yachtrodney - Launched at Last (after 15 years)

[cat man do]

Hi Rodney, I've been involved in a few cut and shuts and even hacked into my own boats before, but that is something else.

I was pretty impressed and have flicked the link on to a few mates for a look.

Well done

Dave


These pic's were done by clicking on with right mouse button, pressing copy and right clicking on your post and selecting paste.

This seems to work on any site for me.

[yachtrodney]

well let's see how we go with this copy and paste straight into the post window

didn't work

where exactly did you 'copy' the image from

and where exactly did you 'paste' it to

Rodney

PS I 'attached' these uploaded URLs to the message

[cat man do]

The steps as I do them


1] I click little page (quick reply) at bottom right of your post

2] I hover mouse cursor (hand ) over Rodneys mug on post above and right click mouse

3] I select and click copy

4] I come back down to this post with cursor (now a big I ) and right click



5] and selcted paste, and Rodneys mug appeared.


This also works from other pages eg:



From "World-class cruiser " article here World-class cruiser


Hope thet helps.

Dave

[yachtrodney]

it only works from post to post - within the site
not for images from other sites

[yachtrodney]

but it apparently worked OK with IE

[bob kingsland]

Hi Rodney: I've browsed this forum for some time but have never felt the urge to post until now. Having spent 28years building a 50' boat, I can identify with some of what you've been through and felt I had to write and congratulate you on a tremendous and magnificent accomplishment. The amount of work it took to get your project this far is mind boggling, and my hat is off to you. Congratulations, and the very best of luck. Bob S/V Restless

[Ram]

WOW Great JOB!! Unbelievable -- Welcome!
I wondered if a large helecopter could have moved the yacht?
Ram

[yachtrodney]

Bob - what a magnificent vessel - a work of beautiful craftsmanship as well - I hope you don't mind me copying these few here. That's an impressive website you have too - and it's plain too see from the quality of the yacht detail and the organization of the site that you are a man who takes pride in doing things correctly.

As you know - for the most part yachtbuilding can be a very solitary - and isolating existence - as the rest of the world of 'normal folk' cannot deal with level of commitment and the timescales by which we operate.

In this world of the 3 second attention span - it is impossible for most people to think in terms of a particular job or project taking weeks or months to create - let alone the patience of years - or decades to build a yacht.

Yes - it is a wonderful thing to see your creation afloat in all it's glory - and in your case - it is a thing of real beauty. Yet as wonderful as that is - as the yacht was being lowered into the water - I said 'if it goes straight to the bottom - it will still have all been worth it' - as you would know - for us - it is more the journey of building and perseverance - that have shaped the days and years of our lives - it is only others who judge our success by this final moment.

I hope you enjoy the peace and pleasure that 'Restless' ness must give you.

I look forward to seeing more of your beautiful yacht - as soon as you can put the pictures up.

And I do appreciate your taking the time to send me your congratulations and thoughts.

Rodney

[yachtrodney]

This was a suggestion occasionally dropped - but the reality is that not even the 'Thunderbirds - International Rescue' could have done it.

The biggest helicopters in the world today can only lift 30-40 tons - and the yacht weighs in at 76 tons.

Here is a link to the 'biggest helicopter in the world':
Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Largest Helicopter in the World

And can you imagine how much it might cost - even if it were possible - and I wonder what the authorities might think about a helicopter(s) carrying a 76 ton yacht right across the Metropolitan area.

No I'm afraid it's just the stuff of Hollywood - not real life.

Rodney

[Ex-Calif]

This reminds me of moving the Spruce Goose. I keep going back to the cut photos. Looks like it was done with a razor blade. Brilliant!

[yachtrodney]

Penny and I have just returned from a dinghy expedition - giving a repaired motor a run - and done the rounds of the yachts out on the moorings in the Bay. As to be expected it is a varied group - from strange hermits to friendly happy folk - who are settled and happy to be living aboard - for years. I'm sure we'll fit in somewhere nicely in between - and add further to the mix.

********************************

The hull was cut entirely with dry masonry/stone cutting discs on a Makita Electric Saw - with a few places inside and the frames being done using a big Metabo Hand Grinder - fitted with the same Masonry cutting discs.

Masonry discs can easily cut through steel as well and had no trouble with the five-eight rods that make the frames - but 'steel cutting' discs CANNOT cut masonry.

I did not at any time - consider using 'wet' concrete cutting saws - as suitable - nor did I ever invest several hundred dollars in a diamond saw - as the masonry discs seemed to do the job just fine.

So the large masonry discs did the entire job - and the Makita Saw seems as good now as when I started.

The discs were only 3mm thick and made a perfect clean 3mm cut - by running the saw along guide timbers bolted on using the drilled plate holes. The plates which had already been fitted and the hull drilled - and bolted up - had been removed - and 3mm thick steel spacer strips were inserted every few feet and on each frame - to ensure the hull remained in exactly the same positon. These same painted spacer strips were put back in place all along the cut everywhere - at the shipyard too and bedded into the sealant - before the top was lowered down - so that the 2 sections were in the exact same position as when the plates were fitted and all the holes drilled.

This has all proved to work fine - as so far every bolt hole of the two thousand or so - has lined up perfectly and the bolts just slipped straight in cleanly.

I would say that on average the large discs which only cost about $4 each at the hardware store - cut about 1 m of the ferro-cement - using them carefully and in slowly deepening passes - rather than forcing the cut along at full depth - which just wears the disc away faster. So all up - I would be surprised if I actually used 100 of them for the entire job.

The inside of the yacht with it's odd shapes and corners - and the unbelievable dust generated - was by far the hardest and worst part of the job. The outside - working in the open air - and even better if it was windy and blowing the dust away - was - by comparison - 'easy' - if you could call any of it that.

Rodney

[Islandmike]

Incredible, I am stunned at the work that must have gone into this whole project.

[By Invitation]

Rodney,

I am very impressed by your determination - my hat goes off to you. I must ask this one question though and I appologize if I offend you in any way. Why not just lay the boat on it's side and transport it that way? It seems the obvious solution, am I missing something here?

[yachtrodney]

Good Morning All -

There is a simple reason for not transporting the yacht on it's side.

The beam of the yacht is the exact same - as the height of the hull. (in fact a couple of inches more)

The problem was that the hull was 20' high - and it also has a generous beam of 20' - so laying it on it's side - even completely at 90 degrees - didn't help

Rodney.

[Morgan Paul]

Rodney, more power to you man. You are F-ing nuts. But thats OK!! You have inspired me to get off my lazy deppressed ass and get my boat ready for the Spring splash. Penny is a pisser.

Good Luck,
Paul