Morbic 12

[Chris Partridge]

Come to think of it, the rope is a reasonably generous diameter. Still not going to cleat it down though.

[Port-Na-Storm]

Recently I seem to have been caught in an eddy in the space time continuum where every day is groundhog day and no matter how long I spend in the garage the Morbic never seems to get any nearer to completion.

While things haven't exactly leapt forward this week, I do seem to have broken free and have managed to tick a couple of boxes.



As you may know I was looking for a trailer and was following one on fleabay but then
 this one popped up on Dinghies and Dinghy Bits for Sale FaceBook Page this morning.
It was only just up the road so I am now the proud owner.
It seems to be fine, Wheels and tyres are good, bearings are smoother than smooth, the launch trolley is adjustable for length so I should be able to get the boat well balanced.
And of course it was a bloody sight cheaper than a new one.
Thanks to Steve for pointing me in the FB direction.

My sail has been on order since before Lockdown, I paid the balance a couple of cycles ago so I phoned them to see if it had gotten lost somewhere off Alpha Centauri. The nice man at Jeckells said, "Oh yes that little lug sail,"  and I got the distinct impression he suddenly realised what he had been kicking under his desk for the last few weeks. "It'll be with you tomorrow."

And it was.



It looks great, they had said they wouldn't put the reefing ties in as I am planning to copy Chris Waits reefing system so they will come off, I do hope the grommets they've put in are big enough but I'll deal with that when the time comes. Still not got any wood for the spars.

So a bit of progress has been made.  
Onwards ever Onwards.



 

 

[Chris Adeney]

I have just had a close look at the picture of a French gaff cutter which is Kathy Mansfields' July picture on her calendar and there is a bowsprit traveler just the same as the one you have except this one is galvanized. The boat its self looks very pretty.
Chris A.

[Julian Taylor]

I added floors and floorboards in mine as well as seat slats. Some of the online pictures of Adrian Donovan's boat gave the inspiration for both as well as a mast collar on the foredeck. I reckon that a bit more low down weight when single handing most of the time is a good thing, as is a fisherman's anchor attached to the forward boards ready to deploy.
I also beefed up the skeg a bit starting with a 40mm board to give a wider root to the bottom board. The addition of the floors also stitches all the bottom boards together, but I'm sure that Francois wouldn't approve!

We have a rather steep ramp over the river wall at the Deben Yacht Club and I reckoned that Morbic was around the max size that I could comfortably launch and retrieve on my own. With my additions and having passed my 3 score years and 10 a few months ago that is still true.

The starboard aft floorboard makes a perfect basis for a bed, forward end sits on the thwart and the aft on the stern seat. A simple strut sits in a cleat on the edge of the side seat across to sit atop the centreboard case. Three short planks sit forward and level with the thwart sitting on the seat riser across to the centreboard case to extend the bed to 7 feet or so.

Sleeping doesn't heel the boat much at all and with a Thermarest on top it's all very comfortable.

Look forward to seeing your boat, this year was the year to join in with many more DYC events but............... I was looking forward to getting back to BTAC too with a skiff event, we've built 1 St Ayles skiff and well on the way with another in Woodbridge. That's been an enjoyable build too and has reduced my guilt at not building an Oughtred design for myself.

It's going to be a good year, next year!

Julian

[Port-Na-Storm]

A bit more progress has been made on the Morbic.
After a few weeks drowning under a sea of shavings and dust the spars are nearly there.
 


Tim, I'll do you a deal, I won't go fondling yours if you don't go fondling mine.
They're definitely not round and the yard has an S bend in it but if this year has taught us anything, life's too bloody short.
Seasons Greetings everyone.
Grum.

[Port-Na-Storm]

Oh Looky a post about boats.  

Some progress to report on the Morbic.

I have finally finished painting the inside, giving the seat tops and floor a non-slip  top coat.
I finished fitting the main thwart. I have modified this so that it folds in half, like a Pub Bar, remember those?



This will give access to the sleeping platform and the underside will form the table top complete with fiddle.

I've given the spars a dousing in Deks Olje,



Bedded the oar pads down with Sikaflex, the screw holes will be plugged next .

   

And finally bedded the pintles and rubbing strip in properly.



Lots of fiddly little jobs do, including the running rigging, but its getting closer.

Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Build a Boat.
 
 

[Rob Blackburn]

Such a nice boat and I really feel bad that I have missed the progress. I had sort of forgotten about this group. I have re bookmarked it and will be attentive going forward.

You planning an auxiliary (seagull?) or the oars sufficient?

By the way, am in the process of designing new roller reefing for the Katie Beardie Knock Off Awinya.

Going to be done in PETG via the 3D printer.

R

[Port-Na-Storm]

Welcome back Rob, we've missed you.

Definitely going for the Oars, and I may consider an outboard for days when the Grandkids are getting bored.  
It won't be a Seagull though, I like old things but they are just too noisy and smelly.
Old 2 stroke mariners/mercury are lightweight, quieter and cheapish if you can find one, but still environmentally suspect.
I'd go electric but charging becomes a problem on multi day trips.
We shall see what transpires.

Keep us posted on Katie/Awinya developments. 3d printing Oooh look at you! :)

G.

[Rob Blackburn]

Well, I bought a 2nd hand Mercury 3.5hp recently as they have gone off the market, on Gumtree.com . Should have smelled a rat when the vendor said he had a spare impeller for it.

Started it and it did not pump water so had to get a new impeller for it and have it installed as Youtube showed that to do it one's self is beyond any reasonable possibility of success. I reckon I could have got it apart but looking at the reassembly was a bit daunting.

But I now have an as new one. Smoky for sure but when you think how much coal and gas we are exporting from this country, that little bit of smoke is not significant. (We are a funny bunch environmentally down here)

As for the canoe project. Have been working on Fusion 360 for a new reefer configuration as I don't think mine is any good really. Going to buy a couple of bits of Tassie Oak dowels about 25mm in diam this weekend at Bunnings and start drafting up a setup. The good thing about the 3D printer is that you can print stuff at 100% infill (ie no air gaps inside) and it is pretty strong. Or you can quickly knock up a prototype at 10%.

More to the point I am working on furniture for a timber launch we bought from a chap in Tasmania before Christmas. It is my current main project.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5DQVBfjr2JX2q8LH9

Working towards having it livable for 2 old boomers for 4 days and 3 nights for trips. Putting a roof on after the 2 seats are done to keep the sun off.

Getting off your topic. Sorry.

Rob

[Paul H (admin)]

Lovely finish as usual Graham.

It will be a shame to cover her in mud and seaweed, but that's life. Also 'details' on such a capable boat makes you a lifer.

Soon there will be discussions of the right anchor for her . It's always the one that works.

-Paul

[Jason Mayer]

Graham she's looking gorgeous.  Did you epoxy coat the timber before painting or use a primer plus top coats.  I looked through the previous pages and didn't spot any references to it.

Jason

[Port-Na-Storm]

Hi Jason,
I didn't give the hull three coats of Epoxy as advocated by some builders and designers.
I'm a bit reluctant to spend a lot of time and money spreading the stuff on only to then spend more time and indeed money sanding the stuff back off to get it smooth.
I appreciate that to some this will be heresy and in some parts of the world with tropical climates seem like sheer lunacy.  However I live in a fairly benign temperate region and I don't think there is a huge amount to be gained.
I know I am repeating myself here but hey ho, 6mm ply already consists of five plies of timber separated by four layers of waterproof glue and I doubt if any epoxy coating gets any deeper than the first glue line.
It would be very different if the design required a layer of sheathing for strength or rigidity but I don't think clinker ply does.  
Having said that the underside does get a fine layer of slightly thickened epoxy applied with a plastic scraper, just enough to fill the grain. Often this is the scrapings from the bottom of any pots I've been using for other jobs.
So for example I'll mix a batch, enough to glue on a plank with a bit left over, I'll use the remainder to fill the end grain on the previous lands, with a little fillet, and smooth the rest over the planks.
When its all done I sand it back with 120p.

Hope all of this is making sense?

I then lay on maybe three coats of primer, sanding back lightly with 120p.
I let the last primer coat go hard for a few days then cut it back with some 80 grit wet and dry used wet, with a little washing up liquid to break the surface tension.
Your fingers will tell you when its nice and smooth far better than your eyes can.

It took me a while to discover that Paint does not hide anything, it enhances any issues you have so don't rely on it to cover your sins. Your gloss coat will only ever be as good as the primer layer so spend time now getting it to your satisfaction.
I have in extremis resorted to the using a guide coat of paint, like car body-shops, sanding it off to highlight where the lumps bumps and holes are but only when I've bolloxed an area up in the first place.  

Laying on the top coats, at least two maybe three, cutting back with wet and dry between coats should do it.
This all sounds like a bit of a drag, but I love the look when that first coat of gloss goes on.
The boat has a fair number of sags and "holidays" which look  worse when she's outside in the daylight but she'll do.

[Port-Na-Storm]

Encouraged by Richard I've been doing a bit of fiddling and whipping.
Ooooh Matron!

The guy on the video makes it look really easy but then I think he'd make a really good magician, and I'd never want to play "Find the Lady" with him.

https://www.premiumropes.com/splicing-rope/splicing-instruction-videos

So I bought myself a set of Fids and set to.



There have been a lot of false starts, quite a lot of swearing, rope abuse, and my smallest fid now looks like a corkscrew. There is an awful lot of skill and technique involved, none of which is explained on the videos or pamphlets.

The rope on the right is the Halyard and the fairly extensive whipping is there to cover up a few sins.
It might get re-done if I can be bothered.
The next in from the right is part of the downhaul and is my most successful eye so far, no whipping required and tight as a drum.
Next comes the sheet horse, there's a stainless thimble under there.
And finally the mainsheet, again with a steel thimble.

Lots of the little bits of hardware like the thimbles come out of a box of bits I salvaged from The Ancient & Vulnerable St Deny's Sailing and Rowing Club bin, including that Tufnol fiddle block with swivel which is worth around £45 according to classic marine.

So now dear chaps I need suggestions and instructions on how to attach the mainsheet and downhaul to the boom. I'd like to use a lashing of some sort rather than a stainless deck eye thingy, so lets have your solutions.

[inwe]

Rope. Simples , make a nice circle spliced of course and then turn it around the woodwork. I'll take a photo tomorrow . I did it on Calluna first works a treat.

Richard

[inwe]

Sorry missed a bit. Bloody well done.
Richard

[Jason Mayer]

 
I like the rolling hitch.  It stays put and can handle sideways tension in one direction.

These videos give a nice look at a traditional minimalist balance lug.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEVXQZ_W12g

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTNLI7VXnLI

 

 

[Chris Waite]

The traditional way to fix ropes to spars and that sort of thing

Is with strops, like the one on the downhaul in Jason's video clips, but held in position by wooden 'thumb' wedges, or cleats.  Also wooden eyes and 'combs' depending on how much stuff you want to attach and where -



This gives the basic idea, though you can make them up like this, but with a hole rather than an open 'U'. Or as two separate wedge-sides, or as a wooden hoop open to the spar....

Anything like that; I have a box of several old ones somewhere in the garage.

Heaven knows where, should I start looking?

Does that help?

Chris

[Chris Waite]

I was out in the garage just now, Grum

Looking for a mast or something else, when I suddenly remembered that the wooden widgets might be in a small green box that I'd seen not so long ago.  Lo and behold, it was at the front of a shelf down at the far end and there were no widgets in it; however they were in a black box next to it -



I'm sure you can produce something much prettier

These are a tad rudimentary

Chris

[Jason Mayer]

Graham,

It's been quiet....too quiet.....how's the build going?  Did you get to launch her yet?

I'm a bit stuck at the moment with mine.....got a varnish curing problem.

Still I am busy fiddling with fittings and stuff that I can put on once I can go near her again.

I think I need a few more weeks then I'll be ready to launch.

Jason

[Paul H (admin)]

Jason,

The launch date is so top secret not even Graham knows it ha ha.

Paul