Day Six

Today's plan was to flip the boat over, clean it off and then start working on the big crack on the bottom. However, after pressure washing the bottom of the boat today, it began to rain. The rain has halted any fiberglass work for today.

I've been working on some good computer colorings of the boat. Look for them soon!


Instead of a lot of content, here's some pictures.



Here's the first color combination I'm considering:

Day Five

Today was eventful!

This morning we went to see a guy in Columbia who is a very sophisticated y flyer racer. That should be read as "cranky old man who thinks he knows everything there is about y flyers" He told me a lot about the rigging of the boat, how things are done the best way. Of course, he was showing me how things worked on his top of the line boat with all the features. It may be hard to translate that to my bottom of the line project boat. I hope I race against him one day... and win.

I also learned today that I have a long way to go on understanding how sailboats work. I really need to learn the terms and the math.

Once we got home I took off all of the accessible hardware and ripped out the old wood. Then I pressure washed the deck, the cockpit, and the sides.

I'm starting to work on a graphic version of the boat so I can play with the paint scheme. Dad has half a can of "sand" colored paint that I'm definitely using on the fore deck. He also has a can of dark green that he wants me to use. I don't like the color... but don't really want to pay 30$ for another can of paint. There's also the color of the hull/sides to consider. Look for some computer renderings shortly!

allspice and sherwood

Favorite Tool Today: Pressure Washer

Day Four

Very Little done today. Stepped the mast and the boom up. Flipped the boat up on the side, Looked at the bottom a little bit.

Day Three

Finished the trailer- paint, lights, wheels. We had some trouble with the lights at first, but I think I got it working now. Decided to use old carpet for the bunk boards until we have the boat. That way the really nasty boat won't ruin the new carpet padding.

We took the trailer up and got the boat. We pulled the boat out of the yard and brought it home. Cleaned it out roughly with our hands and a hose. Tore off the rotten wood. I'm tired.

Favorite Tool: Garden Hose


Slide Show via Flickr

Day Two

Woke up this morning with my hands throbbing. I'm not used to real labor. It feels good though. Started the day by getting some wire brushes for the angle grinder. Removing the paint with that turned into a three hour job instead of a [projected] twenty hour job. After lunch, I cut out the new bunk boards, popped off the wheel hubs, I'm going to need new bearings. Then I began with the primer. The trailer now has one coat of primer on it.

Tomorrow I plan on putting a second coat of primer on, then going shopping for some bearings, a piece of carpet for the bunk boards some new wheels, and a lights system. After shopping I will commence with painting. Right now it's a distinct possibility that the trailer will be done tomorrow afternoon.


Favorite Tool of the Day: Angle grinder

Day One

Today began the work on the trailer. Initial inspection shows that the bunk boards are mostly rotten and will need to be replaced. The axle still turns nicely, but the hubs will need to be taken apart and the bearings cleaned. The paint is in terrible shape, so the trailer will need to be stripped, primed and painted. The center beam of the trailer has been rusted through.

Began the day by welding on a piece of L beam to the middle bar for support. Removed the bunk boards carefully so we can use them as a pattern for the new bunk boards. Started chipping the paint away. It's coming off easily in most places because it was not properly primed the first time. After about 2 hours of slaving away with a small scraper and a chisel, I decided to go to the hardware store and purchase a large wood scraper. That did the trick and has sped up the work infinitely.

Favorite Tool of the Day: Hawksbill knife.


Slide show via flickr

Day Zero

The day before I left to come back to college at the end of the summer, my dad asked me if I wanted a sailboat. After talking about it, I agreed to get it. Some guy my dad works with has an old Y Flyer class sailboat out behind his house just growing weeds. It's not in terrible shape. From the pictures and the guy, the fiberglass is intact, save for one crack in the bow. Most of the wood is rotten, but the hardware is all good. There is no apparent rudder in sight. The sails are in near perfect condition, having been kept in the garage. The trailer for the boat is in terrible shape. The wheels are missing, the paint is chipping off, and the whole thing is coated with rust. As far as we know, the boat has never had a name. At this moment I have a name in mind, but I will not reveal it to anyone (except Lauren) until the boat is complete. Until then I will refer to it as vessel 2291.

Since our initial conversation this summer, I've done some research about Y Flyers. They are a strange little rectangular boat, but if built up to class specifications, I can race in Y flyer regattas. Up until today, I had not heard anything from my dad.

Dad called today to see if I really wanted the boat. If I did, he'd go up and get the trailer. Over break, I'll rebuild the trailer and then go get the boat and repair the boat. The goal is to have the boat water ready by the date I return to school.

I accepted the challenge