Category: Boatbuilding

A New Year...More New Projects

1/2/2020

My favorite skipper and I eloped when it came time to get married.

He'd been through a big wedding already and I wanted neither the pouffy dress nor to stand at the center of that kind of social attention.

The legalizing deed was performed at the Wee Chapel of Love, which used to lurk on Gandy Boulevard in Tampa.

On the way to the Wee Chapel, we did a quick pre-nup. "I'm going to buy boats and forget to tell you," Mr. Linton said.

After a considering moment, I came back with "I'll get fruity furniture, like chaise lounges, and I just don't want any lip about it."

We both found these demands reasonable. And so it has gone.

This fall, between Flying Scotting, Sunfishing, and warming up Spawn (and then repairing the damage), himself started sailing a 2.4 Meter.

As a boat design, the 2.4 Meter looks very much like the old school America's Cup boats: a classic pointy bow and sweetly curved belly. Those yachty yachts of Newport Rhode Island fame. Dennis Conner and that gang.

Only, 2.4 meters comes out to a diminutive 13 or so feet long. So it's an America's Cup boat considered from the wrong end of the telescope.

The boat is large enough for a single person, who sits inside the hull with not much more than a noggin showing above decks.

As if Paul Bunyan had taken to the high seas, or as if a person had inexplicably shrunk down into a shoe.

The boat has been used in the Paralympics, as well as for the able-bodied; it's difficult to sink or flip.

It's got a mass of spaghetti line controls in the cockpit and Jeff will be using his feet to steer.

Of course he's excited for the new adventure. The man does love a new sailing challenge.

He went halvsies on a 2.4 Meter owned by a friend and began working on it, as he does.

Gelcoat, fiberglass, carbon fiber, epoxy, refiguring hardware, rejigging lines...it's all good.

A bigger project maybe than he expected, but intellectually stimulating.

In December, he got invited to a regatta in Port Charlotte, Florida.

One of the 2.4 Meter guys had a nearly brand-new boat that he'd lend Jeff for the race.

A nice shiny new boat.

Mr. Linton came home with an particular, peculiar expression on his face (or maybe it's the way he holds his neck).

An expression I have come to identify.

I said, "Did you buy that boat?"

Yes. Yes he did.

Happy New Year!

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Emerging from Her Summer Den, Spawn Makes Her Way Back to the Water

11/17/2019

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David Attenborough narrates: "The first cold front rumbles through the subtropical morning, pushing rain and a chill wind across Tampa Bay in November. At long last, winter has returned.

"Solitary and wary, Spawn emerges slowly from her summer den. She occupies the apex of sailing predators, but caution can be seen in every move as her protective coverings fall away. It has been a long six months of shelter away from daylight and water.

"Once she is in the open, Spawn must quickly make her way into the sea. The accoutrements of speed are complex yet remarkably delicate, and each outing she makes entails a frenzy of preparation and grooming activity.

"A single forgotten shackle or mis-run halyard can mean the difference between success and failure as she embarks in one of her highly anticipated adventures.

"Making the ungainly transition from land to water, she begins to bob and sidle with imatience. Having gained her preferred element, her purpose in the world becomes clear. She will sail, and quickly."

Of course someone has already coopted Sir David's style to narrate their part of the natural world; still, thank you!

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The Would-Be Farm: Annual Animal Array

4/18/2019

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Wind-fall bonfire material gathered from the trails. .

It was bound to happen. While clearing trail –– it's on the to-do list whenever we first get to the Would-Be Farm –– we found a game camera that we'd forgotten all about...16K photos of waving grass. I guess that's why we lost track of the danged thing. I'll spare you.

Here are some better photos from the game cameras:

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Ever. Challenge. Glades. 2019. Finished.

3/6/2019

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It's an unconscious thing, a tick. A habit. Take a phrase, parse it, divide it, recombine it, look for entertaining results.

As I beetle around trying to restore order to the large pile of salty gear, slightly used batteries, marine electronics, and ziplock bags of snacks, I find myself turning over the wordy options: The Everchallenge Glide. The Everyglades chalice. The Challenger Everglading.

I think it's the word "glide" that keeps snagging my attention.

Because for the first few days of the 2019 Everglades Challenge, the weather was very still.

It was hot and windless.

The sun was bright and the water flat.

There were an extraordinary number of selfies coming in off the water from the nearly 100 teams of WaterTribesfolk.

The fastest paddlers were handily beating nearly all of the sailboats.

Andyman and NateDog under the hot hot sun.

The boys on Spawn –– my favorite skipper and his pal Jahn –– are never-say-diers. They keep swinging for the fences. Always aiming higher.

All sporty metaphors apply.

The additions and refinements they make to the boat are all designed to eke a bit more speed, a touch more performance, a sliver more of whatever it will take for them to get to the finish line faster.

They've said more than once that they'd like to get to Key Largo before the second sunset. Tie up the boat and sleep Sunday night in a real bed. Stay awake for only the one night.

This was not that year.

The super-fast paddlers had a near-record run, but the wind-powered frontrunners? Let's say 300 miles has rarely seemed farther.

Of course this is an adventure race, and the boats are not limited in the way of typical races. For instance, rowing will get you ejected from most of the races we attend.

But in the Everglades Challenge, it's all part of the adventure.

Mr. Linton installed a system of long sweeps, racing oarlocks, and a nifty sculling seat on the original boat, and has continued to refine it as time passes.

The oars are a boon when the boat is bucking the current and needs a little extra oomph. It's also handy when navigable waters get too narrow for actual sailing.

Experimentation has shown that a steady rowing pace produces a reliable 3 knots or so of speed for the Spawn.

Sidebar: Why knots vs miles per hour? I know, confusing –– maybe even rocket science, but it's the way watery folk measure speed.
3 knots = about 3.3 miles per hour = about medium walking speed.

So when Spawn slows to the equivalent of a stroll, out come the sweeps. Cue the Volga oarsmen song.

With possible rose-tinted shades of memory, the Spawnsters estimate that they rowed perhaps a tenth of the distance between Fort DeSoto to Key Largo. Say 30 miles.

But when recounting each leg, the hours add up.

At the start, the rowing seat was in place, but Spawn ghosted across the mouth of Tampa Bay. They stayed in breeze down the white sand beaches past Sarasota and Venice.

They rowed into Cape Haze marina (Checkpoint 1) around sunset on Saturday. They rowed from Checkpoint 1 to Gasparilla Pass at night, under brilliant stars. Moresailesed (Jahn Tihansky) said that he saw the Southern Cross low low on the dark horizon.

In the dark, they rowed into a snoozing pod of manatees –– the special collective noun for the mammals is a "aggregation of manatee" –– and startled them into an enormous roiling mass of white-water.

Everyone had a moment of holding flipper to heart and gasping for breath.

Rowing kept Spawn out of the fog that socked in some racers farther north.

From Sanibel to Cape Romano, they'd row a mile to reach a puff, sail for a bit, and then row through another lull. Chasing zephyrs, balancing patience with strategy in connecting one patch of wind with another.

They had to row and sail through Blind Pass (the one by Caxambas) to get into Chokoloskee on Sunday afternoon..

They rowed into and then out of Checkpoint 3 –– Flamingo –– early on Monday morning, but then had a decent breeze across Florida Bay to finish at 8:54 a.m. on Monday.

Just under 50 hours.

They arrived raspy and salty. Three days later, we are still catching up on sleep.

Spawn arrives in Key Largo!

With help from the awesome Jim Signor, the boys packed Spawn onto the trailer, stowed things for highway travel, and we made our ways North. Moresailesed had a pressing engagement with the US Naval Academy, where he coaches sailing.

The Linton-mobile cantered home across Aligator Alley, meeting up with the nasty line of weather that Spawn had managed to outrun, but which lambasted the majority of the fleet.

We dodged the inexplicable traffic that plagues I75 between Fort Meyers and Sarasota and as always were grateful to arrive alive at our house. We parked and hustled bag after bag up the stairs and then stood looking at one another. Jeff spoke the immortal words, "Is it over already?"

Well, for now it is.

Until next time, Key Largo.

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Everglades Challenging –– Spawn Update

2/26/2019

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Headline: Nearly There.
Sunrise on the first Saturday in March is less than a week away.
We've started checking the weather.

The Spawn of Frankenscot team of my favorite skipper, Jeff Linton (WaterTribe name: TwoBeers) and his childhood pal, the offshore coach for the Navy sailing team in Annapolis, Jahn Tihansky (aka Moresailhesaid) are just about ready for the 2019 Everglades Challenge.

The OH Rodgers-designed adventure boat (OH's WaterTribe handle is Ninjee) has had some nice new modifications and seems positively panting to go...

Okay, maybe one more last-minute rush order of something to arrive –– we hope –– before the start on Saturday morning.

Gathering of the Tribe for the 2018 WaterTribe Everglades Challenge.

And alright, perhaps a skosh more work on the centerboard gasket.

Aaannnnd those shrouds can be refabricated. Again. Gahh.

Thank goodness for the support of Leslie and Paulie at Masthead Enterprises in St. Pete, Brian Malone at North Sails, and Derek Dudinsky at JTR Industries for helping with last-minute fixes!

Ooh, yeah, plus some food. I (WaterTribe name: BookWorm) will Betty-Jo Crocker a batch of toothsome morsels for the heroes.

....And Bookworm needs to apply a fresh bit of Sharpie-marker for the eyes of Horus* so they can keep a sharp lookout.

*The protective Eyes of Horus (or, exactly, an eye of Thoth and an eye of Rah) look ahead and behind in Egyptian mythology.

For the sake of aerodynamics, our Eyes look port and starboard from mast float. Same diff, right?

Updates? Why yes, absolutely!

Click on one of the map images below (from past years' events) for either the Spot individual tracker for Spawn, or for the WaterTribe competitors tracking map.

On the latter, our team appears as the familiar green Frankie logo.

Click for the individual track of Spawn.

Click here to link to the track of all WaterTribe racers.

As in past years during the Challenge, I will be pacing about and clicking "refresh" way too often. I'll attempt to report progress and adventure and photos in as timely a fashion as possible here and on the Spawn facebook page.

Hoping for a speedy and not too adventuresome a Challenge for the entire fleet of intrepid Watertribers.

Knock wood.

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Spawn: Countdown to the Challenge

2/12/2019

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Just when I think my favorite skipper is finished with his boat-building, he comes up with one more cool refinement.

Aaaannnd then one more...

Well, and this additional thing...

Here's a round-up of some of these latest little refinements.

The water wings (here's the longer story) are hard.

Instead of sitting on a canvas trampoline-style rack, it's more a wooden kitchen stool situation.

Solution? How about fancy closed-cell foam designed for boats?

Cushy for the tushies. Also windsurfing style foot-straps to keep sailors connected to the boat.

Not the inexpensive solution, but Hydroturf sure looks sharp. The ocean blue might be a little warm in the sun, but it's cushy and –– so we hear –– UV resistant.

Then there's a nifty water-take-up contraption. Since the water wings act as water ballast tanks, of course, it's important to be able to fill and empty them rapidly.

There's a pair of whale-tail pumps in the cockpit, but how to convey water from the briny deep into those tanks?

It would be counterproductive for speed and safety if TwoBeers and Moresailhesaid had to throw a tube over the side of the boat or hoist buckets of water over the side.

This year's innovation involves a set of PVC pipe, plumber's clamps, and some bungee at the transom. A visual appears below. The inner tube is spring-loaded, retracting into itself at rest.

Water pump for ballast.

When one of the Spawnsters gives the little line on the right of the tube a tug, the inner section telescopes into the water, allowing for rapid water take-up.

Stowage is a universal question. It's all well and good to pack what you need, but what if you can't find it when you need it?

In the original boat (Frankenscot, a highly modified Flying Scot), Masthead Sailing Gear fabricated some big, roomy zip bags. In combination with plastic tubs and netting hammocks, it worked pretty well.

But after last year's watery portion of the trip (Short story: they flipped and stuff floated away. Longer version: here.), one of the goals was to have more secure storage for gear. Hence, new tailored Masthead Enterprise custom bags are tucked and snapped into place between bulkheads.

Storage solutions.

With luck the snacks and electronics will not become separated from the boat. Knock wood, knock wood.

And at Moresailesaid's specific request, TwoBeers installed a special Masthead-made splash guard. Made of Mylar sailcloth, the guard is meant to deflect spray for a drier ride with better visibility.

Splash guard installed!

Did I mention knock wood?

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Everglades Challenge: Origami with Boat Parts

1/29/2019

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The 2019 Everglades Challenge is a month away, and my favorite skipper is finalizing this year's modifications to Spawn of Frankenscot, the 22-foot-long, OH-Rodgers-designed adventure boat that engages his attention this time of year.

The main change to the boat is the addition of hard wings that fold up for transport.

The rowing seat needed to scoot aft in the cockpit so that the sweeps could reach water, and Mr. Linton installed additional anti-slip devices like foot-straps and a slide stopper at the end of the wing (yellow safety rail, thank you Home Depot), all because the hard wings are quite a bit more slippery than the former racks were.

But the wings are worth a quick look, I think. So here's a video.

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Spawn of Frankenscot Back to the Water

1/2/2019

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Of course it should float, but it's always nice to have confirmation.

This year's modifications to the Rodgers 22 Adventure boat include converting the trampoline-style racks and external water tanks to integral water tanks that fold up for road transport.

Unpainted "water wing" before installation.

I'm calling them "water wings." Like the inflatable swim aids, these solid wings should give the boat additional floatation and resistance to turning over.

Which is important to me, anyhow.

Spawn ready for land transport.

And as promised, a short video from the weekend of testing Spawn.

By the time I got on the water with a camera, the air was VERY light. Thanks to EnsignRumsDown who filled in for Moresailesaid on New Year's Day.

My favorite skipper will be away from this project for a few weeks while he sails other, less quirky vessels.

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Everglades Challenge: Spawn Looks More and More like the Painted Love Child of a Praying Mantis and a Delorean DCM-12

12/18/2018

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Not sure what else I need to add after that title, but here goes.

Background: The Everglades Challenge is an annual unsupported adventure water race that sends a fleet of paddlers, sailors, and rowers down the west coast of Florida from St. Petersburg, across the Everglades, and ends 300 miles later in Key Largo.

It begins on the first Saturday of March.

It's organized by a group called the Water Tribe, and the start at Fort DeSoto Beach is one of the goofiest, most glorious marine spectacles imaginable.

Racks folded for trailering.

My favorite skipper has participated for a few years –– his WaterTribe handle is "Two Beers."

He sails with Jahn Tihansky ("Moresailhesaid") on a boat designed by OH Rodgers ("Ninjee"). The team has surprised more than a few skeptical onlookers and broken a couple of records.

I've been chronicling the ongoing adventures, naturally.

Each year, the guys innovate, redesign, refine. Mr. Linton spends many a spare hour dreaming about the project, and then many a busy day implementing the improvements.

This year, it's a new arrangement for the water ballasting and hiking racks.

Carbon fiber attachments and integral glass-over-wood tanks hinge up and out. This change, we all hope, should improve flotation as well as speeding up the processes of getting the boat from trailer to water.

Plus it might be a bit cushy for the tushy.

Racks deployed as for sailing.

Each year, I try to tamp down my impatience and worry knowing that Two Beers finds the long, fiddly process both mentally and physically engaging.

He told me that there is no other sailing competition that gives him the chance to use his strategic wit, maritime experience, and boat-MacGyvering in this way.

I get it, but still I worry. 300 miles. Storms. Gators and crocs. Sticky mud and razor-sharp oyster beds. Sleep deprivation. Idiot powerboaters. Et cetera.

Water testing in a couple of weeks, knock wood.

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Meanwhile, on the Spawning Grounds...

11/13/2018

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The seasons change subtly here in the land of weird news.

Months pass: last summer, this summer, next summer.

Okay, eventually, the weather will surprise us by turning chilly. We might wear socks. Okay, sorry. I'll stop now.

But as this summer melts into November, my favorite skipper's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of Spawn.

Spawn is the Rodgers 22 that Captain TwoBeers build for the Everglades Challenge a couple of years ago. The adventures –– and there are so many –– can be perused in past blogshere.

via GIPHY

Each year, Mr. Linton dreams up some Gucci modifications to the adventure boat: water ballast tanks, a foiling board, cassette rudders, a big old bowsprit.

And he's back at it again.

Hiking racks with water ballast tanks.

Since the metal handicap-rail style hiking racks began to wrack, and it takes the better half of a small village to get the things pressed and warped into place, Mr. Linton has been cooking up a better idea.

Last year's water tanks (made of polycarbonate sheets) point-loaded on the straps holing them in place, and after getting water-boarded by the mighty Gulf of Mexico the first night of the challenge, turned out to be less sturdy and consequently less water-tight than one might hope.

Combine the these two elements, add in a salvaged carbon fiber A-Cat mast from the most excellent Robert Cummings of Cummings Marine, and design courtesy of OH "Ninjee" Rodgers, and the Spawn is taking new shape.

Folding carbon-fiber hiking racks.