With the bottom painted, rub rails installed on the skegs, and the sides painted with primer to protect the epoxy from U-V damage, I judged I was at the 50% completion mark and it was time to flip the hull.
Time to break out the nylon webbing tow straps and come-alongs; I had been having problems with the web straps being too long and not having enough "winch room" for the come-alongs.
As a refinement, I doubled the straps and tied a short length of line to the ends, which gave me a far greater range of purchase for the come-alongs.
I also added an orange tie-down strap to keep the web straps together, so that one end or the other could not slip off, accidentally.
Getting to be an old hand at this, now. 8)
(Cue Proverbs 16:18) :-[
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Started cranking the hull up and slowly turning it, as I cranked it up . . . . . .
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. . . . . Back half is looking good . . . . .
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Front half is looking . . . . . . . DOHHH!! :-[
When I tossed a line under the hull from the web straps to the come-along, I must have gotten over a forward wooden support and now I could not finish turning the hull, any more.
Had to lower the front half enough to get tension off the come-along hook, re-route the line and crank it up again.
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THAT'S better! :D
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Hmmm . . . . next problem:
Last time that hull was sitting on that dolly, there weren't any skegs in the way.
Looked like there wasn't enough room for the skegs to sit in between the longitudinal members.
So, NOW what? ???
Risk scraping the sides of the skegs, or tilt the hull for the rest of the build? ???
Uhhhh . . . . . no.
I needed the hull to be level, to have horizontal and vertical reference lines for installing things.
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Simple solution: Rotate the dolly!! :D
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Forgot Brennan's Technical Dictum: :-X
"The Solution To Any Technical Problem, Creates A Brand New Technical Problem."
The boat was severely front heavy. >:( OK! Move the dolly forward! :D
NOW, it was too back heavy and I wondered if I was only going to be able to work on the middle of the boat, since I could not put my weight in either end. :'(
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So I bit the bullet and added a 2X4 to each transverse . . . . .
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. . . . Stapled some carpet over it . . . . .
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And you guessed it! >:(
Raised the hull again . . . . .
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. . . . . so I could rotate the dolly underneath.
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Success!
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When I first saw this pic, I was horrified that I had a drippy finish and paint runs on the skegs that somehow, I had missed! :o
Ran back outside and looked.
Turned out, it was just the reflection of the carpet on the sides of the skegs. :P
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Leveled the hull horizontally, since my carport has a slope for drainage.
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This way, I could be assured of striking a plumb line, for attaching the gudgeons.
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Got the first one on and used the rudder stock to position and tape the lower gudgeon in place for drilling.
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Looks pretty good! 8)
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Checked for tiller movement and for anything hitting where it shouldn't.
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About 30 years ago at a Boat Show (where I always seem to suddenly turn into the most Gullible Rube to ever fall off the turnip truck) I had purchased a cool stainless steel ladder expressly designed for inflatable dinghys to use on Short Ribs, my RIB.
It was terrible for my application and I got a much simpler and much better one and that ladder languished in the back room, for decades; not good enough to use and too expensive to throw away.
I had even tried to figure out a way to use it on the SCAMP, with no luck.
So I took it over to Sailor's Exchange in St. Augustine and traded it in, for the ladder shown below.
I also mounted the motor mount that I got at a flea market, for an absurdly low sum.
Turning the transom into Swiss cheese with all the holes which will be over-drilled, filled and re-drilled.
Far better to figure all that stuff out now, than when the boat is nearly done and I'm messing up the finish.
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This will allow me to experiment with motor positioning, which will be another article, later.
Since the centerboard was fully painted with all required coats, there was no reason not to finish its assembly.
Started with the bronze eye strap for the centerboard up-haul. using #10 1½" screws, into an epoxy plug.
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Added a stainless steel rub strip to the leading edge, in the same manner I used for protecting the skegs.
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And finally added the emergency centerboard pull-down line to use in pulling the centerboard out of the trunk, in the event of turtling the hull. :o
Something I hope never to have to use! :'(
Next time:
Motor mount trade-offs.
Charles Brennan
Nice update CB, thanks.
Starting to look like a boat!!!
WOW! Fantastic! Great moment turning the hull. Looking wonderful!
Hey CB, you're gonna have a nice boat whenever you're done! Congratulations on her being right side up! Looks great! Fun in Rigging 101 for the score!
Dude, you're doing a great job! Hope you make it to the FL 120 or BEER if weather precludes the FL120. It's great that you are reaching for "perfection" but sailing the damn thing has to figure in somewhere!
Ed, one of your greatest admirers/skeptics