My
Backyard Boats:
The Harmonica Log, Part Three
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Part
Three: From initial launching to present day -- continued fine-tuning.
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Part
One:
From before the beginning (of the log) to the flipping of
the hull.
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Part
Two: From the outfitting of the interior to the
loading onto the trailer.
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03
August 02: We
launched today! It was fun, and on balance
it was for the best that we were alone for the event,
since we took on a few gallons of water through some screw
holes that need to be plugged. For more pix and text about
the launch day, click
here.
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Trying
out the duckboards.
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Underside
getting screws.
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08 August 02: I finally made the duckboards, after
putting the job off for a week or two. I didn't know how
hard it would be, so I kept doing other stuff. It was
easy, as it turned out. I used some yellow pine I got
a while back, and an equal amount of white pine. I alternated
the two, and the duckboards in the stern section are of
half-inch yellow pine over 3/4 white pine stringers. I
used boat nails on the stern duckboards, and boat nails
and screws on the duckboards for the cabin. I was off
by a hair on two of them but was able to trim to fit.
Next I'll epoxy both side of each duckboard section, probably
two coats, and then two coats of marine varnish.
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At
left, the rough epoxy work that stopped the leak.
Below, duckboards dry in the hot sun after receiving
epoxy coating.
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10
August 02: The big news is that the boat did not leak
this last time we went for an outing (yesterday). A rough
bead of thickened epoxy where two pieces of plywood are
joined did the trick. There is a batten of 1x4 pine that
reinforces the joint, but the plans specify a gap for
water flow and dryness. This makes sense but creates a
weakness where strength is needed. The epoxy made the
difference. I sanded the duckboards and put a coat of
epoxy on them this afternoon. I like how they are coming
out. There is still some work to do on the interior trim
from white pine and some work on setting up the galley
and cabin. We are beginning, after two outings in the
Harmonica, to see what we want to do about such things
as awnings and placement of cleats. Yesterday, we took
a four-hour trip from the launch site in Middleport to
the lift bridge at Medina.
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At
left, the town wall at Holley on the Erie Canal.
That's an electric service -- free. The original
idea for the Harmonica is reflected in the original
name -- Fusebox. Jim Michalak envisioned the boat
for little lakes in southern Illinois, but he
noticed later that the small marinas on the lakes
had no electrical service for recharging batteries.
But on the Erie Canal, the Fusebox idea lives
on. At right top, photo shows new location for
batteries. At right bottom, the new sun awning
we made from striped cotton duck.
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17
August 02: Still doing finish work and making changes.
I put the batteries (yes, I got a second battery, a mondo
jobber of 230 minutes of reserve power, which is about
double the one we started out with) up on the forwared
edges of the benches in the stern, to get the weight a
little bit more forward so I can leave the batteries in
place. Moving those big boys has been killing my back.
Happy to report that the boat rode fine on the trailer
with the extra weight, partly because I put all the other
stuff forward in the boat to keep some weight on the hitch.
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Photo
above shows stain from leak. At right: Epoxy
bead on top of external chine clamp.
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28
August 02: Still having a little bit of leaking in
the chine seam on the starboard side toward the bow. I
put a bead of thickened epoxy from stem back about five
feet. The top of the external chine clamp had opened slightly
for a foot or two, and there was a black line that in
the worst case would be moisture-related. Hope this fixes
the balance of the leaks. This last problem is more like
sweating than leaking, but it has to go.
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Stern
light in place. I'm going to raise it with a pierce
of 2x4 to clear the cabin top 2x4 a little more.
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Bow
light sits on new bowsprit, with screw eyes to lead
the anchor rope aft to the cabin.
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Photo
at right shows a neat idea for a cleat: Take two
pieces of fir, one shorter than the other; stack
them, and secure with two bolts. You've just made
a simple and strong cleat.
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14
September 02:
I've been working on a project for the anchor, and then navigation
lights. The anchor was just going over the bow, so I made
a bowsprit and used a screw eye to guide the anchor rope.
Then I was going to add a pad eye and roughed one out in 2x4
poplar, but then when I was warned by the Sheriff's Department
patrol about not having lights, I realized that the pad eye
wouldn't work because it would shield the bow lights. I went
with a second screw eye place on the side of the bowsprit
to lead the rope back on the centerline into the cabin. I
have a cleat on the centerline, but it is small, and I'm afraid
that it could catch someone by the trouser cuff as they entered
the cabin from the deck and cause a nasty spill. On
the outing where I attracted the negative attention of the
sheriff's patrol, I saw a neat cleat on the
North Tonawanda boat launch dock. It is two pieces of fir
stacked, with the lower piece shorter. The two are bolted
together, creating a strong cleat that is the ultimate in
simplicity and style -- in oak it would look like a Craftsman-style
touch. I want to try this style out on the Harmonica.
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It
was a sunny day today, and windy, too, for the
final putting to bed for winter.
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08
November 02: Today marks the official end of the boating
season at my house. I opened up the garage and set the
Harmonica to rights, bringing the cushions inside so the
stray cats that get in there during the winter won't impart
to the cushions the same aroma that clings to the walls.
There will be a lot of work to do next spring on the bright
work and the paint, and the electrical system, too. Can't
wait.
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Part
One:
From before the beginning (of the log) to the flipping of
the hull.
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Part
Two: From the outfitting of the interior to the
loading onto the trailer.
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Herkimer
&
Perkins
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