Video - Tropical Distraction #2

In early November I went out to the Kaneohe house to rebuild the pier in order to accommodate a new-to-us Venture 17. The boat also required some re-rigging and a rudder modification. I was hoping to get in some sailing as well but that was not to be this time. The work turned out quite well, though.

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTEFFhNGq4k

Refit Video - Episode 10

Overcoming two iterations of the new propeller shaft and engine alignment challenges, the engine goes in for the eighth and hopefully final time, gets bolted down, and all the systems attached and made operational. The episode ends with a clip from the Gitana Group testing their new 60' foiling monohull.

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE4qprbpFhU

Refit Video - Episode 9

This episode covers building the new engine beds and finally bolting the engine in place. I'd never start these projects if I knew how long everything was going to take and how many stumbling blocks there would be. I guess humans are mostly optimistic by nature. But it's all still fun and moving forward.

Refit Video - Episode 8

Episode 8 covers applying two-part foam around the fresh water tank, fiberglassing in the top section of the tank, moving the new engine into position and beginning the engine bed design. There is also a clip showing the neighbor airplane departing and more Volvo Ocean Race scenes. The all-woman team won leg 8 from Lisbon to Lorient, France, close-hauled up the vicious Bay of Biscay. Go SCA!

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:  https://youtu.be/D8wc4x-l4U4

Refit Video - Episode 7

Episode 7 shows an innovative use of an old boat, installing the traveler horse, preparing the water tank and lifting it into place. There is a significantly longer version of how the tank was lifted and maneuvered into place here.

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:  https://youtu.be/Vbt8a_cE1VA

Refit Video - Episode 6

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuWGXx26oL4

Vacuum Obituary #2

In not-so-loving memory...

Vacuum # 2 lived and worked a mere 2.3% of the time Shop Vac, whose obituary is here, lived and worked. Vacuum # 2 was definitely not faithful or assertive. Gritty, yes, in a timorous sort of way. Alas, it was laid to rest at the bottom of a big dumpster, now covered with paint cans and moldy bunk cushions. So be it.

Kuewa's bottom is sanded to a near perfect finish and was washed with water and scrubber. After the round of rain that is on its way clears out, I will wipe down with acetone and then apply one coat a day of epoxy barrier coat for five days.

The new stainless steel water tank is near completion and yesterday I moved the traveler horse from the welding shop in Alameda to the electro polishers in Oakland. Electro-polishing submerges the part in a liquid bath with an electrical charge which creates an anti-corrosive and more attractive finish on the stainless by removing iron molecules from a thin layer of the surface, leaving behind the chromium and nickle. Pretty slick, and a lot cheaper than having the welding shop polish with compound and electric tool for two days.

Refit Video - Episode 5

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:  http://youtu.be/aYAzJExxH_g

Refit Video - Episode 4

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTq0lij4fIY

Refit Video - Episode 3

If the box above doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TPS1fA3Pb4

Giant Low

I've already emailed this to a few people, but I'm so impressed by it that I have to post it here as well. Look at the size of this low pressure system currently establishing itself in the North Pacific. The image is a forecast for tomorrow mid-day. The colors denote wave height: blue is small, green bigger, pink-red pretty doggone rough. The base map is rather crude but you can recognize the US West Coast on the right, Hawaii at the bottom, and the Aleutian Islands at the top. This thing is 3,000 miles across!

Refit Video - Episode 2

If the box below doesn't have the video, you can link to it directly at YouTube here:
 http://youtu.be/l0Tr8h5OTVc