Restoration of the BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

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  • Phil Y
    Banned
    • Apr 2010
    • 21066

    #76
    Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

    That's hilarious. But I fear for the health of your boat. I don't think perfectionism and old wooden boats generally go well together. So many compromises, the best you can hope for is often a workable compromise. I can't see the pics for some reason, but spreading the engine loads has to be a good thing. For me there would be more perfection in keeping the bearers long, and having good clearance in front of the engine, and incorporating a clever step into the bulkhead. It's a boat, not a kitchen.

    Comment

    • jsjpd1
      mmmm....boat good.
      • Oct 2009
      • 5126

      #77
      Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

      Originally posted by cstevens
      Yes, but tripping over it wouldn't be my problem. While I was building the step I'd be irritated that I was spending time making something that I wasn't happy with, when the "right" solution would be to tear it all out and build a proper engine bed. Then when it was done I'd get annoyed every time I looked at it. The annoyance would fester, keeping me up at night. I'd question my worth as a human, the choices I made that led me to compromise my ideals and what lessons I was teaching my son about hard work and craftsmanship. My professional work would suffer as I surfed endlessly through the WoodenBoat forums obsessing over all the boats with perfectly flat cabin soles. Those builders and had remained true to their credo. They hadn't cobbled together some step-thingy hanging out there for all to see and mock. Benjamin Mendlowitz could go aboard those boats any time and shoot a cover shot for WB magazine. Some days I would go down to the boat and just stare at the step - stare at it in a bleak acceptance that my youth was gone, wasted in mediocrity. I would lose the will to measure twice. Once was plenty for the Salieri of boat restoration. Really, why measure at all? Who cares how many cuts you have to make anyway. It's all just time. And what is time when time stretches out across the grim landscape of failed dreams to the horizon of mortality? My wife, wonderful woman, would try to help. She would suggest another hobby. Gardening perhaps. I would try it just to make her happy. Things would be better for a while. A rose does not judge. It's just a rose. But that step - that infernal step - would always lie between us, the symbol of my failure as a man and a husband. Eventually she would take our son for an extended visit to her mother "just to get some space". Then one night, alone with my despair, I would find myself staring deep into a can of spar varnish and a vision of Bud McIntosh would form in the depths. He would speak to me, granting me absolution from the sin of the step and pointing to a path of redemption. The next evening I'd walk up an anonymous suburban driveway into a backyard bowshed to see a circle of men in faded Carhartt jackets, the lines of their addiction etched on their faces. Taking a cup of lukewarm coffee from the urn in the corner I would sit and introduce myself. "Hi, I'm Chris and I'm a perfectionist."

      So, on the balance, I think no step.
      Hey Chris, have you seen this thread?

      <font color="white">&amp;nbsp &amp;nbsp &amp;nbsp &amp;nbsp &amp;nbsp &amp;nbsp </font> <h3>And, you can click <a href="http://forum.woodenboat.com/forumdisplay.php?12-Archived-Reference-Threads">Archived Reference Threads</a></h3>


      Might be a lesson there.
      -Jim

      Sucker for a pretty face.
      1934 27' Blanchard Cuiser ~ Amazon, Ex. Emalu
      19'6" Caledonia Yawl ~ Sparrow

      Getting into trouble one board at a time.

      Comment

      • andrewpatrol
        Senior Member
        • Sep 2010
        • 2510

        #78
        Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

        Originally posted by cstevens
        Yes, but tripping over it wouldn't be my problem. While I was building the step I'd be irritated that I was spending time making something that I wasn't happy with, when the "right" solution would be to tear it all out and build a proper engine bed. Then when it was done I'd get annoyed every time I looked at it. The annoyance would fester, keeping me up at night. I'd question my worth as a human, the choices I made that led me to compromise my ideals and what lessons I was teaching my son about hard work and craftsmanship. My professional work would suffer as I surfed endlessly through the WoodenBoat forums obsessing over all the boats with perfectly flat cabin soles. Those builders and had remained true to their credo. They hadn't cobbled together some step-thingy hanging out there for all to see and mock. Benjamin Mendlowitz could go aboard those boats any time and shoot a cover shot for WB magazine. Some days I would go down to the boat and just stare at the step - stare at it in a bleak acceptance that my youth was gone, wasted in mediocrity. I would lose the will to measure twice. Once was plenty for the Salieri of boat restoration. Really, why measure at all? Who cares how many cuts you have to make anyway. It's all just time. And what is time when time stretches out across the grim landscape of failed dreams to the horizon of mortality? My wife, wonderful woman, would try to help. She would suggest another hobby. Gardening perhaps. I would try it just to make her happy. Things would be better for a while. A rose does not judge. It's just a rose. But that step - that infernal step - would always lie between us, the symbol of my failure as a man and a husband. Eventually she would take our son for an extended visit to her mother "just to get some space". Then one night, alone with my despair, I would find myself staring deep into a can of spar varnish and a vision of Bud McIntosh would form in the depths. He would speak to me, granting me absolution from the sin of the step and pointing to a path of redemption. The next evening I'd walk up an anonymous suburban driveway into a backyard bowshed to see a circle of men in faded Carhartt jackets, the lines of their addiction etched on their faces. Taking a cup of lukewarm coffee from the urn in the corner I would sit and introduce myself. "Hi, I'm Chris and I'm a perfectionist."

        So, on the balance, I think no step.
        Geez, That drew a response! Sorry to suggest such a mediocre thing as a step. I'll just go in the corner and watch then.

        Comment

        • cstevens
          Dreaming of a boat
          • Nov 2014
          • 6357

          #79
          Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

          Sorry Andrew - I was just exercising my sense of humor again. Must remember not to do that! What you don't know is how many hours I've spent staring at that spot and thinking "I just need to build a step in the cabin sole. That would solve everything". I don't know why I resist it - it's the obvious and correct solution. You and Phil are right. It make no sense to compromise the structure of the boat here. So a step there will be. It still leaves me with some problems to solve in building out the head enclosure but I'll sort that out.

          Jim - yes, good point The goal for my efforts on Petrel is to learn from those mistakes. So, perfection be damned! Forward progress is everything. Idyllic harbors await, but only if Petrel is ready to go.
          - Chris

          Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

          Life is short. Go boating now!

          Comment

          • richbeck
            Senior Member
            • Apr 2008
            • 326

            #80
            Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

            I had the pleasure of seeing Wells Gray up close while I was Boat Haven Marina. She was just a couple of slips away.

            Cstevens - If you would like to get another look at her I think she is probably still at the end of dock C. She was there from last September until I left in mid June this year. She looks remarkable.

            Richard

            Comment

            • carioca1232001
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2003
              • 5142

              #81
              Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

              Originally posted by ron ll
              Good. With hydraulic steering you can easily add an autopilot if you don't have one already. Believe me, you'll love it. Also maybe try Seattle Marine over on Commodore Way for helm wheels. And the have a lot of hydraulic steering things.
              Could you please inform me of where I could find the pros-and-cons of adding an autopilot to an existing hydraulic steering, plus how to put the two together (autopilot servo-motor coupled to the helm shaft via belt drive etc.) ? I have a Capilano (Canadian) hydraulic steering on my twin-diesel motor-cruiser.

              Thanks in anticipation.

              Comment

              • cstevens
                Dreaming of a boat
                • Nov 2014
                • 6357

                #82
                Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                Carioca, any autopilot will have an option for a hydraulic pump that would be plumbed into the existing lines. There are also belt or chain systems for mechanical steering but the pump is the way to go since you already have the hydraulic setup. There are plenty of resources online providing detailed instructions on how to select and install an autopilot. For example <http://www.boatingmag.com/how-to/installing-autopilot> and <http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdviso...g-an-Autopilot>. Best of luck with it!
                - Chris

                Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                Life is short. Go boating now!

                Comment

                • cstevens
                  Dreaming of a boat
                  • Nov 2014
                  • 6357

                  #83
                  Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                  Some progress on Petrel yesterday. I removed the anchor winch:








                  Things don't look too bad underneath which is nice to see, although I'd still like to pull up that pad and have a look at the deck. But the rode is another story. Here is what is left of the eye splice and shackle between the cable and the chain (after cutting off the chain).



                  I wouldn't trust that to hold for a minute so replacing the anchor rode goes on the list of things to do as well. Then I spent some time stripping paint off of the trunk cabin sides.



                  It's not much but it's a start.
                  - Chris

                  Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                  Life is short. Go boating now!

                  Comment

                  • cstevens
                    Dreaming of a boat
                    • Nov 2014
                    • 6357

                    #84
                    Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                    ... fixed the photos so they should show up now.
                    - Chris

                    Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                    Life is short. Go boating now!

                    Comment

                    • ron ll
                      Seattle WA USA (Ballard)
                      • Oct 2005
                      • 24274

                      #85
                      Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                      Originally posted by carioca1232001
                      Could you please inform me of where I could find the pros-and-cons of adding an autopilot to an existing hydraulic steering, plus how to put the two together (autopilot servo-motor coupled to the helm shaft via belt drive etc.) ? I have a Capilano (Canadian) hydraulic steering on my twin-diesel motor-cruiser.

                      Thanks in anticipation.
                      Chris is right, if you already have hydraulic steering, you are halfway there. Mine is an old Wagner built in Vancouver B. C. But it's difficult to get parts for now but I stumbled onto a guy in Ohio who rebuilds them as a hobby. Mine consists of a controller head that connects to a sensor added to my main compass, and a circuit board and motorized pump which plumbs into the existing hydraulic lines. The newer ones will be able to interface with your chart plotter. I use it a lot, of course I still have to be near the helm constantly watching for flotsam and traffic.

                      Comment

                      • Phil Y
                        Banned
                        • Apr 2010
                        • 21066

                        #86
                        Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                        That seems like a bizarre anchoring set up.

                        Comment

                        • cstevens
                          Dreaming of a boat
                          • Nov 2014
                          • 6357

                          #87
                          Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                          That seems like a bizarre anchoring set up.
                          How so? The on-deck hydraulic winch with cable and chain is pretty typical for a PNW fishing boat.
                          - Chris

                          Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                          Life is short. Go boating now!

                          Comment

                          • ron ll
                            Seattle WA USA (Ballard)
                            • Oct 2005
                            • 24274

                            #88
                            Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                            Originally posted by Phil Y
                            That seems like a bizarre anchoring set up.
                            Very normal around here. Wish I had it on my boat.

                            Comment

                            • jsjpd1
                              mmmm....boat good.
                              • Oct 2009
                              • 5126

                              #89
                              Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                              Originally posted by cstevens





                              The mast step is collapsing and the mast is cracking at the base. Some tentative prodding reveals that it's pretty soft there as well. Sigh. The mast is not a critical part of Petrel to be sure but a mast and boom are a handy thing and, moreover, they make up a large part of her character. So that's another project on the list then....
                              Is the mast soft or just the step? It looks like you could lift the mast by using blocks and wedges under the shoulders and then remove/ replace the old step with the mast in place.
                              -Jim

                              Sucker for a pretty face.
                              1934 27' Blanchard Cuiser ~ Amazon, Ex. Emalu
                              19'6" Caledonia Yawl ~ Sparrow

                              Getting into trouble one board at a time.

                              Comment

                              • cstevens
                                Dreaming of a boat
                                • Nov 2014
                                • 6357

                                #90
                                Re: Restoration of BC Salmon Troller "Petrel"

                                Both the mast and the step are soft unfortunately. Unstepping the mast is an easy job. One person can lift it off the step with no trouble. I'll probably remove it in the next couple of weeks as it will be easier to strip and paint the pilothouse behind it that way.
                                - Chris

                                Any single boat project will always expand to encompass the set of all possible boat projects.

                                Life is short. Go boating now!

                                Comment

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