SCAMP #434 Build - April Progress Report

This month's focus will be on finishing up the sail rig and doing some sailing.

Our last boat was a twenty foot, 1600 lb Chebacco and its primary anchor was an eleven pound Bruce copy with eight feet of 1/4" chain and 150 feet of 3/8" rode.  I liked that anchor it did the job well for our sailing conditions.    For our SCAMP I purchased a 4.4 pound version of this type at Steveston Marine for $25.  Added to this is eight feet of 3/16" chain and 100 feet of 3/8" rode.  This will be the primary anchor system - compact, strong and tested.

The secondary anchor will be my old Chebacco backup anchor which is a six pound Danforth copy with five feet of 1/4" chain and 100 feet of rode.  This is a popular design with small boaters but I have found it a little awkward to store and deploy compared with the Bruce.  It is the bomb for holding on sand or mud bottoms.

Together these should cover our anchoring requirements.  Will be picking up an 'Anchor Buddy' system as well for anchoring close ashore.

It being a dampish couple of days at the cottage I took this as an opportunity to rearrange the furniture so I could lay out the boom, yard and sail a get lashing things together.

Laying out the sail.  This Neil Pryde sail is a thing of beauty.

Lashing and lacing on the yard

Use 'OB pull starter cord' for lashings - cheap and available by the foot

Outhaul setup on the boom - Thanks Curtis for the salvaged 18" of sail track! 
Cleat will be added after rig is on the boat so I can determine optimal position. 

Done - boom is easy as it is loose footed

Loosely furled - Bristol fashion!

Rig storage 

Next will be to  be to set up sail/boom on boat to determine block locations.

Through interweb searching I found a pretty little solution for holding the anchor rode on the centre line of the pram bow.  This is a Davey & Co. 4" bronze, straight, lipped, deck fairlead.  Purchased from Green Boat Stuff and at $37 US a bit of an indulgence.  Perfect for the job I think.

Simulated mounting on my kitchen counter - so shiny and not green (yet)

Installed with three bronze screws

Well due to some rather nasty weather towards the end of the month and our preparing for our long walk next month (Via Francigena from Lucca to Rome) no sailing happened.  June for sure!

Spring has sprung!

SCAMP #434 Build - March Progress Report

With my fast forward move of purchasing an aluminum mast from Gig Harbor Boats I am now able to concentrate this month on:

• Build boom and yard
• Fit mast to boat
• Attach hardware and rigging
• Install oar lock mounts
• Install motor mount
• Purchase motor
• Launch that puppy!

I have been fussing around with boom/yard thinking - Sitka spruce? Doug Fir? Solid? Laminated?

In the end I visited my local Gibsons Building Supply and after a bit of searching was able to find a 12' and 14' clear boards from the grade 2 kiln dried 2x4 construction spruce stack.   Total cost less than $20.  I know this may add a little weight but if this is a flop I have little investment.  The boom will be the full 1.5"x 2.25"x 136" but for the yard I scaled it up a bit to an oval cross section of 1.5" x 1.75" x 150" (plans show a 45 round cross section).  As my friend Jamie Orr once said "Just build it. if it works - great.  if it doesn't work - build it again."  Wise words.

Nice clear 2x4s

After laying out lines and cutting tapers with circular saw

After ripping to width on table saw

Cleaning up tapers with jointer plane

My Dad's Stanley No.7 jointer plane is the ideal tool for flattening out the long taper and rip cuts.
This tool was given to him by my Mom as a wedding gift in 1948.  My lee Valley block plane for size perspective.
Farley supervises.

 

Sanded and wiped down

Two coats of varnish

I had previously laminated two 3/4" pieces of plywood together which I now bolted to the Duckworks engine mount using countersunk bolts.  Added a coat of varnish for good measure.

Purchased a new Honda 2.3 hp, air cooled four cycle outboard motor at the local Honda dealer.  Was lucky as I got it for $955 which was about $200 off the list price.  Sale due to last years model and 'Boatshow' pricing.  Sweet little motor.  I was very happy with my 5 hp Honda OB I had on my last boat.  I promise to maintain good gasoline hygiene practices which are so important for these little four strokes.

After much fitting and measurements I mounted the the motor mount and it seemed about right.

Need to cut bolts to length and use nylock nuts

Looking good!

With a little jiggling I was able to mount the centreboard with the pivot bolt.  I ended up using a 7/16" bolt rather than the 1/2" as it was easier to insert but I did notice a bit on lateral movement of the board which may or may not be due to this.  May switch this back at end of season. Sealed and screwed the cover plate over pivot bolt.

Rigged the CB lifting lines and everything worked beautifully

With the CB in place and the panel screwed down, motor mounted, trailer licensed and an unseasonably warm stretch of weather we decided that March 20th would be a good day for an unofficial 'builder's launch'.  Off we went to the Gibsons Marina!

At the ramp - strap off, CB up, motor on, rudder on, pay for launch, PFDs, dock lines attached...always feels like I'm forgetting something

Really digging the light weight and ease of launch

Very cozy and comfortable for a 11'11" boat - even for a couple of six footers!

Farley gets a rub down after he fell overboard

Blow dry!

We spent a few hours motoring around our local Shoal Channel before a stop at Plumper's Cove to stretch our legs.  Back to the ramp and home.  Very slick.  The boat and motor both performed beautifully.

The Gig Harbor mast came with an upper plastic spacer attached.  It was a wee bit too wide so I removed it and planned it to fit.  They gave me a couple of plastic blanks and from one of these I was able to fabricate the mast step that I then attached to foot of mast with self tapping screws and sealant. 

Offset mast supports to achieve the correct mast angle

Stepped - nice and snug and straight.  Good colour match too.
I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of stepping this 12 lb mast.

Next step was to attached the halyard and down haul fitting and associated cleats to the cabin top.

Keeping it simple with 1/8" plywood backing plates, over sized washers and 3M sealant.

Oarlock mounts were next.

Mounted with 3/4" bronze screws and generous 3M 5200 adhesive

Simple fix with a length of bungy and plastic hooks to keep the fenders neatly stowed but out of cockpit when not deployed.

Finally had a chance to try out this portable solar charger. Thanks for the recommendation Hagoth!  Quite impressive results - charged my old Samsung tablet from 0 to 58% in three hours at 16 degrees Celsius.   This is going to be really useful when away from shore power.

Parthian shot...

A view of Shoal Channel and Plumper's Cove Marine Park from Soames beach.  And Farley.