Second Pond Trial

Took EC TOWNE out for the second time.  Windier than the first time. Boat still responded well, into the wind, across the wind, even with me in the boat by myself, that ballast having gone to get the trailer. Also, we tried the oars for the first time and I guess I got the ergonomics worked out pretty well as it was easy and comfortable to row.  Oars against the wind wee not nearly as good as the motor against the wind. Nice surprise.  Here she is with bow out of the water and still able to take on the wind.

SHE GOES 1111

EC TOWNE splashes. Sea trial a resounding success. Here are a couple of pics in the water. Click on the pics to enlarge.

 Kids sitting on the end of the dock when we launched wanted to know if I built her.  Told them she was built in 1910 and I just cleaned her up a bit.

 Sorry, no pics underweigh. Did not bring my gps but am satisfied with her speed and very happy with the way she headed into the wind which was pretty strong out in the wide part of the lake.  I had heard that trolling motors were pretty much worthless against a strong breeze but not probe going along at half throttle.

 half throttle brings to mind the only problem. She vibrates a bit at full throttle.  I thought I had pretty tight tolerances at the top and bottom of the "well" but maybe not. Thinking of putting a grease fitting on the tube and packing her with heavy grease.  Should damp the vibe.

Coaming Painted

 Coaming painted the same color as the interior of the hull.  First paint job was with the white of the outside of the hull, but it just did not seem right.  I like this color better. All that is left is building the floorboards and then lifting on to the trailer. Yea!

New Deck and Cradle on Trailer

Finished the cradle for the power dory and installed it onto a new pressure treated deck on the trailer.  Looks pretty good.  Cradle has bunk carpeting glued on with PC Premium.  I realize there might be a problem in the future with that method of installation but decided to give it a try.

 Also CPESed the new coaming and am waiting for a full cure before painting.  Lady at Jamestown said four or five days.  Hard to wait. Very happy with the way the coaming came out. Can't wait to see it painted. Getting closer all the time.

Coaming Completed—Needs Only Paint

Installed the sides of the coaming.  A bear to fair, but I think I got her pretty well.  Here are some pics.

 Two views looking forward (above and below)

 Two views looking aft.(above and below)

 Side view, my ow those license plates light up. Click on the photos to enlarge them. Click on margin to return to this view.

Bending Coamings: A Reasonable Success

The old man (me) fine tuning the form for the stern coaming

My son James and I began this AM to set up our steamer and begin steaming the coamings.  The first try was a failure. Even tho we timed our steaming carefully, waiting until the box was up to temp of 200 degrees or more, the piece broke.  I think it was more our handling than the fault of the process.

The steam box, plywood wind screen in place. The whole process was plagued by equipment failure. The borrowed turkey boiler worked well for a while, then it didn't. I bought a new one,tried to refill the  gas tank only to find it was out dated and they would not refill it, bought a new tank—it goes on and on.  Altogether a success but I hope never to have to do it again!

The first attempt ended in failure

The bow coaming in place—the second try was a success

Coaming in place but needs to be adjusted, will wait until it dries a bit before I move it

So glad my son was there to help, the extra set of hands...

Looking at these shots reminds me I still need to finish painting way up in the bows

The meat thermometer went way beyond 190

Below, my son James—hands like vice grips

The only failure on the stern coaming, a slight fiber or two broke away but went right back with the little clamp.  Epoxy will cure that when it all dries out.

Not sure what this last pic is.  

Some Progress and Some Regression

Using multiple 45 degree street ells I was able to turn the wires 180 degrees to make a water resistant connection for the top of the shaft. Next I installed a disconnect to join the motor to the control head.

Here is the fix on the battery compartment

 The regression occurred when I realized the batteries I selected would not fit into the opening under the center thwart.  I solved the problem by adding bread board ends to the seat and widening the opening to 26 and one quarter inches.  Just enough for two 13 inch batteries weighing 59  pounds each.

Sorry about this, I don't know why the pictures of the seat remodel were inserted between the others but I am not smart enough to change it.

Here is the connector from the motor to the control head.  a clumsy place to work and solder the bits but it is done.  Very close to connecting the batteries and seeing if it works.

Poor man's Quadrant and other stuff

Installed a quadrant made from 3/8 Meranti.  It was the result of several attempts to "get it just right" and it works pretty well. When and if it fails in the future I will use it as a template for one made from more durable material. It should las a good long while though.

 The "wings" on the quadrant act as stops when they hit the thwart at about a 45degree angle.  Note the cable clamps which have been languishing in my shop for years waiting to find a purpose after being salvaged from an old boat that was pretty much mulch. Also, note the small piece of 1/2 inch cpvc sticking up from the center of the motor shaft.  I have been concerned with water finding its way down the shaft and into the motor.  The clvc pipe was a loose fit so I put an o ring around it and it was a nice tight force fit into the shaft, then I sealed the whole works with a dab of epoxy. Next step will be to thread the wires through fittings already cemented together which will complete the cap of the pipe by making a full 180 degree bend. Next chore will be connecting these wires to the wires leading from the control head. Holding my breath until the batteries are installed and it all works as planned. BTW, the steering works perfectly, nice and smooth.

  

Motor and wheel Installed

A surprise visit by my oldest son lead to the installation of the motor, and it went better than I hoped for. Also did the final installation of the wheel.

 Control arm and clamp holding the motor in place.  It all rides on a steel washer over a rubber washer.

 The motor hanging neatly below. The skeg extension is not yet installed.

Throttle Installed

Here it is, on the front of the rear seat thwart.  Counter clockwise, Reverse, Clockwise, Forward

Mount for Control Head, Lift Ring and Throttle

 Above and below showing the control head and mocked up mounting. The shaft needs to be shortened. Cutting off the handle was a big leap as there is no going back now. There will be a nice bit of room on either side of the head for storage. The motor well/plumbing fittings sit directly behind the control head and the wires are amply long to reach the motor.  The battery wires will have to be lengthened.

 Flush mount lift ring installed on back deck hatch.  Made two test runs on scrap wood and it fit perfectly, no chips or dings.  Moved on to the boat and was dismayed to see two small chips in surrounding wood. There is no justice. If you squint your eyes and look at it slightly askance, the chips are not so noticeable.

 This, below,  is the throttle/fwd/rev control. I searched the local architectural salvage place for something to use that was a bit funky, this is what I found.   It started life as a door handle, I also found the brass plate.  The square shaft fit nicely into the hole and much to my surprise, if I slid the little button up it locked the shaft into what shall be called the neutral/off position.  To operate the boat one must push the little button down to operate the handle. BTW, the handle is bronze and the plate is brass.  Very nautical or screen doorish as you please.

 Above and below are pics of the mocked up mount.  Turns out I got it right the first time and the shaft goes through the seat thwart at a 90 degree angle. The parts and pieces have been removed and will be painted before re installing.

 What in the world is this? The square shaft attached to the handle/throttle was much to small to fit in the hollow of the shaft of the control head (the bit that sticks out through the seat thwart in one of the pics above) so I whittled a rock maple plug of appropriate size, fitted it the the handle shaft and immersed the whole in a puddle of epoxy, all in a scrap of the shaft yielding (I hope) a perfect fit when cured and removed from the scrap piece. The bit sticking up threads into the handle and is secured with a set screw.  Progress!

A shot of the bow

Steering mocked up, things are coming together

Made some cleats from rock maple (thanks to the Essex dump)

 Early attempts to mock up steering. Not happy with the way it fit together

 I know I talked about stick steering but really wanted the wheel to work

 Some shots of the finish with bright sunlight streaming in the window.

 I am so glad I did not grind it all off when it first appeared too dark.

 Another mockup of the wheel and steering

 The piece of wood acts in the place of a quadrant on the steering arm

 the wheel, the rope and the steering arm

 By moving the oar so only the handle is behind the wheel, I now have more room to set the wheel back a bit and I am beginning to like the look.

 The wheel is hidden on the left of he pic but you can see the two lines heading back to the double pulley on the left of the pic and the single pulley on the right.

 Another shot of the double pulley

 Ane one of the single

 Now I am faced with how in the world to mate this mess (below) with the boat—where to put it? Dismantle it and take the guts and put them next to the wheel?  Mount the whole assembly under the seat?  Not enough room for that I fear

 Poor old battle scarred decks finished with two coates of Minwax Helmsman over color varnish and stain.