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Thread: Getting Ready for SHTP 2021

  1. #61
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    Since it didn't smell like epoxy, being all wrapped up with duct tape 'n all, I put the wrapped vane mast in my study under the ceiling heater vent last night. Today, during a break from work, I pulled off the duct tape and here we are...

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    Why did I do this? In fact, why use a fiberglass mast at all? Answer: because I saw that the Mister Vee vane uses a fiberglass mast, and I had it. I know how tough the stuff is, so why not? Anyway, why make the sleeve? Because it's a course-setting system. The whole vane carrier has to rotate on the mast so you can align the course with the prevailing wind, right? Well, that sleeve fits very closely around the mast, enough to not wobble at all, but not so closely that it won't spin easily.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  2. #62
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    I've improvised a remarkably successful plastic bushing thingamabob at the lower end of the vane carrier and the end result is that the vane rotation is almost frictionless. YAY, me. Today was spent doing little stuff...figuring out the exact sizes of parts, dry-fitting and thickening the base of the wind blade.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  3. #63
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    I'm going to keep writing this for myself, even though I expect nobody is paying any attention....no worries.

    Today I put the counterweight in the pendulum oar.

    When I made a windvane back around 2006, I tried it out on my Santana 3030. I well remember the day, chugging out of the harbor, with the pendulum oar rammed hard over to one side. I could not ever get it to center. The WINDvane part worked great. It was almost bit-for-bit a version of one of Walk Murrays vanes. However, the pendulum oar just would not work. I finally gave up on it.

    As I was contemplating this windvane, I got to thinking about that issue and it occurred to me that I made the pendulum oar out of 1 x 5 pine. That floats, right? When the oar is straight up and down, the force of the "floating" is straight up. But the moment that pendulum oar moves even a couple of degrees out of exactly vertical, it's going to float to the surface, which means sticking way the heck off, out to the side. How to fix this?

    Well....how about adding some weight to the bottom of the pendulum oar?

    I was out for a walk the other day, and I came across a steel contracters stake, lying in the street. I grabbed it, knowing that I needed both this counterweight and the counterweight on the windvane. Today I flew by the seat of my pants, and hacksawed out what I thought might be enough weight for the windvane counterweight, from that stake. I eyeballed it, weighed it in my hands and made a vague, wild guess about how much weight might keep the oar more or less neutrally buoyant. I knew that the weight had to be in line with the axis of rotation of the oar. If it was significantly off from that axis, when the oar was out to the side, the weight would tend to make the oar rotate, and keep it working hard on the rudder, even when the course was corrected. So in fact this piece of rod is very close to the axis of rotation, maybe the center is 1/4 inch behind it.

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    Last edited by AlanH; 04-09-2020 at 08:19 PM.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  4. #64
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    There's nothing scientific about this...I didn't measure anything, I just guessed. I figure if it's not right, I'll make another oar.

    Anyway, the piece of steel was wirebrushed to clean it up, and I hit it with a file and sandpaper to really get the rust off. I packed it in there with sawdust/wood dough in epoxy.

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    It's all clamped together on my high-end workbench, here. The wax paper is there so the epoxy doesn't stick to the wood I'm using to keep it flat. Hmmmm...maybe I should have folded it over so there were two layers.

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    Last edited by AlanH; 04-09-2020 at 08:35 PM.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  5. #65
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    I ordered the autopilot almost two weeks ago. It's been 8 days since Defender shipped it. I hope it arrives tomorrow.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  6. #66
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    Jul 2016
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    Bodfish, CA
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    I wonder if these posts would be as informative and entertaining if a fully equipped heating shop was used. Idle speculation at this point in time.

    I am waiting on completion and test sail, of course.

    Ants

  7. #67
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    Thanks for commenting, Ants. I look at the photographs that the guys on the Wooden Boat Forum put up, and I marvel at their shops. Most are complete with multiple antique heavy cast iron planers and band saws, and overhead air filtration systems. Me? I put my tabletop mini-table-saw on the driveway, and have my sawhorses out in the front yard. Little stuff gets done on the recycling bins. I wish I had a tabletop drill press. Of everything, that one tool would increase my accuracy by a significant margin over hand-holding a drill.

    Oh, and a vise...a vise on a really solid table. I wish I had a really solid table I could mount a vise on.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  8. #68
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    We usually direct our resources to the things that are important to us.

    Build or buy a solid table and get a vise. If there's no room in the garage, make room.

    I'm sorry, I really don't understand.

  9. #69
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobJ View Post
    We usually direct our resources to the things that are important to us.

    Build or buy a solid table and get a vise. If there's no room in the garage, make room.

    I'm sorry, I really don't understand.
    You should see some of these shops, Bob. They're impressive, they're not just garages!
    Last edited by AlanH; 04-11-2020 at 12:16 AM.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  10. #70
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    Yesterday I sanded the epoxy/wood mix that locks the counterweight inside the pendulum oar, and put on some microballoons/epoxy-spooge to fair it. More progress today; I fiberglassed the pendulum oar. I had a bit of unidirectional carbon fiber left over, and figured I'd use it to stiffen up the oar. Those black strips are not one single piece, though everything below the waterline is one piece. The longest part is about 3 1/2 feet long. Then there are two, approximately 1 foot pieces above that overlapped by a couple inches, to carry the carbon fiber to above where the lower pintle will be. It's not optimal, I'd rather have one continuous piece, but I used what I had and the overlaps are significant.

    The fiberglass is all one piece, 8 ounce stuff.

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    I'm wearing Tyvek forearm protectors, you just can't see 'em. The oar is supported at the ends by deck screws driven into the ends of the oar, and then balanced on the ends of the sawhorses.

    I clamped the trailing edge of the 'glass below the waterline to at least attempt to get a really fine edge on it. There was one spot where the glass just would NOT lie down, so I have an extra layer of wax paper there, and it's smashed flat with clamps and boards. I also compressed the sides of the oar above the waterline just to make sure I got really good bonding.

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    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

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