Happiness is a Warm Spool Gun

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Panope

Color choice.

Panope's hull has always been black and as far as I am concerned it will always be black. I selected the white with green accent colors as a tip of the hat to Washington state's historical and current working boats.

Pic #1 - From the mid 1800's to roughly WWII, a network of private steamers and (later) diesel powered craft known as the "Mosquito Fleet" crisscrossed the Puget Sound carrying all kinds of passengers and light cargo.

Pic #2 - The Foss Tug company started in the late 1800's with a single white with green trim rowboat and grew to become the west coast's largest tug operator.

Pic #3 - I was 3 years old when the Walla Walla was brand spanking new (1972) and I thought riding on it was the greatest thing ever. Later, with one parent on one side of the Puget Sound and the other parent on the opposite side, I was riding these state run ferries just about every weekend .

Steve

Ah, the "Virginia Vee". Spent a whole lot of volunteer hours on that rebuild at Lake Union Drydock. Great boat. We still get requests for "Foss Green", which is an actual color name.

Light at the end of the tunnel is nice, eh?

[Panope]

Originally Posted by minaret

Light at the end of the tunnel is nice, eh?

Is it ever! I have had big, epic projects hanging over my head for a long time - house 7 years, boat 13 years.

The best thing about finishing the big projects is being able to start (and finish) smaller, fun projects without the self imposed guilt.

When my daughter gets a little older and if interested in a project with her dad, something like this would be a hoot to build over some long winter with the shop's wood stove blazing away.

PocketShip: 15-foot Fast-Sailing Pocket Cruiser with Sitting Headroom and 8-foot Berths! Pocket Ship Plans

Steve

[Panope]

Walker Bay 8 Dinghy Modifications.

A common omission to dinghies of this size and type is a second rowing station for use when two people are aboard. These dinghies row well when one or three people are aboard as trim remains correct. When two persons are aboard, the transom sinks below water line and "digs in" to the water and creates quite a bit of drag.

A seat that allows the rower to sit one foot forward was made from 1/2 inch plywood. A second set of oar lock sockets were installed one foot forward of the stock sockets.

The stock walker bay oar lock sockets were plastic. These sockets along with some hull structure in the gunwale were discarded. New bronze sockets in UHMW blocks were installed.

I use a single line davit lift that has a bridal with very obtuse angles. This bridal exerts a very strong horizontal force that I felt would overwhelm a single fastener in plastic. Aluminum plates were fabricated to distribute the load over a greater area.

Steve

[minaret]

2 stations in an 8'?! You must be a small man with a tiny crew! I would think you'd just elbow each other a lot without going much of anywhere. Even in a 10' it'd be a stretch. It's challenging in my double station 12'8" that was designed for this, with sliding seats, 7' sweeps, and the works. Gonna take a whole lotta practice in that WB!

[minaret]

Ah, now I get it-I'm a moron, you're just trying to trim the boat with single rower and passenger. Much saner.

[Panope]

Originally Posted by minaret

Ah, now I get it-I'm a moron, you're just trying to trim the boat with single rower and passenger. Much saner.

Yep, just looking for proper trim.

Hey, wait a minute. Now that you mentioned it, why cant the person in the aft seat have their own set of oars? The two rowers will be face to face. The two sets of oars will be one foot apart so if not synchronized, some knuckle clashing might occur.

With a little practice, I will have the most powerful WB8 in the world. Those 20 horsepower RIBs wont have a chance at catching us. Maybe my daughter will be the first person to wake-board behind a rowboat!

Steve

[Panope]

Wheel pilot.

Via a crash course in autopilots (This thread: What Type/Brand Autopilot?), I chose to get the infamous Raymarine wheel pilot (as part of an EV-100 system).

I chose the wheel pilot for its low cost and because it could be mounted in a very small and convenient place.

The machine is indeed a very light duty and somewhat flimsy feeling unit. I have powered up the system and activated the drive motor. It does move the wheel with authority and precision. Judging by how much 'hand resistance' the machine can power through, I believe it will be plenty adequate for motoring and light air sailing.

Pic #1 - Router jury rigged for machining of 'true' mounting points on the (home made) wooden wheel spokes.

Pic #2 - Clutch handle is perfectly accessible to the helms-person.

Pic #3 - Very tidy appearance from inside pilot house.

Pic #4 - The bracket that Raymarine supplied was designed for a pedestal mounted wheel (not used). I fabricated this bracket for my unique situation. The purpose of the bracket is to keep the 'motor half' of the unit from rotating.

Pic #5 - The drive motor extends through the aft bulkhead of the pilot house. A blister (yet another) will be created to cover this protrusion.

Steve

[Panope]

More Autopilot/steering details.

Pic #1 - I dislike having to build stuff twice but to make room for the autopilot control head, I had to move the VHF radio upwards about a half an inch. VHF cutout was modified by cutting top and filling bottom with Quick Fair. Instrument panel is 1/4 aluminum - welded to boat. Yes, it is a little overkill but the extra thickness allows machine screws to be tapped (no nuts on the back of panel).

Pic #2 - Auto pilot control unit (Grey box - partially hidden) just fit behind panel. "Seatalk" network is visible just in foreground of control unit.

Pic #3 - All lit up. Storage area under seat is for ship's paperwork and charts.

Pic #4 - "Window" is 1/4 Plexiglas. A view-port to monitor what is going on in the electrical area (fire?).

Pic #5,6 - Wheel pilot needed some clearance. Groove cut in removable panel.

Pic # 7,8 - Between the various blisters, clearance grooves, holes, and trim details, this has got to be one of the most complicated helm installations ever. A fun challenge - good thing I am not in to big a hurry to finish the boat.

[Seaworthy Lass]

I can see a bit too much greenery in those photos.
When are you going SAILING?

[Panope]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I can see a bit too much greenery in those photos.
When are you going SAILING?

Come hell or high water, May 1st.

The boat is about 260 feet above sea level, so if the water gets high enough, it could be sooner.

Steve

[Panope]

Lighting.

I purchased most of the lighting for Panope from Bebi Electronics prior to their demise. Unfortunately, I did not get one of their dome lights for the main saloon. I tried a couple of mass produced LED dome lights and found them to produce the most awful, harsh light.

Pic #1,2,3 - Home made saloon dome light uses Bebi LED warm white clusters. Wood is Cedar. Large round shape covers gaping hole in overhead where former mainmast protruded.

Pic #4 - One of the mass produced lights that I tried to use in the saloon. Light is too harsh inspite of it being labled as "warm white". It is O.K. for use in the head.

Pic #5 - I got four of these wonderful Bebi lights. 2 in the pilot house and 2 in the galley. Nice looking, fantastic light quality, neat little indicator light that makes in easy to find in the dark, very reasonable price. The oval shaped metal piece behind is my doing.

Pic #6 - My daughter and I were in West Marine and she found this light for her birth and had to have it. Not too bad of a product. My only complaint is the metal that the base is made of is a little too thin.

Pic #7 - 2 Aft deck lights. These are Bebi light clusters mounted under the radar mount inside welded aluminum tubes. They face downward kinda like spreader lights.

Pic #8 - All around/anchor light. Bebi Owl. Mounted on a piece of 1 inch PVC pipe atop radar mast. The bolt not only is a place to tie off the securing wire, but also carry's the weight of the electrical wire inside.

Perhaps the "high end" marine lights have decent light quality but I just cannot afford $200+ per fixture.

The demise of Bebi Electronics really was a bad thing.

Steve

[Panope]

Dueling pistol..............

First two versions of this trim piece/hand hold failed. Wrong glue, too cold, impatient. Three times a charm

Steve

[q240z]

Great thread! You got some mad skills! It's interesting seeing the different challenges sailors have to deal with during refits compared to powerboaters. Can't wait to see your next installment.
Cheers,
Q

[Panope]

Originally Posted by q240z

Great thread! You got some mad skills! It's interesting seeing the different challenges sailors have to deal with during refits compared to powerboaters. Can't wait to see your next installment.
Cheers,
Q

Thanks, Q

I also have noticed the vastly different character the various construction/refit threads (on Cruisers Forum) have developed. I agree that the boats are all quite different, but in addition to that, the different personalities of the builders seem to give the threads themselves a unique quality. I really enjoy reading them all.

Steve

[Panope]

34 foot, 14,000 lb., Beer holder.