David Finch delivered our day tank (fuel) and also put in time welding on the cabin tops. Many thanks!
Getting my daily dose of iron.
Jack and I tacking on more cabin top before the sun drove us away.
Trying to work fast so I can move back into the shade.
Jack testing a grappling hook for boarding. A skill that we plan to use once on the water.
17 Days till the end of summer! The heat index is over 100F (38C) this weekend, but the end is in sight. During the cooler mornings we are still making progress on the cabin tops, and it’s been great to retreat into the shop during the afternoons.
Pulled the heads, and it sure does not look good to me. Let me know what you think.
This truck does indeed look like the truck in the ad. I have used it frequently for many months on an errand and never once do you think the driver of the truck feels like he is “stressed out”. The interior looks nice, and the handling does very well with a non cdl weight limit it works great.
Not a bad run. Nineteen years of undoubtedly hard use as a marina rental. It gave us less than 15 minutes on the water, but she gave us a number of valuable lessons. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time swimming in lakes, while my dad fiddled with outboards. I really think that’s the part he really enjoyed about boating. And I now share his appreciation. I just wish he had lived long enough to share his knowledge. …but through the internet, I’ve got a great group of surrogate dads. So thank’s to all my dads out there. …and a few of you are like my mother! But that is another story.
Leilani from Portland Oregon joined us and helped carve our second dragon. It’s a ton of work and time and it feels great to have both dragons progressing. It’s a lot of my time taken away from working on the structure of the boat, but I think construction like life must contain more than timelines and efficiency. What’s the point of working so hard if all it gives us is more time to work hard? The dragons have a function, but they are much more than function. They are an expression of character. A moment of fun and pleasure.
Had a great weekend dodging the heat. Work on the boat from 7 to 11 and the rest of the day got spent working on the Dragon.
The port dragon is coming along nicely despite a few setback. 🙂
Worked on the cabin tops in the cool of the morning and then after lunch with Hugh and Betsy we cast the easier half of the dragon. We shall see the results soon.
You’ll never be accused of being lazy if you have an old WORKING boat. Fortunately Ed is a member of the Seeker crew and I think he could fix anything. And we did him no favors by not bringing any tools. Aaron is no slacker either. Together they found the trouble and almost got the thing to keep running. Ed actually stayed an extra day and repaired the fuel system. A new filter, and a lot of high pressure air and things were much better. And a Suzuki 150 is not a lawn mower engine. The dam thing has 3 fuel pumps, two filters and more complications than the human heart. The next day was nothing but the wind in our hair! Until we were a couple of miles from the boat ramp. Then the heat overcame the coolant system’s capacity. It might be the oil system, or the mixture, but it’s most likely just a weak water pump and restricted coolant passages.
The trick to asking for a tow from another boater is to be the kind of person that would give anyone a tow. Even a long one. If that is the case then you deserve a tow. Even a long one. So act with every confidence that you are going to meet another boater just like you. Stand up and give them a big friendly wave as they come rocketing by. And when they wave back; change the arm wave to the international “come-hither”. Even the reluctant will be persuaded by confidence and politeness. Our tow victim seemed non too happy, but he will likely use the story several times as evidence to his friends that he really is a nice guy. Who knows, maybe he’ll find the experience so fulfilling that he will seek out people to assist in the future. Wouldn’t that be a better world?
All and all we wrapped up a great week with Ed, Rod, Aaron, Angel and Hugh and I; neither who had been in the water in a long time, enjoyed some warm green water scuba. And once we got back to the boat ramp on the second day; we had just enough sunlight to give Ed and Jack the opportunity to dive with the hookah. We forgot our dive weighs that were doing extra duty weighing down the dragon in the shop, but we made do by swimming with rocks in each hand. Maybe our motto should be: “Præsto Animorum Tantummodo” – “Always Ready To Improvise”
We’ll be working on the Suzuki outboard as well as the dragon, “Bernard” this weekend.
Remember to keep it cool
Doug
The area of a boat forward of the mast is the domain of the common sailor, hence “Before The Mast”. The author is a Harvard graduate that commits himself to duty on board a cargo ship sailing around the horn in the late 1830’s. I listened to much of this epic story while working on Seeker and it underscored for me how weak we have become. My muscles are sore, it’s hot, it’s noisy, it’s dirty, it’s…. Its nothing by comparison to the life of those crewmen. Beating their fist against the rigging, high above the deck, to keep their fingers from freezing, and hauling cargo through the surf and across the rocks barefoot for months on end with only Sundays to rest. I am nothing compared to those crewmen. What an inspirational message.
