220 l water tank

Today we made the last fixes to the starboard 220 liters water tank. It is a Vetus flexible tank that sits in a compartment under the settee. Seems to be working fine, except for the grommets in the corners. One was ripped out when the tank was full. I suppose it was there only to use on an empty tank. Maybe when the tank was hanging on a pin in the shop.

Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. We will use a couple of seat belts to secure this airbag.

It was good to finally being able to use the sink.

Progress pics

Some pictures of the progress:

Navigators bunk

This is a good illustration of how hard it is to take photos of the interior. Everything is covered in tools, and unpainted surfaces are ugly.

Steering station port frame.

8 mm stainless steel. 200 M5 machine screws. 13 mm thick polycarbonate. Will it hold up to the furious waves of the outer skerries of the Stockholm archipelago this summer. Probably.

The dinghy on deck.

The good thing about flush deck. The dighy takes up no space at all. Maybe we are going to take down the work bench while sailing, though.

Foredeck.

The bow rollers will be bolted to the mahoghany. We will need some sort of pulpit as well to be able to climb up the bow.

That’s all folks!

Fenix in the Summer Isles

A picture of Fenix, a junk rigged boat we met in the Summer Isles, west of Ullapool some years ago with our old boat. We were heading north up around the Orkney islands and Ben was coming south from the Faroes. Funny thing is that he lent out a cruising guide for Orkney to my parents earlier that summer when they met him, so we could return it, since we made some copies. Anyway, the boat seemed to sail real well. When we got to Ullapool some kind of border police interviewed us for quite some time about if we met some other boat in the Summer Isles. We didn’t give you away Ben!

Junk rigged Fenix

Fun with Makrolon ™

Sawed out the windows in Makrolon. The same polycarbonate as Lexan but the Euro-version. Interesting material to work with. We have quite a lot left but no idea of what to do with it. Here is a good source of all construction methods. It also tells how to make that cool looking dome. I see no use for it when we have an inside steering station, though. Maybe I could make an astronaut helmet. I could have that when driving my Vespa. Should be better than an ordinary helmet, no? More ideas about what to do with the left overs?

Fun material. Makrolon.

More pics and new launching!

Routing rabets in glassed over plywood for the steering staion ports itch. Spread dust all over the neighbor boats as well. Anyway, here are some new pics on the bow rollers and the kids in the dinghy:

Anchor trial in bow roller.

I really like our new dinghy. It can take a lot of people, and I could haul it up on deck alone if needed. And it sails!

More bow rollers and deck house windows

Some pics from yesterday:

Bow rollers platform.

It actually looks thicker than it is from this direction. High quality mahogany is a really really nice wood to work with.

Portlights cut-outs in the steering station.

See my Festo jig saw on the work bench. I really love that saw.

Bow rollers

Think that you anchored at a place where the swell builds up and you need to leave. You let go the snubber line that holds the anchor, motor up to the anchor as you take in the slack on the windlass. Then you need to break the anchor loose, so instead of the crank you need to use the lever. Now, let’s say the anchor is stuck around some old railroad track or something else that doesn’t move. (A railroad track happened to us once in Skagen.) The bow moves in the swell. How much strain will be put on the bow roller?

I have no idea, but it should be a lot. So, to be able to sleap without bad dreams on board, we decided to try to make the bow rollers as strong as the anchor chain.

This is what it looks like at start. (Guess how many people came up with the same joke: Are you destroying the boat?)

Holes in the Bulwark for bow rollers platform.

Bow rollers hardware.

The platform is made of laminated mahogany

Mast

So, my mother and I raised the mast today. It is really easy when noone have to run around deck trying to get those wires attatched.

We changed the halyard from three strand to a braided one for less friction between the parts. And also changed to a wooden block, as you can see. And put some new tar on the servings of the grommets and whippings.

Mast crane

Linnea from above

Mast top with new wooden block that will hopefully give a better lead

Moldy battens?

Some of the bamboo battens grow mildew last year. Will try some treatment this year.

But what is best?

Paint? Varnish? Cuprinol? Nothing?

Suggestions, please!