[QUOTE=Flyer69;118215]Wow.
That looks GREAT. Very nice color choice.[/QUOTE]
Thank you kindly…I like it too and am really glad that I didn’t go with blue. Everybody and their brother goes blue in the NW. Deep green really is truly a nautical color.
[QUOTE=seacomber;118112]An important history, and would be a great book. There was a good resource in Ed Peterson of Seattle who took his time to remain in touch with alot of the shipwrights from these years. I will try to re-locate him. Yes those names are familiar, heard that the gov’t started to tax the boatyards for the wood they had lofted for ageing, Select inventories were no longer viable and that was the beginning of the end for seasoned boat lumber. This was in the late 40’s, early 50’s.[/QUOTE]
Also, steel, aluminum and fiberglass construction technologies were making vast strides during those times so that by the 70’s the differential in the hugely labor and materials intensive cost to build in wood became just too high in comparison and frankly a fishing vessel is a machine meant to be as profitable as possible so there was just no good reason to go with a wooden vessel after 1970. Nothing wrong at all with a non wooden vessel but since there are no more being built, the ones that survive are treasures to be cherished and loved. No good reason that ORCA can’t go 51 more years given proper maintenance but I’ll be turned to dust by then still I hope the boat is still around in 2064.
That color really does look nice. I know I said earlier that I wouldn’t want an wooden boat, but I will add that they certainly have a very sweet ride when it gets rough. Looking forward to some on the water action shots when you get back to her.
[QUOTE=CaptSteve;118245]That color really does look nice. I know I said earlier that I wouldn’t want an wooden boat, but I will add that they certainly have a very sweet ride when it gets rough. Looking forward to some on the water action shots when you get back to her.[/QUOTE]
What he said!
Yes, wood boats take seas better, and in harbor, gentle waves produce a nice muffled lapping sound that will make you want to sleep till noon.
[QUOTE=c.captain;118235]Thank you kindly…I like it too and am really glad that I didn’t go with blue. Everybody and their brother goes blue in the NW. Deep green really is truly a nautical color.[/QUOTE]
“There are only two colors to paint a boat - black or white. And only a fool would paint a boat black.”
~Captain Nat
Well, it’s been one week now since I had to return to the GoM and leave the project but the end is certainly near! I just received a fresh batch of photos from my shipwright this morning. Caulking is pretty close to done and seams are being payed now. All hull paint done and pretty much just waiting to go splash hopefully on Wednesday this week.
Once she goes afloat, test run the new genset and make a few other electrical repairs and that should be that…hopefully she doesn’t leak much with all the shrunken planks and they all swell quickly and tighten everything up!
Why don’t you flood the bilges a few days before you splash her,start the swelling early
[QUOTE=skycowboy;118473]Why don’t you flood the bilges a few days before you splash her,start the swelling early[/QUOTE]
Would like to but the extra weight is hard on the hull when picked up with the travel-lift and there is no way to dispose of the water in the workyard short of pumping it out onto the ground which is against their Best Management Practices since it would contain oil residue. If the caulking job is done well, she’ll only weep water and the pumps should be able to deal with it.
Pay some dock rat to sleep inboard overnight with a foot hanging in the bilge, been there done that.
[QUOTE=Traitor Yankee;118477]Pay some dock rat to sleep inboard overnight with a foot hanging in the bilge, been there done that.[/QUOTE]
that is a capital idea my good man!
Wow, it’s been 5 days since I updated this. Everyday has been the same, caulking and paying seams. If I had known now how long and how much, I might have decided to only recaulk the seams necessary and not the whole bottom but what is done it done. It is now finished and the bottom is painted ready for relaunch later today. Total for the caulking appears to be about $8000, paint $3500, planks $2500 and electrical $2000 + $2000 for yard fees and $2000 for other expenses for a total refit cost of $20000 not counting the cost of the new genset ($6500). A little hard to swallow when I paid less for the boat itself but as we all know, the purchase price is only the price of admission to the club. You have to pay to play after you joined and I know in my mind that this was done as economically as possible without my being there. I never got bids for the caulking but seriously doubt anyone would have taken it on a bid basis for less. Extremely labor intensive work! I sure wished there was a product in a tube to pay the seams with because just the labor to do that was likely $2500.
Anyway, here are updated pics
all the rest of the photos so far are on my Flickr page here
Launching pics will be tomorrow (I pray without the mast sticking up from the water!) After she floats, then the remainder of the work needed should be principally cosmetic and most can be done by myself such as build new cabinets for the interior and painting the house. Lots of little projects to do but in all reality, the ORCA should be ready to tender to NOAA available to work before the end of September just when then new FY money becomes available so hopefully the flow of cash will reverse before the end of the year and I’ll start recovering this investment.
That, sir, is a beautiful boat.
[QUOTE=awulfclark;119012]That, sir, is a beautiful boat.[/QUOTE]
I thank you sir with all due humility…
when I get such high compliments, I feel genuine pride at both the vessel herself and the job done but also with the privilege to be able to be her new owner. I feel there is a very positive and exciting future her and I will share together in the years to come! First though is to get her back to work.
[QUOTE=c.captain;118990]Wow, it’s been 5 days since I updated this. Everyday has been the same, caulking and paying seams. If I had known now how long and how much, I might have decided to only recaulk the seams necessary and not the whole bottom but what is done it done. It is now finished and the bottom is painted ready for relaunch later today. Total for the caulking appears to be about $8000, paint $3500, planks $2500 and electrical $2000 + $2000 for yard fees and $2000 for other expenses for a total refit cost of $20000 not counting the cost of the new genset ($6500). A little hard to swallow when I paid less for the boat itself but as we all know, the purchase price is only the price of admission to the club. You have to pay to play after you joined and I know in my mind that this was done as economically as possible without my being there. I never got bids for the caulking but seriously doubt anyone would have taken it on a bid basis for less. Extremely labor intensive work! I sure wished there was a product in a tube to pay the seams with because just the labor to do that was likely $2500.
Anyway, here are updated pics
all the rest of the photos so far are on my Flickr page here
Launching pics will be tomorrow (I pray without the mast sticking up from the water!) After she floats, then the remainder of the work needed should be principally cosmetic and most can be done by myself such as build new cabinets for the interior and painting the house. Lots of little projects to do but in all reality, the ORCA should be ready to tender to NOAA available to work before the end of September just when then new FY money becomes available so hopefully the flow of cash will reverse before the end of the year and I’ll start recovering this investment.[/QUO
No way is she going to leak, From the looks of this intense work, my guess is you will have no leaks at all from the seams, they have sealed her to the max. Beautiful work here.
[QUOTE=seacomber;119023]No way is she going to leak, From the looks of this intense work, my guess is you will have no leaks at all from the seams, they have sealed her to the max. Beautiful work here.[/QUOTE]
Well I will be there myself to see since I postponed the relaunching till next weekend for simply financial reasons (I was going to have to pay transient moorage rate which is higher than in the workyard). So the plan is now to return to the NW next weekend and do the refloat myself and then drive her up to either LaConner or Anacortes where she will homeport at. Everett is over 30 miles for me to drive so closer is better for getting the remainder of the work done during September.
a secondary bit of news which is tinged with slight sadness for me but with the burdens of ORCA’s refit and other vehicle projects, I had been advertising my F600 Incident Command truck for some time now and yesterday I struck an agreement in principle with a fellow from Mississippi to buy the beast from me. Luckily, he wants to do exactly what I was going to do with her (backcountry motorhome conversion) with the exception of the twin 50’s I had planned to add. It is going to be a very long drive for him to get that mighty truck all the way cross country but I know the truck can do it. The question is if there is any man who can hold up that long? I don’t believe I could!
I would loosen the packing glands on the rudder post and stuffing box before splashing. Take a ring of packing out and inspect for wear, flexibility and soundness. If needed re-place all or none, snug back together and loosen just a bit til she hits the water. Then adjust the sea water coming in to a drip every 4 to 6 seconds at the stuffing box, no seepage at the rudder post. The stuffing box should be visually checked and felt for heat during the first couple of hours and while underway. At least one or two adjustments are normal. Sea Cocks have sunk more boats in the harbor then anything else when they are left open. Washdown hoses, bilge suction lines, etc., may be linked to the sea cock and a close look at these connections and valves here are in order of course.
When does the name change and will there be a set of shark jaws on the front of the flying bridge!
One tiny suggestion - might be a little late with launch tomorrow - but a 3’ red boot stripe just above the waterline would be the cherry on the cupcake.
Even without a boot stripe, she looks awesome.
That’s a beautiful boat. Nice job Capt.
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;119031]One tiny suggestion - might be a little late with launch tomorrow - but a 3’ red boot stripe just above the waterline would be the cherry on the cupcake.
Even without a boot stripe, she looks awesome.[/QUOTE]
You missed the memo Jet…no launch until next weekend but still no red boottopping. There is a nice black boot stripe there now which will be fine. I haven’t decided on the rubrail yet tho. I was going to paint them black as they were before but in one of the earlier photos they are seen in grey primer which is a nice contrast against the green hull. Black gets adsorbed into the green too easily so I might go that color for the final but right now they are hull green. The house will stay white with the grey stripe at the base of the flybridge but I have not decided what color to paint out the window frames yet? Certainly not that poopy shade of brown there now! Maybe black or the same hull green or maybe grey…will have to do a bit of a sample of each. I think grey/green for the stack (maybe with a thin red stripe between the two?). Options, options!