I like Hammocks.

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I woke up the next morning feeling really battered.

The kids were desperate to go again as they had such a wonderful adventure..

I spoke to one of my mates that night, who managed to get us 4 vhs walkie talkies with rechargeable batteries.

From now on, whenever we go out, they will have them with them in zip bags clipped to their wetsuits or jackets if we are in the forests.

 

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Hey!

Just realised we made it back without filling the boat with water!

Doesnt happen very often.

Only the rudder to rebuild.

 

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Hi Eel.

Lol I think stories are much better if you get to spend some time imagining what is going to happen next.

 

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Ooooh!

Just noticed Ive become a Native! 1,000 posts!

And this thread has had 10,000 hits!

I think thats brilliant!

Think I need to do some more hammocking and Hoboing as Im actually running short of pics. I think Ive posted about 2,000 so far, and I think Ive only used one twice by mistake.

 

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Decided I needed to fix my rudder.

Its sort of important to be able to try to point the boat where you want to go.

Doesnt always guaruntee Im going to go that way, but it helps...

 

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Wandered into Build Base. Picked up another sheet of Marine ply and staggered home with it on the car.

Hacked it into pieces ready.

I coated the pieces with a layer of fibreglass resin, to sort of seal it, then another thicker coat mixed with microfibres, which makes it into a good glue.

I stacked up the pieces while it was still wet and wrapped them in a bin liner and clamped it all around the edges.

Thats it, on the work bench in the kitchen.

 

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I decided I wanted it to dry quick, so I stood it on top of the radiator.

The next morening, I unwrapped it.

Seem the green ink on the bin bag leaked...

It is the right sort of shape...

 

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Nots sure Im that impressed with it though

I carefully mapped out a propper shape for a rudder with co ordinates on a free foil designer, and fed them to a serif draw free drawing pack to make this, which I glued onto a sheet of ply to make me a template. Would have been easier if I hadnt glued it in the middle. Idiot.

 

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The ply had dried warped, so I built this jig to hold my router, so I could machine it true again.

While I was making this, I left the board on the kitchen floor.

I stepped back.

There was a crunch and a broken rudder blank......

Back to the drawing board.

Oh well, at least I can make sure the next one is actually flat.

 

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Another trip to Homebuild....

Mixing resin to seal the boards. If you dont coat them with activated resin before you coat them with the resin with the microfibres in it that you use as glue, the dry wood sucks the resin out of the microfibres and the microfibre coating fails as its not got enough resin...

 

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Resin going on...

Ive mixed the microfibres - which is a lot like talcum powder, which you can use if you havent any microfibres, and painted that on thick..

 

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This time Im going to clamp it to my workbench so it pigging stays flat!

Third layer on...

 

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Ive decided to bodge it this time as my high tech approach with the router didnt really feel that good.

The pattern I made last time..

This is that grinder wheel that I remembered to take off when I was hacking bits out of my hobo stove a while back..

I love this thing!

Its really horrible but it works.

First face....

 

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Second....

Third... really roughed out.

Fourth...

 

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Looks better after its been planed and sanded a bit...

Time to coat the exposed grain...

Hmm.... probably not the smoothest piece of work in the world, but so long as it works...

Reinforcing the leading edge as I know Im going to hit it on things..

 

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The bit this fits into is called the rudder stock.

Er.....

My nice new rudder blade is too thick...

I pulled it to bits..

Marking out a template out of a bit of paper that i drew round on the stock so I would have the shape...

Its rough but it works..

Piece of ply cut to size...

Offering the blade to check thicknesses

Other side on...

It sort of looks right..

 

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Needed to be a little thinner, so I ground off a ply..

ooh! Just found a pic of the plotting prog with the nacra 0010? profile that I used.

Ive just ground out where the hinge things fit on as its suddenly got a lot thicker..

If I hit it hard enough....

Well....It still fits on the boat...

Ive binned all the screws and got a set of stainless bolts and nyloc nuts.

It aint going to fall apart again!

When it goes into the water its flipped up, I need to be able to push it down from in the boat, so I must actually be able to move this.

Er....

when I cut the new template out after plotting it, I glued it to the end of my blade and then hacked it to that shape with the grinder..

Just found the pic of it glued on...

Im feeling jumpy about going out again as Im getting this feeling that its going to go badly wrong every time I go out.

Still...

Ive gotta have another go....

 

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I just accidentally stood on the rudder blade again.

It survived!

Happy!

Maybe my luck is changing and Im going to get back without half drowning or breaking anything!

Er.....or maybe not...

 

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Went boating yesterday!

Hadnt been for a couple of weeks.

Mr Captain fixed a couple of outboards we were given.

Went out and tested them.

Looks like I might need to build a boat to put an outboard on...

Come to think of it, I have half a boat I built in 3 or 4 hours in the summer...

I wonder if I could modify it a bit...

...as well as finish it.

 

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Getting ready to go out to play...