I have been struggling to keep moving so this blog will not have everything moving along as I wanted.

I spent some time putting epoxy on inside seams. This is beginning of fiberglass on outside seams.

outside seams finished. This was a frame and screw plan that I decided to convert over to a stitch and glue. Bottom seems a little flimsy. I have a cure. The keelson they called it.

Looks like a board installed down the hull centerline. I opened up a pocket on the stem and stern for the ends. Made a test fit. It bows quite a bit so is a tight fit. All good. mixed up epoxy and snapped it in place. screwed in in until epoxy cured. Hull is stiff now.. :-)

Keel is now installed. It requires 2 people. I had just myself. Turns out that it is extremely difficult to get lined up square by yourself. It is epoxied on. It is a little warped. Not bad. I will fair it out with epoxy. Then will fiberglass keel and rest of bottom. It will add a little weight but not much. I may end up keeping this one and the whole idea about going with wood was to gain the building experience and get away from the inflatable dinghy. I intend to go oystering. I am not doing that with something that can pop. :-)

Results of a trip to store on bike. I have been forcing myself to keep riding all I can. All I can do is keep pushing and hope that in time things improve.

This week I have been struggling with the feeling of a knife stabbed between shoulder blades. It is hard to reach out to retrieve a glass of water. The pain is sharp enough it takes my breath away. Any and all movement stops the show. Throw in the pain in lower back, hips and this crazy pain down legs and I feel kinda special. I usually hurt bad enough that I just feel exhausted.

 I noticed this week that while I was still on pain meds, 5 Hr. energy shots worked pretty well to help me feel like moving. I am over two months off pain meds now. The energy shots no longer help. I ran out of the bodybuilders pre workout stuff and tried the shots again. no comparison. Bodybuilder stuff is best.
This last bout of pain flair up has had me thinking maybe having something besides aleve around for pain would be a good idea. I changed my mind. I won't do it. I still have lots of what I call buzzy days when the pain meds are coming out of my system. I will not allow a step backwards.

I am learning to accept that I have limitations. It has not been easy. But every so often I remember to look back and see where I was when I decided to buy Mary Lee. I will take what I can get and keep moving ahead.
Should be sailing soon. I know...sounds like it is taking a while to accomplish much. I am fighting all I can every day to get my body to a place that is acceptable and my mind is coming out of the medicine induced stuper. I am pleased so far. Just have a ways to go.

Helmet came with new bike. Never wore one of these on a bicycle before but I am riding on the fog line because there is no shoulder on these roads.

Wearing a dark helmet in the sun seems a bit much. I made it into a white one.

Laundry day.

Here it is.. new bike. I ordered the largest basket I could find on line.

She (Mary Lee) is facing the sunset. It is coming. It has been a difficult road so far. Sometimes it is all I can take. Somehow I get through the obstacles. Sometimes with the help of friends ( I have made some great friends). But through the obstacles I do get. I would not trade what I am doing for anything. Sure there are lots of easier ways to go, I didn't pick one of those for obvious reasons. I will be going south this fall.
There are some changes for me on the horizon. Good ones!!!

I am officially putting day 3 of first dinghy build on the books(so to speak)

This is how it went down. I woke up about 5:00 am. Like always...I am sleepy and would love to just roll over. My back does not cooperate so I roll out and stagger through the early hours. Actually, I have started using energy drinks to help me get moving. That and wonderful coffee.

I use the energy drink mix body builders do for mental clarity and an energy boost. It works.

This morning was an oatmeal morning. Got squared away. Updated blog so I don't forget any dinghy build stuff along the way.
22 minutes on the mountain bike sees me staring at my project.

I need to touch up the pieces with a wood file for final fit and assembly. The file actually got to hot to hold on to the blade. Looks good. Time to get moving.

Center of bottom pieces drilled and stitched with tie wire.

Opened up and the very center tacked down with drywall screws

pick a side and work from the center out. A little tedious...but affective and fairly mundane. required very little thought

Will use less stitches on port side. See how it goes. First time doing this for me. Not sure how many it takes to keep plywood from warping as it is forced to bend.

Just about a third left to stitch on the stem. It is going well.

All stitched up and flipped over for faring seams with epoxy thickened with cabosil to about consistency of peanut butter so it stays where you put it.

Epoxied. I tried to get a picture of process but you could not tell much by pictures. I have to let this cure 24 hours before pulling wires and putting one more coat of thickened epoxy on inside seams.

Tomorrow is Saturday. I have company coming and I am exhausted. I am letting epoxy cure tomorrow. Sunday will pull wires. put another coat of epoxy on inside. Roll it over again and start putting fiberglass tape on outside seams.
At this point. Dinghy weighs about 35 pounds. Is 7 ft 6 in long and just shy of 4 feet at the beam. I am guessing she will weigh about 55 pounds when done. I am going to study it and see if it will make a good nesting dinghy. That will be a simple thing to accomplish if nothing is in the way once set up for sailing.
This is the first thing since I got hurt that I have had basically a clear mind to work with. It is not fixing broke stuff either. I am fully engaged in redesigning plans and building. The process is the utmost in simplicity. I am exhausted and hurt every day....but I love it... :-) I think I have about 12 hours of actual work in it now. Rest has been design and figuring ways around missing measurements. I think I should be able to completely build one of these with all accouterments in 4 days at 8 hours a day. We will see. Should have her painted and ready to float on Wednesday at latest. Then stringing new running rigging on Mary Lee. Sailing next weekend.

Life is so good....Is it not????

 I better try keeping up a little better.

I know...I kinda suck at keeping up with posts. I will try to do better. I have talked about building dinghies. I am just now to a point where I am feeling competent enough to do it. Everything in its place and time. I am right at 6 weeks without pain meds and I am just getting clear headed enough to tackle this.
I knew I had some obstacles to overcome. Sometimes having a pain pill to shut down the hurt would be nice, but as long as I can manage and enjoy not being in a fog anymore.....I will just have to deal with it. Did I mention I love having a clear mind again? Yup...I missed it. I think it is clearing more all the time. I wonder how long it takes to clear out 7 years of strong pain meds?

So...back to the dinghy. I have 2 partial days on it right now.

I decided to build Sea Midge. It is an old world design from the north seas. Redrawn as a plywood dinghy in the 50's or 60's. I am converting it over to a stitch and glue design.

It is taking a lot of thought to figure out how to take something designed to be build on a frame with a framework and screw construction and convert it to stitch and glue that requires no frame to build on.

It turns out I needed at least a couple forms.

Example of frame.

First was drawing up side boards and lofting. Finding a piece of wood I could bend around the small nails driven in at the different points on pattern was difficult. You bend the stick and it gives you the gentle curves needed. This is also where I found out the old plans were missing a measurement. I had to guess at the angles that attach to the transom and stem. In retrospect. I think I should have build the frame once, just to get the angle. It doesn't say so...but it must be. In stitch and glue. The side boards are attached to the transom and stem first. Then side boards are spread out to appropriate shape.

I have never built a dinghy of any style so it is taking a while to figure out how to convert it over to the stitch and glue.

After side boards, cut out transom.

Then stem.

End of day one. I have had to figure this out as I do it. I started pretty late today because of things happening at the dock. I do not mind leaving it like this for the night. I need to figure out the next step.

Slept on it...Have a plan. Now on to day 2.

As you can see, I now have transom and stem attached. I also have bottom boards of frame inside holding it up while I think about the next step.

Now have frame pieces put in. I actually did not think it was correct when I first started forcing the frame work in. It really spread things out a lot.

To get proper shape for bottom pieces. 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. Cut down center lengthwise. now is 2 x 8. Fasten down one side. Trace out. remove. Cut out. Refasten. Now do other side. I am cutting out first side here.

First side temporarily tacked on.

Looking at bow.

Looking at stern. Bottom pieces have to come off so I can epoxy the side boards to stem and transom.

Not the greatest picture. Epoxy thickened with cabosil to a peanut butter consistency. Keeps it where you put it. End of day two. I cannot mess with it until this cures. If you discount time spent figuring out how I am going to do the different steps. I have about 6-8 hours into this project. I have decided that grinding out projects 7 days a week until done will not work. I will wrap it up on Fridays and continue on Monday. This is Friday morning. I will have the shell epoxied today. It can cure over the weekend.
Once the inside seams are epoxied, The inside and outside of seams will get fiber glassed with woven cloth.
But that is for another day. I have to get moving.

I have silent observers during the project. Mary Beth's pets, Bailey(female dog) and Finn(male cat)

They keep me in line.

More later.....Gotta run!!!

I decided I have been slacking... I better catch up on my blogging while able to remember all that is taking place.
This is a regular scene here at South harbor village marina. I will be here until October 1st. I think???

Much has happened since last update. I am now into week 6 with no pain meds.  Interesting. Overdoing it, certainly has a different connotation when there is not a pain pill to bail one out. :-)  I have had all manner of weird releases of stored up meds in my body. I will suddenly feel kind of weird and buzzy. It will last anywhere from a couple minutes to a half hour. However...taking the good with the bad. I am regaining my faculties. I knew the pain pills affected my reasoning, communication and functioning, I just had to get to a point where I could do something about it.

I feel more like "me" all the time.

Last week Steve and Linda Franko stopped by on their way north. I truly enjoy their company. I have found the boating world to be rife with good people and they are a shining example.

So back to boat projects.

The fresh water pump needed replacing. You know what they say about opening a can of worms?
The old pump was mounted under the galley sink. Instructions for new pump said to mount within 5 feet of water tank....hmmm. Means under v-berth. I also realized that the old water line was pretty flimsy. I am sure it was meant to be used with the hand and foot pumps that came with Mary Lee when new.

So I created a mess. By the time I was done, I had stuff everywhere but the spot on settee where I sat to assemble, rest and plan.

The mess just kept growing...and growing. I also had to run wire for the new pump along with the hose.

At last I had all but the wiring finished. Why is it that I constantly have this place open? I have seen holding tank and hoses for said tank all I can stand.
I get it all put together and find one more problem. No vent on fresh water system. Cannot fill water properly and after fixing many leaks. I now have a vacuum that will not allow pump to work properly. Great!!!

 Picture of new pump in new place. I had to reach in to get a picture of this. It was not so easy to install

Through hull fitting. Vent hose ran up into hanging locker and back down through v-berth. I installed through hull about 7 inches down from elbow that was up near fill cap. Put screen on fitting before sliding hose on. Keeps bugs out. Tank fills correctly and shoots out through fitting when full. Half the boaters (sail and power) I asked had this set-up. It works for now...I'll take it.

Sea Midge is first dinghy on assembly line. I am converting these old plans over to a stitch and glue.
I will build several different dinghies this summer until I find the one that suits me. I should be able to sell the ones I do not like so I can recoup my losses when buying material. I will finish lofting(drawing out) Sea Midge today and should have most of the pieces cut out and be starting assembly today.

I thought I had a picture of hanging locker that vent was installed in. There is a nice little trim piece that keeps everything tucked away nicely in the corner.

Cardboard mock up of new galley. I wanted to see if it was something I could live with. Space on right is where gimbaled stove will go. Old galley will turn into Nav. station. It seems odd to have a sink and stove right in the corner with the electric panel. I also need a galley I can have room to cook in. I m not a minimalist when it comes to that. I thought I would have to learn that when I bought Mary Lee. Steve and Linda set me straight there. They give up nothing as far as having good meals.
Sure...I can cook everything in a skillet, but why?

I can do a hundred variations of meat and potatoes in a skillet. Love pancakes with eggs. I never get tired of favorites. But I think I want a place to make cinnamon rolls, sweet bread....whatever.

I bought a new cast iron skillet and flat iron for galley work. I love cooking with cast iron.

Could not figure out how to turn this picture. The guy had a couple of these out when I rode by on bike.

I have more to blog about but it is getting late in the morning and I have a dinghy to get to work on.

One last picture. I met Paul on his way south to Florida. This is his restoration project. One of 22 block Island 40's built before plans were sold to Hinckley. Bill Trip designed. Paul's was built in 1961. What beautiful lines. I will look him up when I go south just to see how it is coming along. Paul is good people.

I am constantly meeting new people and making friends. The back pain is a constant companion but I am dealing with it. The point....Better to have a life, no matter how painful...than to not have a life because of the pain. I know both ends of it. I am going to hurt anyways, this way I have things to look forward to.
I am constantly amazed that of all the things I could have done to try and get my life back...I really did choose correctly. If given the choice...I would maybe do a few things differently .. maybe? I would still have made the choice to buy Mary Lee. The battles fixing her have helped with the recovery. At times I am sure working on Mary Lee is more than I can take. But to stop...... not a chance. I will happily take the good with the bad. Next week I will be stringing new running rigging. Then begins sailing 101. I have help. I will sail all I can this summer once started.

Mary Lee is pulling into shape at about the speed I can keep up with. A beat up sailor and a neglected boat. What a pair!!!  

Life is good!!!