I know, I know, why are we still working on the mast case? Here there be strange and powerful forces, far beyond the ken of mere mortals, at play. This contraption must bear and distribute the weight of the 33' mast, with gaff and sail, the windlass, the chain anchor rode, and whatever else we stow in the locker. It must resist the force of the wind in the sail, as well as the weight of the anchor and chain as we raise and lower across the length of the case. So, in essence, we're overbuilding the hell out of it. While seemingly simple, there are many parts installed to support the mast and windlass and control the rode.
A side view to show relative size
Installing the mast step: double layer of 5/4 oak.
Looking down from the top. Then Budgetboater designed the windlass step. Ben made it.
Windlass sits like this. Ben cut out and glued a huge block to support it.
The bits and pieces. We just used scrap stuff. Roughly 14" X 6" X 6".
To make a block.......
To fit in here. Budge worked on the galley hatch.
The opening with hatch coaming installed. The "L" shaped pieces will support a clear polycarbonate washboard between them and the tumblehome..
Side view of track for the washboard. Then the hatch.
The blue hand group assembling the hatch.
And it goes here........
It still needed tweaking, but you get the picture. We pushed on and Ben and I painted the Mirror.
We taped it off and applied a coat of primer and several coats of white. We are using house paint. It's durable, easy to apply and is not as difficult to prepare the surface. To achieve that perfect auto body exterior requires way too much labor for something you're going to ram into a dock or drag up onto a beach.
And a green trim paint.
Then I screwed on all the hardware pieces until I ran out of screws, necessitating a trip to the store.
I want to take it out on the lake at least once before it's too cold........................
Some day you will see a totally completed something.........................................meanwhile, I've been making stuff and gluing stuff and designing stuff.........................is it stuffy in here?
So as turnabout is fair play, all summer you sat in your air conditioning and pitied us working in the 105° heat with sweat dripping into the epoxy. Now it is our turn, for a brief period, to pity you as we bask in glorious 70 degree temperatures and warm sun as you sit in your mechanically supplied climate, breathing and rebreathing your stale air and bodily effluvium. We know this is short lived, but soon you will go to work in the dark and return home in the dark and we will be creatures of the light, albeit, cold. The Monarch butterflies have passed through on their way to Mexico. It takes 4 generations to work their way up to Canada, but that same generation born in the north makes the whole journey back. The single roadrunner still can be seen fairly regularly. Occasional wildflowers appear. We did see a few weeks back, a nocturnal Texas Redheaded centipede. They bite.
The Music♫: Garnet Roger's "Night Drive"
With apologies to Garnet. Last time we saw him he didn't allow recordings or pictures. I think he was tired of people plastering him over the internet. It is an awesome performance. I apologize to you, as the song cuts off prematurely after only 13 minutes, Last time we saw him, he was all acoustic and didn't perform the song................
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