Pictures

The next big project

I was talking to a guy last night, he he'd said that with advances in materials, they can run hovercraft year-round, even in the interior. I was surprised. And then he tells me apparently they'd been running them up on the slope for a while now, in colder-than-Bethel temperatures. Why doesn't anyone tell me these things!

Part of the reason why I've been thinking about hovercrafts so much is I've begun drafting out my next project. While building my kayak, I started dreaming about building a larger boat - not much longer (my kayak is ~17ft), but wider and with a deeper draft. I'd rolled around projects the whole time I was building the kayak, and talked to some pro-ship builders who were generally supportive. I've even go as far as to begin researching, before doing - a novel idea, for me! I found a shipwrights manual from ~1910, reprinted in the 40s, that I've found incredibly interesting.

However, I've recently run into a bit of a jam. It turns out that since the 1910s, federal regulations governing powered boat safety have got incredibly complex. I hadn't read half the required paperwork, and I'm already feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I almost feel like I need someone who's done this before to hold my hand through all the regulatory work! So while I have a lot of drafting ahead of me, if I'm going to make this project work, I need to spend even more time learning the legalities of boat building.

Interestingly enough, the only legal requirement for a hovercraft is that it have a flashing light.
Maybe it's time to bone up on my aluminum welding? ;)

Qayaqa kit'enrituq!

Wow, I pop on off for a few days, and I have no shortage of things to post about! I think I'll start with what I'm most proud of, my finishing my boat.

That's right, I finished sealing it (I needed a sunny day that I wasn't busy on) with Urathane, after getting quite a bit on my hands! And then I let it sit over night. Let me tell you, I couldn't wait for the stuff to cure! I was up first thing in the morning, because it was time to dig out the PFD and test the boat!

I took it to a small lake in my back yard, after the duck hunters were done filling the air with shot, and checked the water temperature. Qerrupaa! Okay, so I don't want to stick around in the water, that's for sure! I got it deep in enough at the marshes that I could launch it.

It floated! Any leaks I don't yet see are a slow leak that I can patch easily. Given the whole project was just made up as I went along, I was amazed. It seemed to roll a bit under me, which surprised me given how low it's centre of gravity was. I think I neglected to anticipate how top heavy adding me would make it. I'll have go deliberately roll qayaqa, to find out where the tipping point is.

All the technical stuff aside... it floats! It didn't sink! I'm so happy! I can't wait to put it on the river!

Painful things.

I was hoping to have a beer review for tonight, but instead I spent the time tying several thousand small knots. Right know, it feels like I've taken a hammer to my hands for about a half hour of pounding. If you're going to try to tie most of your boat's lashings in one day, take everyone else's advice and wear some leather gloves. It won't make it any easier to tie the knots, but it will help you yank them tight without cutting into your hands. The wax coated line has some bite to it when your hands slip down the length while under tension...

Today, I'm waiting to find out if there'll be a new iPhone (no worries to you other two iPhone readers who didn't reply). We should know by about lunch time, AKDT. If I buy one, I want to buy one today or tomorrow, because I have horrendously long flight outside coming up, and I want to spend my time watching videos to fight off boredom. Another little tradition of mine is to listen to George Carlin's "Airline Announcements" skit either before I board or right after take off, when I'm on a big carrier like North West or Delta. It's my one act of treason in the maddening hell that is modern airlines and post 9-11 security.

Maybe...?

I think I might have been sent line drawings of my project after my next one...
Good draft. Stable as heck. Roomier than what I'm building (which is more like a glove). Wonder what its displacement is?
I should probably finish the stator that I started, first, I guess.

Grey, Grey, Stay a day...

Some people are bemoaning the grey and rain, but I'm preversely pleased it's dampened up a bit. For one, it'll help with the fires. For another, 30C is just too hot for us in the interior! Okay, so it's too hot for me... It looks like it'll all clear up on Sunday, which I hope is enough for them to get a handle on the McGrath Fire.

Sadly, the rain has meant I can't apply a 3rd coat of varnish to the boat. That might seem an excessive amount of marine varnish, but for plywood, it's really a minimum. I'm looking at 3 coats of varnish, and one coat of over-sealant for the whole boat. Next one, I think I might go with bentwood to avoid plywood. Plywood is convenient for shaping, and doesn't need steamed to shape, but if there's a weak point in all of this, it's got to be the plywood crosspars. If I did bentwood cedar, then I wouldn't really need to do more than a single rubdown with linseed oil. And even that might be over-kill.

I've got the amiq coming to me in the mail, plus some some sealant. I won't get to sew it on until after I get all the chines lashed in good, which will come after I've got all the wood sealed. Ended up costing me quite a bit, but less than if I got it from Fairbanks.

Presidential decisions

As soon as I can, I want to share pictures of the boat with you. I've been working on it without stopping for as long as I've been awake and not at work. In fact, yesterday, I ran out of parts I need (1/4th inch hardwood dowel rod) early, so I stopped early for the day (before 9pm being early). I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all this free time!

Does anyone else find Palin's claim that Obama is closing a car dealership in Alaska... kind of strange? I don't know much about the specifics of the situation, but she makes it sound like he woke up one morning and said "Morning hon. Kids off to school? I was thinking about closing a Soldotna auto dealership." I some how doubt this was the case. I'd think it'd have more to do with, you know, the fact that Chevrolet is blowing up like a poorly ventilated meth lab. Something that's been going on for quite some time, now.

Sometimes, I swear. Her being nominated for VP seriously effected her in the head.

Edit: Now with a link to a relevent story!