Sunday, January 20, 2013

Point Bennett Project - Devil in the Details and a Maiden Run



I'm finally in the home stretch on this project. I just had a few small things to take care of before the boat was finished. I spent a relaxed Saturday evening in the attic with a few beers!! Below are a few shots of some of the final details!!


Paddle park on the rear deck!

DIY toggle from t-pipe!!

Paddle park - rear deck.

Heat shrink neatens things up nicely!!

Just another angle #1!!

As a staunch Newfoundlander, and a bit anti-Confederation, to boot, I like to put a Republic of Newfoundland flag on the bow on all my boats. This one was no different!!

The finishing touch!!

Just another angle #2

Just after finishing work for the night, I checked my email and a few guys were heading out on Sunday AM for a paddle. The light bulb went on and I decided this boat was ready for the water!!


Ready to leave the shop!!

Sunday AM dawned clear but cold. -8 with a wind chill in the -12 to -15 range.  As good as any day to go for a paddle. I met Dean and Tony in St. Philips at 10:00 for a few hours on the water

See Tony's blog entry here and Deans here.

Those are some big icicles!!

A little bit of the ol' clapotis!!

Heading towards Portugal Cove!!

Heading back to St. Philip's.


Back through the channel!!

Picking our way through the pans!!

Looking cool!!

Back at the house, I took a few more shots of the boat. It was nice not to be confined by the size and lighting of the attic.

I'm a happy camper!!


The final product #1.


The final product #2


Well. I hope you've enjoyed reading about this project as much as I've enjoyed writing about it!!  I was in the attic today doing a bit of clean up and it seems almost lonely up there - like a friend has moved out!!  Still, it's nice to have the space back and the extra time to do other things!! Actually, I'm heading off to the attic now to get on the bike trainer - gotta fill that void somehow and exercise seems as good an idea as anything else!!

Thanks for dropping by,

Sean

Monday, January 14, 2013

Point Bennett Project - Painting and Things


Well, it's been close to two months since my last post but, of course, right in the middle of this was the Christmas Holidays when I chose to slow down substantially.

But, to make a long story short, I ran into a series of paint-related problems that set me back quite a number of weeks. And to be honest, I'd rather not provide specifics as it is quite a painful story. `Nuff said

Now, a quick update with few words but lots of pictures!!


Finally all painted  #1

All painted  #2

Painted - no hatch coamings at this point.

A better idea of the colour!

I managed to salvage the hatch coamings from the initial build and re-use them. Again I went with setting them in a bed of epoxy. I mixed up a batch of epoxy with lase printer toner to get a nice glossy black mixture which I proceeded to pour around the coaming. It flowed neatly all the way around and sealed everything up nicely.

FWD coaming in place.

 I wanted to have black sheers as well as more abrasion resistance under the deck netting and paddle parks. Like with the Black Pearl I went with aerosol truck bed liner. This stuff is tough as nails  - won't scratch and won't be marred by the tie down straps when they cinch down on the sheers during car topping


Masked and ready for spraying #1

Masked #2

 I'll admit that I had some misgivings about how it would turn out but when I removed the masking paper, I was very happy with the end result.


Not too shabby #1!!

 Anybody contemplating painting and needing very sharp/crisp borders, I strongly suggest the use of Frog Tape for the masking. This stuff was freaking amazing. No bleed through whatsoever. Thank gawd because this is NOT where you want to have messy paint lines!


Removing the Frog Tape

Not too shabby #2

 With the painting pretty well done, I moved onto some fitting out. I took the boat off the table for the first time in several months and actually sat in it!! It fits like a glove even without any customizing!!


On the floor for some cockpit fitting

 I used hot melt glue to hold the seat in for now. It's glued to a foam support underneath and then to the bottom of the hull. I also put in some foam thighbraces. I may need just 1/2" or so of foam at the FWD bulkhead for a foot rest. I may or may not install a back band or pillar. I'll decide that later but I've been paddling the Black Pearl for close to a year with no back support!


Seat and thigh braces.

 The images below show some of the temporary deck lines and netting I have in place for "testing"


Looking aft.


Compass laid in place.


I actually found a pre-made net that was just the right size for the foredeck. It cost me $7.00 at a local motorcycle shop. They ordered it in for me and it was here within the week. You could not buy the bungee and make one yourself for that price. Also, this net has the smaller 2" squares - unlike most that you buy pre-made that have 3" square and are too big to be practical for holding smaller items on the deck.

I should point out that the skeg is now completely installed - including the control box!


Showing the skeg control box in place

Showing the neat lines!

Foredeck showing netting in place temporarily for fitting purposes.

As it now looks!!!


So, that's the latest. Not a whole lot of building details because I feel like I've said it all before in my other build projects.  Still. it's nice to show off some end products once in a while.

ETOW (Estimated time on water) is within a week. If not in the ocean, then next Tuesday at the pool!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sean