Saturday 5 February 2011

More pix








The galley wasnt made for this but I need the space and tools have to live somewhere..
Its almost time to have some basic facilities aboard, so it wont be long before the head is connected up to the 50 gallon holding tank. Its all fitted in very neatly and im flushed with pride !!!
I had to drill and tap the top of the tank to take a half inch nipple for the vent and getting it in through the floor frame was tricky but it just fitted.
The outlet at the bottom feeds into a Y valve which allows me to either self pumpout via the Henderson manual pump or marina suck out

For 5 months, ive been playing hopscotch every time ove walked over the steel framework above the engine compartment. I havent fallen in yet but im not going to chance it any longer so today saw the start of the deck going down. I need to make a few hatches for access but once its done im going to enjoy using this huge space

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for the additional photos - john

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  2. Wow Amy I've been busy and not playing on the internet much. I had a few minutes today and looked at your site and am impressed with how much you have gotten done. Great craftsmanship (craftwomanship?) !!!!

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  3. Fantastic progress - looking good girl!!! ;))))) x

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  4. I've been following along but haven't posted here yet... I'm very impressed with your progress... you rock! One of the dirty little secrets of boat building is what a slog it can be just putting one foot in front of the other day after day... but then you stand in the wheelhouse with the new windows keeping the water out and it all becomes worthwhile. Keep the faith.
    Best, Bob

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  5. the comment above is bob from sv-restless.com... don't know why it didn't link, but congrats anyway!

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  6. Gee Bob, my hero, thats a compliment indeed. Thank you.
    I dont feel worthy after comparing my attempts to your Opus Magna. Once I started reading your blog I couldnt put it down and was up all night untill I reached the end.
    I was so impressed with your stamina, finding the strength to endure. I need projects I can achieve in a realistic time frame and then move on. My attention span is short and I need a constant new challenge to keep me focused and interested.

    Suffice to say, im struggling at present and liken it to a mountain walk, setting your sights on the next peak then seeing another and another behind it stretching far into the distance and knowing its only your little legs that can get you there.

    But, every job is a one off and when its done, its one less to do and one more closer to the goal.

    How did you cope with the change in your life priorities once you had launched?

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  7. Bob sv-restless.comMonday, February 28, 2011

    Amy, I'm no hero, I'm just another poor misguided soul who decided to build a boat and got a little carried away with it, that's all. People ask me how I did it and I say I just started at the bottom and worked up, that's all, or I say I just got a big pile of steel and teak and took away anything that didn't look like a boat... and they say but HOW did you do it and they never seem to get that you just do it. But how did you know how, they ask? I just figured it out. I admire any one who just does it, and that's what you're doing. Mostly, as you've discovered, you sleep a little less, and you don't watch TV, and you just do it. Sure it gets hard and frustrating at times, that's when you step back and plan, or drive to get material, or whatever to get away from it.
    To answer your last question, our life priorities haven't changed much since launch, as I still spend all winter working on the boat nights and week ends... she was no where near when we launched, but she's pretty close now. And what really worked for me was to just wrap up boatbuilding in May and get out on the water every spare second in our little center console until late september, then it was back to building. I still do that now... the big boat goes in in late May, and each summer I have a list of things to do in the water, and I hardly touch the list... just enjoy the boat. The priorities now are to get the kids done with college, sell the house and move aboard in the next 2 or 3 years, and see what happens. Life certainly changes throughout the process, but we've just gone with it and it's worked out OK... kids are doing well, boat's a great source of satisfaction and pleasure, the only negatives are we're still stuck in winter and we both want to get to palm trees and warm water sooner rather than later. It'll happen... we'll just do it.

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  8. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Some are better with shapes and others with colours. Im pretty handy with spanners and big machinery yet ive never baked a cake or changed a daiper.

    Sure ive had people come to see the boat and they claim to be in awe and simply dont understand how another person can possibly know what to do, where to start and how to make it. That part is easier for me to understand than it is for them.

    I use the analogy of cooking a meal. Think about
    your fave meal, what it tastes of and how it feels. Imagain what ingredients you will need. Then contemplate the method and order to prepare them in. etc.
    Its all so simple when you think logically about it.

    Having said all that, im in awe of any large civil or mechanical engineering project which encompasses so many services and features. Imagain designing a warship or nuke power station. Have you ever been in a large store in a mall and looked up into the roof space and seen all the wiring and pipework?
    Ive tried to pre plan and design it all in before starting, but I still need to pull more cable and make alterations as I go.

    Im already planning the next boat in my head, and I dont even intend making another, but I cannot waste this learning curve and feel I owe it to myself to do it over again, even if it is just in my mind, just to prove ive learned something.

    Of course, if I won the lottery, it would cause a conflict between buying and building

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