Concordia #9 - Amphora Restoration

Taking a break...

2010-12-20T14:16:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you have to stop and rub a belly!!!

Building New Frames

2010-12-18T08:20:00.001-08:00

Below is a sequencing of making new frames for this boat. I am using some old growth douglas fir and West System Epoxy. On these at the present time the two outer layers have 2" kevlar between them and the inner 3 layers have glass. My first intention with this first one (last photo) was to subsequently add the 20 degree bevel. As 20 degrees with it's thickness wouldn't bend, I first cut a couple of 10 degree wedges. These were also too thick. Next, 6.667 degrees. Better but once epoxied up and trying to bend into the jig, slipped all over the place even being taped together. Subsequent ribs are being made full size and bevels will be cut after the fact.

The sticks are hot glued to the plywood and than moved to the work table. As the temperature dropped, I realized I made a mistake with making this 8' x 12' table with two layers of 3/4" plywood top and 6 5x5 legs... I should have made it across the road in the single car garage which is much easier to heat? This 30' x 48' with 1/2 the walls insulated and roof just trussed isn't quite ready for heat. Though it does have radiant floor heating plumbed into the concrete slap, no heat source has been hooked up. Too many projects, too little time and finite resources!

Milling some white oak

2010-12-18T08:02:00.001-08:00

The foreman for milling up the white oak for the restoration, Paul Rollins,York,Maine.

Rick Berry from Shirley, Arkansas onsite milling the lumber to use for floors, beams and various other parts.

Work Log Since August

2010-11-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

While at the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, I was in search for a boat guy to come out and give me a hand and help organize and focus me and do some of the intimidating tasks. After a number of talks with boat people, Paul Rollins name came up from York, ME. I knew of him, I met him years ago onboard the newly launched schooner Tall Cotton that he built, it resonated. He came out in September and worked 3 days.

We ended up doing the following:

We removed the engine.
Rudder - needed to dig a nice hole underneath. This is the second time I have done this in my life!!
Deadwood is gone.
Cockpit frame is gone.
Most of the bungs are drilled out.
Ripped off the lower most planking to view the hole keel timber.
Milled up and stickered a 33' white oak tree I cut down on the back of the property. Though not sufficient in width for the keel timber, it will make many fine parts like floor timbers, deck beams and firewood (just checking to see if you are reading?).
And we nearly had the cabin removed but the Fein Multimaster dulled it's last blade.

Since Paul's visit I took a little break. I started back at it last weekend and this Thanksgiving long weekend.

I managed to make some new parts -- some laminated ribs for her. I had a goal to get some new parts in in 2011, her 50th year as a vessel. I think I will do it!!

I built a nice work table a few weekends ago: 8' x 12' with two layers of 3/4" plywood that will handle the stress of laminating the frames and the stem. I have 3 of them in various forms of layups.

#47 - is the aft most one. I have one side finished with the other side drying. I will than need to shape to fit. This one has 12 layers of 5/32" douglas fir strips with 7 layers of glass and two layers of Kevlar between. I ended up doing them in 3 steps with one failed attempted to put the 20 degree bevel into them to save from cutting and shaping after. Didn't work.

#46 and #45 are layed up on the table with the soldiers. #45-one side is complete and drying as I did it in one step, the prefered method at least with these shorter ones. As they get longer, and the weather gets warmer, they may have to go in a couple of steps. #46 has a couple steps for one side and a complete one for the port side.

A few lessons:

It is harder to add strips to the inside of a curve, especially with glass and multiple layers. The glass wants to snag the end of the existing curved layup.

Using a screw in a hole to line up and hold one edge of the strips does not work if you have kevlar as one of the layers between the strips. It gathers into a nice ball around the screw. A nail with blocks and a clamp works best. Remove nail before epoxy sets up.

An electric blanket over the ribs while they dry in the cold over night saves heating the whole garage.

One inch, $1 vinyl brushes from WalMart, work the best to apply epoxy to strips and wetout the glass tape. Cut off half the bristles to make it stiffer.

Work fast and clean and change gloves a few times.

There are a total of 47 ribs in this boat. The first 7 I believe will be fine. By leaving these, it will give the boat the looks of it's traditional or original 1951 character. The ones to get laminated will actually all be hidden by the ceilings.

As the white oak original steam bent frames failed from too tight a bilge and tight seamed construction, laminating the frames will be an improvement. Adding kevlar and glass will jump it up a notch, in my opinion. One advantage is that it will be tough to starve the joint of epoxy with the spacer of glass and kevlar present. Also, on the old frames, where they broke, was also at a fastener. The glass and kevlar will limit this tendency. If I go for riveting, it would limit it even more by having a smaller diameter hole?? So many choices, so much time. If I stay focused, I could have all the ribs finished by the end of next year? That is if I don't decide to tackle the floors and deck as a section - like from the forward part of the cockpit aft?

All for now. I will try to find new pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving.

My Summer Vacation on Sea Hawk

2010-11-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

We sailed on this nice 41' Concordia Yawl, Sea Hawk the first week of August. We did the feeder races from Castine to Camden and Camden to Brooklin. In the fog from Castine we managed to pull out a first in the Concordia fleet and received the Phalarope Perpetual Trophy!! Actually I tried to "receive it" at the awards ceremony on Saturday night but was caught before getting lost in the crowd. This trophy stays in the Castine Yacht Club and I get my name on it!! We also finished third in our class. The next two races were just amazing. But not for having a spinnaker, we did really well and had a great time. Paul Carson from Searcy, Arkansas was the only reason we did so well. My other friends learnt alot but had no real racing skills.

The other crew members:

Dr. Mike Martinez from Conway, AR

Don Roberts from Alton, N.H.. Former high school classmate, Keene State College roommate and all around great guy and friend!

And George Rautenberg, my newest friend, that survived "Fog Day" a few years back and was still brave enough to attempt another go!

The top photo of Sea Hawk is from: http://sims.myphotos.cc/~macmini/2010/wooden10/content/wooden10_1_large.html There are a few hundred more of them to see the perfect sailing conditions in the prettiest place on the coast...

Where all the inside stuff went...

2010-08-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

That is an 8' step ladder and I have added another shelf. All is filled and all is done ripping out. It is time to start putting some stuff back in...

Mast is hanging up here in two parts. Also removed planking, toe rails for patterns, covering boards and other odds and ends that tell a story before burning!!

Deck Beams

2010-08-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

Inside Hull Shots:

2010-08-18T14:19:00.003-07:00

Frames and sistering job...

2010-08-17T17:26:00.001-07:00

Progress progressed on the boat but not on the blog...

2010-08-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have the whole inside of the boat joinery... removed except the engine. All the decks are gone and the cockpit joinery. The sheer plank and her inferior mate are gone around the boat. I am presently working on removing the cockpit sole.

A few views of where she is at today. The hull still looks fair and seams tight after 18 or so years aground.

Bow decking . . . GONE!

2010-04-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

99% of the screws came out in near perfect condition! If one re-used, how old will the boat be or will the life expectancy be limited?

Galley (starboard)

2010-04-18T05:55:00.001-07:00

Completed!

Galley (port)

2010-04-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Port side of the galley is getting ripped out. Just the ceiling left to do.

I now have a portable ice chest to bring to the beach.

White Oak Timber

2010-04-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is the biggest white oak tree I could find on the property. It dressed out to be 31' long and came in with a 7' circumference at the base. It is pretty darn straight. I have hopes that it will make a fine keel timber. If not, at least the deadwood and floors and miscellaneous parts.

I continue with taking this boat apart.

Main Cabin Forward Completed

2010-02-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

I finally finished gutting the main cabin forward. I've seen boats stripped at this stage and thought, boy, you've got a lot of work to do? Know I am thinking, wow, what a lot of work to get here.

How cool is this?

2009-12-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

Lights! No excuses now for not working at night?

Still happy with my Concordia!

2009-11-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Picture taken by Christian Rasmussen during our annual Swift Solo Regatta on Greers Ferry Lake.

Hanging lockers next in the sites . . .

2009-09-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

Heads Up! Heads Out!

2009-09-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

The bulkheads to the head are finally removed and she's starting to look like a 6M yacht. That is a thought?

Working on sheer plank

2009-07-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

Sheer plank being removed. It was 23' long and nearly every fastener was corroded which made removing a pleasant surprise.

A Star is ReBorn

2009-07-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

A little sanding brought out years of color schemes - sort of like a butterfly being reborn.

Deconstruction Continues . . .

2009-07-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

I changed my plan a little to forestall finishing inside to remove toe rail, covering board and sheer plank to access conditions of ribs. The main cabin, head and forward cabin are close to being removed. Lockers are still present to starboard as well as bulkheads on port. Present plan is to have everything forward of galley striped inside and than have covering boards/toe rail and one or two planks removed. This should set me up for replacing ribs from galley on forward.

Notice the surgical cloth tape that was placed on the top edge of the sheer plank. It was tacked periodically as well.

How many tools does it take to perform surgery on this thing?

Dethroned!

2009-05-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

Not much salvagable in here except the design. The wash basin was about as basic as I've seen. The sink was actually a metal pan with no drain. It had a slide in draw aft with the water forward next to the toilet.

Starting to Look Like a Boatshop

2009-04-11T15:40:00.001-07:00

With enough room, is there ever enough?, and a plan, I can visualize this place getting organized! Just to the left of the nutshell pram is my shelving setup for the dismantling of the boat. Each shelf has a different section of the boat (e.g. bottom - port main cabin, second - starboard main cabin, third - bow section). Yes, that is where I am at with progress getting to the bare hull. Head and lockers next.

Under the pram - drying douglas fir, over - all the rigging. Heading back from the pram will be all the wood in the garage to get that cleaned out so wiring can be finished, insulated and than sheathed. Upstairs in the loft I plan to have a small office and than a finishing room for all the varnishing that no doubt will follow.

As you can see, there is a nice set of stairs up to the boat from the garage as well as down to the boatshop floor. After taking a dive Friday stepping off the deck unto a two foot step ladder and having the ladder kick out and hitting the ground, the steps moved up in priority.

I also have a few more tools like the cyclone dust collection and a bandsaw. The dust collector is a little high to get a straight run of the ducts above the ceiling rafters. Next step is ducting to the various tools and then there will be no excuse for a dusty shop. I also have ample counter shop space with a 4' x 8' outfeed table/bench for the table saw as well as along the wall. My plan is to have the storage under the cabinets on rollers to be able to move them about to where I'm working. They will also be catagorized by type: Epoxy stuff, chisels, planes, sharpening, ...

Ballast is Free!!!

2009-04-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

Today marked a milestone, at least for me, with the freeing of the ballast. I resorted to grinding the three remaining bolt heads in the area of the head. After lowering the cradle a half inch and a couple of pounds on the bolts, she let go. Then a lot of slow cautious incremental steps yielded a free ballast.

Oliver Jones and Rob

2009-02-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Met with Oliver in March of '08 when I drove up to Connecticut to pick up boat stuff prior to having her shipped to Arkansas.

Main Cabin Inventory - Port

2009-02-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

A little look at the pile of joinery, bunk and tank removed from the port side of the main cabin. Everything is marked, notes taken and pictures. It will be stored on it's own shelf and be ready to be used for patterns in the years ahead.

Douglas Fir Arrives

2009-02-11T15:48:00.001-08:00

Lumber finally arrives from Fork, Washington for the future laminated frames. It took longer to get from Little Rock to Clinton (70 miles) than it did to get to Arkansas. It had arrived on Sunday night into Little Rock. I was heading out of town for the week on Monday so I called to make arrangements to have it delivered to a lumberyard in town. Or so I thought. A week and a half later - it arrived. Silly people.

ICE STORM - JANUARY 27, 2009

2009-01-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

Click to Enlarge:

The beautiful sunrise after a nice ice storm in Arkansas.

The pups don't seem to mind the new ice and snow though they did spend the night in bed with us. They came in covered in ice. How does this relate to the restoration? I choose not to burn any of the boat and was out in the boat shop gathering wood scraps prior to the sunrise to get the woodstove burning. To grind the coffee I had to get the truck and use the inverter to power up the grinder.

Ballast Cradle

2009-01-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

This is constructed of 5" pipe. Might be over the top in strength but it was scrap from the welding up of cattle guards at entrances to farms. Half the bolts have been cut off but I seem to need something longer than 12" to get to the middle section of the keel. More pictures when dropped. Oh, the lower most pipe is there for a roller.

Side Walls

2009-01-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

Side walls are a polycarbonate product called "Sunsky" by Palmar.

It was inspired by a trip to see the Coronett in Newport this past summer. Goes up like metal siding. They ran about $70 a sheet for a 3' x 12' section. The biggest issue I think will be the south wall in the summer. I did include 8 opening sky lights as well as vent ridge. The side walls have good space between the ground, increasing with slope. I am placing metal siding on the inside along this base to keep direct wind and weather out with the added advantage to keep air circulating. I anticipate it to function much like the ceiling in the boat or the way a tipi liner would work.

YEAR IN REVIEW - 2008

2009-01-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

Boat purchased in December of 2007. Thank you Lynette!
Visited boat in March in Lyme, CT-returned with mizzen mast, booms (3) and a truck load of sails, rigging, etc.
Leigh Smith, friend from Portsmouth, N.H., helps Richard Fewtrell, boatwright in Lyme, get boat ready for shipping.
Worked on pad behind garage.
Boat arrived in May.
No boat stands and driver wouldn't attempt delivery to property.
Boat interims in old WalMart parking lot.
Built cradle.
Rebuilt cradle on borrowed trailer.
Boat gets delivered without incidence.

Built a 26' x 45' boat shed over boat-mostly by myself with some help from farm hand.

Mario built a cradle for ballast with 5" pipe.

Started dismantling the port main cabin the last few days of December.

Also started collecting some new bigger tools like a bandsaw, dust collection, drill press . . .

Looking forward to 2009.

Main Cabin Deconstruction - Port

2009-01-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

And the disassembling begins...

The port side of the main cabin has been stripped of all joinery. The upper ceiling was in poor condition due to rain water entering opened port hole, on and off for 16 years+. Good for patterns though. Below the bilge stringer, mahogany ceiling in near perfect condition. Water no doubt was impeded by the bilge stringer and continued down inside of hull instead.

What is totally inspiring is the condition of the planking. No visible sign of any aging. In the daylight, only a few seams have a tad of visible light.

Doing my best with documenting. My present scheme is taking notes, drawing pictures where necessary, bundling up pieces by taping together, writing on back of pieces, collecting fasteners in ziploc bags with notes and eventually storing on its separate shelf to be reassembled when the structure is all restored. And pictures ... These were taken with my iPhone. Decent quality though I have better cameras.

View From the Deck

2009-01-01T07:06:00.001-08:00

Dry At Last!!

2008-12-09T15:20:00.000-08:00

16 years of fighting the elements, #9 finally gets a hard cover to start her restoration. On December 8th the last caps went on the roof just before an evening of heavy rain. Hopefully clear sides will go on this weekend.

Boat Building Construction

2008-11-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

A couple more photo's of the building's progress. The covering will be 26' by 44' with 12'+ sidewalls. It's attached to a 30' x 48' shop. The tractor bucket makes for a handy moveable staging.

2008-11-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

Amphora's Shelter Construction

Amphora's trusses are all in place. They are a cathedral/scissor truss with a 7/12 pitch. They are 2 x 6 construction and 2' on center.