The "NANCY G" a surfboat /lifeboat to motorsailer conversion build in progress

darned global warming!

 

It will be interesting to see the righting of the hull and its placement upon the dolly. Please photo-document those maneuvers as I expect you were already going to do.

 

Don't get squashed like a bug in the process.

 

Boat Cart

Hoyt the beer will deaden the blow Interesting story behind those kegs. They were in the basement of a old house we demolished. A few were actually from Europe. I phoned the local Breweries to come get the local kegs some 10 yrs ago but no one ever showed up so I put them to good use.
Ok back on topic this week I concentrated on the rear axle and front end steering set up. I was a little concerned about some modifications i had made to the original John Deer set up. I reversed the front axle trying to re position the steering rods above the axle for ease of maintenance and damage control. Well that didn't work so I had to cut the axle away from it's frame attachment and flip it placing the steering rods back in their original under the axle location. My other modification was that by lengthening the axle would it throw the radius arc ratios between the steering arm and the steering rods off and the whole thing would just lock up. In this case luck was with me it didn't seem to have any effect . Logically I suspected as much but Murphy has a way of smacking one on the hands if they mess around with Harley or John Deer. This weekend we will re weld the front axle to it's frame, weld the hull support posts in place and do the final assembly of the front end and rear axles, then finally mount the wheels. Oh and take the beer kegs back for re fill

 

After all that work you need a refill!

 

Boat Cart

MMmmm, Agreed but in boat building "The Truth" requires a lot of sweat equity before revealing the flaws On that note, after welding the hull support base tubes to the main frame I decided to put this part of the build on hold and concentrate on installing the running gear. The most complicated of this was the alignment of the front end. Because I lengthened the front axle it also required I lengthen the steering arms (tie rods). This entailed welding on and drilling new adjustment holes in 6in. X 1.5in X .25 in. flat bar to each tie rod. Once these were ground smooth and primed the whole steering assembly was installed and aligned by eye. The next steps in the alignment will be well known to all those old back yard Hot Rod Boys in the days before fancy alignment machines came on stream or were accessible in small town North America. I have included a few photos for the entertainment of those who have never experienced the drop axle, king pin world . The prime alignment tool was the "Sliding Rod" and as simple as it was, often great care and pride was put into it's construction. Often this included both "Course and Fine Alignment" "Toe In" markings, not only for one's own machine but also those of friends. While there were different strokes for different folks the general procedure was:
(1) Center the steering wheel turns left to right which also center the worm gear in the steering box which in turn will center the travel of the pitman arm attached to the splined external end of the worm gear. In the case of the John Deer farm cart this is represented and accomplished by centering and wedging, nothing more than a piece of flat steel pivoting between the tow bar attachment point on one end and on the other it's representation of the pitman arm/centerlink all rolled into one. photo #1
(2) Next some means of aligning one front wheel with it's partner in the rear. This was often achieved by many fancy built back yard set ups incorporating longitudinal rails as reference points. In my case i simply ran a rail parallel to the frame. photo #2
(3) Adjusting it's Tie Rod, I positioned the wheel parallel with the rail and wedged it in place. Also photo #2.
(4) Finally we get to use our "Sliding Rod" alignment tool, marked with green rings for course alignment and the standard of the day 1/8 in. "Toe In" red ring. (Last Photo)Using this tool on the horizontal front to back diameters of the tires and at approximately the same points on the inside of each front tire, we can set them on parallel tracks. (equal distances on the Sliding Rod). To achieve our Toe In simply adjust each tie rod equally until the red marker ring is fully exposed on the spacing between the rear of the tires measurement but hidden on the spacing between the front of the tires measurement.
Next Boat Cart posting will include the vertical hull supports and their course and fine jacking adjustment features.
P.S. Overall my memory served me well here but expect a few edits ,

 

Yobarnacle is between computers right now due to worn out hardware.

Carriage is looking real good.

 

Hello chaps,

It's been a little while since last I visited the Forum. We should have been working on our Freeman 22 Mk 2, but landscaping our garden has taken precedence & I'm not sure whether we'll get Orpheus in the water this year?

Astonishingly, the advertisment is still extant. Scroll down.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BOAT-FREE...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

However, because we will repaint Orpheus at some time, we decided to purchase another orbital sander in order to prepare the hull. My son Spenser sprays cars for a living, so we took his advice & bought a Mirka. It's an absolute revelation! It's not noisy; it's light, powerful & it doesn't dig in & cause gouges. I am of the opinion that it replaces the need for long boarding.

I've been using it to renovate teak garden furniture that had turned black. I tried using my quarter sheet orbital sander with 40 grit & even leaning on it, the machine hardly touched the surface. Then I switched to the Mirka with an Abranet 40 grit disc & away I went. With just gentle pressure, the Mirka removed the dirt & surface finish back down to virgin wood almost instantly.

The extending table seats 10 & I took only 5 hours to restore it to gold brown. I coated it with Tung oil & will finish it with wax polish & steel wool when I've sanded the eight chairs. Two to go.

https://www.restexpress.co.uk/acata..._Sander.html?gclid=CO-HpfmAtMwCFa0W0wod91MHZw

As you can see from the link, the Mirka is costly, but when it's used with Abranet discs, much time is saved & time is money. As for Orpheus, I have sanded the gel coat on the transom & it's now silky smooth, but there's still another 264 square feet to go, which I really don't fancy in this unseasonally cold Spring. We've had sun then hailstones three time today & it's only 14-48 GMT.

Regards,

Perry

 

Hi Pericles, no see long time As they say ya get what ya pay for and regarding tools this is true in most cases. My heavy random orbital is a 6in. Metabo made in Italy around $400. Canadian but well worth the greenbacks. It has a unique control to set the amount of random orbital action from fine to course. Set on course it will cut gelcoat like butter. All my finish sanders are random orbital Porter Cables which I find are just a tad better than anything else i've tried over the years. Most important both the Metabo and Porter Cables have a good vacuum hose attachment. Tip. when using a shop vac be sure to attach an exhaust hose and feed it outside or downwind of your work area. If not you could be exposing yourself to the very fine dust particles that get thru the vacuums filter cartridge and escape out thru the exhaust port. The extra precaution of wearing a basic dust mask is also a good idea.

 

Good to see your post Perry.

The new Mirka is one of a new generation of orbitals that work well, but more importantly are lighter and smaller, so you can use them longer and get into tighter areas. It shouldn't be confused with fairing tools, as it's still an orbital and intended for smoothing, not fairing.

I too use the Porter Cable units, finding them a good, durable, rebuildable alternative, with a reasonable price. I can't count how many different sanders I have, but I tend to gravitate to one of the Porter Cables, most of the time.

Dust extraction is mandatory if you do much work. I used to use a shop vac, but now have a dedicated, homebuilt suction thingie. It's a 10" box fan, set inside an enclosure, with a 3" hose on the inlet, which I can adapt to any of the hand tools. The exhaust end is outside and I just drag the hose to where it needs to be. I'm sure I'll kill the fan eventually, but I did put a nose cone on the motor to help protect it. I have a much big arrange, using a 20" box fan, with a "fume hood" type of arrangement. This is good for wholesale sanding large areas or sucking off welding smoke.

 

Thanks for your replies gentlemen. I often reflect on how the Internet has enhanced our lives in so many ways, by enabling us to communicate so easily & effectively & share our experiences. Think how uninformed we'd be without it. For example, PAR notes that the Mirka is so much lighter than earlier equipment. I have found that using it one handed is no problem. It dances around the complex shapes of the teak furniture without effort & just a turn of the wrist. I connect it to our Miele domestic vacuum cleaner, which uses both bags & filters. Whether this is a smart move remains to be seen.

http://www.johnlewis.com/miele-c3-t...0e61ab&s_kwcid=402x1591059&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

I also use a face mask, because Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency takes no prisoners. https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency/what-is-it

As for fairing an epoxy/marine ply hull, I use Mylar in rolls to help me achieve a smooth finish. It's not my idea, I hasten to add. It's from Duckworks & it works!

http://duckworksmagazine.com/03/r/articles/glass/bottom.htm

Ah well, it's now 09-10 & time to return to to the hard landscaping. Today, we're are putting down an surface dressed, exposed decorative aggregate driveway. I say we, but it ain't me. It's my progeny who'll be wielding the shovels.

http://www.pavingexpert.com/concxag1.htm

All the best,

Perry

 

Buy Drywall Vacuum bags for your shop vac, no dust!

 

Buy enough extra hose for the shop vac, so you can connect the exhaust side and run it out a window or door.

 

PAR,

I'll take that remark about the window under advisement. As it happens, there isn't that much dust; the gelcoat was painted some years ago & the old paint is being easily removed. As for the day in the garden, we laboured until 20-00 & then supped well before retiring to our rude & virtous couches so, until the morrow I bid you all goodnight.

Perry

 

As many of you probably suspected i've been slowing down on my build. For the past 6 months i personally have been slowing down and reality has finally kicked in. While at a young 72yrs. i'm not exceeding old, it's old enough to trigger a wake up call to make the best of what years are remaining. I have decided to shut down the project and enjoy sailing verses building with the hopes i can find someone to continue the dream. To all of those who have followed, posted, i give my deepest thank you for your help, encouragement and kind words. I especially want to thank the hard work and patience of the Forum Management and Moderation for the privilege of allowing me to post my project. However let me be clear i'm not that easy to get rid of as i fully intend to post my two cents worth now and again On behalf of the "Nancy G" Project Thanks again All --Geo.