Hi Everyone...
I have been much more active building over the last few weeks and I have updated my boat building blog over on Lumberjock's...
Here is a link to the 11th blog with lots of pictures and details...:
http://lumberjocks.com/matt1970/blog/20361
From there you can go back to #10 and #9...for that matter you can go all the way back to #1...lol...
Let me know what you think...it feels good to be moving again after a 4month slow down...hopefully I wont wait that long to get moving again...
Matt
It's pretty common to have a lull in the build process. The initial excitememt wears off and everyday life demands attention.
Sometimes that lull can be years long and happen multiple times. Then one day you walk by the hull and think "I'll just sand that bit" and the next thing you know you're back into it.
That is exactly what I am experiencing right now. It has been months since I did some serious building.
But it looks like one of these days it will start rolling again. ;D
Thanks for checking the blog...you guys have it exactly...once I started saying the only goal is to do SOMETHING...the ball got rolling...and I am enjoying that...actually ENJOYING the build...
This weekend I hope to put the deck together...or not (lol!!)...
matt
One suggestion. I don't know if you have many helpers but when I installed my deck I didn't.
So - I glued it all up, put some 2x2s under it and hoisted it up to my garage rafters. I then wheeled the boat dolly under it and lowered the deck down. It turned into a fairly easy undertaking doing it that way.
that sounds like a good idea Andrew...
Right now I am lining up help...
Here is one question---realistically how much can I do in assembly day...in the weekender video they seem to do a lot when they assemble the boat...at least their close dont change from gluing the boat bottom to the keel, transom, deck and bulkheads...
Also do i need to worry about epoxy time...it has been in the 40's in the day and dipping into the 20's at night...on the colder nights...is this too cold?
Every build I've been part of has been a series of plateaus or phases. There are natural ones that occur in boat building, the frame work erection, completed planking, "sealing 'er in" which means the decks and cabin structures are in place, mast erections (an excitable lot they are), painting the exterior, the roll over, placing it on the trailer for the first time, yep lots of places where it's natural to take a breath, make an excuse to have a beer and invite your buddies over, to tell you how nice a job you've done, etc. It's a guy thing, but also not unlike a baby shower or the girls spending the day at the mall, just to spend the night talking about what they got, to all their friends.
The good builders take these phases and refocus their efforts, for the next portion of the build. I tend to aim for specific phases, to minimize effort and materials costs. An example would be painting. I'll put off painting until I have more then just the job at hand, so I can "gear up" for painting, which usually involves sanding, fairing, filling, smoothing, primer and finish coats. Since all these things require the same materials and prep work, it's just logical to do as many of these jobs at the same time. Naturally, this requires some fore thought and planning, which most back yard builders do have, but if you've got a build or two under your belt, you pretty much know what's next. So it's not unusual to see interior parts and spars along with the upside down hull getting prepped for paint or varnish. I'll do the same thing with hardware mounting, epoxy tasks, or maybe jobs that require a specific tool, like the table saw, where I'll rip out slats for the sole, stringers, furniture framing stock, wainscot, etc. I've spent the whole day behind the table saw or a planner or a drill press, doing several jobs, adjusting the machine as necessary, knowing I may not need some of the stuff for a month.
It's normal to have lulls in the build. A substantial percentage of builds get hung up in these plateaus, so don't wait too long. I've seen way too many builds stuck, just after the roll over, because they've suddenly realized their not even remotely close to being done. Get back in there and keep spanking away. It's the only cure.
Thanks Paul! Good words...my break (I am a high school teacher) was just what I needed to get moving again...and I feel good about it...and I am looking forward to building this weekend...
I like my new goal---just move...small or big just do something...each day off...
Matt