Now, where was I?

[Riley Smith]

I pulled the boat out of the shop and into the sunshine, figuring to set the mast up and finish out a little line work on the boom. To do that, the first step is to untie EVERYTHING holding the mast, boom, and gaff to the boat. (Highway posture). Then one must thread a 4" PVC pipe through the rope loops (cringles) that hold the sail to the mast, being careful to not tangle up in the jaw lines on the boom and gaff. Align that with the hole in the deck. And then pick the mast up and stick it through the pipe and into the step in the bottom of the boat.

I didn't get that far. Somewhere, somehow the boom jaw was broken along the side. The boom jaw encircles the mast so, yes a big deal. But not actually, because there was new wood along most of the glue joint so the actual glue was good, until the wood reached its limit. Anyway, it was a clean break and right where I'd figure it would if it ever DID break. I have absolutely no idea how it happened but figure one of the boom jaw lines snagged or something  and put a wicked twist in the jaw.

I will mention this about the jaws. I don't know what Phil Bolger had in mind or maybe my southern butt just can't envision New England minds, but IMHO the gaff and boom jaws on the boat were totally inadequate as designed. I may not be far off on that, because others have had similar complaints about the gaff jaw in particular. I replaced the gaff jaws with 1" oak pieces and decided while I was at it, I'd do the boom too. That was done in mahogany and neither has ever given me a moment's trouble until now.

I got it ready to go back, including adding two mechanical fasteners, some very small diameter and very strong SS screws. The glue would hold it well enough but the screws are more to aid in making the repair than to add any strength, although they should do that too. The trick is to get the joint tight but not so tight as to squeeze every drop of glue out and this will be easy to accomplish with the little screws instead of fumbling with claps and have glue running over everything ELSE.

SO....as is typical in the boat world, you want to do ONE thing and wind up doing another JUST SO YOU CAN DO THE FIRST! Rosanna Rosanna Danna was right. It's AWAYS something. I'm checking weather to see if I have enough time this morning to do the original work on lazy jacks and a couple of sail ties on the boom. There is a LOT of line on S R Cat. Bits and pieces everywhere. Some of it is always needing something.

I had originally planned on doing this work at the ramp because I would have to set the boat up anyway. Luckily on a spur of the moment thing with a couple of hours to spare, I had rolled the boat out into the afternoon warmth to putter and discovered the broken jaw. All back as original, now....where was I?

[Charles Brennan]

Riley,

SO....as is typical in the boat world, you want to do ONE thing and wind up doing another JUST SO YOU CAN DO THE FIRST!

Really hit home, today.
Although for me lately, it seems more like THREE things in front of the one thing, you want to do.

Thanks,
Charles Brennan

[Frank B.]

The ONE THING I wanted to do today was go to the boat and make a list of all the ONE THINGS that need to be done to make it usable.  However, mother nature sent that ice storm, so instead I'm cutting up limbs and burning them. I could drag them to the street but the recently installed Breeo firepit is closer, and this is the test run for it.  Works great.  Another delight in that process is that, known to be stubborn, I've fought that old chainsaw for years to get it to run long enough to actually do a job.  I just bought a cordless electric, 40cc gas equivalent.  I'll never go back.

I had some concern that the reference to Rosanne Rosanna Danna would not be universally understood, but I think everyone here is as old as dirt.

[Wayne Howard]

I have a couple of projects on the big boat that I am dreading to start. First, I have to clean out the locker and figure out where to put that stuff so it can all go back into the locker. Then I get to contort my body in ways it hasn't been bent in quite a few years. Just so I can yell at Connie to get me the wrench I forgot to bring with me. And BTW, will you stay right there so we can drop things into the bilge while passing them between us?

That last part doesn't happen often but it's always something that has to be reinstalled and costs three trips to the store to get the correct part. Sheesh!

[Riley Smith]

Mmmm...had to strike the rig and put her up because of rain. I didn't want to clean the whole boat so....I managed to get the lazy jack sorta right but will really have to sail it to see. I'm thinking it still needs a bit of tinkering but actual circumstances will dictate what needs there are. The lazy jacks make it so much easier to handle the rig up and down, and they have to be easy to adjust, as you have to loosen them up to keep a crease out of the sail. I made a line for the boom jaw to attach the boom lift line to also, a choker of sorts. It was out of red paracord to show up in the very busy boom throat area. It only carries the weight of the boom which is about 30-40 lbs, so easy, available, and cheap. Found a shackle for it and am missing one on the peak halyard but I saw it SOMEWHERE. I have inspected and can actually go sailing now. Weather is headed downhill though but soon. Soon!

[Riley Smith]

Frank, we are very much alike. I hate chainsaws.  And weed eaters too. And yes, have gone electric on it too. Can even be MOBILE with it, a generator and hd extension!Anyone want a Stihl?

[Doug SC]

Frank, I'm in total agreement on the electric chainsaw. It has cleaned up my vocabulary considerably.

Wayne, you have eloquently described almost every project I have ever worked on.

[Riley Smith]

At least three trips Wayne!

Once, when I was young, I was involved in building some of the Navy's most advanced destroyers. Anyone that could breathe could find a job, so there was that. They had wrangled THIRTY hulls out of the war department, and were rolling them off the hill. "Rolling them off the hill" meant the hulls and engines, turbines, shafts, and hydraulics were all there. Some of the electronics. But this is a boat and it takes twice as long to get it from nothing to floating, as from floating to FINISHED.

Yes, you could say there were material problems. The first boat was nearing completion and of course that means a payday for the company, so the intensity to get it out the door totally was ramping up. And to accomplish that, the OTHER destroyers down the line were being robbed to get No, 1 out the door. They weren't called by name, either. It was DD-1, DD-2 etc. In reality, it was a massive undertaking and they got it lined out after a while. In the middle of building three helicopter carriers too.

I hate logistics/material. It'll make you pull your hair out. We'd get stuff from Houston all the time on hot shots. Deliveries of critical material asap. I've seen a WHOLE BUNCH of deliveries that came in on HONKING HUGE 1-2 ton trucks that you could hold in your hand. Only thing on the truck.