Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Report #11B . . . . .

[Charles Brennan]

Continuing the SCAMP build on the rudder down haul hole, by drilling out some of the filled-in epoxy where the down haul knot is going to be.
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This is a view from the top of the rudder blade where a 3/16" line will be inserted  and knotted in the previous pic's hole.
I was originally going to drill the hole to 7/32" and after some thought,  decided to go for a ¼" hole, to make it easier to manage any possible future field replacement.
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There will be a groove filed in for the down haul line and the top will then be sanded down, unlike what you see in this pic! 

Sanded all the drips and fiberglass strip edges fair and smooth and hung the foils for more finishing work.
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Also sanded the rudder stock assembly.
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Added another coat of epoxy to help fill in the fiberglass weave.
This is also coat two, of the three required coats of epoxy.
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Coat two for the rudder stock assembly and I also filled in the over-drilled pintle mounting holes with epoxy.
The bamboo skewer in the background was used to poke around in the pintle holes, until no more air bubbles came out.
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Added graphite to the epoxy for coat 3.
I read about other boat builders running into "orange peel" finish problems when they add graphite to epoxy.
The two things I do differently are:
1) Use more graphite in the epoxy mix.
2) Mix and mix and mix, until I start to feel the exothermic reaction starting in the mixing cup.
You do have to apply it fairly quickly at that point, but I don't seem to be having the same finish problems, other builders are reporting.
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All those ripples are actually the reflection of the corrugations in the carport ceiling. 
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While I was waiting for everything to cure, I turned my attention to making the tiller.
I had bought some huge planks of Southern Yellow Pine, in order to find knot-free areas when I built the skegs.
I was able to do the same thing, to find a knot-free area for the tiller, on some of the skeg scraps.
(After another interminable cutting session with multiple jig saw blades.) 
The stock SCAMP tiller has this curve, but no "knob" on the end.
Urchin's tiller didn't have a knob either, and I had always wanted one (it's nice, to know where the end of the tiller is, in the dark!), so I figured now was my CHANCE!! 
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Couldn't resist a trial fit! 
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Here's the computer template I had printed out and taped to some cardboard and where I tried to draw in a rudimentary knob.
Graphics-challenged to the core,    it was ugly and bulbous, but I didn't care; what I lack in drawing skills, I compensate for in fabrication skills.
The actual knob on the tiller looks MUCH better and more graceful, than the drawn-in knob.
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While I was at it, I put in an aggressive taper at the end of the tiller.
For myself, I wouldn't have tapered it nearly that much, BUT!! 
This past Friday was our 50th wedding anniversary, and I have always endeavored to make my wife feel like a First-Class Passenger on a one-man Cruise Ship, when sailing with me.
Which is probably why we've been married for 50 years and sailing for 48 years.
I do all the loading, rigging, launching, boat-handling, sailing, anchoring, cooking, cleaning, docking and anything else in between.
You'd be surprised at all the arguments that never happen, when the Captain DOESN'T have to ask: "Where is the so-and-so?" because HE'S the one who  packed it. (Or didn't!) 
My wife does not have to lift a finger on that boat, unless she wants and/or chooses to do so.
She remarked a few decades ago, that Urchin's tiller felt "clunky" and not comfortable in her hands, for sailing any length of time.
I kept tapering the new tiller a little at a time, then bringing it into the house for her to hold, until she smiled.
Holding it a few inches aft, is little or no hardship to me, especially if I can retain a beloved sailing companion.
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Doubt if I'll get much more done for a while. We have cold fronts coming through like wave-trains and I don't want to fight curing issues.
We also have up-coming holidays, which always consumes a lot of attention.
Still, there's always hundreds of small projects that can be done, while waiting for fortuitous weather windows.

Charles Brennan

[Timm R Oday25]

Charles ,thanks for taking the time to document your efforts . I most definitely appreciate your thinking things through
before you commit to a design. You, much like myself work from experiances of what didn't work as much as what might or should work

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

I don't remember any orange peeling when I did my keel.  I re-coated every time before the previous layer of epoxy was fully cured, though.

[Captain Kidd]

Great work! Love the tiller.

BTW: Did we congratulate you on 50 years? If not, here ya go - CONGRATULATIONS!

[Norm L.]

That tiller looks great. Really nice shaping. 

And congratulations on your 50th anniversary and I'm pleased your wife loved the gold woman's Rolex. Even though you were too modest to mention it.

We are about 10 days and 2 years apart on that 50th. We plan on burning 2 weeks of grocery money on a dinner and brunch. It's easy to do and memorable in New Orleans. At an age it is better to buy memories than objects.

[Wayne Howard]

Happy 50th, Charles. I have 50 years total but some of that was with the training wife.

I really upgraded with the final wife, tho. 

[Doug SC]

Yes, Congratulations for fooling her this long! Two days ago, we had our 52nd anniversary. So, SWMBO is still putting up with me!

[Krusen]

Tough competition, but I will surge into the lead with 62 years with my first wife, and definitely no plan to replace her.

64 years of sailing, ended last year when I sold my Mac 22, but last sail was on a friends boat.

Retired my bike in April, 2023, near the top of the hill to our house...........

Charles, a little thread drift here.

[Frank B.]

Coming this February, 56 years with an original equipment wife.  Plan to keep on until we finally get it right. Our sailing relationship is exactly like yours, she has been an able passenger for all of those years and then a couple, and that is just fine with me.  Don't have to worry about clunky tillers, if she doesn't like it, the tiller pilot gets the call.

I did get orange peel with graphite infused epoxy on the below water line part of the skiff.  Disappointing in that I spent a lot of time fairing the undercoats. Sanded it (no fun) and applied cat poly in black over it which has held up remarkably well.

Weather and a boat build.  I'm asked how long it took me to build my skiff.  The answer is about three years to put in about 400 hours.  Long periods where it was too hot and epoxy went off too fast to bother with, long periods when it was too cold and pointless to even try.  Then the eighteen months or so of modifications to the original plan to make it work for me.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Happy anniversary to you and Mary.  It's nice to see a couple so dedicated to making each other happy.

[Charles Brennan]

Noemi, You likely didn't have "orange peel" because you weren't adding graphite to the epoxy mix.
As nearly as I can tell, the graphite can form into something like small clumps, as the epoxy cures and squeezes in between the clumps.  I really mixed the graphite a LOT, to achieve a uniform emulsion and I think that might have made the difference.

Thank you (and all the rest of you!) for the anniversary congratulations.
The best part of reaching 50 years of marriage, is thinking of all the former girl friends that predicted the marriage wouldn't last 6 months (I really am pretty hard to live with sometimes; I don't know how St. Mary does it!)    and thinking to myself: HAH!!   
So, to Barbara, Dale, Patricia, Linda, and Maria: HAH!!

Thanks all,
Charles Brennan