Manie's Microcruiser

[Manie B]

Yes its official
The fun has started
The first cuts of the new boat

And just for the folks that are asking why, here are a couple of basic answers
1 Love sailing
2 Must have trailer sailer - 2 Berths - mono balasted keel boat self righting
3 I live in a third world country - if you cant make it yourself you wont have it - period
4 Amazon will not send to South Africa because of theft - over and done
5 The wind still blows :D

Who knows maybe i am addicted to the fumes of epoxy and the smell of marineply saw dust.

Here is an interesting article on how to shape foils

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/09/howto/foils/index.htm

[Wynand N]

The first cuts of the new boat....

is the deepest;)

[Knut Sand]

Cat Stevens...?

[BHOFM]

Why do I feel some how responsible for this??:P :P :P

Looking for regular updates!

And more pictures.

[Manie B]

You betcha :D

feel some how responsible for this

when i was much younger my head nearly spun off backwards when a pretty girl walked by :D

now my head still spins around - mostly for a pretty boat - must be that old fart thing :P

only one teeny weeny problem
after 2 very good days of building in my cold garage (winter here)
my hands, back, feet, arms, EVERYTHING bloody hurts
farkit you must never stop building
you cant believe how fit it keeps you :idea:

[Manie B]

BHOFM this was definately YOUR fault

every time you felt something stabing you in the back - it was me with my vodoo doll :P



http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/manies-shiny-dinghy-26675.html




he he, but i learned sooooo much
and that finally pushed me over the edge

Microcruiser - way to go man !

dont know about you - but there are lots of boats that i still want to build - oh dear oh dear ;)




look carefully you are also going blind :P

[Wynand N]

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/manies-shiny-dinghy-26675.html


and I now have the privileged to own that dinghy and she has a special place in my showroom. Want to finish it off completely for my grandson:cool: I have time though, the little guy just 13 months of age now.

Thanks for the gift Manie....

[BHOFM]

BHOFM this was definately YOUR fault

every time you felt something stabing you in the back - it was me with my vodoo doll




http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/593/weatherr.jpg

It's just tooooooooooooooo hot to work in the shop, I think I will take
my newwwwwwwwwww boat to the lake and cool off.

http://www.daemonstv.com/images/fox/stewie_griffin1.jpg


:P :P :P :P

[Manie B]

We had a long weekend, today was Youth Day and many folks took yesterday off. This was actually nice for me as i had 4 days to build.

So here is the start of my centreboard that will carry the bulb keel.
It may be a bit of over kill but one thing is for sure that when i go around the Cape of storms ( Cape Town ) and i fall off one of those 30 foot waves my centreboard wont break :D :P :D :P

one layer of carbon fibre and two layers of aramid then two layers of woven glass and finally all encased in stitched multi directional glass

[Manie B]

Well here are some pics of some serious back-breaking stuff.
All good so far, everything according to plan.

I am really happy that i started building this boat arse end first, it is oh so easy to slap a hull and deck together first and then the damn thing stands forever and everybody keeps on asking when is this thing getting to the water. The small stuff takes forever and can be soul destroying at times, but is a pleasure when done.

The pics show the carbon fibre centre layer - two outer layers of aramid - another two outer layers of stitched glass - and finally the entire thing will be covered in glass and painted white with a 2 part paint. And for those that may not know i only work in epoxy.

Now that i am back into it, the program is
1 centre board and bulb keel
2 centre board casing
3 two rudders - swing up - complete with tiller
4 wind vane steering
5 transom - and fit rudders and outboard bracket
6 build framework to layup hull
7 hull

also a drawing of headroom in the cabin

well enjoy - who knows - the boat could actually float :P

[apex1]

The pics show the carbon fibre centre layer - two outer layers of aramid - another two outer layers of stitched glass - and finally the entire thing will be covered in glass and painted white with a 2 part paint.

P

Manie, in the pic # 4 that is a bit too much resin for the centerboard, you know?

[Manie B]

Hi Apex1

shows how easy it is to work with epoxy

mix - pour - have a glass of wine - take a pic - and then back on the knees to spread :D

he he if only :D


my children are convinced that i have lost all my marbles

"Dad are you working on that darn PLANK again"
"Thought you were building a boat"

and then my wife
"Dear what is the point of breaking your body over that dam PLANK"


always remember "Buildi Boatus" is an incurable disease :D
btw thanks for looking ;)

[marshmat]

always remember "Buildi Boatus" is an incurable disease
At least it's normally not a terminal disease :)

When you think about it, building "arse end first" makes a fair bit of sense... you have the full shop to work on all the fiddly bits, instead of trying to assemble them in some cramped corner. You can devote the time and effort to get the details right without feeling like you're obstructing progress by doing so. And when you do get around to the hull, things will go faster and more smoothly, since you won't be stopping every 4 hours to spend a day on some critical part that's holding up the whole show. And it'll reduce the temptation to blow the budget later on by buying off-the-shelf stuff you could have built yourself.

Looking forward to more updates :)

[Manie B]

Jeez - just an update to tell all you old farts out there that i am still alive and kicking :P

I am busy clearing my "workshop" finally
I have been very fortunate to be totally bogged down with work the past two months, especially in this fu3kedup economic climate

so this weekend i am back at my boat building with great enthusiasm
gotta get high on epoxy fumes for a change he he
going to fetch a plank or two tomorrow and make some saw dust :D

**** still no replies from those "crew" candidates, maybe they read Mas's magazines:D

[Wynand N]

so this weekend i am back at my boat building with great enthusiasm....


glad you are returning to a mental state of sanity again Manie:cool: :cool:

BTW, ons het darem die ouens daar onder se gatte goed geskop om nou die onoorwonne en totale wereld rugby champs te wees.. Dit is waarom die ou suur gatte so stil is - is in rou gedompel en onthou Manie, hulle verloor nie baie goed nie:D

This is a little chat between Manie and me, but you can be in on the secret by using this link http://translate.google.com/# but the answer will be dodgy (funny) but you will catch on what was said. Now I also understand why my russian girlfriend's English is so bad. If my wife sees this Im a dead man walking:eek:

[Manie B]

Wynand why are you looking for "crew" in Russia, i thought that is why you went to Thailand recently ;) pity that you never went to say hello to Frosty, he's got that whole lot under control, quite the expert you know :cool:

Oh well if i work really hard you can come and sail with me, that WILL attract attention, two old farts on a microcruiser :eek:

BTW we have to keep our wife's apart or else we will both be gonners ;)

[Manie B]

Well gents i had a super weekend - thank you! your'e welcome! :D

it is very rewarding to see months of CAD and Freeship come together in something tangible, i tested the "fairness" with the temporary "planks" that you see and boy oh boy - she's fair - beautifull and smooth.
I must confess that i certainly had my moments when i thought - phew too sharp curves, but no problem all fair and NOTHING tortured.
Now the next step is too see how well the lofting goes with the data of the Freeship plate development program, must say it looks good so far.

anyway i sat in my "boat" with a glass of wine afterwards "visualizing" ;)

and just to show you fella's some culture i listened to the songs in my heart :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ToL7p6HL3Q&feature=PlayList&p=05775143E1D79736&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXUaRwCygg0&feature=PlayList&p=CD9F88906F1DD408&index=0&playnext=1

[Fanie]

Well cool Manie, I see you finally added two planks inside your fish bones :D

Are you going to add some more or keep it like that :rolleyes:

[Manie B]

Fanie i am planking directly onto the fishbones, quick and easy.

So far the lofting is good (pencil lines very faint), all nice and fair, i am hoping to lay the "keel" this weekend and then of course we will see if the Freeship files and CAD really do understand each other, obviously within the parameters of this "old fart" programmer's lack of capabilities :P

at least i have Mas's running instruction manual helping me along, nothing to beat "hands on" :D

[masalai]

Excellent Manie,
Do not let the jealous detractors put you off your course to a better destiny... Go to it Sir...

"Thank you for your feedback on this post. It has been noted in this user's reputation." dues posted - see - here is the receipt for the "cheque"

Manie, If you cannot see where you are going, your glasses are on the sheet where you were lofting the lines:D:D:D:D:D

[Fanie]

Fanie i am planking directly onto the fishbones, quick and easy.
Looks to me like the fishbone is going to make a lot of resistance in the water :D

Finish the bloody thing... I wanna see if it is going to float ;)

I was going to give you points for the clean workplace but Jeff says NO !
I bet it sucks working when it's that clean. It must feel like you're not progressing any...

[Manie B]

hey you guys mustnt give this old fart a hard time :D

[masalai]

Well, You will need something hard to cope with your "crew":D:D:D

[Fanie]

Somehow I don't think that's what he had planned for that 'crew' he was going to get :D

[Manie B]

And a very good evening to you gentlemen

I am smiling because the first batch of lofting is done and cut and ok

I am very happy to announce that importing Freeship lines into CAD is ok, tricky but ok, not sooooo easy but ok.

My main concern was would the Freeship hull lines, after manipulation and general fu3king around in CAD, match the plate developments boundary co-ordinates as given in Freeship as a word document CORRESPOND ?????

I used the Freeship hull lines to build my "cradle" jig

well it works BRILLIANTLY - accuracy is within 1mm and all i now have to do is trim down, because it is very complex to allow for plate thickness in the hull development on such a small project. It would basically mean too much time spent on CAD which is not worth it.

I have measured and remeasured and its all good - i basically just laid the panels into the frame loosely for a pictures sake, but its all going to go together just fine

off to have a glass of wine ya booogers
see ya
he he
:D

[Manie B]

jeez sorry in such a hurry to get to the wine forgot to post the bloomin pic

[Fanie]

Nice going Manie, it's slow to have to do everything alone, but you're getting there. Every thing you do is one step closer...

[JeroenW]

Even a small step forward is progress!

[masalai]

Well Manie, you just got more timber, show us and what you did with it:D:D:D:D

[Manie B]

velly velly appy today

looks ok

5 hours last night - not bad for an old fart :D

[masalai]

OK, that is a start, what else did you do?

Bloody neat Manie, now you have started, Don't stop there:D:D:D:D

[Manie B]

Well my guilt finally got to me this weekend and i said to myself that you must get a frikken move on you old fart, stop procrasternating and build a boat :idea:

anyway with all the recent inspiration on several threads
and Mas's dream team thundering along with internationally accepted top superb standards

i got GOING ;) 4 hrs fri, 10 hrs sat, 8 hrs sun, not too shabby hmmmmm

all hull panels lofted and cut, a to z, bow to stern, port to starboard, transom

keel joint = epoxy 1x 50mm and 1x 100mm tape over putty
peel ply worked well
sanded down for smooth finish

9mm marine ply hull will be totally glassed inside 450 gm outside 750 gm

as tired as i am frikken mondays come too soon :mad:

[Manie B]

Oh and one of the guys i met during the week commented that my hull lines looks like a Transat Mini
IT IS - i basically scaled it down - so from the 'waist' down it is a scale version of a Mini
Mini's are 6,5 x 3,0 my "mini mini" is 5 x 2.3 - same ratio

he he - with Wynands help and enough PU foam we will get it to float, dont worry folks it may be a **** sailer but gee its a kewl coolerbox for beer
keep ya posted :P

[Fanie]

Ah ha Manie ! 4 hrs fri, 10 hrs sat, 8 hrs sun is too much sleep ! :D

[masalai]

Well done Manie...

[Manie B]

Working on a Monday evening after a really hard weekend is "challenging" every muscle hurts, knees, back and what not
wouldn't it be nice to be 29 again (he he half my age)

here are all panels now assembled - goop tape and all :D

total so far 133 hours

[Fanie]

Good going there Manie. Don't stop, you can rest when you're on the water :D

[masalai]

Nicely Manie - look for bigger gravity clamps, and coloured "polyester taffeta" looks nicer as peel-ply - If you buy the 50m rolls at about 1.2m wide, use a hacksaw to cut of a rolled section by tape-ing either side of the, "cut line", with gaffer or some other handy tape that you can easily remove just cut off the width of the roll you need... - DO not buy from a retailer but find the "traveller/wholesale source" and have a couple of beers, suggesting that "home building boats rely on amateur networks" and this could lead to a good wholesale business outlet for him as a side line.... Gotta figure out discounts where one can...

[marshmat]

wouldn't it be nice to be 29 again (he he half my age)

He he..... being one of the "young 'uns" has its advantages now and then..... until a major and time-consuming screwup that a bit more experience and wisdom could have prevented.... after which the back and knees are just as sore anyway....
here are all panels now assembled - goop tape and all :D

total so far 133 hours
I kept track of all my hours when building Sunset Chaser, but eight years later I'm still afraid to add them up. Good on you for keeping track!

[Fanie]

wouldn't it be nice to be 29 again (he he half my age)
No way Manie. Immagine how dumb you are going to be :D

[Manie B]

Jeez finally

something that resembles a boat and not just a pile of "planks"

so i had a couple of glasses of wine toooooo many last night and this morning i am feeling rather grim?

next step epoxy and then some more epoxy on joints
then sheath inside complete with glass
then build in furniture ;)

if you want to see how the experts do it on a beeeeeeeeg scale go here



http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/my-little-piece-peace-25962.html



well off to work now, see the last bit of construction that is going on :mad:


cheeerio folks :D

[Manie B]

oops no pic
must be the coffee ;)

[masalai]

OK Manie, fillet joins, then tape with epoxy all the seams inside, then glass/epoxy all the inside, fit the furniture/bulkheads, fillet and tape again then roll over and do the outside - say it quickly and it feels good, but it sometimes takes a bit longer than that:D:D:D Good work, keep going... do not take any holidays but have regular "weekends off" somehow as regular breaks are necessary...

I now have the home build to keep an eye on... Is high enough to catch the breezes and fantastic views.... good luck Manie, Give Fanie a bit of a kick to get him started on his build - and if he is building, some pictures in a new thread... What about Wynand? - - Oh well life continues and people move on...

[Fanie]

Very nice Manie. I can't wait to see her on the water !

Here Mas... http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/multihulls/boxy-fisher-catamaran-26429.html

[phum]

Manie,
Looking good, the older I get the smaller the boat that interests me.
How did you splice the ply?
Peter.

[colfar5033]

looking good manie has come on since i was last there

[Manie B]

Peter

Looking good, the older I get the smaller the boat that interests me.
How did you splice the ply?


I can assure you that i realised that its a small boat or nothing, first reason costs, second reason is singlehanded. My last time at sea was on a 36 Beneteau in very bad weather with FIVE crew on board vomitting their lungs out. We were on a third reef in the main and it was up to me and our very capable young instructor to get back to Durban harbour. That was when i learned i would rather be out at sea alone on a small "egg" much better with only myself to look after. I will be spending my money on the nice to have stuff - radar - AIS - good instruments, composite mast. When you build a small boat you can actually dream about buying the cool toys for the boat.

I stepped the joints with a router
half the thickness of the ply deep - and double thickness wide
this is glued together with epoxy mixed with cotton flock and cabosil
i then tape one side with epoxy and two layers of glass tape (50 and 100 wide)
the oppsite side will get a light sanding with the belt sander and then a 100 tape epoxied on
keep in mind that the entire boat will get a heavy layer of glass over these joints inside (450gm) and outside (750gm)

i dont have space in my build area, i already have to open the door to get into the back of the boat, so i just found the stepped joints to be easier than scarfed joints. What i had difficulty with scarfed joints is that because it is at an angle the one board "rides" up on the other board, so it is more difficult to assemble accurately. With a stepped joint you have positive location.

[masalai]

GO Manie:!: "You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Manie B again" - - One day soon:?:....

[colfar5033]

manie

thanks for photos of join was going to ask you to send as i could not remember how it looked when you showed me

[Manie B]

Hi Colin
i have been at it flat out since your last visit :D
i dug up some of the old pics of the "Jarcat" hulls that show the "s" joint and on the other (which is not clear) the scarfed joint where i used dowel pins drilled thru both boards to locate the boards together when gluing.
The scarfed joints were a hassle, problem is that i first had to "loft" and cut the panels out and then join together.
If you have BEEEEEEG SPACE you can scarf join the full sheets (8x4=2.44x1.22) together and then do the lofting and cut out the panels same as Mas's cat kinda but i haven't tried so cant really say

my method is very fast - very simple - very easy and no way does it break on the join

[Fanie]

with FIVE crew on board vomitting their lungs out. ... That was when i learned i would rather be out at sea alone on a small "egg" much better with only myself to look after.
Come on Manie, a little processed food scares you ? :D

Begin en sit nou die ding aanmekaar toe jong !

[masalai]

"i have been at it flat out since your last visit" - Nice to be able to laze around, on your back or side? - (I snore when resting on my back:o:))

On a rough passage a VC (Vertical Chunder) is not desirable as the disposal of semi-processed food tends to fall back on one and is effectively spread all over the sleeping space and everywhere else:!::!::o

[Manie B]

Colin here are more pics of my chine joints
what i want to show you is that it is easy to work neat and tidy
this is what i was trying to tell you the other day
it is far easier to "sculpt" soft epoxy than to have to sand it afterwards
the first pic shows the seam after the peel ply was pulled off
and the second shows the other seams after a very light sanding
you will also see that my lofting and cutting for most parts are very accurate

doing seams like this takes time - but its easy light work
in the evenings i sand down and clean up one seam and lay another approx 6 meters per evening = 2 to 3 hours
spending that amount of time every evening on your hands and knees is not everybodies idea of fun - but for me its a labour of love :D

[masalai]

Nice work Manie...

[Manie B]

Oh well its been a good weekend, pity its stoooopid Monday tamara sheeeet

i started on the transom yesterday and got it in today
my daughter saw me working on another "plank" yesterday and joked about it

anyway, visible in the top corners are the yellow Kevlar layers that will be part of the "strong" points for the backstays

starting to look more like a sailboat now :D

[Manie B]

Oh and just a tip for the fella's out there

i use wax paper that is used in the kitchen for baking purposes over the peelply, it means that your roller never get "tacky" and stays clean and it is MUCH easier to roll out the peelply. I get excellent results and i dont have that roller lifting the peelply sometimes when the eopxy gets tacky

[Fanie]

I'm impressed Manie !

my daughter saw me working on another "plank" yesterday and joked about it
Revenge is sweet my friend ;) I have friends and family that has no friggin clue what it is that I'm doing. It's when they start with 'why don't you do it like this' that I want to run away :D

Can't give you any points yet... Jeeeefffff !.... but I have to admit it is beginning to look like a boat :D Sure it's not a bakkie canoppy just upside down ? :P

[Manie B]

He he no its not a canopy
but the best still was my son's girlfriend yesterday wanted to know when i am building the other half - say WHAT ? i still cant figure it out :D
outside view - just to "intrigue" the neighbours

[Fanie]

the best still was my son's girlfriend yesterday wanted to know when i am building the other half

She has a point here you know. Clever girl !!! Better look after that one, her thinking is right :D

[Wynand N]

quite a tight fit in the garage. A few millimeter longer and the door would not close;) Im curious though how yo gonna get the mast up with that little headroom:confused: :?: :confused:

Nice work and project Manie.:cool:

[Fanie]

He he... Nice avatar there Wynand :D
Manie could have fitted the boat dioginally into the garage and made it a meter longer.
He will remember this when he's out there ;)

[masalai]

Well done Sir...

[colfar5033]

manie

when you are doing the chine jointsare you using straight sp106 or did you put micro ballons or what and boat is coming on very lekker

[Wynand N]

He he... Nice avatar there Wynand :D


Not me though; representing my country and what better to have an avatar showing the world what the country nowadays stands for and the 45+ million roaming the streets, plundering our homes etc etc....:D :D

Used a picture of one of the more civilized ones that at least combs his hair and knows the meaning of hair gel.

[Manie B]

The chine joints are a mixture of epoxy - cotton flock for strength - and cabosil as thickener - then a layer of 50 mm glass tape - then a layer of 100 glass tape - peelply - waxpaper

Just a note on the size of the boat versus workspace,
when I started with the design i had to very carefully consider my available workspace and i designed to the absolute maximum, i literally have to open the garage door to work on the transom, and at the bow there is just enough space to walk past. It is absolutely important to have an equal space to that of the boat, that is completely open and clean and flat where you can do panel assembly and general cutting etc. So a note of warning to future boat builders NEVER and i mean NEVER build diagonally across a room to get a bigger boat, when you draw it out carefully diagonally across, what you gain is little, but the loss of workspace is catastrofic.

Boat builders in general dont allow adequate workspace, and that slows the build down a whole lot more than what you think.

:D :D just a link of famous small boats :D :D

http://www.microcruising.com/famoussmallboats.htm

so do you want to get out there and sail and cruise ?
or are you going to spend the rest of your life dreaming about the condomaran gas guzzler that you cant afford :P

[colfar5033]

manie

looks like you service your car a lot with all those 5 litre emptys:D :D :D

[TeddyDiver]

Here's a nice "trawler" styled micro for sale.. and it's got a CPP propeller!http://bat.autodb.no/autodb/frame_search.wa2?AdItemId=968769;_cmd=similar

[masalai]

Teddy,? error 503? on the site

[TeddyDiver]

Same here... might be server down or smth.. anyway it worked earlier today. I'll check up later another time..
Still no answer.. better to wait monday when the geeks get back to work..

[TeddyDiver]

Now it works..

[masalai]

Wow, a thumbnail of a thumbnail...

[TeddyDiver]

hmm.. don't know how that happened.. maybe I'm a genie with this www.s-h-i-t.com :rolleyes:

[masalai]

That **** is no good? nothing seems to happen and I have been watching V-E-R-Y carefully for hours... :o

[Manie B]

Well so far so good, i had a very good two weeks now of boat building with this past weekend seeing a lot of action.
At the moment i am sitting on a 180 hours spread over 4 months which gives around 45 hours per month. I could not work on the boat in August as i was too busy at work "trying to make the bucks"
45 hours a month is a lot more than it seems, it really means that you are at it most evenings and all weekends. These are actual physical work hours, planning and nonsence excluded, which means that the wife and children never see you because you are always busy with boats :P

The "height" of the sides is misleading as it gives the impression that the boat is higher than actual. What is happening here is that i am incorporating the "toe rail" into the sides. This "toe rail" with slots below for drainage, is 70 mm above the deck, 40mm wood rail and then 30mm slots for water run off the deck. I dont like the screwed on steel rails because they are too low to my liking and i dont fancy the idea of all those screw holes into the deck, as well as that they are very expensive here. So basically a toe rail as on the old fishing boats.

Keep in mind that the entire hull is covered inside and out in glass, there will be no visible wood and all surfaces will be painted. I started glassing the transom 750 gm and now i can move forward and glass the hull - 750 gm below the water line and 450 gm above. The outside will be covered entirely in 750 gm

I will get approx 400 litres of floatation (pu foam) under the bunks and in the bow
I glassed the centreboard so that i can use it as a mould / plug for the centreboard casing. I marked the slot out which i will cut out soon.

The seams of the chines took longer than expected because i could only do them in sections, this is because as the hull is stiffening up i am removing all screws that are holding the panels to the cradle, so effectively the boat will be completely loose from the cradle so that i can glass the inside.

I am looking forward to the next phase which is building the "furniture" in, this is fun because you are actually "building" and you can see things take shape, the job of glassing and filletting is boring and very tedious.

One thing that i found that really speeds things up is to use normal wax paper over the peelply, this means that your roller is always clean and dry and never sticky, so that you can roll down well onto the peelply and get it to set well. It also means that you get perfect saturation of the glass.

enjoy :D

[TeddyDiver]

I have been watching V-E-R-Y carefully for hours... :o
Was that a real link..? ou s***.. sorry Mas waisting your time.. I was just referring to my own sloppynes with the sh** ;)

Nice work Manie.. I like that waxpaper rolling trikkie..

[Fanie]

My magties man mooi so Manie my maat !

It looks better all the time ! The beeeg hole in the stern, is it an escape hatch or is that where the water can leak out :D

[Manie B]

Mondays i cant walk straight so stiff and sore of being on my knees in the boat all weekend - the age thing is showing up from time to time :D
Jeez so close to sixty- what the fu3k happened to the last 40 years - and wonder i do ;)

anyway took the peelply of this evening and the fillets and joints are good
definately worth the blood sweat and many tears

The beeeg hole in the stern

self draining cockpit and i am mounting the outboard there as well
will show pics as soon as i have the strenght to pick the 5hp up :D

aneeeeewaaaay my fillets and glassing is kinda ok hey - what say you old farts
dont give me **** if you cant show a better one he he :P

what do they say ? keep on boating / building cant remember wtf :p

[masalai]

Manie, to clean those consolidating rollers, burn it off over a lit gas ring on your stove then rinse off/cool under water, comes up just like a new "bought one"... If I remember I will get images of our mixing system for resin & micro-spheres...

I was surprised the link actually went somewhere when most Americans (well USAnians anyway as I don't know about the Canadians or Mexicans and many others:D) have difficulty in calling a toilet a toilet, seeing nipple bumps, speaking bluntly about hygiene and so forth... (Yet can call people "motherf'ckrs" - something is Nuckin Futs there???)

[Manie B]

Well well, its Sunday eve and i am back home from the Vaaldam
mayor party, laughed till i cried, and then some more
talked about boats - bikes - broads and very little else
we all raced motocross in those days KTM - Husky - Honda 600 XLR = me :D - Kwaka - Yammy XT500 and what not else (no sissy road bikes)

here are two pics of my buddies, we have been mates since school days,
now that our kids are all grown up we have the great fun of getting together every 3 months to talk **** and get pissed - absolutely farkin marvelous :D

THEN and NOW
what the fu3k happened
fu3kit we were young yesterday :D

Eers Wiele en Piele
nou Brille en Pille

= First wheels and penis
now Reading glasses and tablets
LOST IN TRANSLATION
but you get the general idea :D

[Fanie]

The only difference I see :rolleyes: is the one pic is taken on the dry, the other in the water.
At least it's a step in the right direction...

I may have found a proper paint for us...

[gonzo]

Your shorts got longer

[Fanie]

Beards and a couple of other things too, all the wrong things though ;)

[masalai]

Gotta store that beer somewhere:D:o

[liki]

Nice photo-edit in the more recent picture. The guy with the black shirt was clearly holding a beer bottle or can which has been edited off. :)

[Fanie]

Nice photo-edit in the more recent picture. The guy with the black shirt was clearly holding a beer bottle or can which has been edited off.
The edit was a good thing. Can you imagine what was in his other hand :D

[Herman]

You got a better streamline, and bigger toys!

[Manie B]

I am no Spielberg and I probably will never see the red carpet at the Oscars
but its kinda fun learning all about video and getting it on YouTube :D
my little digital camera has a video function that obviously leaves a lot to be desired, but i thought if you cant do it small how the heck are you going to do it big, so here are my first two videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RRfSvzY4no

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WwNzKqopC4&feature=channel

i am in the process of updating my blog which is way behind but the little videos at least gives a summary of where i am at now with the build.
Building will start again in January because the wife and i are off to the mountains for two weeks now, and when i get back i am GOING SAILING for a week with the academy (Indian Ocean)

for those of you that are following this thread and the blog:
thanks for the support
merry Xmas
and a very happy New Year
god bless
:D

[hoytedow]

Good work, Manie, both carpentry and camera.

[Fanie]

Mooi so Manie !! Knap gedaan.

Wat staan op die geel papiertjie in die twede video ????

[hoytedow]

Yes, what was written on the yellow paper. It was too blurry for me to read.
You guys, I am starting to learn Afrikaans a word at a time.

[Fanie]

He he... if you learn Afrikaans I'll learn some English :D

A stunning language if you learn it well. You can say things in a way no other language can.

Any way. I'm impressed. Next phrase to learn -

'Ja nee'

:D

[hoytedow]

miskien, miskien nie

[Fanie]

Nope, that's not it. Ja nee ou matie, dis nie so eenvoudig soos jy dink nie :D

Ja nee, hier gaan ons die visse vandag vang.

It's just a general thing. Translated it means 'Yes no' no such word but makes perfect sense in Afrikaans.

Any way, with so many Afrikaans people in other countries I' surprised we don't see hordes of them coming through.

Eh, we're hijacking Manie's fred..

[hoytedow]

Jammer, Manie. Terug na Microcruiser nou.

[Manie B]

The mystery of the yellow paper

easy

post-its:D

what you have to remember is that i am an old fart that suffers from ? what's that forget sickness - all-al -oolzas --oh forget it!
i make notes of dimensions and stick them up, because by the time that i have walked from my computer to the boat i am already thinking of something else and then i forget what i wanted to do in the first place
next time i build i want an overhead projector and a cordless keyboard so that i can see my cad drawings the size of a cinema screen :D
something BIG like a drive-in cinema

which reminds me
the biggest loss of modern life is the drive-in cinema
wasn't it great to take your girlfriend to the movies and sit in your car "kissing"
we used to call a drive-in "The Finger Bowl" :P :P :P

[Itchy&Scratchy]

Jy laat my lag Fanie!!!!:D :D :D

[masalai]

I&S, give up on the second without the holding of the first... If you have the first the second is almost "automatic", if you skip the first, the second is 4 times harder:D:D

[dskira]

I am no Spielberg and I probably will never see the red carpet at the Oscars
but its kinda fun learning all about video and getting it on YouTube :D
my little digital camera has a video function that obviously leaves a lot to be desired, but i thought if you cant do it small how the heck are you going to do it big, so here are my first two videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RRfSvzY4no

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WwNzKqopC4&feature=channel

i am in the process of updating my blog which is way behind but the little videos at least gives a summary of where i am at now with the build.
Building will start again in January because the wife and i are off to the mountains for two weeks now, and when i get back i am GOING SAILING for a week with the academy (Indian Ocean)

for those of you that are following this thread and the blog:
thanks for the support
merry Xmas
and a very happy New Year
god bless
:D

I am not following your movie because my computer still have Window 98, and can't support YouTub. But you are Spielberg, I am sure, and the red carpet will come in time.
Merry Xmass to you and your family
God bless
Daniel

[Fanie]

Manie. you can have your own DRIVE IN cinema !!! in the comfort of your own home.

Here's what you do.

Put the TV in the garage.

Promisse to pay the kids well,

Then you tell the wife you're taking her out.

Drive around the block and park in the garage.

Flash your lights and hoot for service and the kids bring the slap chips and russians and beer. If the kids are gone you order piza, delivered at the car window.

In the movie you can still do what you did years and years and years ago, but remember the kids aren't stupid and you'll probably bore them to death ;)

After the movie you can still dump the papers and all your excess rubbish out of the car.

Then drive back the way you came and park the car.

You're home. Go to sleep. Oh, you can always say to the wife you have a headache (or whatever works for you).

[Manie B]

Well finally I can get back to my build
I have had a really **** time at work over the last couple of months - terrible

anyway, things are looking up, and we are "a for away" on the go again

here are the first pics of the aramid layers that will be under the glass as extra re-inforcing
this is where the shrouds will go
next will be around the centre board casing and then the back stays

I have been sailing again with the L36 and I can just confirm that I am absolutely passionate about the micro - that is REALLY where my heart lies

I am also involved on another project as designer - more here
http://boats-n-stuff.com.au/forum/index.php/topic,110.0.html

Alessandro Di Benedetto is my hero
http://www.alessandrodibenedetto.net/

:D

[souljour2000]

Glad your back in business Manie...keep up the good work...and thanks for posting pics....! I have been making progress with my microcruiser re-model on my Hunter 20...I'll post some pics as soon as I get her a bit more decent and some of her exposed parts covered up a bit...we'll still try to show a bit of the good,bad, and ugly... so's others can learn WHAT NOT TO DO...! ...anyhow...stay tuned... once again...glad to get an update from your project over there and keep up the good work!

[Fanie]

Hi Manie,

Kom kom kom boet, where's the pictures. We want to see the action ok, make it happen. Feel the wind and the water...

[rwatson]

Thoroughly enjoying the news Manie.

Just a suggestion to help avoid the sore knees, muscles etc from working in cramped spaces and strange angles.

get hold of a vinyl or shiny plastic coated bean bag (or two) , and over fill it with the styrofoam beads.

The covering will help prevent too much extra resin sticking (sometimes it will peel off), for a while.

Maybe someone could sew up a quick peelply cover as well.

You can chuck them on the bottom of the hull, push then into strange angles, stick them under your knees, lean back against them, lie flat on your stomach on them, even (horror) sit on them etc etc

They tend to spread the load around the inside of the hull (unlike chair legs etc)

Us old mean have to stop punishing our bodies.

Keep up the good work, That boat looks like it would actually make the trip to Australia.

hey, hows this for a good idea for avoiding bad knees, epoxy fumes and footprints on your inside hull work ?

[Fanie]

Actually I myself would prefer it if Manie suspends himself upside down instead.

[masalai]

And get a blood rush to the head? All that extra energy coursing through his "gray-matter" would make for an insufferable genius... a bit like that fellow Fanie? :D :o

[Manie B]

Ah well, as you guys have probably figured out by now, I have actually been working on my boat in my spare time. Haven't had time even to look for crew :p Fanie even phoned me the other night to see WTF am I up to, because I have been so quiet. So here is a bit of proof for a change :D

I sold my Mercury 5hp two stroke and got a new "Parson=Yamaha=China" 5hp Four Stroke long shaft. I must say i really checked this motor out against all the drawings on the Yamaha website and it is genuinly 100% Yamaha. At half price I am very happy. The motivation is fuel consumption and with the 2 tanks that I bought with it, I will carry 50 litres which should hopefully give me 60 hours of fuel at 5 knots. I also got a 30 lbs thrust Minn Kota 12v which is an emergency back up. But on those hot sunny windless days it will give me 2 to 3 knots easy. That is significant because when everybody is standing still and I am doing 2 knots it looks like i am flying :P

The building is going fine and as I go along I weigh everything accurately and my confidence grows daily that my goal weights are in sight. The bare boat should weigh around 160 kg - she displaces 750 kg and the bulb keel will be around 150 kg - which means I have around 400 kg available for rigging - water (150 liters) and food and fuel. Bottom line is that I very comfortable that the boat can stay out for 90 days easy no problem.

I also got solar panels at greatly reduced prices so I could have as much as 240w scatered all over the roof and arch at the back

The pics make it easier to see the selfdraining cockpit and the ease with which I can get to the motors to work on them if necessary inside the small cockpit. Under the cockpit floor is storage in plastic crates. Visible now is the 2 bunks which are a very generous 1.9 m x 0.78 m at the shoulders. This means I can always sleep in the lee bunk 4" foam mattress.

I am going with a small cabin so that I can have comfortable sitting headroom inside and that will give me a clear view all round - the idea is also to have some kind of steering from the inside. The build is very exciting at the moment because the time consuming glassing is well underway and at least I can now start "packing" all my crates and tanks and other **** where I want it, and to make sure that every thing fits properly.

The PU filled floatation chambers will become evident with the next lot of pics - there will be 2 x 200 litres at the stern under the bunks and 1 x 200 litre in the bow around the anchor locker = 600 litres in total = SAFE

I am using Aramid extensively as you can see, where I want parts to be really strong. I enjoy working with Aramid, I find it easier to wet out than carbon-fibre, however Aramid cloth is a bitch to cut and it most certainly doesn't like sanding. I will also build the mast in Aramid as I can get it cheaper than carbon and i am more comfortable with is "breaking" properties as it doesn't have that "catastrophic" breaking "snap" of carbon
All this means that as long as I have some epoxy on board and a bit of cloth I can fix anything on my boat anywhere :idea:

cheers guys
enjoy
:D

[Fanie]

Hi Manie, it looks really good ! I see you already have the vac cleaner to clean the boat with and a fan for when there's no wind.

You must keep in mind the current along our coast line is up to 6km/hr, just so you know there are places you may not go so fast as thought :D The trolling motor is excellent to fish with, so better get some basic stuff, the rod rack, tackle box, and remember the salt and enough gass for the cooker. Time to go eat at the Spur to score more salt sachets ;) If you plan a solar panel, ask me, I know where you can get some at a better price.

On Friday there was someone here, I hear they want all boats to start wearing transponders so they can monitor your every move 24/7. It seems it is already compulsary on class A boats, they now want to do it with the other boats. All this crap is beginning to really make me sick. The stream of money you have to lay out for the nessesary stuff just gets longer and longer.

[troy2000]

Thanks for the update, Manie. Looking good....

[Wynand N]

Looking good Manie.

However, I do not like that big hole in the transom for the motors. Easy to swamp boat with a following sea.
I would have the motors on a quick mount/release bracket on the stern to be taken off when not in use. Alternatively, if you have a back seat against the transom, I would have installed it in a well under the seat.

Just my thought and not to be taken seriously. Going to Pretoria in a couple weeks time and will visit you and Fanie. Will let you know when.

[Manie B]

thanks guys - oh and btw I am now at 209 hours - thank goodness that i originally started with the centreboard and other shitty bits, it comes in handy now that a lot of stuff is "in stock"

Wynand are you coming up here for your knee op?

anyway I looked at the open transom versus closed plus brackets and after many sleepless nights I decided to go open transom = fast draining. Keep in mind that the boat will have inside steering - a simple rope and pulley system. Once the initial sea trails are over I will fit a windvane steering and i am going for the Raymarine ST1000 tiller pilot which I can operate from inside as well. Basically when the weather goes bananas and like Fanie says the Agulhas current wants to sweep me to the south pole at 4 knots I will "bottle-up" - hang on the Jordan series drogue astern and count my toes:D

I promised the missus and the kids that there will be no alcohol on board:( so believe me this boat has to go to windward or how else am I going to get to Mauritius or even Richards Bay for a couple of beers :D

anywaaaay the noise in my head is getting louder - it says go to sea
now what the **** am I supposed to do about that:D

I was invited to take "Ingrid" a 65 ft steel boat (38 tons) from Cape Town to Richards Bay but the weather means that it could be a painfully slow trip and I cant take off weeks and weeks

oh well such is life :D

[Manie B]

:D Fanie the fan is for drying up the vinegar wash

for those that are unsure
I always use peelply everywhere
then i put waxpaper over that so that i can roll it all flat without the roller getting sticky
once the peelply comes off, I give it a light sanding to remove sharp edges
wash off with either soapy water or Acetone
AND FINALLY I wipe off thouroughly with 50/50 white vinegar/water and brillo scrubbing pad - now I am ready for another layer of epoxy and glass - or where the next layer overlaps the previous layer

100% excellent results gauranteed
perfect adhesion all the time

[Manie B]

in pic 137 you can see the 750 gm bi-ax glass
two vertical strips 600 mm wide with a 60 mm overlap

[hoytedow]

Looks great.

[Wynand N]

I sold my Mercury 5hp two stroke and got a new "Parson=Yamaha=China" 5hp Four Stroke long shaft. I must say i really checked this motor out against all the drawings on the Yamaha website and it is genuinly 100% Yamaha. At half price I am very happy.

You are quite right they are Chinese Yamaha copies. The problem with Chinese engines are the fact that they don't last...

"Sail" is another Chinese engine imported and I had yet to hear a good report of them - many are very secondhand after just 10 hours of use from reports going around, most cases the compression rings giving up. It does not take rocket science to make the calculation; low cost (cheap materials) sells cheap.
Some "quality" stainless steel items (claimed L316) from China shows rust within a week sitting outside in recent rains at my place.

Manie, I assume you bought the Parsons from Leon Odendaal at Marine King - why did you not get a Tohatsu 5hp four stroke instead since he is the importer of both these brands and would not cost much more really. Tohatsu's are great Japanese engines and in fact built all Mercury's small engines up to 50hp and if Im not mistaken the 4 stroke units as well.

[Manie B]

yes, got the Parson from Leon
the Tohatsu is also pricy = 50% more than Parson
but I know 4strokes well - and this one is ok - fully interchangeable with yamaha
keep in mind I now do one maybe two complete overhauls a week of these small single fourstrokes - so the parson dont worry me
time will tell if it's the right buy for the general public - I cant tell yet

anyway it will rust thru before the rings are shot :D
frikken joke hey :D

[Manie B]

he he polute the planet
disposable four stroke outboards
buy 2 get 1 free
:D
only in china

[Manie B]

Fanie: re solar panels - these guys prices are good give them a call

http://www.sinetech.co.za/solar.htm

SW60 under R 900 ea

they do big industrial installations

[masalai]

Fantastic work, well done Manie... See you on the briny soon eh...

[apex1]

I promised the missus and the kids that there will be no alcohol on board:( so believe me this boat has to go to windward or how else am I going to get to Mauritius or even Richards Bay for a couple of beers :D



Have you bought me a hideaway down there? The fridge already loaded?

Sounds promising...................

Regards
Richard

[Manie B]

Wynand - I am told that the Parson motors are not chinese copies but built by the Yamaha factory in China run by Yamaha staff, your guess as good as mine as to what is sales ******** and what true. They like to quote that Hewlett Packard is made in China. Anyway so far so good - time will tell.

[troy2000]

Wynand - I am told that the Parson motors are not chinese copies but built by the Yamaha factory in China run by Yamaha staff, your guess as good as mine as to what is sales ******** and what true. They like to quote that Hewlett Packard is made in China. Anyway so far so good - time will tell.
I own a Taiwanese knockoff of an old 14" Delta thickness planer, with the main difference being that the table moves up and down instead of the cutter head moving.

I took a lot of flak when I bought it, for being dumb enough to trust Asian trash. But I've had it for 25 years now, and it's still going strong. It'll take a solid 1/8" off a 12" red oak plank in a single pass, and leave the wood as smooth as a baby's butt -- as long as I do my part and keep it sharp, of course....

[Wynand N]

Wynand - I am told that the Parson motors are not chinese copies but built by the Yamaha factory in China run by Yamaha staff, your guess as good as mine as to what is sales ******** and what true.

Then they would have still called it a Yamaha and have a bigger audience to sell to.;)
Don't despair, my top of the range Dutch brand esoteric Marantz HiFi amplifier is also made in China, albeit still known by the name....Not impressed by it though - should have gone for the top end Yamaha instead which I actually went to buy but let a salesman talk me into the Marantz crap. Only myself to blame.

[Manie B]

Couple of updates
gives an idea of space and size
centerboard casing works well

I also updated http://compaxboats.wordpress.com/ for those that are interested

good luck to all the Jester challengers which start this Sunday 23 May 2010 wish I could be there - maybe next time :D
http://www.jesterinfo.org/jc2010entrylist.html

[Fanie]

Hi Manie, it looks great so far !!

[hoytedow]

It sure does look great. I pray for you guys!

[dskira]

Manie, you looks great, congratulation, great job.
Daniel

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/attachments/boat-building/43469d1274365870-manies-microcruiser-145.jpg

[souljour2000]

Manie...nice job so far..real nice...sorry I havent reported in ...I have put my Hunter 20 project on hold...I may have even sold out I'm afraid...I got a hold of a Seafarer 24 in decent shape and from the moment I steped aboard it I'vefinally had serious concerns that the H-20 will never be a true coastal cruiser without major hull strengthening...no suprise to many i'm sure..just had to see the light...I am trying to find a buyer for the project...I am so in love with the S-24 by McCurdy/Rhodes..it is sad to give up on her but maybe someday I can make do a build from the ground up like you are doing with your micro-crusier..I'm posting pics of my Hunter 20 re-model anyways and in case anyone wants to carry on with the dream for about$ 400.00 US....right now I have a couple pics below of the new (old)boat...1971 Seafarer 24...she's a bit rough but it's mostly cosmetic..good standing rigging..good sails....solid layup helps I guess...only one soft area in cockpit...I'm thrilled to have been able to get a coastal cruiser finally though I learned alot trying to make my H-20 into one...especially got a good educational foray into epoxy 101....Anyways..back to your boat for a minute..Manie..she really does look great so far...keep up the good work!

Morgan

[masalai]

Good on yer Manie, Hope to see you over this way soon... :D :D

[Manie B]

Hi all of ya :D
just a bit of an update to what I have been up to lately.
I am 90% finished with the glassing of the inside of the hull - farkit but I will be happy when this is done - big job, heavy on the back and knees and shoulders - not to be underestimated
I have also done the final lamination of the center board casing - it came out at a very heavy 8.5 kg but once again a massive learning curve

All of the "interior" panels / bulkheads are lofted on the ply full size ready for cutting and I have cut 50% of them already

The build is finally reaching the stage where there will be lots of interesting pictures SOON and it helps to fuel my own enthusiasm to keep it going. Very hard to work at the moment in the evenings as winter has set in - the evenings are very cold and of course here by us it is bone dry and very dusty.

I hide all my boat stuff in the garage under black plastic to that the missus and the kids dont see it :D as I have bought a lots of stuff - my pride and joy is the car stereo and CD player with 4 big speakers.
So guys when you see a tiny little yellow boat coming at ya over the horison you will HEAR that its me - all old school rock and roll - LOUD like the kids have in their cars nowadays. This is one part of modern tech that works for me :cool:

[Manie B]

Well guys here is a little bit more proof that I dont just sit in front of the computer searching for bikini babes all day long :D

I started to jack up the blog as well and i will regularly post details of each item as it goes in with pics and description on the blog

To the starboard side is the galley, to port will be the navigation station with a fold-up table so that I can to go thru to the forward "cargo-hold"

The flat roof of the cabin is specially designed to mount 4x 20w solar panels on the sides next to the hatch. The little raised cabin also gives the same volume as the displacement of the boat, which means that the boat will be totally unstable when upside down. Added to a composite mast with a polystyrene core and a 150 kg bulb at the end of a centre board 1.7 m below WL, I am pretty sure that this boat will be self righting :cool:

Gotta think about being upside down :D suits my personality which is mostly upsided down anyway. The wife has now sweetly said that the cabin is kind small and cramped - geez I am ganna miss her :D the kids have realised that my "escape pod" is coming along just fine - geeeeeeeez I am gonna miss then toooooooooo :D

Oh well plenty of storage space forward and under the bunks

enjoy:D

[Manie B]

oh the solar panels

[troy2000]

Looking good, Manie. Glad to see it coming along. Any guesstimate on a launch date yet?

[souljour2000]

Looking great Manie...you are living the dream....keep up the good work..!

[Manie B]

Launch date is a very easy and comfortable late September which is the start of our spring. The master plan is purely to get the outside glassed finished and painted and build the trailer and get the bunks comfortable. All I want to do for now is get to the water at least once a month, sleep warm and dry, and be able to make a nice cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Finishing the boat inside will still be a lot of work because I have a long list of shelves and brackets and other nonsence. Initially I will also just do some of the interior items because my main focus will be to rig the boat and get her set up and balanced for sailing.
Motoring around in the beginning will be fun but obviously the real fun will be sailing.

[hoytedow]

The anticipation must be overpowering. Good luck on the home stretch and happy sailing, hopefully to a less hostile clime.

[masalai]

Hope to see you soon... My "home port may be "Gove" on the left side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia...

[colfar5033]

manie
looking lekker cant wait to see it on the water

[Fanie]

I dont just sit in front of the computer searching for bikini babes all day long
You mean WITHOUT the bikini's.

Looking nice so far Manie. Let me know what's what, would like to take a spin with you - that said, as long as I don't have to wear a bikini.

I'm back, will work on those other things this coming week, will let you know.



PS - I came back last night and it's **** here in Pretoria. It's piss cold and there's no bloody water here :(

[Manie B]

Fanie we haven't had internet for the past week either - seacom cables down, only local sites.
I hope you guys actually caught some fish?

[Fanie]

Hi Manie, I plan to put up a page on the week's activities. It wasn't a real fishing trip although I did get some small fish. I went with a customer who has a place there on lake Bilene, I just went along for the company while he worked. The lake is 27km long, and at least there is water in it, with an exit to sea.

Haven't explored everything there, a week is too short, but it was a pleasant experience except that I lost my veteran fishing hat to the sea. I waded through the front trough onto a sand bank to get to some deeper water where I saw some nice fish jump and everything went ok untill a freak wave whacked me head over heels. It's been a while since I was upside down like that :D Usually one knows where your arms, legs and butt is, but for a bit there I wasn't sure.

I ask myself more and more wtf are we doing so far from water. Every second philamon there has a boat, and here we sit in the friggin dust.

[Manie B]

Well chaps here is an update of whats going on with my build (more pics on the blog)

I am now at very very scary 400 build hours in the past year.
You can double that with planning the next steps - and running around getting materials.
So when the chaps that sell boat plans make all these marvelous claims of how quickly it is to build a boat - i have my doubts and serious reservations.

[marshmat]

So when the chaps that sell boat plans make all these marvelous claims of how quickly it is to build a boat - i have my doubts and serious reservations.
Oh, it's not impossible to get a boat done "on schedule" per the original time estimate. All you need is an army of tradespeople ready to jump into action at five minutes' notice, an on-site stockpile of every piece of wood, metal and hardware you could possibly need, and the ability to cut, hammer and weld at kung-fu speed.

Seriously, Manie, she's lookin' pretty nice..... :)

[hoytedow]

It is looking good, Manie.

[lewisboats]

Looking awesome...

only a (very small) concern. Expansion and contraction of the air in the bottles may end up fragmenting the foam around the bottles and letting them start moving round slightly. UNLESS you stuck them in the freezer prior to closing them up and let them expand to room temp. A little trick I learned and somehow never forgot. It would have to get to below the original temp in the freezer before there would be any significant contraction of the bottle and subsequent deformation. Then again...the foam around it might insulate it from any major temperature fluctuations and there is no cause for concern at all. You probably don't have the temperature variations that I have during the year either.

[Fanie]

Get a move on there Manie, lets go sailing before we hit our 80's, shall we :D

[masalai]

So Fanie, How is your effort progressing? mine is getting closer and closer to launch date - I can taste the salt air......

[Fanie]

Hello Masalai,

I actually feel guilty, promissed myself to drop you a line and each time something headed me off.

Re my build. I'm working my butt of and can't wear any underpants as a result :D Decided to get out of the backyard mechanic metality of building the boat in the yard. Putting up a building for it. I have to move a beeg figgin chunk of earth, almost done. Then foundations and then build.

It's pretty useless having the tools and not being able to use them because there is not space enough for them to work in :( Target date to have the building up is before this coming winter. The hulls are being done then. Our economy is also a bit ****** up since the soccer fiasco, very slow. Dunno how Manie is doing.

[Fanie]

mine is getting closer and closer to launch date - I can taste the salt air......

Nasty bugger, I'm sure it's almost ready. Very happy for you, and I'm sure we'll still see plenty of the boat (and you).

Now you only have to learn to fish eh ;)

[masalai]

I use the "unsportsmanlike methods" 100kg breaking strain line to a winch/wench or both, or fertiliser and diesel in a "sealed container" connected to a suitable detonator - but the latter is too indiscriminate and wasteful, (and mostly illegal), so lets just use the former and aim for the 20kg tuna every so often with minimal effort to get plenty of "fish steak" meals into the freezer....

[Fanie]

If you look at the salties hands using hand lines - there's always a submarine cruising below somewhere that will take you and your 100kg line offen your boat ;)

[masalai]

Oh well, must be plenty more fish in the sea?

[Manie B]

UNLESS you stuck them in the freezer prior to closing them up and let them expand to room temp

I actually did that (thank goodness I remembered)
My problem is altitude - we are at 1600 meters?????
So I hope that they dont contract too much when I take her to the sea.
The chambers are fully sealed all round as well with epoxy.
The system is not perfect but ok.

My buddy that is the aircraft designer (unmanned drones for the arabs) came around the other day to check and he thinks I am building a tank.
Scary how different people see things. I am shitting myself that it is ONLY 200 kgs with centreboard and bulb keel will be 350 kg. What this means is that I am achieving design weight very easily, even with very limited use of aramid. So the boat is still 99% marine ply x 9mm and stiched glass 600 gm and epoxy.

Thanks for the compliments and the interest and support from all of ya :D

[lewisboats]

Your temps don't get to freezing too often though do they? If not you shouldn't have too much trouble...even at sea level. Your typical freezer gets down to about -10 to -15C which will make the air pretty dense...probably about the same or more than 25C sea level density. If you can keep it above 10 deg at sea level I doubt you will have many problems. Next time (or during a re-fit) have someone at sea level do it for you and mail them to you. It would be interesting to see just how high someone can raise their eyebrows eh?

[Manie B]

Oh well chaps - got to it this weekend
the bunks are now 90% complete and when finished will be strong :D
I have allready cut the "bridge" boards that will make a "double" bed across - will show pics soon
enjoy :D

[Fanie]

Hi Manie, does the wife know about the new double bed development :D


It's looking good, nursing these parts together does take forever. Almost there.

[masalai]

Well done Manie, and fanie, your new "avatar" is nice....(a new girlfriend?)

[Fanie]

Hello Mas,

You mean the little guy with the pajama's on ? That's supposed to be my allias...

[masalai]

Red cummerbund on a skinny waist is the mark of a younger lassie not a beer-gutted older person ('ancient piece of ****', as a close friend identifies me - old men...:o )

[Fanie]

Oh well sorry, but that's the dress code... Get your wizzardy right :D

[dskira]

Manie, how do you keep always a so neat boatyard?
I never been able to do that, mine it is always a mess.
Congratulation, for the boat I mean, and the maintenance of the yard of course ;)
Daniel

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/attachments/boat-building/47227d1283706342-manies-microcruiser-290.jpg

[Wynand N]

if you see the suburb, you know he has no choice:D:D

Just joking Manie. Looking good and cannot wait to see her at Deneysville.

A few private words not forum related with Manie:

Manie my vriend, ek kort 'n stuk marine ply plank 9mm dik en ek will nie 'n vol plank vir so 'n stukkie koop nie. Het jy dalk 'n offcut van sowat 1200mm X 300mm in 9mm. Al wat ek het is 6mm en is te dun en sal bukkel en vibreer.
Dit is vir my Lotus 7 replica dash board en ek gaan dit verneer met walnut en glans soos die ou Britse karre. As jy het, bere vir my en ek sal wanneer ek daar verbykom, dit optel met my boeke. Ek moet binnekort PTA toe vir die enjin en ratkas en ander goete

[Manie B]

Hi guys - I haven't been around for a while (working too damn hard) but I still do odd bits on the micro and will post new pics in the next couple of days.

Anyway this video is a bit of topic but when you see the second half you wont smile anymore - you will **** yourself

now for all the non believers - YOU SEE SMALL BOATS RULE

:D
:D
:D


BIG BOATS SUCK :P:P:P

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=975_1283799588



now do you believe me ???? hey hey wtf

[rwatson]

Hi guys - I haven't been around for a while (working too damn hard) but I still do odd bits on the micro and will post new pics in the next couple of days.

Anyway this video is a bit of topic but when you see the second half you wont smile anymore - you will **** yourself

now for all the non believers - YOU SEE SMALL BOATS RULE

BIG BOATS SUCK

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=975_1283799588


now do you believe me ???? hey hey wtf


hahahahahaha - now show us the video of you in your little boat in the same seas :-) heey - how come you are upside down ?

[masalai]

The little boat would be rocking and rolling, but not at such risk of catastrophe and expensive lawsuits as that big one with NOTHING SECURED above or below decks... :o

[Manie B]

Oh well guys it's been a busy time (frikken work, house repairs, wife, children's university) and what not bloomin else. For and old fart "ex hippie" rock and roll nut - life has sure changed. Still working on the boat -STILL having fun and REALLY enjoying every precious moment -although sparse- moments of it all !!

So I am getting to grips with this video / youtube / uploading / fu3king downloading / what ever loading story, and boy oh boy can this get involved. The kids get born with a video phone in thier hands - South Africa only got TV when I was 25 years old (because the us/eu were going to corrupt our nazi/apartheid morals) :o
So as you can see I am "techno" challenged :p

So here are the links to the new videos
I had to do it in 4 sections because our adsl is ****

http://www.youtube.com/user/compaxboats?feature=mhum#p/u/3/uU26UtpDqC0

enjoy :D

[Fanie]

Hey Manie, it ended up we didn't need TV to fcuk the place up eh !

[masalai]

Well done Manie !!! Fantastic job... Congratulations... Cat got your tongue?

[Fanie]

Cat got your tongue?

Hello Mas !

I had to restart the video three times because I fell asleep every time with that music, each time hoping I was going to hear some commentary :D

[hoytedow]

Hey Manie, it ended up we didn't need TV to fcuk the place up eh !We didn't need it either, but it made the process faster, like a catalyst.

[rwatson]

Techno challenged ? I dont think so! With background music, text descriptions, and not to mention that personal demonstration of the boats features. If you had only used an undressed blonde in the personal demo's, you would have the advertising moguls clamouring at your door.

Just been re-reading a Fred Binghams excellent "Boat Joinery and Cabintemaking Simplified", and they mentioned a feature you might like to incorporate, after all the previous talk about rough seas. You could probably use some some removable bunkboards on the edges of those comfortable beds so you and the mattress dont go hurtling into the bilges.

Might need some serious padding on the frame above the nav station too. I noticed you looked quite thoughtfull at how close your face was to the woodword in the video.

Ands how the heck do you keep everything so clean ???? Wheres the dust and scraps and loose tools ? Do you realise you are making a lot of us look really messy ?

[troy2000]

Ands how the heck do you keep everything so clean ???? Wheres the dust and scraps and loose tools ? Do you realise you are making a lot of us look really messy ?

Yep, he's making us look pretty bad. I'm so embarrassed I'm going to have to go out and rake up under my boatbuilding shade tree....:p:p

[Manie B]

:D
If you had only used an undressed blonde in the personal demo's, you would have the advertising moguls clamouring at your door.


you mean something like this ??

[rwatson]

:D


you mean something like this ??

NOW you're getting the idea. Of course, you had better offer the job to your missus before you start parading the young things through your garage :D

[Manie B]

Of course, you had better offer the job to your missus

:D no can do

unfortunately none of my family share my love of boats
that why I think its super cool when I see Troy and his son boating around

but but but
I am still keeping an eye out for "suitable" crew :P:P:P

[Fanie]

Manie drills the hole
Puts the drill away
Fetch the broom
Clean floor
Put broom away
Fetch the drill
Drill second hole
puts the drill away
Fetch broom
Clean floor
Put broom away... :D

We certainly have the right weather for "suitable crew" here.

Don't worry Manie. Your kids will grow up - who knows, one of them's brains may actually develop to such a stage that they may want to go with you. There goes the "suitable crew" eh.

[Manie B]

Well over the weekend my mother was here (she is 82)
The old lady is in top shape and 100% sharp - you have to see it to believe it, that this tiny 4'11" woman is still so WIDE awake:D

So I asked her about this "neatness" of mine
bad news guys
I have been packing things away and folding things up since I was 3 years old, so ****, it comes naturally;) now that is why my daughter wont sail with me because she is the exact opposite to me

sorry guys gotta go
have to go and clean my tools (tool clean day today) :P:P:P:P



ah well - what to do - what to do
anyway the good news is, if you sail with me NOTHING is lying about,
when we go upside down and back up EVERYTHING is in its exact place
gotta admit certain "fanatical" irritating habits do sometimes have benefits:)

the pic is my mother and I, two years ago on her 80th.

[troy2000]

My mother spent a good portion of her life trying to teach me to take my hat off in the house and keep my boots off the furniture, without much success.

But she did manage to teach me to say 'sir' and ma'am' when appropriate, so I guess she accomplished something....

[wardd]

My mother spent a good portion of her life trying to teach me to take my hat off in the house and keep my boots off the furniture, without much success.

But she did manage to teach me to say 'sir' and ma'am' when appropriate, so I guess she accomplished something....


don't you think you should remove your hat in the forums?

[masalai]

I think my home port will be Gove, at the NW edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria... As far as I can get from "effective interference and oversight by bureaucrats - human parasites that they are....

Hope to see you there Manie, Just sneak in for "emergency shelter" so you can say you are "an international, in transit to elsewhere" - you may find Australia is entirely UNDESIRABLE...

http://boats-n-stuff.com.au/forum/index.php/topic,36.msg4769.html#msg4769 for the latest deterrent for "boat-people"...
http://boats-n-stuff.com.au/forum/index.php/topic,36.msg250.html#msg250 Was the original "**** off" bureaucratic procedure... LOAD OF ******** with HEFTY FINES... Make sure you have DOCUMENTED PROOF of advising of your arrival from the middle of the fricking ocean - They do not monitor HF and leave you on hold for long periods via 'satphone'.... VHF services extend offshore for less than 96 minutes of travel in a bathtub so 96 hours is normal bureaucratic stupidity in Australia now... NUCKING FUTS...

[Manie B]

Well well well
here we are 2011
and may 2011 bring all the good stuff to you - especially good health

anyway I have been busy and the boat has come along nicely
now you can get a feel for size, as I can now sit, stand and sleep on the boat :D
one of these days the cooker will go in - more on the blog

dont know whats happening with the weather as the entire southern hemisphere is rained out - first OZ then Brazil AND NOW South Africa. Flippen hell, water everywhere and my escape module isn't finished !!
And worst of all - STILL no crew, something about the size - the boat that is :P

Sven Irvind is getting ready - the guy is amazing
http://www.yrvind.com/present_project/

Mas by the way have you got co-ordinates for Gove

[Manie B]

more pics

[rwatson]

..... Sven Irvind is getting ready - the guy is amazing
http://www.yrvind.com/present_project/



I dont undertstand his comments "REFLECTIONS ON SCALE

Sailors of big boats have a low opinion of small boats’ ability to survive storms. I intend to take a small boat around Cape Horn, The Clipper Ship way, that is lat 50 south in the Atlantic to lat 50 south in the Pacific non stop. It is a big challenge and the only boat less than 60 feet to have done it single handedly was Al Hansen’s Mary Jane and that was in 1934.
"

I know of four or five under 30 footers that have done it in the last 5 years, including 2 16yo single round the world sailors

[michael pierzga]

I feel more safe in a small boat than in a big boat. When something goes wrong on a big boat you are history, on a small craft you can physically overcome any challenge if youre a good seaman. Think of Alessandro di Benedetto...nonstop, unassisted...21ft.

[rwatson]

"29 Oct 2009 ... Alessandro Di Benedetto succeeds in his circumnavigation, despite having sustained heavy damage nearly half a world away from his finish"

certainly a long way after 1934.

I dont understand how you explain "on a big boat you are history". I dont know any person who can physicaly fight their way out of a big storm.

[Manie B]

For me personally the size issue revolves around what can I handle safely when exhausted and tired or sick or possibly a light injury. My really big scare came when we were out at sea in bad weather on a Beneteau 11m (36ft) We were 6 on the boat but 4 were sick and man down. That left me and the young instructor to get the boat back safely. I had to go forward and bring the hanked on jib down - nothing short of a nightmare. I was crawling along the deck, clipped on safely and smashing thru the waves like a dolphin.

Simple - never again !!

That is what made up my mind finally - if I cant do it ALL on my own and safely and easily - it HAS to become smaller to ease handling.

Next point is - any boat can be made unsinkable - its just that the "newer" designs with centre boards and bulb keels are possibly a little easier to do.
In my neck of the woods less than 1% of ALL the boats in the harbours are unsinkable. In the used market all over the world very very few "older" boats are unsinkable. So to modify them and make them unsinkable is a daunting task and probably totally impractical.

I have the greatest respect for Roger Taylor
http://www.thesimplesailor.com/voyages.html
when you look at his very impressive sailing record, it makes the mind boggle.
He is one master sailor.

I dont undertstand his comments "REFLECTIONS ON SCALE

I also think its horses for courses, the whole debate of big versus small. One thing is sure that with the present world "economy" or rather "poverty" abyss that we are all sinking into, many of us will have to go smaller or stay at home dreaming on.
I mean just ask Mas how costs have just sky rocketed out of control. And if you thought there are projects that are too big, wait and see how many will never get to the water. I weep for some of those folks that have spent years building some beatutifull boats and did excellent work, that more than likely wont be able to finish OR sell.

I also underestimated how much time goes into a build, I am now at 400 hours, but what is crazy is the escalating costs. Today I thank my lucky stars that I kept it small and affordable. As of now I have 90% of all the materials and extras in stock to finish the boat. This includes many extras like the 5hp fourstroke outboard and the MinnCota and lots of fittings and many many little things. If I had to buy all the stuff now I would be in for 50% more which would have been very very ****.

Aneeeewaaaay get to the water :D

[michael pierzga]

"29 Oct 2009 ... Alessandro Di Benedetto succeeds in his circumnavigation, despite having sustained heavy damage nearly half a world away from his finish"

certainly a long way after 1934.

I dont understand how you explain "on a big boat you are history". I dont know any person who can physicaly fight their way out of a big storm.

If the mast of the yacht Im presently sailing goes overboard, I may not physically be able the sever the rigging before the mast wreckage damages the hull. The boom alone weighs 1500 kilo...none of this gear could be manhandled. How would your steer a big boat without a rudder ? How will I repair a blown out window on a big boat ? How would you jury rig a big boat ? A simple electric failure would disable all sail handling systems...crew would be left the physically handle heavily loaded gear in a gale. Big boats are full of gear...If I knock down or roll in a gale the whole mess will come apart...2500 amp hour battery banks on the loose.

Small craft are simple, in a gale they are like ducks bobbing up and down..the big boat takes the wave full on. KABOOM

Small craft are inherently safe because a good seaman can be there master. .

[rwatson]

Hmmm, I must say I remain unconvinced about big boats being less seaworthy. In Mas case, he at least *had* someone to help him scramble about the deck to organise things. On his little boat, he will have to do what every other small boat sailor has had to do in a big blow. Tie himself down and pray. There is no seamanship in that. You may not even have another person on board to stand watch 24 hours - how safe is that ? One minor injury, and there is no-one to control the easy to manage, lightweight gear on the small boat.

On a big boat with damage, you invarably have someone there to help with bigger problems. But the big thing is that you have big gear, and unless you are driving the boat hard, it takes much, much bigger weather to create the damage. The chance of windows blowing out, masts being wrecked etc are all substantially reduced by having bigger gear. In a small boat, the same weather would definitely Kaboom you good and proper.

I wont make up statistics on the spot, but I would be very surprised to see that smaller boats had greater survival chances in adverse weather.

[masalai]

Come on Mr Watson, There are points of "diminishing returns" and other economic and engineering constraints that must be answered by logical analysis and reality... 40 ft is my maximum affordability size... Consequently I must sail/move in accordance with certain constraints... Being smaller and of shallow draft small creeks afford "safe refuge", Yet 40 ft may also survive open ocean torment with suitable sea anchors and other safety precautions loosely referred to as "Hove too" and the size increment to continue passage is possible in the order of 10 times that length or specifically designed to operate in such weather (round the world racing?)

My vessel is appropriate for sheltered waters cruising in reasonable comfort and independent of marinas etc for overnight stops... Ideally "island hopping" if you may...

I am likely to be a lone sailor in passages... Consequently appropriate behaviour is applied to counter risks... minimise (non-stop) passage time / length, avoid navigational obstacles, day-sail where possible, and so on....

Boats and boating are lessons in compromise that one constantly must find ways to adapt and measure risk / benefit...

[rwatson]

True Mas, economic, logistic and design criteria are all part of the overal equation, but what I was taking issue with was the statement "on a big boat you are history" , "on a small craft you can physically overcome any challenge ", and subsequently "Small craft are inherently safe".

I am purely talking about the assertation that somehow bigger boats are less safe than smaller boats. Add to that the point I made "You may not even have another person on board to stand watch 24 hours - how safe is that ?", which you confirmed with "I am likely to be a lone sailor in passages"

I sincerely doubt that small boats have any greater survivability than larger vessels, and on top of that inherit all the risks associated with small or solo crews.

[colfar5033]

hey manie
coming on very lekker there soon it will be on water. This weather is really depressing could do no work on boat all of december and jan not looking much better

cheers

[souljour2000]

Keep up the good work Manie...It will be alot of fun riding around in a solid boat that you built with your own hands and imagination and confidence in it's build quality...small boats inherently have a level of fun and utility that is hard to match in a big boat ...I am forced by monetary constraints to keep my 24-footer anchored "on the hook" near my house for example: About a month ago we had a bad cold front here in Florida and it brought with it a nasty windstorm of cold arctic air blowing a steady 25-30 knots+ for 36 hours or so....me little boat rode it out with 80 feet of nylon rode and 35 feet of 1/4" chain and an 18 pound danforth anchor ( and a stern-strung 15-pounder)...Did I worry? Yes..Will I worry as much next time..? Probably not...she has a nice hull shape and low profile... a bigger boat and anchor might have broken out of even the good hard sand that I anchor in...A fairly light (3,900 lb boat ) like mine was able to slack and flow on her chain rode nicely in a nasty blow without surfing/riding around at anchor and creating high sheer loads on the rode. I've learned alot about anchoring recently and alot of that knowledge is simply realizing that there are no hard rules but a nice hull shape and low profile sure can make a difference in a windstorm...working on making some good bow chocks/anti-chafe system right now for more security.

Knock on wood and praise be to Poseidon for my success but a bigger,heavier higher freeboard boat might not have made it through in my situation (exposed to a fairly long NW fetch in winter) Carry on!!


P.S.- Here's a few pics of an island camping trip at a nearby "spoil island" on Sarasota Bay over Thanksgiving (with my boys and 8-9 teenager friends)...My boat was the mother ship and an exhausted Captain found himself aground on the flats the next morning (80 or 90 never-ending feet from the channel but lots of crew for pushing/rocking her out!)

[rwatson]

Well done Soljour - I am all for small boats, but particularly ones I can tow home for winter. The thought of leaving them out all alone on a rope would upset me too much.

Its so easy to get hung up on the sands too. I remember a brand new Hunter 26 that nosed up at a small beach, just to load on some water and fuel, and let the ladies visit the yacht club loo. In the 25 minutes they were there, the tide dropped enough to maroon them, and the days sailing had to be postponed for 8 hours. Bugger !!!

All part of the fun.

[souljour2000]

Trailerable boats are indeed a marvelous wonder! My Seafarer 24 is trailerable with a hinged mast and u-bolt in the stem but I only recently got a fixer upper dual-axle trailer last week which I hope to utilize soon to do some below the waterline thru-hull replaecment,rudder assembly work,etc. My Hunter 20 was fairly easy to trailer and step/unstep the mast but the 24-footer is going to be a 2-man job for sure and I will have to make a dead-man/pully or some such arrangement.There's lots of info on step unstepping systems online I can study I guess.

I worry about having the boat in the water but it is only a short walk from the house to the little storm sewer public right-of-way "beach" where I can "dolly" my canoe on wheels and launch...I usually "visit" her via the canoe at her "anchorage" 2-3 times a week to re-set anchors, do repairs,etc .....but a boat that can be set up/taken down and trailered easily and parked in one's yard or garage is really the way to go I think...with the garage being the best scenario since working outside can still be a hassle with weather issues,tree debris, insects,etc type issues which can be a bugger.

[Manie B]

Here are two "tips" for vastly improved quality of your epoxy and glass work.

1. The "ribbed" plastic rollers is probably the greatest invention since the wheel in my neck off the woods. Simply paint / smear the epoxy onto the clean marine plywood, lay the glass on top - roll down to get saturation with these rollers - and then roll down the peelply with the same ribbed roller. The results as you can see is that the finished product looks like it was bagged. Simply stunning. The HUGE advantage is that after a very light sanding, 120 grit, its ready for painting. This method saves HOURS of cleaning blush and then fairing.

2. The second is how to lay down a really neat fillet. Spread the epoxy putty into the corner with a plastic bag like toothpaste. Run over with a rounded scraper, apply peelply, and roll into corner with a solid rubber roller. Very quick very neat. The advantage here is once again when the peelply comes off you can paint immediately.

These "tricks" are saving me many hours off sanding.
Sanding is the curse off boat building and MUST be avoided or minimised as much as possible. Work neat. Work spotlessly clean. It saves hours and hours and hours.

Enjoy guys :D

[Manie B]

Here is a nice picture of the tops sides off the boards that are for the cockpit seats.

This was done properly. It is very fast and very easy.

[Manie B]

This weekend was the little shitty things
My tie down brackets to secure the fuel tanks
Kevlar weave re-inforcing for future bolt holes
Strong corners for the backstays
Final board for the outboard motor glassed in, and the well glassed over

[masalai]

Another tip you may appreciate, peel-ply is actually "polyester taffeta" which is still very expensive if purchased from a retail fabric/dress-making/curtain-supplies shop... Find a friendly wholesaler and buy by the roll, 55M by 52 inches or something weird like that and in a range of colours... Savings can be HUGE...

Leave the polyester-taffeta in place and remove only where necessary to effect other joins, filleting and tapeing (which is then also covered with polyester-taffeta)... The polyester-taffeta draws out the amine-blush and also keeps the drips, splashes & other "dirt", off during the build process...

A suitable surface for applying a flow-coat, or an extra hard sealing finish of epoxy for voids and other internal surfaces where a mirror finish is not required is immediately available upon removal of the peel-ply... For older folks, a brightly coloured polyester-taffeta adds to the "colour" of the job as well as being easier to detect for removal...

[wardd]

how much epoxy do you figure you'll use when finished?

[masalai]

That is like asking how long is a piece of string?

[hoytedow]

how much epoxy do you figure you'll use when finished?When finished I will use none.

[masalai]

But Hoyt, what are you building - pictures please....

[hoytedow]

gallery/no money at this time/later

[Tantalus]

Sterlkte, Fanie

[Tantalus]

I meant sterkte..
Damn iPad

[Tantalus]

And I meant Manie, not Fanie.... Too much red wine

[Manie B]

how much epoxy do you figure you'll use when finished?

Here are some very interesting facts and figures
I keep track off all my expenses and I keep an accurate record of actual worked hours. Scratching my head / planning / daydreaming takes up my entire day / life :D:D:D

Hours so far 451

The build started 13 June 2009 = 19 months so far
These months I didn't do anything (work / money problems )
Aug, Dec 2009, Jan, Feb, Mar 2010, Oct, Nov, Dec 2010 = 8 months no work

So 451 hours over 11 months actual = 41 Hours per month average

Costs to date ZAR 50'000 = US Dollar 7700

Epoxy and glass ZAR 11'000 (40kg epoxy - 30m glass + extras)
Marine ply and wood ZAR 13'000 (25 sheets 9mm)
All sorts Extras ZAR 26'000 (5hp motor, 30lbs Minncota, Car Stereo, bits of rigging, Garmin fish finder, Garmin E trex and lots of extras for the galley)

At the moment I have almost everything in stock to finish the boat.
Epoxy total will come to about 48 kg
Glass total will come to about 55 m @ 600 gm bi-ax

The end is in sight, I can actually now "see" ahead and it is a wonderfull stage to be at. I am finishing sections ready for painting.
If all goes well I could finish and have the boat on the water (minus rigging) in about 4 / 5 months, which is good as we are going into winter and it is easier to work.

No for the million dollar question that comes up over and over,

Would you do it again or would you buy?

Hands down I would build again. The boating industry in my country is small.
The local builders build utter CRAP. The workmanship is so poor, it will make you weep. The "imported" boats are expensive AND their quality is shockingly poor because the "overseas" master builders / experts are doing everything in their power to cut costs. Everything is paper thin and super light and the salesmen are ********ers. I am not trying to build a "furniture" high quality boat, all I want is relatively low maintenence, neat and tidy boat that does not require major surgery after a couple of days at sea.

Thank gawd I built a small boat. Many a day I wondered shouldn't I have gone bigger. All over the world you can see the "single" old farts on their beeg boats. Thanks, but no thanks.

[masalai]

So Manie, Is this one too big? - 39ft x 21ft...

[Manie B]

:)

and I have lots of Kevlar / Aramid / Carbon re-inforcing

:)

oooohhhh weellllll
its been a lot of fun
back ache, sore wrists, painfull shoulders
knees - hips (the head) everything is sore!
the ears from the missus howling about the boat gets all the attention around this house, the house needs paint blah blah blah
(stuff the house) **** this is "me time" :P

but farkit - that glass of red wine and / or cold beer - tastes soooo much better sitting inside the boat (listening to Enja in the back ground)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfVJ11GXzXQ&feature=related

cool song hey ;)

[Manie B]

So Manie, Is this one too big? - 39ft x 21ft...

:D Mas i love your boat unconditionally :D

but I figure that the smaller the boat the more likely the missus will stay home and the kids will be tooooooo embarassed to be seen dead with dad in his stooopid bath tub

Farkit could this be heaven ???
I always wonder when I get too Frosties pub in my bath tub if "I love you loooong time" will say its toooo small (I am talking about the boat) :D

look, if you have gotten up to all the **** I have in my 27 years of marraige, no wonder my wife and children shake their heads in passing ;)

Well, once a naughty boy, always a naughty boy, gonne die that way hopefully oneday, FULL of **** :D

[masalai]

Go for it Manie, See you out there sometime soon... I was only teasing...

[Wynand N]

Costs to date ZAR 50'000 = US Dollar 7700

Epoxy and glass ZAR 11'000 (40kg epoxy - 30m glass + extras)
Marine ply and wood ZAR 13'000 (25 sheets 9mm)
All sorts Extras ZAR 26'000 (5hp motor, 30lbs Minncota, Car Stereo, bits of rigging, Garmin fish finder, Garmin E trex and lots of extras for the galley)



and that includes the 9mm marine ply for the dashboard of my Lotus 7 replica Im building:cool:

[michael pierzga]

Look'n Good Manie !!

Not just the boat, but the workshop...Perfectly clean !

How do you do it ? Meditation ??? I'm always fighting from behind a platoon of empty coffee cups , struggling to gain traction on a sea of lost pencils , then reaching for a wood chisel and pulling a flathead screwdriver..............................................


Hey...with peel ply...if you have any small overhead taping to do ... try making a peel ply, epoxy saturated biax, polyfilm sandwich band aid... position, carefully remove the inner two poly strips one at a time as you squash the peel plyed biax in place with a gloved hand.

[wardd]

and that includes the 9mm marine ply for the dashboard of my Lotus 7 replica Im building:cool:

there seems to be something backward with it

[Manie B]

good grief Wynand - that turned out a nice piece of ply

there seems to be something backward with it

he he, we drive on the wrong side of the road, english and all that you know, in the deepest darkest colonies old chap ;)

Wynand, looking good, anyway next summer bring the whisky to the dam
I haven't forgotten :D

[Manie B]

jeez I only noticed now,
the dighy in the back
;)

[masalai]

And look at the wheelbarrow next, - has it been used for mixing epoxy in it?

[Manie B]

oh well guys - my beeeeg ship finally came in
I am so farkin stinkin rich as of today I will even send you some

got a brilliant idea - I will buy an exclusive island for all the BD.net guys where we can drink, build boats, and chase wimmen in grass skirts
you know - looove you long time

:D

waaaaay cooool hey dudes :idea:

[Fanie]

Why Manie, that's about one rand you have there. The BD.net island is going to be friggin small...

BTW, I have a counterfit R100 I carry with me I bought for R5 from someone, I plan to slip it to the first corrupt speed cop here that stops me for 'breakfast money'.

Haven't you gotten any of these mails from these little old ladies who wants YOU, of all people in the world, to become their financial guardian and manage the 25 million Brittish pounds for her ?

My guess is we're not that far behind zim, the rand is sliding again. If it's going to slide past a certain point it will lose it's grip and keep going. The attached is a prediction... and not so far fetched.

Oh you will probably buy a bread with it. A bread on the moment in zim cost more that a farm did when it had the previous government.

[wardd]

oh well guys - my beeeeg ship finally came in
I am so farkin stinkin rich as of today I will even send you some

got a brilliant idea - I will buy an exclusive island for all the BD.net guys where we can drink, build boats, and chase wimmen in grass skirts
you know - looove you long time

:D

waaaaay cooool hey dudes :idea:


I'm in if you out law the grass skirts

[Fanie]

I'm in if you out law the grass skirts
You mean MOW the grass skirts :D

[troy2000]

You mean MOW the grass skirts :D

That depends entirely on who's wearing them. Some of them we might want to water instead, so they'll grow and hide the view....

[masalai]

Nah, leave the grass skirts, something soft to clean the whistle with...

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Trobriand_Islands.aspx
http://www.monolith.com.au/papua-new-guinea/vactrav.html

[hoytedow]

oh well guys - my beeeeg ship finally came in
I am so farkin stinkin rich as of today I will even send you some

got a brilliant idea - I will buy an exclusive island for all the BD.net guys where we can drink, build boats, and chase wimmen in grass skirts
you know - looove you long time

:D

waaaaay cooool hey dudes :idea:You have Zimbabwe. Canada has us.

[rwatson]

:)
oooohhhh weellllll
its been a lot of fun
back ache, sore wrists, painfull shoulders
knees - hips (the head) everything is sore!
the ears from the missus howling about the boat gets all the attention around this house, the house needs paint blah blah blah
(stuff the house) **** this is "me time" :P

cool song hey ;)

Thats the one I listen to in my shed. My missus' aim in life is to earn enough for me to build boats ...... no kidding !!!! Bet you never thought there was one of those left in the world.

I like this one as I gaze around the mess that has to be cleaned up, and the renovated office that still has no floor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yRgiXh2fP4

[souljour2000]

Watson...Thanks for the link to the amazing Enya video..have that CD...but that video puts that song into a whole mesmerizing new experience....Manie..keep up the good work...I got a new toy the other day btw..a 8.5 foot "Dyer-type" dinghy that has lots of rocker and is a true utility dinghy...no more setting anchors with a canoe...woohoo!!!

[Andy]

Hows the project Manie? No updates for a while...

[Fanie]

Last time I spoke with Manie he was working on it. I don't think he has much longer to go.

[masalai]

And your build progress Fanie? - - What gives with you saffas? - - Into other pursuits? - - Winand building a sports car? - It looks bloody FANTASTIC, by the way...

[Fanie]

Hi Mas,

Very slow, very frustrated. The governments plan to make every one in SA as poor as possible so there cannot be any political resistance is going really good. Prices increase almost daily. Toll gates on all the main roads in the future, I believe that would give pricing a good boost. We pay for a crappy truck here 2 1/2 times what the guys in the US pay for a top of the range truck. About everything here is like that. The farm and other murders goes on frequently, of the like 160 000 farmers we had there are about 35 000 left, and the eh eh eh menista has expressed concern. They have some secrecy thing they want to implement so the media cannot report on any more incedents, which means they can eliminate who they want and 'by law' no one may make it public.

Here's an idea of how it's going -
http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2008/10/only-some-of-white-south-africans.html

Wine hand building a sports car is just BS. Where did you ever see a boat builder retire to build sports cars :D I believe he got side tracked a bit but don't worry, he'll come around. The feeling of water doesn't let go that easy.

So as you can see it's going very well with us all here !
Who the f cares any way :( but thanks for asking.

[hoytedow]

I think our clown college posing as a govt is working from the same plan. This can't keep going this way, or can it? God help us all.

[masalai]

Actually I feel, - it is not a plan? - well not theirs...

Someone has figured out how to do this "alien capture thing", so the victims have no recollection of those events, - and the testing seems to be on "leaders" - they all come back effectively with frontal-lobotomies...

That is the most plausible response I can imagine... The problem seems to be global and the 'dumbing-down' seems to be expanding at an exponential rate...

[rwatson]

The problem seems to be global and the 'dumbing-down' seems to be expanding at an exponential rate...

Its not the rest of the world getting dumber - its you getting smarter :p

[masalai]

Flattery will not get you anywhere... I have a masters degree and a doctorate... :o bought in the great USA for a discount...

I just got a letter from bureaucrat seeking to review my mental competency... Quick - time to bugger off and disappear for a while - up near Les Siddons hideout ? ... or further away even...

[hoytedow]

Mas, you should send a letter to the bureaucrat offering to review his mental competency.

[Manie B]

Hi guys, thanks for the interest, much appreciated.

Well I'm back at it with a vengeance.
It's winter here and for some unthinkable reason year after year I seem to get to it during winter, no explanation, even my wife and children cant figure it out ;)
I've set meself some serious time line - the BOAT WILL BE ON THE WATER THIS SUMMER come hell or high water.
So obviously ALL house maintenance has ended with immediate effect :eek:

The plan is to get it turned over ASAP to complete the outside and then after carry on with the zillion things on the inside
then the trailer
then on the water with motor
and finally do the rigging

enjoy and thanks

[hoytedow]

Godspeed.

[masalai]

Any speed... Good on yer Manie...

[Manie B]

I have now also had a sunday afternoon nap in the boat.
I did a bit of odd jobs and then after a quick lunch THE NAP !!
The wife and kids had a good laugh, but this was a milestone for me, inspiration deluxe.
I have had many a beer in the boat, shed many a tear, dropped a couple of drops of blood AND buckets of sweat, but never laid down in five star luxury.

When I closed my eyes I could hear the water lapping at the hull and the gentle tugging of the anchor at the bow, farkit this is getting better by the day ;)

[Fanie]

I've heard of sleeping ON the job, but sleeping IN the job is new to me. I guess there's a first for everything. Well, at least we know now why the boat's not done yet eh !

Sleeping in the job. Gmmppffffff.

By the by Manie, the floors are in mate, I got it done ! Some new sore places, off feet and very thin arms but I got it done.
Also, one of the philamons got his thumb into the congrete mixer's gear - after I explicitly told him to keep his paw clear, but no, the white boss he talks to the birds. Don't worry he'll live, just lost the thumb nail.

[Nurb]

Not a better berth in the whole world. Congratulations on the progress!

[Manie B]

Hi guys

turning the hull is now approx 2 weeks away
jeez I cant sleep anymore

anyway
bulkhead #3 is in
and all bulkheads and bow are now finished and ready to go in
then the "eggcrate" will be stiff and ready for turning to glass the outside of the hull

its hard to believe that its been 2 years since the beginning
sometime it seems like yesterday
total hours to date 481
over a period of 14 months = 34 hours per month
that means that I lost approx 10 months over the past two years due to work
or sometimes just laziness or pressure from the wife and family commitments
the boat takes on a character of its own when you can start "inhabitting" it,
it's a treat to sit "inside" the boat and eat, sleep daydream and plan the next job

[Fanie]

Looks good Manie.
I think one should remember that every little thing one do is one little step closer...

[hoytedow]

... to freedom. Never give up!

[colfar5033]

manie

so true what you are saying about being able to sit on boat and sleep ,it gives you the insparation to continue. Looking good and hope weather comes right for us in sa .

[Manie B]

At Last

this was a great weekend
bitterly cold, my hands, back, feet, everything HURTS
as I sit here this Monday morning I can barely type my hands as so stiff
BUT the fruits of hard work is sweet
the song in my heart and head just whistles along nonstop

SHE IS READY TO BE TURNED OVER

its like a new girlfriend ready to roll onto her back
**** to think that I used to be 30 years old yesterday
oh well, back to reality, this old fart will have to stay with the boats :P

so as soon as I can get a crew together of 12 guys we will turn her, on the next available weekend

right in the bow is the anchor / chain & rode wet compartment - which drains to the outside
behind that is the sealed storage compartment for fuel etc. that is only accesable from the deck, so that no smells or spilage can enter the cabin
behind that is the forward cabin that is food storage that is entered via the inside
all 3 compartments have got flotation chambers underneath that will be filled with bottles and foam ( same as at the stern compartments)

this summer is going to be sweet my friends

[rwatson]

Hey Manie - you can borrow my gantry of you like ..

[Surfszup]

Keep it going! Every boat being built before mine is an inspiration for me to keep going!

[Manie B]

Hey Manie - you can borrow my gantry of you like ..

right now I would give my left b@!! for that workshop and gantry :D

[rwatson]

right now I would give my left b@!! for that workshop and gantry :D

Yeah, that's about what it takes.

I'm a bit behind you on the boat build though. Will be starting anytime 'real soon' right after I clear out the old machinery and finish the amenities installation :-)

Seriously though, for anyone starting on a boat building project, having decent facilities is 30% of the work.

[Manie B]

I'm a bit behind you on the boat build though. Will be starting anytime 'real soon'

A tiny bit of advice for all potential boatbuilders out there

go small - go now

when I started this project TWO :eek: years ago I was never "really" sure if I would have the money to see it thru, and over the 2 years I had many many ideas on how to make it work and save enough to get it done. There were months when money was short and so there were months that I could not work on the boat. But when you REALLY have it at heart you do get back to it "somehow"
Basically its what you make of it, but you can do the job in bits, with small bits of expenditure. The project becomes part of family life and the wife and children learn to appreciate that Dad must also get "something" out of the deal. Many fathers work and ALL the money goes to house, wife, children and school. There will always be a new TV / furniture / expense if you allow it to happen. My family now accept my hobby as part of family life and expenses - and still I am last in line, but what the heck I do get my share ;)

Then as the kids get older and the wife see's that this "boating" thing is not going to go away, you start realising that ultimately this is YOUR boat and the family is not really interested. So I know full well that I will be alone on the boat 90% of the time, oh sure they will be there for the launching, but its not really their cup of tea. They have their own interests and hobbies.

So although the "boat" and all that goes with it, has become part of the family, it remains an intensely private affair, mistress if you like ;)
I can stare into her eyes all day long, never get bored, never get enough.

So
go and build a boat
it will change your life
some will fall in love
some will walk away
only way to find out who you are is to try

get stuck in and go for it :D