love this boat

well so far so good. shes a little too sensitive to the wind when rowing. 

still havent sailed her yet. 

wwe had a wonderful time this weekend rowing out into the marsh. 

notice clint and frankie on the paddleboards in the background

owen and jake on the paddleboard

owen is a fish!  still working on swimming though. 

we are going to try again this weekend

enjoying her so far

wind blows her a little bit but she still handles great

one last touch

finally: she launches

well she finally made it to the water today. 

and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. 

mid 70s and perfect, NW wind. 

bought a cheap bottle of champagne and don christened her at his beach

then we rowed around

and she handles like a champ. super easy to row, handles boat wake well, and barely draws 5 inches of water. 

i was really happy with her performance. 

i may try again on monday with the whole family. 

special thanks to all my helpers along the way

most importantly, my wife......for her angelic patience!

others:

jquarles:  thanks for the saling books!

bseigenthaler:  thanks for the advice, and the wooden boat subscription!

mbayne:  thanks for the advice, this boat isnt nearly as nice as what you build but she will do for a an old redneck doc!

sugar bear:  thanks for the best paints, primer, and varnish in the world. thank yourself for that showroom shine!

others

owen!

mrussell

srussell

rpollock the fpopc

cpollock

fatboy wms

capn donald ray

cmartin

htaylor

chowell

willsgolfcars

ronnie O

ACE tommy

sand and (finally) paint

well the first coat of primer went great....

then i sanded it all off. 

it really smoothed up nicely though. i used 120-180 grit on my orbital. 

then, another coat of primer

then i followed with 220 grit

and finally paint

and after the second coat....she is gorgeous

i added the rudder thanks to my neighbor gary

after that i rigged up the cleats and oarlocks

and she is absolutely perfect

now i just need to rig out for sailing, finish the rudder work, and get lots of rope. ive ordered my name.....calypso, after my home town. 

finally....primer

well i gotta say i've been looking forward to this the whole time. i watched a fee videos on youtube about 'rolling and tipping' and felt like i was ready to give it a shot. 

thanks to BK and Sugar Bear i have the best single-stage topcoats you can get.....interlux prekote and topsides. 

so back to the rolling and tipping thing.....

you roll this stuff on in vertical strokes, a small bit at a time, then take a dry 'tipping brush' and stroke horizontally from unpainted wood back towards the paint.....this knocks down the bubbles from the roller and smooths the paint very nicely. 

i thought it went well. 

remember, this is just the first coat of PRIMER. 

ill sand her again tomorrow and put on another coat tomorrow night. hopefully after that one ill be ready for the hatteras off-white😜

either something great or something terrible is about to happen

it could be either or. 

she is taped off and ready for primer. 

i hope this works...

im going to 'roll and tip' the whole process

my helper is ready too!

sand and zspar varnish

well i sanded the whole interior today w my deWalt palm sander. started with 80 grit and worked down to 120. 

notice the grey color of the hull after running over the epoxy w a sander

looks awfully dull

then, after a few coats of pettit zspar, 

she looks amazing. 

really glossy. 

i also finished the rudder assembly today

this will need some finish work

finally, the mast partner. i had a good friend and neighbor sign it, then i burned in his signature so the boys would know who christened the boat

masts!

well I finally got my mast kit in the mail and started putting the mast, mast step, rudder, and daggerboard together.

its been a rough few weeks so time has been really limited....a month ago i had planned to be finished by now!

theres the assembled mast step. once i drill these final holes in the bottom for mounting this bad-boy ill be done drilling holes in the bottom of my boat!

theres the rudder

and i finally finished my trailer modifications. 

thats outdoor carpet from lowes covering up 1 inch pipe insulation underneath used for cushion

next up.....attaching the mast step, finishing the rudder and daggerboard assembly ......

then

paint and varnish!!!!!

trailer modifications

rhett (aka the fresh prince of pender county) founde this used trailer near the beach so i started modifying it so i could carry both my skerry and my wifes new paddleboard. 

i want to be able to store her upside down but transport 'right-side-up'

so i borrowed an airgun from will and adjusted the brackets for a more horizontal approach. 

its simple. used 2x8s measured to the skerry's beam plus a few notches cut out for the paddleboad. 

seats are in

well the seats are in

now i am waiting on the sailing kit so i can install the mast step

i also re-coated the skeg with resin for another layer of protection

the paint and varnish are in so as soon as i get the rudder and mast step installed, ill paint....then im done!