Today, I was up to my elbow in epoxy despite the significantly colder temperatures. I follow the weather fairly closely. I guess it's the sailor in me, so I knew that freezing temperatures were expected. In anticipation of this I moved all my epoxy indoors to keep it warm. First thing this morning I set up my heating pad warming system and them moved the epoxy out to the shed. This worked great as I was able to work all day making fillets, gluing the bow cross brace in and coating the two sheets 9 mm plywood which will eventually become the bunk boards. When I made the cardboard templates for the bunk boards I couldn't resist dragging a camp sleeping pad and bag out to see how they fit. Even with the bulkheads, it looks like it will be ideal. I can't wait to spend a night in a hull!
Up above I mentioned sailor. It is funny how quickly you get absorbed in the building process and before you know it your focus is boat builder not sailor. I like building things, it is satisfying when it goes well. It is a great feeling to be creative and technically adept. Building is what I do for work too but somehow it is not satisfying. Construction project management is what I do when I "work for the man!" This is fine but I'd rather be doing. The managing becomes stressful after awhile mostly because the project I end up managing are the huge impossible ones. Partly, I think I am building this to satisfy the need to build with my own hands not through endless meetings and email though I recognize the necessity of these managerial tools. Mostly I am building a Tiki 26 because I want to be able to do a new kind of sailing - on and off a beach in a simpler manner with less stuff. Most of us will upsize upsize upsize but I think that is a mistake. Two summers ago I circumnavigated Vancouver Island in my 13 foot Achilles RIB. What an amazing trip! I camped of amazing beaches and got to go to all the places I could never get to in my Westsail 28. The few people I met couldn't believe I was in my dinghy. But what could be better than rolling comfortably with the sea. I am not a powerboater but as sailors often do, I appreciate a small fast RIB, Of course I appreciate sailing such as the now underway Route de Rhum, Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe http://www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php All classes of boats in this race are pushing the envelope! Keeping up with what is happening both in racing and cruising keeps me motivated with my building, I want to be out on the water.