Work Continues on "Scout"

"Scout" -Her plans and Build Manual on her deck as she awaits completion

Little by little I am checking off the boxes that need to be checked prior to splashing "Scout" for the first time. I need to get the rigging finalized and to do that I really need to step the mast and raise the sail for the first time. There were a couple minor "issues" I had to deal with prior to getting the sail up for the first time...and they are almost all handled.

The first was installing the grommets in the sail's corners. I had the Spur grommets, but I did not have the right size setting tool to install them. I looked at possibly buying the tool..but after seeing the cost of it...I found a canvas working shop that agreed to set the grommets for me. I dropped off the sail and the grommets with the locations I wanted them installed all marked out. There is one grommet in each of the four corners of the sail.

In this image of "Faith" you can see the top 2 grommet locations and the yard.
 The sail is partially roller furled on the boom.

When I returned the sail was done, all folded nicely and ready for me to pick up. The shop manager, when I asked her what I owed her said.... $5.00.  Wow....these days almost nobody will do anything for $5.00!  Instead I gave her a $20 bill, hoping that if/when I return for some help with something else they will remember me. OK ..I figured the chore of setting the grommets was behind me....moving on.

Improperly set Grommet

I came home and was excited to finally install the sail on the boom and yard. My excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I realized a couple of things.  First...the grommets had all been installed where I had requested, but they were not "set" totally. The spurs were not pushed through the fabric and meshed into the other side of the grommet. I knew I could not leave them like that as they would certainly tear the fabric when under load and rip right out.

The other thing that immediately became apparent was that the yard was short. It was almost the same exact length as the sleeve of the sail and the attachment points were not far enough apart to allow any tension to be placed along the top edge of the sail. Ugh. I measured the yard and compared it to the plans, and sure enough it was just a tad bit short. I suppose I could have left it...but by not having the lines run fore and aft of the installed grommets in the sail...the yard was not secure in place and it could move around fore and aft within the sleeve, and all the while,  the top of the sail was going to be un-tensioned.

Extending the Yard

Rummaging around, I found an old hard-wood tiller  that I had from a previous boat and that would never be used again. It's profile was close enough to that of the yard. I cut just an eighth of an inch off the yard to expose raw wood. I then cut a piece of the tiller that would serve as an extension to the yard. A quick trip to the hardware store yielded a  hanger bolt. It looks like two wood screws that had the heads cut off of and were attached to one another with the tips facing opposite direction. I drilled the yard and the new hardwood piece right down their centers longitudinally, then used the hanger bolt to draw the two of them together. Some thickened West System epoxy was applied to the whole deal as it was tightened and aligned. Next the whole unit, which was now one piece, was wrapped barber-pole style in glass tape and resin...followed by glass tape/resin lengthwise.

Yuloh, Yard, and Mast

The yard is now sufficiently long to secure the sail and tension it appropriately. I have to finish up a little sanding and I will prime and paint the new extended tip of the yard.

I removed the sail from the boom and returned it to the canvas shop. They happily finished setting the grommets correctly with an apology that it wasn't done correctly the first time.  No problem, these folks saved me a bunch of $ and time...and did it with a smile. Love folks like that.

Based on what I have read and seen from other Paradox owners....I am going to rig a topping lift to assist in furling the sail and supporting the boom. I ordered a heavy stainless chainplate and I am utilizing that at the back of the boom to install the mainsheet and topping lift both to.

Stainless Chainplate used as tang

I had initially ordered some Racelite tangs for this purpose but I decided that they were too lightweight and if they bent inwards from the pull of the mainsheet, they would prevent the boom from being able to rotate, effectively disabling the roller reefing....one of the features of this boat that makes it so unique. I am hoping that the stiffer chainplate will be strong enough to hold it's shape. For the attachment to the boom....I installed a LONG 5/16 stainless lag bolt that I cut the bolt head off of...and tapped machine threads onto the that end. I installed large stainless fender washers to prevent the chainplate from dragging on the end of the boom as the furler is rotated....and then a nylock nut that allows me to adjust the tension to get rid of play, but not bind up the boom. I then added a stainless acorn nut over the end of the threads. The mainsheet will attach to the bottom and the topping lift to the top of the chainplate.

I'm close now to being able to raise the sail so I can load the furling drum appropriately with line and check that I have a fair run setup for the halyard , furler, and topping lift. I also will then be able to see exactly where the mast/boom/sail interface will be in order to install leather chafe protection for the mast and sail on a port tack.  Once I know that the rigging runs within the vent box are what I am after, I can install the last side of the ventbox and that will finalize making the boat watertight.


I'm thinking a lot about how I want to mount the 2hp Honda...for the times I want it aboard. I'm getting ideas and input from those that have already done it. Here is a picture of the Paradox "Faith" again, sporting the same exact motor I have for Scout. Being in contact with other's like Bill who built Faith, sold her, and who is now restoring another Paradox named "Minnow"  has been invaluable. Click Here for Bill's Blog Bill is in England. Man the Internet is an amazing thing!

 For right now, I am going to just get the boat going as per plans without the outboard attached. I need to get her on the water and learn how to utilize the Yuloh to propel her when not sailing. I think that quite often I will sail her engine-less.....as that is another thing that draws me to this vessel and the whole Micro-Cruising idea.

Weather is supposed to be unseasonably cool and rainy tomorrow. Hope to make some more significant progress. Sept launch is looking do-able for "Scout".