Generator Update

The new drive plate has been made and fitted. Once the drive plate and new support frame was fully bolted into place a final dial gauge test was done. On the end of the shaft there was 5/1000th of an inch runout. This shaft will be cut back on final assembly to about 11/4" (30mm) when the HRC90 coupling is fitted. This will reduce the runout even more....

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Getting on with things

Boat building has stalled in the last few weeks as I realize that the raising of each frame will bring the project one step closer to completion or calamity. At this point, Im not sure which it is going to be and am thus reveling in a rather blissful ignorance. When the frames do go up next week (!), I will know once and for all whether Luna will be...

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Bending the Shears

The first step to the shears was getting the length down to about 18" longer than what I measured to be required. Since the fit of the shear to the breasthook is a set angle, I cut some scrap material on my mitre saw until I got it right and then cut an angle on the front of each piece to mate with the breasthook. The four shear pieces (two layers...

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Progress Again

I now have all the steering system hydraulics fitted.  Flow and return pipes have been run from the steering pump to the ram and with the help of my wife turing the wheel to order the system was filled and bled. Here is the helm pump.  I have removed the wheel again as its sure to get damaged.I have also fitted the an external 13a socket,...

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Stacking the Deck

The first step in the deck planking process was laying out the lines on the subdeck plywood so I could figure out what wood I needed to do the job. I drew in a 2" grid pattern on the sub-deck to ensure that the center planking would be symetrical. Using a batten, I drew in the perimeter cover board lines to follow the carlings aft of the dash and stay...

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Lounge Furniture Ordered

After much deliberation the sofas have been ordered.  In the end war was averted. We have 2 of these on the wayAlso ordered today is the TV unit.I have been working on the water tank, my brother the stone mason came Monday to do the template for the kitchen worktops.  We are having Star Galaxy.Easy to see how it gets its nameI have started...

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Let the dreaming begin!

This guy just came in the mail. 1,000 routes from the South Seas to the Arctic!...

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Love Him or Not Book Review

 Capt. Larry Simns has probably had some effect on your life if you are in any part of the seafood industry, if you like to fish, if you are concerned with water quality, if you love to eat seafood, if you live or work near the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, are a politician in the Maryland State House, or for a variety of other reasons. If...

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New Batteries

The new batteries arrived today.  What with holiday season and the need to have these made to order has meant a 6 week wait.The new set have some additional features.  The principle requirement was to have a system that would evacuate the hydrogen that builds up when the batteries are charging. I certainly dont want another episode like before.The...

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Joining Plywood Jigsaw or Puzzle Joints

I apologise for my long gap between posts, life has been very full for awhile.Jigsaw joints have become a popular method for joining 8ft plywood lengths into the long panels needed for building most boats. It is an easy process for those who are building from a kit but it is impractical for most people building from scratch. If building from plans...

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The Lightship Chesapeake

Its always nice when someone posts photos of your work on the web, especially when they have expertise about the boat in question. This is a model of a lightship that we did back in the mid - 90s. The research involved taught me a lot about  the history and work of lightships in the United States over the last few centuries. These ships were used,...

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Floor Laying

Earlier in the week I did some finishing work on the sliding hatch.  More on that later.Over the last few days I have started fitting the flooring.  We have chosen laminate flooring as it is very durable, attractive, stable, and easy to replace in time.  Modern Laminate is IMO better than real wood in appearance.  The one we have...

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Lappy Working

My laptop is now up and running again so I can upload some pictures.  The  iPad is good but theres no easy way of directly getting camera pictures on to it to blog.I have been working on the kitchen fitting and made some temporary stairs.  Fitting the kitchen has been pretty straight forward accept for turning the corners of course.Port...

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