Sanding, planning, sneezing

March 28, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

My spring-optimism got punished by Swedish weather today: windy, cold and wet.
However, I managed to persuade myself to go to boatyard anyway.

To make sanding and varnishing easier I usually erect some kind of rised platforms around the boat. Thanks to Börje & Jim there are these long planks which I can use, screwed to euro-pallet. Ugly but does the job.

I started sanding port side - the one which had varnish “blobs”. As this year is the one when I should remove more varnish - I do it every few years, to prevent too much buildup of varnish which would result in need to “wood” the boat - I hit the port side with orbital sander and 180 paper. Blobs are now gone.

Dragging vacuum pipes, electrical cords and raging sander while balancing on narrow platforms was such a “joy” that I was considering throwing this away and do it by hand. My considerations got abruptly interrupted when the sander disintegrated (luckily not damaging anything around) and blessed silence came back to the place. If not counting for the wind and rain bunging on metal roof.

I was too tired to continue by hand so instead I went into cabin and planned how to finish fo’c’sle: where the toilet will be, how to secure batteries and what type of sole to build.

With some pine lists I mocked-up two variants, to help me imagine the final look.

Rised sole would make the bilge very deep but serve toilet mounting directly. At first I liked it but thought of crawling along it to reach batteries or whatever on the very bow made me re-do the design.

Traditional, inclined sole would work better, leaving enough head space to actually go all the way to the bow and not wasting precious space for bilge. Toilet would be mounted on rised platform, just enough to mount it and for some feet room.

I will build a strong shelf for both batteries on the very bow. Battery boxes will be secured with strong straps and possibly some wooden blocks around.

I like these planning moments: just being inside, moving things around and thinking how to solve problems. Not much progress is visible and it takes time (for me at least) to plan things but it’s a time well spend. After all - that’s why we are here, to mess around with boats, ain’t it?

Demolition complete

March 27, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Finally all old plywood is gone from fo’c’sle!
It was a task requiring awkward positions and lots of hammering/chiseling/hand-sawing and plaining with block plane as these old, brass screws did not want to get out. I had to chisel out plywood around heads to grab them with pliers and remove this way. Only then could I safely remove plywood parts.

There was nothing to regret - this was no fine joinery nor nice material. Most of it was hidden under madrases when they were here but since this is the worst place to sleep on any boat we never used fo’c’sle as sleeping area. It was used for storage and as toilet room. None of that worked well and was making me angry every time I went there. Now came the time to refurbish it according to my needs.

Ideally I would like to have it as Jim on Kaika - benches offering storage along freeboard, enough sole room for moving around and separate room for toilet. Meritaten is much smaller thou so it will not work here.

I plan to move toilet behind half-bulkhead, offering some more privacy and freeing the middle space for undisturbed passage. Along port side I plan to store Nano (folded). Starboard side will home sails, supplies and ropes, hanging from sheer stringer. On the very bow will be batteries - high above bilge, in case of catastrophe so that they will not be drowned too quickly. This should also improve trim - Meritaten has too much weight aft, due to her engine, so I move all heavy stuff towards the bow.

I’ve fitted them (batteries) into plastic, acid-resistant boxes with holes for terminals. Now it’s a question to securely mount them so they don’t move when the boat rock&rolls.

Spring has came so I made a short list of work to be done before launching.

Good to have a typewriter on a boat!

Before leaving I started draining the bilge from linseed oil.
Scraped also part of varnish “blob” I made last year - there will be some work to accomplish equally nice finish as on Jim’s Kaika but hear me Jim - I’ll get you this year!

Afterwork: evening rowing

March 26, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

One of these few days that I could work from home. Pandemi is in its 3rd wave, most of my colleagues work from their homes but in my case - I need to be in the factory almost every day. But not today!

Saving time, otherwise spent on journey, gave me opportunity for extended evening adventures with Nano. I packed her on cart and went, by foot, to the harbour. It’s a nice, 40 minutes walk along the woods. I took my trusty Optimus 200 since we will be coming back after dark.

In its folded form the boat is so flat that we could slip under the bom. Insurgent’s style!

Downhill onto the launching ramp and we start preparations to launch.

The Sun was still above the horizon, it was a calm but a bit chilly evening.
Few minutes later we were ready for launch.

And lift-off into this calm evening! We were alone in this part of the world, no wave-building motorboats yet!

Rowing this boat is a pleasure. I need to adjust oars' stopping blocks as my rowing tends to pull them out of locks but for now I just kept my eye on it while moving alongside the canal.

We went to our good friend The Fallen Trea.

Evening breeze came shortly after, putting even more chill. To warm up we rowed onto the other side, to explore small, rocky cove where big Hallberg Rassy lives.

Wind died shortly after but it was getting really cold. I should have packed better clothes. I started rowing back towards my harbour. Calmness and cold of night was setting above everything. If not for solitary cars going over the bridge at times all was silent and perfectly still around.

After more than hour on water we were back on the ramp.

I hauled Nano onto grass for folding. Easy done with small wheel which sitts under rear skeg.

Lastly I ignited the lantern and we headed for night walk back home.

Spring reconnaissance

March 23, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

It was the first real spring day today: sunny, warm and calm.

I decided to check if our local harbour is free from ice.
I chose a bit longer route - trekking through the woods. After Alfrida havoc few years ago it is now easier to find the route through swamps and keep an eye on wolverines, wild bores and elks. As it is still getting dark pretty abruptly I took my most reliable lamp - Optimus 200 - with me.

After one hour I was at the harbour and yes - it is finally ice-free!

Closest to waterfront there is still a bit of ice left but few days will make it gone.

Launching Glypto would be a problem but with Nano I can walk her along the pontoon and launch onto clear water.

Perfect calmness of early evening. We are almost alone in this part of our island.

While enjoying the moment I started preparing for the way back through now dark woods. Optimus was deployed and pre-heating procedure started.

When the spirit got almost burn-out I started pumping the lantern to build the pressure. Few pumps and familiar hissing brought her to life.

I stayed on waterfront until it got dark and then headed back home. If weather permits we shall launch Nano tomorrow, for some evening rowing.

Launching Nano. Sea trials

March 21, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Finally came the day when ice is gone and we can attempt launching Nano!

It was sunny but chilly, with heavy wind which made Vätö channel dark of wind and stirred the sea into fast, short waves. Gusts reached 20 m/s. What not to like for sea trials of a new boat?

I arrived first and assembled the boat within few seconds. Only then I realised that I forgot to take oar locks!

I called reinforcements and shortly after my girls came with missing parts. We were ready for launch!

The boat is very lightweight so moving her on shoulders to the water was no issue. Once in water she graciously floated, tight as she should be - allowing no Mother Ocean inside.

First tour was short, just to feel the boat and see if I can manage to come back against the wind. No problem!

Nano behaved very responsively but she is steady and keeps direction very well. Unlike on Glypto here I was never afraid of flipping the boat, even when I leaned to the sides.

Fighting with choppy sea was no problem.

I wandered around the harbour feeling joy and liveliness of this tiny boat. This is a perfect yacht tender for us!

Folding and unfolding the Seahopper takes no time at all. Nano is the smallest model, Scamp, and she fits station wagon car without needing to put her on roof.

After short lunch we headed for home where I unfolded Nano again to let her dry before putting her into storage.