Our yard has finally dried out.

We know some of you enjoyed the bird photos. 

The lake is now level with the top of the dock. The wagon is permanently parked on the dock, why is a mystery.

There are still ducks swimming about, but most of the interesting birds have moved on. 

Progress on many fronts

The shaft log for the rudder post has been bolted and tack welded. It looks like a Mayan mask.

It's hard to see but the strut that holds the propeller shaft is temporarily bolted on.

The exhaust hose arrived yesterday and John has done a trial fit.  He made brackets to hold the mufflers and hoses in place.  The strings won't be permanent.

Early November

John welded in all of the top bars on the ribs.  He didn't realize that this was an important part of the structure until it was almost too late.  The welding method was described in an earlier post.

After climbing up on the hull to give John a hand, you can feel how much more solid it is.

Here is a fiberboard mock up of the transom shape. 

Machining to true up the strut.  The heat from welding warped it. The finished strut is on top.

Problems solved

Most of today involved figuring out how to turn vertical ribs into "T's".  The "T" shaped pieces are needed for the structure.  A top piece will be welded down by filling the milled holes.

Trail fitted T piece.

Hours of searching the internet finally led to Caiman Glove Company.  They sell  beautifully made welding gloves that are made in the USA from elk hide tanned in the USA!!!  Almost all leather is tanned in China and sweating activates the chemicals used in the tanning and dying processes.  It can eat the skin off your hand.  

Back working

After a nice vacation and some house projects, John is back at work.  

The tunnel is coming along.  In the foreground is a rudder that we found at Marine Surplus in Sarasota.  It needs a bit of modification, but not much.

Turning the boat around involves a trip around the yard.  The water has receded back to the lake edge thanks to a few weeks with no rain.  We do miss the birds.  

Two tarps suspended from the framework and wrapped around uprights make an extension to the shop.  The tarp stops the wind while welding.

Motor mounts

Today's project was to weld the support for the motor mounts in place.  John had to weld the inside corners which was tricky.  A combination of knee pads including one on his elbow and a boat cushion made an uncomfortable position tolerable.  The tunnel is back in place to see how the shaft and propeller will line up.

Motor support in the foreground and another trial fit of the redesigned tunnel.

The water in the yard started to recede a bit two days ago.  I checked the survey and the highest point of water is 250 feet from the lake.  Yesterday we had a visit from a family of whistling ducks.  They were joined by a half dozen wood storks.  The ducks retreated to the side of the yard.

Tuning the tunnel

The tunnel needs to be redesigned or modified to fit with the engine elevation.  The quickest option is to modify it using a combination of beating, pressing and other metal abuse.

The water in the backyard is now deep enough for this huge freshwater turtle to swim around.