Long Steps Build #2

Posted on by
Reply

This week I finished cutting out the third sheet of 3/8″. Scoring the lines with a knife before jigsawing does stop the splintering, but that quickly got old. I’ve started cutting out the parts within 3/8″ or so of the line with a jigsaw, then doing a more precision job at the bandsaw. I’ve had really minimal splintering that way and I can get it accurate enough that just a few swipes with a plane takes things down to the line. I also had time to epoxy the two stiffeners on either side of the stem.

If there are a pair of parts I only draw one and cut that out as accurately as I can. Then I use it as a pattern for the other side and jigsaw that out. A few temporary screws holds the two together so I can run it through my router with a follower bearing. This has worked really well and is an easy way to get things symmetrical.

Like a lot of boatyards, there’s an abandoned Fuji 35 in the corner slowly rotting away. I’m trying to keep costs to a minimum so the boss let me salvage anything off of it I could.

So far I’ve got some 14″, 10″, 6″, and 4″ cleats. Three fairleads, assorted blocks, a tether, and some bronze. I’m toying with the idea of casting a few things for my boat… I’ve wanted to give that a try for a while. Not sure what I’ll do with those big cleats though. Maybe mount one to the mast for the flag halyard?

Long Steps Build

Posted on by
Reply

I guess it’s official, I’m starting a new build! In 2019 I launched my Ross Lillistone First Mate and I’ve put a bit over 600 miles on her. It’s a great boat, especially single handing or for a pair who know how to sail but lately I think my use case has changed and I want something different. After a ton of research I settled on John Welsford’s Long Steps and in December 2022 I bought the plans. It was a little unnerving since I could only find one or two that had been launched, but I figured if this is what John was designing for himself to circumnavigate the north island of New Zealand it should be good enough for what I have in mind.

Here’s the size difference between my 15′ First Mate and the 19′ Long Steps. I really want to do more camping and Long Steps will be a lot easier to get set up. The open cockpit will be simpler to sleep in and I’m excited to try out the benefits of the mizzen. Last summer I motored out to a sandbar quite a bit with my wife and son and some more room would be nice.

Unloading 21 sheets of Hydrotek plywood. Of course it had to come right as we were getting ready to fiberglass up an old through hull on a boat, hence the gloves. My plan is to build this thing on my lunch hour.

Over the last year I’ve been slowly converting the hand drawn plans to CAD. I then ran the drawings through nesting software and let my computer crunch on it for half a day. It got me a little closer, but it was still better in the end to do it by eye. There’s just so many pieces and I found it easier to use the software on the big ones and then squeeze in everything else. If all goes well I hope to save 1.5 sheets of 3/8″ ply!

A benefit to 3d modeling everything is that I can add the stiffeners to the bulkheads and get a good idea of how things are supposed to fit together. Better to get this figured out digitally than to try figuring it out with a cup of epoxy in hand.

I started with the easiest sheet first and plotted out all the points with a T square made from the shipping crate (the rest will become the strongback). I later sharpied lines every 100mm on the blade to help me gauge where to put the mark. This is my first project in metric and there’s been a bit of a learning curve since I have no feel for how long anything is.

Eventually I got six parts jigsawed out and planed down to the line. I knew meranti was supposed to be pretty splintery and it certainly is with the jigsaw set in orbit mode. Changing to a straight cut helped, but I eventually found cutting downhill to the grain worked the best. Sometimes I plunge cut in the middle of a part to get a more favorable angle.

Labor Day 2023

Posted on by
Reply

On Labor Day we took Moga back out to the sandbar at Gwynn’s Island. There were quite a few boats, although not as many as last time.

I think Henry enjoys sitting in the boat wiggling the tiller back and forth more than he likes the beach. Another favorite pastime is climbing forward and getting the excess anchor and dock line all tangled together around the belaying pins on the mast partner.

He did have a great time playing in the water though. He’s pretty fearless which makes it difficult to do anything but keep an eye on him. The first time we introduced him to water at a lake he just started walking out and would have kept on going if we didn’t stop him once the water was up to his torso.

Around midday I noticed a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk doing laps in the Bay off the side of Gwynn’s Island. After a while it started doing long back and forth runs up past Stingray Point. I assumed they were looking for someone, or possibly doing a training exercise.

Here’s the track from a flight tracker. The sandbar we’re at is between the two most southerly runs.

Eventually I learned someone found a floating life jacket and the helicopter came all the way up from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It’s both insane and comforting to know the Coast Guard will spend thousands of dollars an hour flying around just to investigate a life jacket that had in all likelihood been blown out of a boat.

Heading back after a long day. Every crab pot buoy we passed Henry would point and was sure it was a “baaaallll!”

Going out the trolling motor consumed 151 wh over 2.62 miles for an average of 57.6 wh per mile at an average speed of 3.5 mph. On the return trip it consumed 177 wh for an average of 67.6 wh per mile at an average speed of 3.7 mph.

 

 

Gwynn’s Island

Posted on by
2

Friday night on a bit of a whim my wife and I decided to take the boat around to the sandy beach below Gwynn’s Island for the day. We got launched around 11:30 am and Henry had an absolute blast in the boat. The last time we took him out all he did was scream and try to climb overboard! Once we got there the beach was packed with probably a good 30 boats at times and it was fun to compare and contrast the $50,000 and 310hp boat that pulled up and anchored beside me. Henry had a great time splashing around in the edge of the water, we caught some moon jellies, saw a fiddler crab, and made a friend with Palmer who wanted to play with his beach toys. My trolling motor setup consumed 272 Wh over the 5.3 mile trip for an average of 51.3 Wh per mile which matches nicely with my estimate of 50 Wh per mile from the motor testing.

Headed out to the sandbar. We had coolers, beach chairs, two tents, toys, and who knows what else! Everything with a kid takes twice as long and twice as much stuff as you’d think.

Tucked up by the beach. Recently I melted 6.5 pounds of lead into the stock on my three piece fisherman anchor and capped the ends. It really sets firmly and the lead replaces the need for chain which at this scale wouldn’t weigh enough to do much of anything but chew up the finish on the boat.

I tied a stern line to the beach umbrella to pull the boat close to shore and Henry had a great time swinging the rudder back and forth.

Helping me steer on the way home. I told him all about how starboard and port came to be and how daymarks are red triangles or green squares. Not sure much of it stuck though.

Cape Fear River

Posted on by
Reply

I recently got back from a vacation down to Kure Beach, North Carolina where I practiced with my sextant and had one of the best long daysails yet. I went 27.8 miles in 8 hours, 11.5 of which were motoring with my trolling motor setup I’ve been working on. And I made it through the wake of a container ship with nothing more than a few drops of spray coming aboard!

https://sailingmoga.com/cape-fear-river-2023/

Off to New Jersey

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve never been entirely confident in the trailer’s wheel bearings so I decided to take a look at them in preparation for a 750 mile trip and I’m glad I did. The tapered bearing surfaces on the hubs were full of pits and dings and both rear grease seals were shredded. I bought some new hubs (4 on 4 that fit L44649 bearings plus a pair of 1.983″ x 1.249″ grease seals) and changed them out. It’s a messy job but I’m pleased to say that after 3 hours at 60+ mph the hubs were barely warm to the touch.

I thought my great idea of running individual ground wires to the tail lights would solve my wiring problems forever, but that was not the case. Lately I’ve noticed the right rear light was intermittent or really dim, so after a brief search I found the ground wire had basically turned to powder. Everything was wrapped tightly in electrical tape and I used solder shrink fittings so I have no idea where the corrosion came from. The insulation was crumbly for nearly a foot but curiously the two wires beside it in the same run were unaffected. I soldered on a new section of wire and that solved the problem.

With the trailer sorted I got all the sailing stuff packed into the boat plus the camping stuff I’ve been working on lately. I haven’t been sailing yet this year, but the rig has had all the bugs worked out that I can think of. Hopefully setting up at the ramp won’t take too long.

Last year I bought a boat cover to keep the road grime out of the boat. I finally got around to cutting the straps to the right size and melting the ends so I don’t have a mile of excess to tie up. Driving home there were periods of torrential rain and the inside was completely dry when I arrived.

We took off for my in-laws in New Jersey with an overnight stop at a friend’s place in Maryland. I’m not sure I get the appeal of townhouses… maneuvering an F250 around the narrow parking lot, parking a ways away because the nearby visitor spots were taken, no yard, no garage… Not for me! I much prefer not being able to see my neighbor’s houses for the woods.

Unfortunately it was a washout the entire time we were in New Jersey. I really wanted to do an overnight trip continuing on from my trip last year on Barnegat Bay and while Tuesday was marginal, I really didn’t want to be out there on Wednesday. We’ll probably go back towards the end of summer and I’ll try again.