Time slicing

Had to drop off Thomas around 8:15AM this morning at the University of Ottawa for his last day of camp. I was suddenly hit by a Non-Maskable Boat Building Interrupt! Since I was downtown, and pretty close to the main bridge to Quebec, I decided to take a half hour drive to Robert's secret lakeside boat building shop to check out progress firsthand on hull #1.

Got there just before 9:00AM, and was greeted by Bibitte with a tennis ball in her mouth, looking hopeful for a friend victim to participate in her ball retrieval obsession.

I really wanted to see the progress, so I ignored her and proceeded to the garage boatshop. Wow.

That one word, "Wow" describes my exact feelings on seeing the Microskiff progress. Robert and Eric were dry fitting the cockpit sides and floor, and I have to say it really looks like a real boat. Eric asked me to pick up one end while he picked up the other and the whole thing could not have weighed 45 pounds! Even with paint and fairing adding 10 pounds it is going hit the weight targets.

The laminated rails caused the whole boat to become true and fair, forcing the plywood sides into a smooth curve. Without thought, I bent down and tossed the tennis ball by my feet out into the hillside to quiet the dog's pleas for a friend. As soon as I tossed it, Robert said "You shouldn't have done that, she'll now never leave us alone! Completely ignore her".

The boat took my attention away from the disappointed, softly crying dog once again, and I could not believe how in four days of first time assembly somehow a boat was built. Part of the speed has to be attributed to Eric's participation and expertise, but this was done with no on-site power tools other than three battery operated drills (one each for drill, countersink & screwdriver) and Robert's commercial quality coffee/expresso maker. Really! All saw duties were handled by hand tools, and the construction adhesive handled the rest with a few C-clamps.

Points noted during the conversation were that they used more PL-300 than first anticipated, with the rail lamination process chewing up a bunch (much of which will be sanded off). The screws used needed to be doubled for the 3/4" and a box of 1" added. Robert commented that there was a little manual "adjustment" and fiddling needed to attach the inner cockpit side panels - they needed a bit cut here and there to fit around bulkheads and the transom. The upper edge needed trimming along the full length to fit the rails exactly, and the cool, chopped transom turn from the rail at an angle required a lot of eyeballing, cutting and fiddling.

By the time a rookie woodworker gets to this point in the project they've already got enough skills to handle this challenge. It makes the boat look so good!

Eric noted we were right on the edge of pushing the pine's characteristics for tolerating bending pretty far, considering the (low) lumberyard "Select" grade of pine used. Any knots or woodgrain problems become obvious by the snapping sound if you don't pick a clear stringer for the rail bending. Really good clear pine would not be as touchy to bending.

My impulse control problem is back with a vengence, as I'm contemplating the boat rails, the mast partners and the transom support in alternating layers of dark & light woods, epoxied instead of glued & screwed. It would definitely add some time, as epoxy / clamp repeated a few cycles takes time.

I've been thinking about the layout of the boat since I saw the first drawing, and because I witnessed kids at the NSC O'pen Bic Unregatta last year, I know they loved the "freestyle" competition - where they hang off the mast, tack and gybe by running around the front etcetera. By removing Eric's planned foredeck and leaving the bow open, this boat could "play" the same. I suggested just putting a crossing thwart at the mast partner location and leaving the foredeck off. If a kid tried to go around the Microskiff bow as it is currently drawn, they'd put a foot through the 3mm skin on the first go.

Reality Interrupt. I'm due at a client site at 11:00AM by the airport (an hour away) so I have to say my time at Robert's has been a slice. Robert has promised pictures via a CD soon, so I'll be able to show more. He's going to post photos after he and Eric finish today. Oh, and by the way Eliane was MIA today due to visitors arriving last night, and too much extended, boring shopping with her Dad at the Quincaillerie (Hardware / Building Supply store).