrow, after we push her a few feet further down the ramp...

here's some pics...

J



Pulled up onto the tip-deck, bottom paint on at the last minute!




It was necessary to turn her around to launch stern first...gave me a chance to pop the forgotten rudder cotter pins in...couldn't find stainless at the last minute...be sure to replace!

That's my dad on the left....



Our friend Chris helps with the rudder...bronze fittings had to be custom made, no worries...

...anyone wanting to build a MOE - my dad would be glad to share what he's learned....



It floats.

This is the last pic I took before my cam died...but more tomorrow on the next high tide.

Yes, she leaked a bit as the tide came up...but it didn't seem to take long before the pine swelled up and closed...At high tide we still had some leaking along the top of the garboard plank, but way less than I thought we'd have...I had like 5 pumps on stand-by...

...managed to keep the water below the level of the Sabb engine, except a bit of the flywheel...but it's brackish fresh water anyway...

We'll see tomorrow...high tide is about 0900, so up at dawn to man the pumps (if needed)!

She floated fine (on the cradle), and we were tempted to float her off about an hour after this pic, but we decided to stick to the plan even thought the leaks slowed wayyy down to almost nothing - pretty good for 12 years after the fist plank was fitted! (see history above, lol...it shouldn't take YOU that long!)

J

[JohnPeer]

...one more pic someone sent me, lol...

She's pretty well afloat here, almost. By now, after just 2-3 hours the seams really seemed to have closed up...this was wayyyy faster than I'd hoped. My dad wasn't sure how long it would take...thinking it might take a day or two.

We shall see. Some of the seams above the waterline of course still need to "close up"...don't go sailing yet! Still, I'm well pleased for my dad, as cautious as he remains - I can tell he's well chuffed!

The plan is that these upper seams will close as the lower ones swell up...plus the boat is open to the rain for a few weeks anyway...(except the engine will be covered).

The transom had seams that were so far open (about 1/4 inch!!) that my dad fitted "splines" of oak in them at the last minute...except the top seam, where any "slack" can be found as the bottom 3 seams swell....

Cheers

J

[JohnPeer]

Also, don't forget, and I expect most of you regular types kniw this, lol...there is still a 3-4 inch bulwarks (railing) to be fitted along the edge of the deck, don't worry.

As for the cabin tops...my dad decided that he would leave those off while he completes the interior, at the wharf, over the next month or two....although he'll fit a "rough" plywood temporary top...

Years ago, with his schooner "Peer's Fancy", he had similar "rough" cabin coverings that went on every winter, and someone once commented, from shore, "She's a beauty, but the cabin's could use a coat of paint!"

J

[JohnPeer]

""Looking awesome, John. You must be getting excited.""

Lol...thanks Steve...it's been a heck of a day...it's 1 AM and I can't sleep...I think I'll take one more stroll over and check on her! The tide's down and she's safe on her cradle for the night...

Both my dad and I have had bigger and burlier vessels over the years, but I cannot remember ever falling in love with one like this Maid, and I don't know quite why that is...

;-)

[wizbang 13]

"The last pic before my cam died"..... Doh!! Spring just got nicer for you guys, huh?

[submariner]

Congratulations! it's a good day for the world when a maid hits the water for the first time. The boat is beautiful. I'm sure I will have many questions for you but I wont bother you with them now. You have bigger things on the mind. Keep the pictures and progress coming!

[JohnPeer]

So the second high tide, she was tightened right up and no longer leaking - maybe just a trickle here and there.

This week he's going to line up the prop shaft and we'll see if this little 8hp Sabb (Not Saab!) constant-speed (variable pitch) system will fire up!

John




Once seperated from the cradle, which insisted on coming along for the first few feet, a quick tug-boat around to a spare berth at the Hubbards Cove Marina....



Thanks to the Hubbards Cove tugboat Company...very professional!

Not every cove has this service!

;-)



And there she lies...

Floating nice, light and high...the way you want to see a boat with no spars, cabin tops, combings, taffrail, bulwarks, floors etc etc...

No more leaks after the second tide...maybe a gallon in an hour!

Still seams well above the waterline to close up, so we'll be keeping a vigil, trust me... Bring on the rain, says I.

J

[Thad]

Beautiful! Cheers!!!

[Sailor]

Nice work. She's got to be the prettiest boat for her size.

[JohnPeer]

Thanks guys...will post more in a couple weeks when back from Californee!

John

[JohnPeer]

Quick update, Feb 2011

The Saab diesel started up, after installing the wiring/exhaust fuel lines etc....but not until she was back on land, so we couldn't test the variable-pitch prop.

The Saab uses little "explosive cigarettes" inserted in the cylinder for a cold start, but it took a while...


She's under a tent for the NS winter, and my dad, Don Peer, is about to start on the spars...he likes to make his own - hollow as well.

The sails have been ordered from Stevens in Lunenburg after he modified the main a tiny bit to lengthen the gaff a small amount. They're to be tan bark red.

Cheers
John

[JayInOz]

What a lovely boat! How long will we have to wait for the next update John? And when he's finished with the build- could I borrow your Dad? JayInOz

[JohnPeer]

hahaha...I dunno Jay, my mom keeps him pretty busy, lol....

76, and says he's not had a moment's spare time since he retired!

Things should pick up in the next few months...it's a long cozy winter here in Nova Scotia. Next up are the rub rails, cabin top and cock-pit combings....and of course the spars, which he says he'll start when the little wood stove brings the boathouse up above freezing...

Sure wish we had your long sailing season up here...

[submariner]

Mr. Peer,
Glad to see you are still at it. How is the fitting out going? I have started building my Maid- today the I drug the keel timber up out of the woods with a cable and took it off to get kiln dried. I should be finishing up the lofting this weekend or next. If you have more photos for motivation's sake I'm sure everybody would love to see them! I'll post some of mine when I have a little bit more tangible progress.
-Jonathan

[Sailor]

WOW, two MOEs a buildin'. I like it. I fell in love with her when I was a young teen and she's always struck my fance but practicality has me gunning for more tonnage. Mabye I'll stop by some time. I meant to earlier and have yet to find the time. I've now got a redbird canoe and a catspaw dinghy under construction in my shop so time is short. I do love that boat though.

[JohnPeer]

Jonathan...that's good to hear.

Update on the "lil' Hooker"...

We ran the first sea trials with the little Sabb diesel today. It takes a little cranking to get her started (about 25 seconds)...starting with the compression lever off for a bout 5 seconds, full throttle, and then 'following' her with the starter until she starts to rev up on her own. This is a variable-pitch 8 HP Sabb built in Norway.

Once warmed up, we left the mooring (towing my zodiac, lol) and started to experiment with the correct RPM's anjd propeller pitch....good fun.
We found the best RPM for the least vibration (almost none) and then we sped up/slowed down by adjusting the prop pitch! Some small adjustments are necessary to the throttle.

We were pleasently surprised at just how much 'power' this arrangement provides. By getting the little diesel up to it's comfortable RPM (we have no tach), which is about 3/4 throttle, as you add pitch to the prop, she takes off like a little tugboat!

When the prop reaches full pitch, we add a few RPM's until a comfortable speed is reached. We had no GPS aboard, but it was a good 5 knots! Alittle over the Maid's Hull speed I think, but very little wake. (remember square root of the waterline length in feet, times 1.3 is best max hull speed for most displacement hulls.)

The next few days I'll take some vids and try to link to them. My dad has not started the spars yet, but his slightly modified sail plan is ready, and sails will be ordered from Michelle Stevens this fall.

This year is finishing the gun'whals, cabin top and he has finished drafting the blue prints for the mast tabernacle (to lower the mast to pass under bridges!)

As well as working on the interior. It's a slow and steady, and the foul weather this spring slowed him a bit.

Reminder______anyone in the Halifax area!! Don't forget that the 50 th anniversary for the Nova Scotia Schooner association is this year, and RACE WEEK returns to our Hubbards Cove, where the association was founded aboard the schooner "Adare".

It runs from July 31 to Aug 6, and features daily races in St Margaret's Bay, as well as nightly entertainment in the big event tent being set up at the Hubbards Marina (the site of the former fish plant)...beer garden, music, wooden schooners X 6 days...it's gonna be fun!

It's an open event for everyone to enjoy, and I have created a facebook group for it as well. Of course, the Lil' Hooker will be here for anyone to come take a gander, and even come for a motor with my dad and I!

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/...81284965264629

[JohnPeer]

I have been enjoying Jonathan's building log on another thread - great stuff!
I know what it's like to get sidetracked with other projects, lol...and so does my dad.

He and my mom have another little fibre-glass boat (Sirius 20) that they sail most of the summer at their cottage in Saint John - so progress is slowed...although the little stern rail is on, and the combings are made, but not fitted.

The cabin top you see in the pic is a temporary plywood one...which got a few odd looks this summer from some of the schooners passing by in Hubbards...but I'm sure they must have guessed what it was!

The little 8hp Sabb starts great now, and pushes her along really well. We still have some "hunting" at idle, and the throttle seems VERY sensitive...a small movement causes her to rev way up, and a tiny move down, brings her almost to a stall.

If anyone knows these little diesels, let me know. We think it may be the governor spring...injector nozzle tested good, as did injector pump.

Anyway, here's a pic from the other day, look at her go!
(remember, the gun'els aren't on yet)

Oh, but the little doghouse hatch is affixed. Yes, it's not in the original design...but it's needed for head room for the little marine head, lol...ALSO not in the design - but a "concession" to my mom!

Wow...WB has made some changes here?...no matter how small I make the pic, it says "you have exceed you quote by 77 KB ??

Lol - these things are usually user error...I'll try later.

john

[JohnPeer]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...type=3&theater

[JohnPeer]

Grrr...I cannot seem to post pics anymore...I DID on here for the past 2 years...am I missing something??
Absurdly, there seems to be a 15 KB limit??
;-D

[StevenBauer]

Beautiful!

[JohnPeer]

<a href="http://s90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...t=maidcrop.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/maidcrop.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[JohnPeer]

^*^$#^&!!!!!!
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/maidcrop.jpg

[JohnPeer]

Thanks Steven...can you tell me what you did?
I do so much internet posting, where now you can just easily insert a pic, I forgot how to add pics the old-fashioned way by linking to a site...I tried photobucket, still no luck!T
thanks again

[SBrookman]

John, copy your image from Facebook, wherever, (right click, save image location). Then click the Image Icon above. Select From URL, Paste it, uncheck Retrieve Remote File... and there you go. We look forward to seeing more pics.

[JohnPeer]

[JohnPeer]

Good grief, here I go again...Lmao -honest to the gods this has GOT to be the MOST frustrating site on the internet to try and post pics on.

A 132K pic and it says "you've gone 85KB over your limit??

Trying to post a URL it says either "invalid data" (?) for a simple URL to a facebook pic...

C'mon Wooden Boat...what's up??

[JohnPeer]

I am only able to get a small red "X" on the page...but use your imagination folks, lol....it's spring of 2012, and my dad has been busy making the spars for his "Maid of Endor" - the "Lil' Hooker".

Sorry I was unable to post a simple pic...lol, every time I come here and try, I leave feeling a little more stupid...
:-)

JP

[JimD]

I am only able to get a small red "X" on the page...but use your imagination folks, lol....it's spring of 2012, and my dad has been busy making the spars for his "Maid of Endor" - the "Lil' Hooker".

Sorry I was unable to post a simple pic...lol, every time I come here and try, I leave feeling a little more stupid...
:-)

JP

From the reply box, left click on the 'insert image' icon (squarish,third from right), click on 'from url', paste the url from a pic posted on any other website into the space provided, click on the green checkmark for'

Retrieve remote file and reference locally' to remove the check. send

[P-man]

facebook is kind of strange when finding the url. first close facebook's picture viewer by hitting f5. then right click on the image, choose "view image info" and copy the url listed under "location". then use the wbf picture icon. don't forget to uncheck the block about retrieveing file locally.

[JohnPeer]

!!

[JohnPeer]

Lol...wooden boat folks are very patient, and that's good...
Thanks for your help...I couldn't find a "view image info", but I took the clue and went to "properties", and copied the URL from there.
Success!

The caption from my building log on facebook (which SHOULD be set to "open"):

""Here is my dad, Don Peer, and he is making the hollow spars for the Lil Hooker. He has made his own spars for as long as I can remember - including the masts, booms, gaffs, yardarms and topmasts for Peer's Fancy...as well as replacing the two masts I broke...
:-(

That's the "gaff", the wooden pole that hold up the top edge of a gaff-rigged sail. He has hollwed out the two halves, and next they are glued together, and then rounded...

The "jaws" for the gaff that hold it onto the mast as it is lowered up and down, can be seen just behind the Dewalt case, in roughed out form.

When he made the masts for our schooner, "Peers' Fancy" years ago...he ripped them into 8 sides with a chainsaw (!), and finished them to round with an adze!"""

Building log: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...8335918&type=3

John Peer

[Sailor]

Here:

[Sailor]

[johngsandusky]

Cool! Thanks for sharing.

[J.Madison]

Glad to see you're still around and making progress! Things never go quite as quickly as hoped for do they? I love the picture of her under power. She looks so sturdy and perfectly natural in that environment. Has any work been done on the interior arrangement yet? I hope it wont be too long until we see pictures of her under full sail.

Keep up the good work and post lots of pictures!

-Jonathan