Happiness is a Warm Spool Gun

[Panope]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

Panope

What a great story this is turning into !

Nice balance of technical and human interest... (ever thought about a book? including stories from the schooner days)

Thanks for indulging my immoderate curiosity about details - that steering system is a sheer delight to a mechanismophile...

I should have joined the dots better: I'm thinking now you see the only disadvantage of the location of the wheel being the postural implications when steering from inside the house?
I was looking at it through the wrong lens, given that you've affirmed the purpose as being "inside passage" rather than offshore, (where it might conceivably be necessary to have the doors dogged shut while steering from the cockpit)

I was going to ask how you formed the domed ends of the blister, but when I opened the photo close-up (great photo quality, BTW) I think you must have hogged it out of solid round bar ! (Did you use a router with a big semicircular bit to hollow it out? - or am I way off beam again?)

I collaborate with a neighbouring machine shop who make a lot of repair and replacement parts for aeroplanes (military and civilian) and it was quite boggling for a frugal wee soul like me to see them producing slender angles and I Beams weighing a pound or so, along with 44gal drums full of swarf, from massive billets of certified 7075

7075 as you probably know is one of the aerospace alu alloys, which regrettably fizzes in salt water. I say regrettably because it's amazingly strong and wonderfully nice to machine. However a friend tells me Optimist masts at the racing level - and not just elite racing - are now made from it.

The world's gone crazy, when a cheap boat for kids has morphed into this fragile parody of the old chestnut which describes sailing as 'going nowhere slowly at huge expense'

Me a writer? Cannot imagine it.

Yes, From the beginning the goal has been to optimize for the Inside passage to Alaska. If I had wanted to go offshore, I would have left Panope exactly the way my father built her - schooner rig and all. She was set up perfectly for it - small, easily handled sails, sheet to (temporary) tiller steering and no big windows to worry about caving in. I might one day like to see what the "big wide ocean" is all about but this could be easily accomplished on someone else's boat as a crew person.

I did not mean to fool ya, but the domed ends of the blister and many other components were all done by hand and eyeball against my disk sander. The blister is a slice of thick wall tubing with additional slices cut at a 45 degree angle and butt welded to the ends. There was enough "meat" to allow removal a bunch of material too create the dome look. Most of the other rods with domed ends are actually tubes with globs of metal welded to the end in a crude manner - then rotated against the disk sander by hand and eye.

Pic #1 Inside of helm clearance blister

Steve

[Panope]

Originally Posted by tropicalescape

Great looking welds ,you are a true artist.Someone was asking about a proper companionway on here ,I think you have ...good luck ...

Thanks tropical,

Sometimes my decent looking welds even penetrate properly! I really should have taken a welding class a long time ago.

Steve

[Panope]

Beaching leg.

The weather was foul for working on the fore deck hatch so I knocked out a beaching leg today.

I have officially given up on antifouling bottom paint. We have lots of tide in our area so in the future I will beach once a month or so to clean the bottom. I will continue to haul the boat for the winter months so I am looking at 4 or 5 beachings per year. Our marina prohibits bottom scrubbing so even if a took my fathers offer to use his dive gear (I have never dove with air) I would still have to go outside of the marina.

The leg will allow me to clean both sides of the hull on one tide. An anchor will be rowed out abeam. A halyard to the rode will make sure she lays over the correct way (and keep her over so I do not get squished because of some freak occurrence of off balance).

The foot on this leg is removable for compact stowage. However I will probably store the leg at home mostly. I suppose if one day I can make an all summer long journey to the North, I could find a place onboard. The upright is a little over 5 feet long.

The attachment at the gunwale is via the 1 inch bolt through an unused (from the old schooner rig) chain plate pad.

Not sure if the surface area of the foot is large enough to not sink into the sand. I have the length set up to give about a 10 degree list. Panope displaces 14K lbs. so not a lot of weight on the leg. Perhaps someone from England with experience with this type of thing will chime in (Atoll?).

Steve

[David_Old_Jersey]

A bit slow coming to this thread - well worth the wait as some awesome work . She kinda reminds me of Thai Fishing boats (and I mean that in a nice way!).

In regard to that wheel - could even make it foldable, never seen it done before on a traditional wooden wheel but common enough in large stainless steel versions.

Anyway, will keep an eye on this thread .

[Panope]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

A bit slow coming to this thread - well worth the wait as some awesome work . She kinda reminds me of Thai Fishing boats (and I mean that in a nice way!).

In regard to that wheel - could even make it foldable, never seen it done before on a traditional wooden wheel but common enough in large stainless steel versions.

Anyway, will keep an eye on this thread .

Glad you like her. I do seem to be drawn to the look and feel of the working boats.

I did consider a foldable wheel. After using my current set up on the water, I found that ingress and egress is really not a problem. Not even annoying. Just a little "shift of the hip" as you go by.

Steve

[Andrew Troup]

I was reminded of the exquisite work of a practical modeller, who takes liberties with scale in order to make their models sufficiently robust, and who mulls over details for however long it takes to be happy with them before cutting metal.

[Panope]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

I was reminded of the exquisite work of a practical modeller, who takes liberties with scale in order to make their models sufficiently robust, and who mulls over details for however long it takes to be happy with them before cutting metal.

Although I do see myself becoming more and more patient and able to stick with longer, time consuming projects, I still need to see results quite a bit faster than a project of this quality could bring.

Also, I have always taken on projects that are full size or useful and therefore I have not done much modeling - even as a kid.

Perhaps in another 30 years I might settle into a project that. Maybe a micro machine-shop built into Panope's saloon. Hmmm..............

Steve

[Andrew Troup]

Steve

I understand exactly what you mean about modelling: When I was a kid I used to help my Dad with it out of solidarity, but haven't pursued it since, despite having everything it would take. There's so many useful things to be made it's hard to get enthused about things which are purely eye candy...
(although a remote-controlled working model of an overarm digger, capable of serious gardening duties - now there I can see the appeal...)

The thing about your work which most reminded me of good modelling practice - especially models which kids might be operating - was the proportions: nothing fiddly.

I suppose that's a tendency generally with alu boat practice in comparison with, say, steel, because alu is not as strong ... but it seems to me that in your work there's an additional sense of honest workmanlike "do it once and do it right" robustness, simplicity and fitness for purpose.

I was also amused by the story of your father making the wheel before the boat. A friend of mine did exactly that ... and the reason he made the steering wheel in the first place was that his eye fell on a large discarded wheel rim from a seed drill leaning against a tree on his farm, and he suddenly thought "That would make a great former for laminating a teak wheel rim". So he got some carbon fibre and some teak and turned up a stainless hub and went to work...

Then he made a pedestal, based on a classic Edson, and it too was a work of art.

Ten years and two marriages later he had a BEAUTIFUL 40' sailboat, which he explains by saying that, having built the wheel, he needed something to steer with it. (Incidentally, the boat ended up rather too modern for the pedestal, so he ditched it and build another....)

It must have been quite unusual to choose alu in the US when your Dad was fixing to build a boat. I'd be interested to read any thoughts you might have about that - and about why it still seems not to be a popular material in your part of the world.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by Panope

Glad you like her. I do seem to be drawn to the look and feel of the working boats.

I love working boats as well, which is why the IOR boat is so funny, but I also love efficiently and dislike engines, hence the light air and windward performance of the new boat being a priority.

She reminds me of some of the chilean fishing boats.

I did consider a foldable wheel. After using my current set up on the water, I found that ingress and egress is really not a problem. Not even annoying. Just a little "shift of the hip" as you go by.

It occurred to me that a few of the spoke ends could simply be made to unscrew when at anchor on a traditional style wheel to increase the space around it if needed. Obviously it's not a problem for you, but got to get these ideas down on paper before I forget about them..

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

....

It occurred to me that a few of the spoke ends could simply be made to unscrew when at anchor on a traditional style wheel to increase the space around it if needed. ....

Snap, SnowP ! I had the same thought.... it even occurred to me they could do double duty as belaying pins :-)

[Panope]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

I love working boats as well, which is why the IOR boat is so funny, but I also love efficiently and dislike engines, hence the light air and windward performance of the new boat being a priority.

She reminds me of some of the chilean fishing boats.


It occurred to me that a few of the spoke ends could simply be made to unscrew when at anchor on a traditional style wheel to increase the space around it if needed. Obviously it's not a problem for you, but got to get these ideas down on paper before I forget about them..

That's a great idea for the wheel spokes. I could see a threaded insert of bronze and a corresponding threaded stud. Although chopping off the entire spoke would have been more heart breaking than just the tips.


I took a trip (2007) via airline to Chile after I was well along with Panope's rebuild. There is a resemblance. Maybe the next big modification will be a big removable fish hold right in the middle of the saloon. I am not opposed to any modification as long as it works for some real purpose and does not ugly (to me).

Here are a few pictures I took in the Ancud, Chile area. I really liked thier hull shapes. High, bluff bows above the water line for dryness, but quite fine and slender below water line. They look easily driven and I assume are only moderately powered.

Steve

[Panope]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

.............It must have been quite unusual to choose alu in the US when your Dad was fixing to build a boat. I'd be interested to read any thoughts you might have about that - and about why it still seems not to be a popular material in your part of the world.

Your right in that aluminum was not to common here in the 70's on any boat other than small riveted skiffs. Today, welded aluminum boats and structures are more common here (West Coast) among working boats and smaller sport fishing boats.

My Father was introduced to sailing, the idea to build an aluminum boat, and the idea to sail away one day by a close family friend (CF member MichaelC). I do not know where Michael got his inspiration for aluminum, but his sailing background was firmly rooted in traditional stuff - and still is.

Noteworthy is that my father loves aluminum as a boat material but he never learned to weld. In fact he dislikes doing much of any work with metal.

Here is a picture of dad's current boat. He is semi retired from the marine biology thing but is still a fishing maniac.

Steve

[MichaelC]

Steve, your workmanship is awesome. I remember when you were little, no mechanical device was safe in the same house. You had this overwhelming need to figure out how they worked so you disassembled everything!! We used to laugh about that .... most of the time. I am glad that when you disassembled Panope, you put her back together, even if in somewhat different form. I remember your Dad building that wheel. You come by your workmanship honestly, even if his is wood and yours is metal. One of my prize possessions is a cribbage 'board' made from elk antler that Lynn made for me. Your companionway doors are flat artwork. How cool to see you putting this out here for all of us to follow along. And yes, you should definitely think about assembling this into a book. Love the pic of your Dad on his motorboat!!! We chose aluminum for the boats largely on Tom Colvin's advice, and because we could get the hulls pretty cheaply from Greenwhich Boats in BC. It is fantastic material.

[Panope]

Fore Deck Hatch Hardware

Pic #1 and 2. Latch fabricated from 3/8" 6061. Rod (with acorn nuts) was fabricated from two 1/2 inch SS bolts (with heads cut off) butt welded together in center.

Pic #3 and 4. Hinge is designed to allow removal of hatch by sliding sideways. Sideways motion is prevented by the slot when hatch is in the closed position. Hinge pins are an Interference fit (very tight) to slow the work of criminals.

Pic #5 and 6. This hatch is important for emergency egress from the forward cabin area. My 4 year old daughter has limited strength. "Helpers" of bungee cord are tensioned to make the hatch almost weightless in the closed position.

Steve

[Panope]

Stairs

Two sets of stairs were fabricated from 3/16" aluminum plate. Step surfaces are made of Starboard.

Pic #1,2 and 3. Stair leading down into pilot house. Stairs are removable to allow access to lazarette. Not pictured (not yet built) are "walls" for the pilot house footwell that, in conjunction with the stairs, will seal off the engine/mechanical area from the interior.

Pic #4 and 5. Stair leading from pilot house to main cabin. These stairs are permanently fixed to the engine box.

Steve