Scout - Working It All Out

I am striving to not just mindlessly go back and forth across a body of water in Scout when I sail her. I am trying to discipline myself to watch what I am doing...analyze it....change it up...and see what works and what doesn't, watching boatspeed and pointing angles closely.  The more time I have in her the easier it gets to start to do that. Initially I was more concerned with how stable she was..(i.e. "I was a little skittish") and whether or not I could get her to sail effectively on all points of sail (i.e... get her to go where I want, when I want).  I'm pretty comfortable now that she is pretty darn stable...and I can get her to go where I want.  Now comes hours and hours of sailing, analyzing and tweaking things to try to get the most out of her...and me.

I took a portable GPS the other day and used it to obtain Course over Ground information to try and decipher what kind of tacking angles I could get.  I am going to hold off on my judgement about this. 1. I am still learning this boat and sail rig and am sure that as I learn what she likes I can get better...and 2.  The tacking angles I have witnessed so far....lead me to doubt my results. LOL  Suffice it to say...I could not believe the numbers I was seeing the other day in 15 knots of wind.  The wind WAS shifty...so I am going with the fact that I had to have tacked on every header, even though that was not my intent. If I go out again with similar results I will report them...and you can be as flabbergasted as I was.  Remember ...Scout's bottom is FLAT...no keel, no centerboard.

Along with learning the boat comes customizing it to fit my tastes with gear and equipment that suits me and my style. I've added a few pieces of gear so far ...all experimental and none necessarily permanent.

Anchor light and Anemometer Cups

1. I installed a "mini-amp mega light" anchor light on the masthead. This actually will be permanent. This is and LED anchor lite that draws practically no amps and also has a photo electric switch to turn off automatically as the sun comes up. Since it pulls almost no amps the wiring is extremely lightweight.  As long as Scout is not powered by a motor I can get away with one white light....although eventually I want to be able to use my 2hp outboard...and then we will need full running lights.

Bicycle Computer reads out windspeed

2. I installed an "InSpeed" anemometer. This is a gee wiz toy...not necessary, but fun. It requires no external power and uses a LCD bicycle computer for the readout.  It gives me current windspeed, max windspeed, and average windspeed since it was last reset.  Works pretty well at speeds over 2-3 mph.




 

3. Last time out my "yulohing" was not the best. It was breezy, I was in a tight area of the marina and after

pushing off from the dock,  numerous power boats crowded in near me. The wind was a crosswind and I needed forward speed to clear the area before being blown down onto a dock.  In my hastiness...I kept getting out of sync with the "falling leaf" stroke and lifting the leading edge of the yuloh, which in turn would cause the yuloh to lift off the pin. It was a pain and nearly caused me a big  headache.  I ended up using the Yuloh like an oar for a minute or two just to get clear. I made it..but it was not fun...and definitely not pretty. 

So I fabbed up a little temporary deal I can slide over the yuloh pin that will let me run a bungee over the yuloh and secure it from lifting...I think!  LOL  I have yet to try this but will next time out. It is easy to put the little bungee on and off , taking only a second or two to push/pull it over the brass balls. Will it work? Don't know yet!  If not I can remove it and throw it away, no harm no foul. 

4. The mainsheet started twisting on me causing a ton of friction when sheeting in and out. The line itself was getting twists in it and the end of the line was secured with a bowline to a padeye on the transom. As such...the twists could not work their way out f the line...and was causing the two legs of the mainsheet that traverse from the port and starboard sides of the transom to the end of the boom to twist up badly. To attempt a remedy I now am tying the bowline to a snapshackle I had on hand with a rotating head. I think that if this will swivel freely it will allow the twists in the line itself to work out and alleviate the two legs of the mainsheet from twisting themselves like a cinnamon twist.  If not, I will change the block at the end of the boom with a non swivel block to help keep the lines from twisting as well.

5. Windex.  I need a wind indicator for upwind work.  From advice given to me by the guru of Layden designs (next to Matt Layden himself), Dave Bolduc... I moved forward in the cabin when working upwind to drive the bow deeper into the water..and kept the boat flatter than in my recent video. When doing so...I can see out the windshield looking forward easily. If I lean back I can look up through the window in the sliding  hatch....but not as easily as out the forward window. So ..I am going to temporarily attach a windex up by the bow where I can see if out the front window and see how I like it up there. I used a ribbon last time out....but it kept tangling and wasn't much help.

Hope to get out on Scout tomorrow. Light winds predicted (click here) with heavier winds over the weekend.  Light winds for tomorrow would be good for me to get some Yuloh practice in before the bigger winds on Sat.  (I gotta work Thurs/Fri).

On the 18th I am planning my first over-nighter sailing about 40-50 miles or so (depending on wind direction). This will be with no motor and the longest sail I have attempted sans motor in Scout.  Between now and then I have some practice to get in!

Groundhog Day?

 Out of bed this morning and into my new reality. First thing I am supposed to do is to proceed to a stupid little machine. It's a little bastard and makes me bleed every morning. The long spring loaded spear pokes whatever finger I have chosen to sacrifice to it's blood thirsty appetite, I wince, and curse it. Of course I have already loaded the second half of the machine with a strip of "Magic" paper with a circuit board printed on it. I know that theses strips are magic, as the wizard that produces them will not turn loose of any unless someone parts with $75 for 100 of them. So in effect....  .75 cents of my sailing money just went down the drain. 

As my finger oozes I slide the paper strip into the red fluid which both provides me life, and apparently now...threatens to shorten it if I don't properly maintain its chemistry. The black box beeps indicating it has drunk enough....and I wait. My eyes focusing on the LCD screen...anticipating the coming number that will either praise my efforts, or tell me I am failing at my task of maintaining a safe glucose level.  This morning... 103. The best it's been so far. Holy shit..is all the working out, dietary change, meds, and everything that comes with it finally working? Won't know until I see it down between 80-100 regularly, but it's a start.  Even though 103 is "3" above normal....it's damn close...I'll take it.  Now...back to work. Prepare and eat breakfast, which I have never ever done prior to this new reality. I always skipped breakfast....but I'm not allowed to now. And then...exercise. First ...and the dog loves this...an hour walk with "the dood". He thinks it's great. I think..."there goes an hour of my day". LOL  Later in the day or evening...an hour in the gym...or on the bike.  Drop the weight is the mantra. Every day is groundhog day. 

Dauntless sits on her trailer in the yard. She almost left here, permanently. I had her up for sale and received a full price offer. I thought for a while we would move to a larger boat that we would keep in a slip at the coast. hahaha  Think again wizard. An education in slip rates for Southern California quickly threw that plan out the window. Since we will be staying in a "trailer sailor" there is no way I'm letting Big D go.  For one...she is ours. We owe nothing on her.  More importantly...She's tough. She can take anything I throw at her...and has. I know of no other trailer sailor in her size range that holds a 

candle to her abilities. Yes, some are faster...yes some are more modern, yes some might have more luxuries or try to make themselves look like a bigger boat with accessories.....but Dauntless is the real deal. Turn up the wind....and throw the chips down on the table....and she is in the game when the others are folding and throwing in the cards. I love that about her. One thing about sailing is there are no "posers". You can't fake it once you slip the dock lines. Your skills are on display for everyone to see...and mother nature makes no exceptions. That's why there are no blowhards that sail. They won't do it....because you cant fake it.  Boats are the same way. You can add stuff to make your boat look like more than she is....but the boats that kick ass are not the boats designed based around appearances...to be a condo at anchor or in the slip.....but those that are designed to be seaworthy. Form follows function. There is a reason Dauntless looks like the Gorton's Fishtick Fisherman's boat. It's the same reason the Gorton Fisherman is not out in the North Sea fishing in a Laser. Turn up the wind and see who's happy. 

I have spent years now where it seems I am constantly working on Dauntless. This gets frustrating sometimes. Lets face it..she is 35 years old. Things need to be repaired as they break...and then there are always upgrades to do. Would it be different with a newer boat? For a while , probably. But the newer boat is not new forever. Then what?  Over the years I have replaced her ballast, done a huge blister job on her, barrier coated her, put some new sails on her, completely re-worked her 12 volt system, upgraded electronics, put a new trailer under her, replaced 95 percent of the teak, built canvas covers, dodger and bimini, replaced standing rigging, running riggin, lighting...etc etc etc. And still she needs more. LOL  Every day is groundhog day

This winter, I am keeping Big D out of the water for a while. During that time she is going to get a workover on her interior. I plan on finishing installing beadboard panels and teak trim, new cushions, and varnish. I'd like to replace the aging AC electrical system with high quality stuff like I did the 12v system..and a few other projects. Of course the biggest hurdle to overcome on these projects will be $$. Every day is groundhog day.

Meanwhile....I have Scout. Scout will be my savior while Big D is down for maintenance.... and she is already showing me a new side to sailing. Big plans keep going around in my head of trips I can make on Scout. It is an exciting thing to ponder. Right now...Scout is in the shakedown mode and myself in the learning mode. She is quite different than anything I have ever sailed. Unique in ability and the style of sailing she demands. Scout is something I have NOT experienced before...and that is a good thing.  She's like a new t-shirt.....easy to throw on in a split second. We are gonna have some fun. 

While Scout keeps me in my "sailing fix", I will work with my old friend Dauntless. She will get a few months of attention right here in the yard. People will drive by and see "that cute little sailboat that that guy is always working on" and wonder "does that guy ever sail that thing?".  They will shake their heads knowing that sailing is boring, slow, etc. and wonder "what possesses that idiot to throw good money after bad into that tub?"  What they never see is where is that boat when she's not in the driveway. They would never believe it.

For when Dauntless is at her best,...when she shines....when she does what she does  .....only Jo and I...and a few of our closest friends ever see it. It's our secret.....the places we go, the adventures we share,  the excitement we experience.  Maybe that's a good thing. It's something we share with a select group.

We travel to places the average person will never know....we know the satisfaction of planning, navigating,  sailing, being self-sufficient,  and revel in taking responsibility for our own safety. We experience the incredible beauty of nature and interact with some of the most amazing wildlife the planet has to offer. (Click here to see some of the adventure) 

I'm glad Dauntless is staying with us. Where Scout is like a new t-shirt....Dauntless is more like a favorite warm winter coat. She will transport us to go to places we could otherwise never go, while keeping us safe, warm, and protected. She will continue to bring us adventures and allow us to join an incredible group friends that she has brought us to know and love. 

As I am typing this,  Ensign is staring at me....and staring........staring.....staring...

um ....I gotta go. It's time to feed the groundhog. 

                         Let's get a little Controversial!  :-)

a lemming I'm not.

Seriously???


OK my cynical side coming out here.

The almighty Dollar is a powerful thing.... too powerful. 

Up until last week....Team Oracle could not pull a good performance out of their a$$ to save their lives. Suddenly the America's Cup is about be over....and with it the money generating machine that funds it.....and wham bam!...SUDDENLY we have a nearly unbeatable Team Oracle.....that just so happens to stretch the Cup battle out......and sustains the funding. hmmmmmm Coincidence?....just good seamanship after weeks of getting beat?... or????? 

I have made my own judgement....and I have nothing to base it on except that comebacks like that are a little hard to accept and this gang is playing in $$$ that no one this board can even imagine. For me...this smacks of "something is wrong with this picture" and makes me just that much less of an America's Cup fan. If Team Oracle truly had this capacity from day 1 ...and failed to execute it.....based on the fact that all these gentleman are "professionals" and paid generously to play in this Formula 1 of fragile ungainly watercraft....someone should be fired for non-performance. I now have serious doubts about Team New Zealand's "near capsize" last week..... 

Wonder if they took racing lessons from Nascar's NAPA Team. Make no mistake...this is no beer can race...it's a business...and closing the business' doors way early cuts deep into the bottom line. 

If it walks like a duck......

Too bad... I used to be a huge fan of America's Cup .... no more.

"Dauntless" is off the market. 

I received a full price offer on her this week. Yes, full price...and no....she is not leaving. I couldn't do it. We looked seriously at acquiring a larger boat to keep at the coast. The costs of doing so would have been marginal for us....to get a boat we wanted we were going to have to go with a fixer upper (which was fine).... but slip costs were much more than I priced out a year ago. The slip prices caught me off-guard and were the final determining factor that we shouldn't make the move. I felt very bad rejecting the offer, however, if we're gonna stay in a trailerable boat, there is no other boat that I really can see myself in. Dauntless fits my particular style of sailing, and I have spent years upgrading her to how I want her. I cannot imagine starting over now. I was in the process of taking her off the market when the offer came in from out of the blue. There was a last minute temptation to let her go and take the money.....but I just could not do it....knowing I would regret it in the months and years to come. 

I guess we have a few more memories yet to make. 

I've allowed the ad on Trailer Sailor to expire and just removed the ad from Sailing Texas.

Scout's 2nd Shakedown Sail - 20 knots plus! 

Splashdown - The Paradox "Scout" has Sailed.

Today was the day. There will always be more to do....but enough was done that today was the day!

Around 5pm I got Scout down to the marina, rigged her up, and launched.

Rigging up - Fastest/easiest boat I have ever rigged

First time afloat! 

 We spent a little time at the dock filling ballast tanks...then I cast off...hoping that I could figure out

Ballast tanks full, time to go!

the sculling deal. Well, I did...at least good enough to get out into Thompson Bay and set sail. Only had an hour and a half of sunlight...and I don't have a mast light rigged as of yet...so we had to be off at sundown.  A very light breeze out of the North was just what the doctor ordered to play around a bit and to get the feel for the boat.

She is initially much more tender than I am used to....but stiffens up immediately upon a slight heel. Even as a snails pace I was able to work her upwind which delighted me to no end. She also showed no signs of stalling out when tacking. I have heard that this can be a problem. The tacks were slow...but in smooth water she carried her momentum around with no issue. Next we'll have to try it in some sportier conditions.






I was by myself....by design. Didn't want a lot of folks watching me try to figure out this, fix that, rework something else. Much easier to do it at my own pace. Unfortunately that means not a lot of pictures.

Upwind in light air...yes! It goes upwind with no keel/centerboard as advertised!

Scout's first sunset on the water, but not the last

John Owens of J.O Woodworks made the yuloh for me...and it worked just fine....especially considering it was the first time I have used one. I suspect that as my technique gets better , the boat will move better and better as well.  Thanks J.O.!!!!!

Lezlie..you did a great job. I wish you could have been here to give her a try. :-)

More sailing to come over the next couple of weeks. I have a couple little issues to deal with, and then there is a list of never ending "wouldn't it be cool to......(fill in the blank) projects. Next time I sail her I will plan for a day with a little more breeze and one when I can stay out longer. By then I will have the light  installed and won't be forced in  by sunset.

Packed up and road ready... 20 minutes

Scout is all tucked away in the garage tonight.

It was a good day.

:-)

Scout Update - Dress Rehearsal 

Been pretty busy working on Scout for the last week now. I spent my entire 4 days off last cycle working on her...and I mean until midnight (sometimes 2am). I worked my 48 hour shift at the doughnut shop on Mon/Tues and then got off duty this morning. Right back on it. She is so close but all these little details take time.  Tonight though, I wheeled her out of the garage, stepped the mast, and rigged her up.  I think we are ready for the first splash.

I don't have pics because it was outside and after dark, but tonight was a full dress rehearsal for Scout. This was the first time she was fully rigged and the sail unfurled. She looked great.  Spent an hour or so experimenting with a few different things and methods of raising/lowering sail. Doing that identified a few things that I needed to make some changes to. This boat is going to be VERY different from anything else I have ever sailed.

 Kiko came over and gave me a hand. It's always good to have someone to bounce ideas off of, and we came up with a change or two that will make things run much smoother for Scout's first splash. Here's how the last week has gone.

Tiller extension in "Collapsed" position

I added an extendable tiller extension to the side of the main tiller. This will allow me to sit outside the cockpit and steer by using my legs on the tiller extension. When it is not needed it is a simple twist lock affair and it retracts back out of the way.  That took some time as I had to experiment with different mounting locations and then fabricate some brackets for it. It still utilizes its "quick loc" attachment so it can be removed entirely in seconds without any tools.  It passes through a stainless eye-bolt then back to an aluminum bracket in which the tiller socket for the quick release is mounted. When collapsed as pictured on the right....it is the same length as the original tiller and does not interfere with anything.


When extended....it comes into the cabin and will allow me to sit in the companionway, above it,  with the tiller extending out between my knees. Rather than having to reach down below for the steering lines or have an external tiller mounted on the rudder I should be able just to shift my legs for rudder adjustment when sitting outside on nice days. The seat (which is shown in place in the picture) would be moved into its storage position and my legs will be dangling there...I just didn't move the seat for the picture.

Tiller Extension from above

Tiller extension in Extended Mode

The battery's now mounted. Yes, I use big batteries. Why? Couple of reasons. 1. I like having a large reserve of electrical for electronics, gps, vhf, etc. And 2.....My understanding of the Paradox is that she is designed to sit deep (in a relative sense) and sail heavy for best performance. To achieve this...the water ballast tanks are flooded. I do not intend to use the ballast tanks for drinking water...so to me that is just dead weight. So...if I can make the weight work for me....why not go with a large battery ( and less water)?  Also...When I cruise our bigger boat with Jo and Ensign, we carry 2 group 27 AGM's aboard. When we are not cruising however...there is no need to have both batteries in there. I will never be sailing both boats at once...so why buy another battery??  I just took the second battery out of Dauntless for now and installed a secure tray for it in Scout. I can move it back and forth between boats in 10 minutes when I want to. 

Group 27 AGM Battery Mounted in forward compartment

I decided against using the removable partitions shown in the plans and that Lezlie had already built for the bow. Using them meant locating the battery on the port side. Instead...I moved the battery position forward and on center to prevent list and to counteract the weight of my big butt in the aft end of the boat, as well as the Honda 2hp on the transom eventually. I like having the whole forward compartment open and accessible more than having the partitions. I envision this area being used for storing bedroll, sleeping mat and stuff like that. I will eventually make some kind of way to secure everything in its own special spot up there....but first I need to learn what "Everything" will consist of. 

If I need to...I will install a second battery tray further aft by the mast that will allow me to adjust the battery position fore and aft for trim as necessary. The battery tray is securely through-bolted to a hardwood board with blind nuts and 1/4-20 screws, then the board is glassed to the floor of the boat. Don't want that baby ever moving around. The electrical system will come later...for now I wanted the battery in place for trim and also, it is used for the pump to bring any necessary ballast water aboard, or pump it out. As you can see... the vent box is also now all sealed up. The wires to the battery are temporary for now just to power the ballast pump for these initial test sails. I will install a distribution panel later for lights, and electronics. I just used an inline fuse for safety.

I ran into an unforeseen issue with the topping lift I installed. I have read of many of the guys using them to make the furling operate smoother....in fact most of the Paradox's I have seen online have them.  So I did it. I drilled a hole in the bronze shaft and installed a shackle for the forward tie off point. This worked but had an un-intended consequence once it was under load. When the boom's weight was taken by the topping lift, the angle that the forward line took caused the shackle to angle towards the furler disc. It did not rub on it, however it was close. BUT...it did hit the stopper knot from the furler line (which exits to the outside of the disc) every time the furler rotated...making furling difficult and placing extra strain and chafe on everything.


 Kiko and I scratched our heads on this one for a while until a light bulb went off. First....a second hole was drilled in the furler disc and the line that exited the drum was led back into the drum again...and then the stopper knot placed on the inside of the drum rather than the outside.  That helped some...but not enough.

Second...we removed the shackle all together and used a bolt and lock nuts to make a sort of "T-bar" on the bronze rod. The topping lift was then tied tightly on the far side of the T-bar. It now pulls up to the T-bar....but that is as close as it can get to the drum. No more interference at all.  I like this system way better. It's simpler and should have no chafe. In trials...it worked great compared to the previous setup. Sorry for the blurry pics...they were no flash pics in crummy light...I wasn't able to be still enough for the long exposure times. LOL



I didn't like the mainsheet dragging on the brass tubing where it exited the transom. Seemed to create a lot of friction. So I fabbed up two brackets and installed a swivel block on either side that allows the line to transit the brass tube, under load,...without dragging on it. I have two "stand up" springs on order for these two blocks to keep them in the right orientation even in light air.

Bracket and pulley for mainsheet exit 

Aft end of Boom showing outhaul point moved forward
and chainplate used to attach mainsheet and topping lift

Finally,,,,when I installed the sail on the boom and yard...the yard was a bit short. I ended up extending it about 8 inches. Oddly enough....the boom seems excessively long. I think I figured it out. There was a change made by Matt Layden at one point where he drew a "MarkII" version of the Paradox mainsail. It is not quite as user friendly for furling as it leaves a tad of the top of the sail unfurled when the front end of the yard meets the boom....but it is supposed to improve performance to weather. Lezlie sewed up her own sail from a Sailrite kit. She did an outstanding job on it. I think that this sail is the Mark II version...and thus does not need quite as much boom. I ended up re-drilling for the location of the outhaul on the boom to get a more proper looking angle on it. It was going almost to the end of the boom...giving a lot of foot tension, but no leach tension...there was a huge wrinkle in the foot of the sail. By re-drilling it so that the outhaul bisects the angle of the leach and foot...the sail seems to set much better. After I sail her for a bit...if I see no other reason to leave it....I will shorten the boom appropriately.

The bracket on the end of the boom for the mainsheet and topping lift seems to work very well. it is a heavy stainless steel chainplate, so it does not flex and interfere with rotation of the boom. The shaft it rotates on is a 5/16 stainless lag bolt driven into the end of the boom. The head of the bolt is cut-off and a dye was used to thread the exposed end. Then a large stainless fender washer, followed by the chainplate, followed by another fender washer...and then a nylock nut  was installed. The nylock allows me to tighten just to the point of taking the play out of the chainplate....but to stop before there is too much friction for the boom to rotate. Seems to work well.......well....In the driveway at least. 

Sea trials to come!! Stand by....Scout is about to SPLASH! 

S

Scout Update...Details Details Details....

No...those are not my glasses!! lol

Last week Jo, Ensign and I got out of town for the Holiday weekend so no work got done on Scout. We got home on Monday night...and it was back to our real jobs on Tues morning. For me that meant a 48 hour tour.Got home today for four days so I hope to make some real progress on a lot of the little housekeeping things that need to be finalized up before Scout floats.

First, let me say this...

Lezlie....if you read this blog, my hat is off to you. The amount of work and effort that went into Scout (formerly Tardis) before I acquired her from you is amazing. I'm not sure I could have done it. The more I work on the minimal amount of things she needs for completion, the more impressed I am with all your work. :-)

For anyone that wants to see Scout's creation as done by Lezlie from the the very beginning, she has it all chronicled on her blog. Here's the link...It starts back around January of 2011...

http://lezliesworld.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

So....let's see....the update...

Well....there are numerous small jobs in the works. Many of them require just spending time , scratching my head...mocking up this or that to see if it will work before putting it into play permanently. I often refer to some of the other Paradox sites to see how others have handled some of the items I am working on. Although there is a plan book, it seems everyone customizes to their liking a bit. It's kind of fun to take a little from this guy's ideas, a little from that guy, add a little of my own and watch what materializes. The thing you have to be careful of,  though, is often changing one thing to solve one issue, just creates another. Lots of time staring at this boat right now as the final details come together.

Leather Pad added to mast to protect sail, boom, and mast

Today I made a leather pad for the mast where the sail, boom, and furler will rub on it when sailing on Port tack. I have seen photos of others that have rubbed right through the fabric on the sail so I used a soft leather and I will replace it as it wears out. It is laced temporarily with cordage, but I will replace that with shock cord once I step the mast, raise the sail, and know I have the height correct. The shock cord will self adjust for stretch and shrinkage of the leather over time

Rudder Lift Line

I also finally got the rudder lifting line all finished. I was awaiting some fairleads I ordered to arrive and they finally did. The line has to make numerous changes in direction through micro and bullet blocks, then a fairlead and finally through a captive clamcleat. I installed a t-handle to make pulling the line easier and adjusted the friction nut on the rudder. Seems to work pretty smooth now. I am going to find or make a much larger washer for the one nut that secures the rudder in place on the rudderstock.

Interior view of tiller, steering line attachment and rudder lift line
 looking towards transom from cabin

Here you can see the tiller pushed over to port and the rudder lifting line running along its starboard side. It goes through a captive aluminum clamcleat and then has a T-Handle on the line made of Starboard.

Steering lines attaching to tiller and cut to length

The steering line was also cut to final length after adding some knots in it at intervals on each side to assist in holding onto it. I  have devised a deal I am going to add onto the steering line that will incorporate a block on an extra adjustable tension line. It will allow me to set and adjust the tension on the steering line. That way in light air I can make the rudder very light and responsive with good feedback.  In heavier air I will be able to tension the line up, making the steering system somewhat stiffer.

Half inch thimble seized to bronze rod of the Tack Strop

The furling system called for a half inch thimble to be seized to the boom strop arm in order to guide the furling line into the drum. I finally found the thimble that I needed from Sailrite and ordered it. The shackle to the left of the furling drum is an addition to allow a topping lift to be used to support the boom during furling. I have seen this used by numerous other Paradox's.

Close up of the seizing...done with stainless annealed seizing wire

The seizing job is not beautiful, but it seems fairly solid and I am going to go with it for now. If it bugs me enough I may undo it and pretty it up later. It's the first time I have seized something like that ,,,and it shows.



Still to come:

The mainsheet is still a work in progress. I think that tonight after many hours and different mock-ups I know how I want to run it. Getting it over the baffle inside the aft end of the boat, and also around all the rudder and tiller gear is challenging. I've got a few brackets to make but I think I have it figured out.

I want to get the battery installed so I can trim the boat with the battery's weight in there....although no electrical will be hooked up for the initial sails.

I have to decide on an outboard bracket for the times when I want to use an outboard. I have located one that is easily removable and may go that direction.

Hang with me...I'm gonna get her done. I've just kinda been dealing with a little bit of distraction.

While working on Scout....I have been working on myself too. Found out the hard way (at work) that I have a glucose problem...some call it diabetes. Ugh!  I am working out daily and on a strict diet hoping against hope that cutting weight, increasing my physical fitness, and severely modifying my formerly junk food diet,  will eventually allow me to manage the disease without any medication. It is a huge lifestyle change for me and taking a LOT of time and effort. Hopefully, by this fall when I want to be sailing Scout a lot, we'll have this all figured out and it won't be a big deal. What it IS.....is a real blow to the ego.  Never have I not been able to do what I set my mind on doing due to physical or medical limitations. I am determined to kick this thing's ass by getting mine into high gear. I gotta lot of stuff I still plan on doing. Yanking a disc out of my neck 10 years ago didn't stop me. I'll be damned if this will. My goal is for this to be just another bump in the road. Diabetes just does not fit into my plan right now.

Onward and upward! :-)

Scout Sails This Month!