Trip To The Jersey Shore

[Ariel 109]

Thanks Ebb!  Admit I didn't get it and I had to look it up.


From a review on Amazon on Carter's book "Why not the best?".

 "He takes the title from the question Adm. Rickhover asks of all naval  cadets,  'in your life was there ever a time in which you did less than  the best?'  He would follow up the question with "Why not the best?"  as  a way to focus young men, including James Earl Carter, on striving for excellence."

[Ariel 109]

Some more shots from the S-Boat rudder project.  We need to increase the thickness of the S-Boat's rudder post in order to match the thickness and fair to the front edge of the new rudder.   The ideal is to epoxy two thin boards to each side of the post that we can then form down to shape.  I had to chisel and hand plane down the surfaces to a flat plane first.  I still have so more work to this end.  Kind of exciting and intimidating hacking into a boat like this one, slow and easy.  I held off the power tools for now.  

[Frenna]

Seeing as how this thread seems to have become, in part, a reading list, I offer up the following:
 
The Water In Between by Kevin Patterson.
 
I have read most of the cruising narratives out there in my day, especially the "classics", by Miles Smeeton, John Guzzwell, and so on.
 
Found The Water In Between in a used bookstore, never heard of it, and thought "ah, what the hell". Turns out to be one of my favorite vicarious cruising reads. Answers with some credibility what it would have been like to have both the resources and lack of commitments in one's late 20's or therabouts to have actually gone cruising on the Pacific. Especially as I would have wanted to do it, with minimal experience and vague expectations.
 
What I really like about it though, is how well written it is. I really found myself appreciating Mr Patterson's perspective and self-depricating honesty and self curiosity.
 
Since this seems to be going down as the coolest spring in recorded history in the northwest, the Pacific cruising fantasy seems to be coming on strong.
 
A local weather blog had the following image to remind its readers of the crappy weather:
 
Here is the book and amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Water-Between-Journey-Sea/dp/0385498845#_

[Ariel 109]

Frenna, I really enjoyed your last book recommendation "Sloop".  I'll keep an eye out at the Strand for this new book.

Everyone has always been welcome to post on the "Trip to Jersey Shore".   If you have something you want to share and it kind of fits into the  general theme of the devil and the deep blue sea I beseech you to add to  this thread.  

Ben

[Ariel 109]

I was given this teak and rope boarding ladder, great simple design.  Put some new white rudder bumpers on the rungs and oiled up the teak.  

[Ariel 109]

Here's another shot from ongoing the S-Boat rudder project.  Epoxying two boards onto the rudder post to allow the new rudder to be properly faired to the keel.  It would have been a whole lot easier to make a new rudder post except that would have entail removing several large 3/4" bronze lag bolts that seem very firmly entrenched.    

[Commander 147]

Ben
 
I'm not sure I fully understand what it is you are doing on the S-boat. But then I've never seen an S-boat rudder assembly so I don't know what it is supposed to look like.

[ebb]

Right!  Can see what Jerry's talking about.
So you got those timbers tight against the keelpost
but it sure don't look like there's any radius there for a rudder to turn.

Would seem to me that the rudder shaft would be a single piece of wood
if it is indeed built that way.
The ruddershaft would be round in the trunk (up to the tiller) but carved out and flatted on the aft side for the first plank of the rudder blade to be attacht to.
Built a small one like that once outta teak.
But the round rudder post or shaft was carved from a single piece of timber that became part of the rudder blade.

It's just that the pieces you have blocked and clamped for gluing look rather light.
Perhaps it IS the keelpost (stern post) that you repair not the rudder or rudder shaft.  Damn words.:confused:

[Ariel 109]

Sorry for the confusion.  Keelpost or sternpost is what I was calling the rudder post.  From this moment on I will refer to the said structure as a keelpost.  Note that in the future if by the off chance that I refer to the rudder post I mean the rudder stock which everyone refers to as the rudder shaft.  

The S-boat rudder hinges on the keelpost.  The rudder's leading edge is rounded convex and the keelpost back edge is rounded concave.  The rudder nests into the keelpost's concave back edge.  The boards I added to the keelpost are to rebuild the sides of the concave back edge.  Ah, it will all be clear soon, I hope......

[Ariel 109]

The next little step.  Roughing out a block of wood that will fair the bronze rudder stock as it passes through the keelson of the S-Boat.  It's like making a little Henry Moore sculpture.  As you can see the old one has seen better days.  I need to take the new piece up to the boatyard and check the fit on the hull before I can begin carving away.

[Commander 147]

Looks like white oak. Not the easiest thing to carve.

[ebb]

Certainly looks like the bamboo wrapped handle of a Japanese pull saw in the photo.
No blade showing,  but it could be you have there a favorite of mine:
The Azibiki.  
Seldom seen in catalogs or hardware stores.
Lee Valley carries one size.  You have to go to the Japan Woodworker for selection.
The large size (5" blade, eg) would definitely be  useful on your S-boat restoration.  An amazing tool.
Known as a mortise saw, but I've used a small one for everything around the shop.

Every boat builder (indeed, every carpenter) should have one or three in his kit.
(Course it's not going to slice whiteoak like a bandsaw can!)

imco THE most versatile - and best kept secret - hand saw ever invented.:cool:

[Ariel 109]

Jerry, I think I'll do most of the hand shaping on that piece of oak with with rasps and finish with sandpaper.  

Here's the rest of the saw.  I bought this Dōzuki saw, my first, about 20 years ago in an old hardware store in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles, like a movie set in a Roman Polanski film.  Use it all the time from cutting dovetails to PVC pipe.  I own a little japanese metal file for keeping it sharp, which is easy to do.  I have a few other japanese saws but this is my favorite.  And it's hand engraved on the blade with the makers name.  

Ebb, the only Azibiki I own is the Marples one they sell at Home Depot.  I need to find a nicer one.          

[Ariel 109]

Pondering Ebb's coffee maker, I don't like bitter coffee.  Would this be right for me?  

What did fly off that boat in New Orleans?  

 More progress on the S-Boat rudder stock fairing.

[Commander 147]

Ben
 
If that is your attempt to copy the original piece you seem to have a few things wrong. See how the original has really irregular shaped sides? Not at all like your remake. And the rudder shaft hole in the middle... it's perfectly round on your remake which is not al all like the original. I think you need to work a little more at it my friend.  :D
 
Seriously... it's looking good. I'm enjoying the progress photos.