The Adventures of Kelpie

First Sewing problems

2010-05-26T22:29:00.001-04:00

Despite the title of this post, all is more-or-less proceeding well with the Jib assembly. Tonight, I was able to sew in the corner patches and begin the process of double-hemming the foot and leech. There is where I found my first problem.

Becca's home machine does not have the umph to really go through the double hem where it overlaps the patches, and needs a little hand assist. Also, some assistance is needed to ensure it feeds correctly, due to the slipperiness of the Dacron fabric. (The latter issue came forewarned from SailRite)

Took some trial and error, but most of the stitches along the foot are evenly spaced. Good thing I started this project in the mindset that not everything had to be perfect, just good enough to be safe and not too ugly.

The other thing I learned for you beginning sail makers out there, is that tanbark fabric is really hard to see through. The instructions from SailRite that say that you should be able to easily see through the fabric pretty much assume you are using the more common white sailcloth. I found it useful to mark my seams with chalk, which I stole from the kids' bucket in the back yard.

The foot is finished, the leech remains. After that, all I have left to do is the reinforcing tape along the luff and to set the grommets. I expect to finish it this weekend, as I won't have time to work on it tomorrow night.

Expect pictures of the finished product by weekend's end. Then I'll tackle the bigger project of sewing the mainsail.

Okay, Sewing Commenced!

2010-05-25T23:22:00.000-04:00

I've finally convinced the wife to show me the forbidden secrets of the sewing machine.

I'm surprised at how easy it turned out to be. Now, I'm not going to get all Ralph Lauren all of a sudden, but I pulled off a series of straight (more or less) zig-zag seams that made up the main stitching of the jib.

I have all the sail panels together, but I need to call it a night. To finish the jib, I need to install the corner patches, install the edge tape, and put the grommets in.

The whole kit from SailRite has been super easy so far. My only regret was letting my fear of arcane sewing machine lore scare me out of starting sooner.

Had I started this on a weekend afternoon instead of during a weeknight, I could churn out both sails in about 5 hours.

I do expect the mainsail to be a little tougher, if for no other reason than it will be harder to maneuver through the machine due to it's larger size. I may enlist Connor to be a helper for that part.

It feels good to get back into the project.

Kelpie, I have not forsaken thee!

2010-04-06T03:47:00.000-04:00

Been a while since I posted. The sail package arrived on time, and everything looks great. The instructions are very complete, and it looks like even a novice like myself can put a sail together with a little practice.

I'll start on the headsail, because if I screw that up, I can always sail on the main until I get a new jib. Of course, I'll do some practicing even before I try the jib to attempt to prevent any screw-ups... and the wife does have a nice seam-ripper, just in case.

Not much headway has been made for a week or so now, as I'm trying to finish up school for this quarter, and that has to take priority. Should get going on the sails next week, and after my vacation (going on a cruise!) it should be warm enough in the garage to get going on some epoxy work.

More later. In the meantime, check out Sailscape

Facebook

2010-03-13T19:23:00.000-05:00

Linked my RSS feed to Facebook. If you are reading this from Facebook, and you want to see the whole blog entry for a day, click the header, then click "View Original Post"... it will bring you here.

Rudder, Tiller, and Centerboard

2010-03-13T18:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Connor and I sanded and put a second coat of clear on the Rudder, Tiller, and Centerboard.

I've realized I will likely need to make some adjustments to the tiller to make it attach properly to the cheek plates and rudder due to the fact I deviated from the plans a bit to make the tiller large enough to carve something into. I'll have to play that part by ear.

Sail update...

2010-03-12T21:15:00.002-05:00

Sail packages should arrive on the 15th! I'm super excited. While this will be one of the biggest projects, and certainly with the sewing, the one that I am least familiar with, I think its going to be pretty fun.

Plus, its a large project... the physically largest creation project for the boat, and probably about as complex. Completing this will move my completion schedule along smartly. I'm trying to have it complete and tested by the first week of June, the annual Man-folk Fishing Getaway for our family.

I've started looking for a mast. I need a 15 foot aluminum or wooden pole of sufficient strength. I may go with a laminated spruce 2x4 approach that they talk about on The Wooden Boat Forums.

More on Sails

2010-03-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

Got an email today from Sailrite telling me that my order had filled. Its definitely the most expensive part of the boat. For 2 sail kits, it comes to the following:

tem Name/Code	Qty	Description	Options	Rate	Amount
18204	1	Die Set Spur #3 - 7/16"		$32.00	$32.00
Sailkit	1	3.1M Jibsail Kit, 4oz Tanbark Dacron, set flying, luff 2520mm, foot 1120mm, leech 2260mm			0.00
937	3	Dacron Sailcloth 4oz Tanbark 36"		$14.95	$44.85
100106	1	Sail Design		$50.00	$50.00
454100	1	Instructions			0.00
20228	1	Thread V-69 Brown Polyester UV 1oz (350 Yds)		$5.00	$5.00
20306	1	Seamstick 1/4" Basting Tape (60 Yds)		$4.95	$4.95
26310	3	Grommet Spur Brass #3 (7/16")		$0.35	$1.05
217	9	Tape Dacron 5oz FOLDED White 2"		$0.35	$3.15
4444	9	Tape Dacron 4oz Tanbark 3"		$0.80	$7.20
560	2	Sailrite Adhesive Backed Logo			0.00
123	1	Sailrite Catalog			0.00
Sailkit	1	3.1M Mainsail Kit, 4oz Tanbark Dacron, sleeve luff loose footed, two leech battens, luff 3850mm, leech 4220mm, foot 2360mm.			0.00
937	10	Dacron Sailcloth 4oz Tanbark 36"		$14.95	$149.50
100106	1	Sail Design		$50.00	$50.00
454100	1	Instructions			0.00
20228	2	Thread V-69 Brown Polyester UV 1oz (350 Yds)		$5.00	$10.00
20306	2	Seamstick 1/4" Basting Tape (60 Yds)		$4.95	$9.90
29105	1	Hand Sewing Needle #16		$1.75	$1.75
29206	1	Twine 5-ply Waxed Bobbin (81 Feet)		$2.25	$2.25
386100	1	SurLast 3861-0000 Burgundy Aztec 60"		$14.25	$14.25
26310	3	Grommet Spur Brass #3 (7/16")		$0.35	$1.05
22202	1	Elastic White 1"		$0.35	$0.35
27115	3.5	Batten Pultruded Material 5/8"		$1.70	$5.95
27201	4	Batten End Caps 5/8"		$0.40	$1.60
560	2	Sailrite Adhesive Backed Logo			0.00
Discount					($39.48)
Total					$355.32

Sails

2010-03-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

Ordered a sail kit from Sailrite, an Annapolis based sail loft that will sell you a kit to make your own sails. I purchased a kit for both the main and the jib in 4oz tanbark Dacron. Pricey, but what's a sailboat without some sails?

The Kelpie

2010-03-07T20:40:00.001-05:00

Okay, I've started a Blog for Kelpie, my 3.1m tender I am building from plans I bought from Radoslaw Werszko at dinghy.pl. Apparently, I'm the first one to begin building one (sayeth Radoslaw), so I feel compelled to post some pictures of my progress.

I have completed the rudder, the tiller, and the centerboard, more or less to plan, out of red oak. I finished them with a MinWax mahogany stain, and sealed them with a polyurethane finish... about 20 minutes ago. Here are some pictures of the shop, the pieces drying from wires in the ceiling, and the cheek plates traced and ready to cut as soon as I can remember to bring earplugs down to the shop (the jigsaw going through steel is noisy).

Which brings me to an interesting point. I find myself following the plans--more or less. There are minor variations here and there, based on material availability and whim. One good example is the tiller. I decided to carve a little sea serpent there, as you can see. That was a valuable lesson... I'm not meant to be a woodcarver, but it was fun.

Another example is that everything in my plans is metric, but I live in the good 'ol US of A. Therefore, I went into this with the knowledge that everything will have to be made to fit, and I have resolved myself to best imperfection I can achieve.

If she floats, sails, and tacks when she's done, I'll be happy.

Well, tomorrow is another coat of sealer, then the cheek plates will get cut, drilled and sized up. I have all the hardware for the entire rudder assembly with the exception of pintles and gudgeons. Tomorrow, I also call Sailrite and order up a main and head sail.

Enough for now, check back every few days for updates, and until then, enjoy the pics of the work so far and my cluttered, dirty shop.