Emikk's Pain in the Butt Boats Blogg

New Shifter!

2011-10-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Just feast your eyes on the new shifter recently added! now I can shift into forward, reverse and neutral with assuredness....and panache'!

take a 11 second ride in the boat!

2011-04-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

boats and fun go together

2011-03-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

boating at Anderson lake with Lois and Caruna

2011-01-22T17:37:00.000-08:00

Back to steam bending

2010-11-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

Steam bending unit

As previously mentioned, the Windshield was cut down to a lower profile. Decide to add wood trim. The wood had to be steamed to bend without cracking. The setup pictured above worked pretty good....here's how it works: take a length of plastic pipe with a diameter that will fit the girth of the wood you need bended. cap the ends with aluminum foil. run vinyl hose to the pipe from the 1 gallon paint cans that you can get at a reputable paint store (empty cans @ approx. $2.50 ea). turn on the electric burners to high after filling the cans about a quarter way to the top and wait for the steam to rise up and saturate the wood for about an hour......take the wood out and - quick like a bunny - bend it to whatever mold or jig or whatever you have and there you go!

Gonna trim down the windshield

2010-10-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

See that blue tape? That will be the new elevation of the windshield....tell all your friends!

Anderson Lake

2010-10-10T10:36:00.001-07:00

Lake Tulloch

2010-09-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Goin' back a coupla weeks...

2010-09-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

....here the boat is against the backdrop of Scotts Flatt Lake.....next week: Tulloch Lake!

2010-08-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Engine/boat still running strong, took Caruna out for a spin at Anderson Lake in Santa Clara County, CA

Up and Runnin'....runnin' strong!

2010-08-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

Took my boat to Lake Anderson (Santa Clara County) for a shakedown run...right after that went to Scotts Flat Lake (Amador County)....then....Lake Tahoe!! Ran like a champ the whole time!....knock on woody!

Rebuilt engine has been dropped into boat

2010-08-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's a complicated process

2010-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

Took a break this past week, boatin' and campin'......we almost got the engine together for the trip but, alas, the flywheel did not match up!

the long road to rebuild

2010-07-21T13:52:00.001-07:00

Here's my boat!

2010-07-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Something is happening!

2010-07-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

It may not look like it by looking at the picture at left but progress is being made! One thing is we got ahold of a big-ass puller that, even though it is big-ass, barely pulled off the clutch plate from the old engine.....whew!

Still nothing has happened

2010-06-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Still waiting, waiting.

Something better happen soon....

2010-06-20T14:48:00.001-07:00

...considering i'm running out of boat sketches, but as long as nothing happens with getting the boat running what can one do?

no news is good news?

2010-06-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Still waiting for more to happen on the engine.

No boat action this week, but.....

2010-06-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

YEAH!.........

.....Chicken wings!!!
Getting the signage together for the Sant Cruz Mountan Brewerys' 3rd annual Chicken wing ding cookoff Jun 19th!!!

I'm cooking up stuffed wings!

moving towards the goal

2010-05-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

Got the new engine mounted on the engine stand....stay tuned.

Here's the new crate engine

2010-05-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here it is!!

engine in!

2010-05-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

The engine (long block) is ready for pickup locally. Time to get on it, if you know what i'm talking about.

Just Thought i'd....

2010-05-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

....throw in this cartoon of Sandy Driving her boat named "Sandy." She really shouldn't name a boat her own name.

New Hope!

2010-05-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

It might just happen tomorrow!....What am I talking about? I'm talking about ordering the new long block!! Completion date set at June 1st for putting the boat into water, and i'm not talking about letting it stand in the rain!....in a frickin' lake dudette's!! Knock on Mahogany for me please and i'll take you out for a spin!

Return of Stanley!

2010-05-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

Stanley came by for a brief visit today!

gonna use the existing exhaust manifolds......

2010-05-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

....after all. Getting closer, there's a real good chance of this almost making it!

Hopefully....

2010-04-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

....we'll start moving on this engine rebuild soon!

still nothin'

2010-04-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Went away to Tahoe this past week and now it's raining.

still on hold

2010-04-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the forensic auditing (and coming up with very good for me stuff). going to copy off about a ream of paperwork documenting my financial activity since 2003....so, I'm hoping to get back to the boat soon.

ps: I'm sure everybody is just fascinated with knowing about my auditing skills, feel free to not read the above.

on court mandated leave of action....

2010-03-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

....well, in a soft way anyway. The court is forcing me into digging deep into forensic auditing. It is taking up most of my time, as I do this, though, it's hard not to sketch in the margins of my notebook.....and believe me, my notebook is mostly margin!

10 coats - all done.....

2010-03-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

....at least the deck varnishing. It's finished with a matte finish, by the way, not a gloss finish which is more common. I suppose i follow a different drummer on that one, though, because I like the matte better. I'm not going to debate anyone on this.

back to work!...real work...engine work.

2010-03-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

Takin' er apart.

the varnished truth!

2010-03-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

8th coat!

6th voat of varnish 5% reduction

2010-03-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

Yankin' it!

2010-03-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

Hoisted the beat engine out of the Crooks - that's the brand name of the boat. Now we can begin to make it work again.

Sanding break!

2010-03-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

Sanding 'er down with 320 grit.....wet sanding! The reason to do this is to smooth it out, if you don't the varnish will have an uneven surface......4 more coats to go!

5th coat of varnish

2010-03-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

4th coat of varnish

2010-02-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

This coat was thinned just a little bit - 5% - as the rest of the coats will be. One thing I noticed is that it took about twice as much varnish this time compared to last time.....think because the layer is thicker (less thinner used).

varnish - 3rd coat!

2010-02-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

This coat was thinned 25% just like the second coat.

Varnish - second coat

2010-02-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Varnish!

2010-02-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

Put on the first coat of varnish on the deck.....8 more coats to go!

The first coat I thinned down the varnish 50%

Next coat: 25%

Something happening

2010-02-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

Finally, just yesterday, after months of no activity, I started sanding the rub rails with sixty grit. I looked in my reference material and noted that 120 grit is the final sanding grit....one doesn't want to go any more fine on the grit because the varnish won't stick as good.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE4HGlmtOcg

Nothing happening

2010-02-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

Getting my mind in gear for starting up again - resto of the boats - as we get through this winter weather things will begin to happen!....watch for it!

Bad news!

2010-01-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

The adapter plate won't work, it's made for an automotive application....looks like plan B (previous post) is going to happen. Otherwise nothing has happened, a lot of rain and it's cold to boot.

Weekly check in

2010-01-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

The news this week is the same news of last week, nothing is happening. I've tried to make contact with my mechanic since December to see if the adapter plate will work, if not i want to continue searching for this needle in a haystack part. But time keeps slippin', slippin' into the future and although the season for boating is still a ways away still, plan B is developing in my mind.

Plan B: With the help of a good friend, reblock (chevy 350) the existing set up with a new one. By the time March rolls around, if nothing has started with the nailhead engine, i think i will proceed with Plan B.

Haven't done anything with the boat lately

2010-01-18T15:48:00.000-08:00

but i did manage to do a sketch of a Garwood.

When the sanding is finished....

2010-01-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

......the sawdust settles, I have a beer and take a break!

Pictured is an artists rendition of the deck portion of the boat which, after months of sanding this thing, is done!....at least the 60 grit part. Now I need to come back at it with a cascade of finer grits ending up with 180 grit (or maybe just 120, I forget which one, gotta check my resource material). The good news is that, by far, the major sanding was knocking it down with the 60 (grit)....piece of cake now!

I'm tired

2010-01-05T09:26:00.001-08:00

Mainly, I'm tired of all the bullshit I have to put up with, but to get to the point of this entry, as I've been working on the boat I've been listening to this album, (don't know what happened with the u-tube thing but the song is "I'm Tired" by Savoy Brown) and specifically this song. It's a song with a message that I take to heart, how 'bout you?.

looking for new values, but nuthin comes my way

2009-12-29T19:51:00.000-08:00

....er maybe so! Can you figger out the connection of these three photos? Does it make any sense at all without explanation? Here are a couple of clues for you all besides the walrus was Paul: The problem is/was merging two disparate automotive entities. We got here a Velvet drive transmission and need to match it up with a 1955 Buick Nailhead engine.....how can that happen?...well, that's enough clues for now.

Chris Craft Cobra

2009-12-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

It's got a big fin that's hard to tell from the sketch.

Sanding remains the same

2009-12-13T14:07:00.000-08:00

This is what I'm doing a lot of these days. I'm using the neumatically driven Hutchins sander. I sand for about 4 minutes until the compressor runs down on air, go back in the house for awhile then come back after the compressor tank is full again then repeat the process....I'm going back and forth between the garage tent and the house so much I've gotta be losing weight with all the calories i must be burning.

still sanding

2009-12-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

but takin' a 'lil time to sketch as well.

sand, sand, sand, sand, sand

2009-12-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

....as I listen to the sounds of the Animals 2nd? album......don't let me be misunderstood.

New Hybrid engine!

2009-11-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

I'm developing a new concept in marine engines, this baby is going to run on pomegranate juice. I'm going to apply for a patent tomorrow.

have camera phone, will take pictures

2009-11-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

My camera broke but realised the camera phone sometimes can take an adequate picture, so here's one that barely shows how the cockpit trim (a thin piece of wood wrapped around the inner "lip" of the inside deck) is completed! Wow, you must be as excited about it as i am!....another milestone on the journey.

Something goes wrong again!

2009-11-10T09:09:00.000-08:00

My frickin' digital camera broke when I was in key west. Asking the question why me? Why my camera? How am I going to do the Pain in the butt boats blog now?....without a camera I am totally screwed!....Then I thought of something, hey! I know how to draw reasonably well don't I? I don need no stinkin' camera, I'll just sketch 'em out instead! ...so here's the first one where the trim on the inner cockpit is being glued and held on using clamps in case my drawing isn't good enough for you to recognise them. One thing about boatbuilding is you can never have enough clamps.

no progress zone

2009-11-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, there's been no progress on the boat(s) for quite awhile - 2 weeks in key west, then a root canal, then a court hearing, then add in what it takes just to live in the city and you add it up and that means no progress!

I did manage to squeek out a sketch though.

back from Key West

2009-11-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a typical scene on a typical day on Duval St. I hated to say good bye to all my new perverted friends but a guy just has to get back to the hum drum regular life in Santa Cruz especially since that's where I live and that's where I keep my pain in the butt boats!

sketch break....and announcement!

2009-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

going to Key West for a coupla weeks, no working on the boats for a little while.

2009-10-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

With the other boat out of commission for awhile, been focusing on the 1953 Correct Craft project boat. This leg of the project entails cutting off the "bastard wild edges" of the planking that overhangs the cockpit which entails cutting around a curve and working around the steering wheel (it gets in the way of power tools).

The steam bending apperatus (pictured) has been fired up to bend the mahogany trim that needs to follow the tight curves. Without steam: forget about it buddy!

Ta-Da!

2009-10-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

I finished the decking, just put on the final "plank". This thing may in fact be finished some day! A lot of the time in the last year plus that I've been working on it I knew that the completion date would be a long timeline.....or never finished at all.....Yet, with this leg of the journey complete, it might just in fact be completed, the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to glow, dimly for sure, but I will follow that light and hopefully be on the water listening to the hum of the engine as I carve through the glassy water in search of that magical moment when all is well with the world and my place in it.

Out of the muck the lotus begins growing.

2009-10-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

You are looking at two pictures:

The top image is the business card of the guy that is going to put back together the engine pictured in the other picture. That engine is a powerful 1955 322 cubic inch Buick "nailhead engine." I'm almost happy the 350 chevy engine took a crap....In my opinion it was "a turd" of a setup.....i don't want to get into now, let's have a pint together and I will bad mouth that engine to no end....right now I'm excited about the nailhead going back where it belongs, it's going back home, i think i'm going to cry!

to learn more about nailhead engines: http://www.carcraft.com/thehistoryof/65502_buick_nailhead/index.html

Engine is broken!

2009-10-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Not too much time to explain now but water is in the engine oil, somehow, the dip stick mark raised up enough to indicate a gain of 1 quart of water! ....bummer!.....more on this later.

Been Campin'

2009-09-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

...but not boatin'. Where we were, although incredibly beautiful, is no place to take a boat. You would simply not be able to launch it for one thing. No, sometimes you have to take a break from boating and become one with a place called "Hell's half acre." ...which aught to be renamed "Heaven's Half Acre!" It's located on the Stanislaus River near Sonora CA.

Repetition

2009-09-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Back to laying down the planks. After you've done a bunch of them (such as I) it can get tedious but exciting (to me) probably not for you though. I'm only mildly excited though, not really excited. Anyway here's the progress picture. See if you can spot the changes since the last progress picture! Give yourself strokes for that! I sure am giving myself strokes so you should have that oppurtunity as well!

Back from lake Tulloch

2009-09-16T00:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what it looked like every morning until we figgered out they let out water every night (dropping the lake level 2 feet). The second picture was the last morning compensating for that fact.

A better look

2009-09-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

A better look at the zebra wood, you can almost smell it! Just wait til it gets varnished, then the zebra quality will really come out!

Goin up to Lake Tullock (near Sonora) for the week end, gonna have a whole lotta fun. And fun is what it's all about isn't it?

sketch break

2009-09-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

I love old boats!

More progress

2009-08-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

Continuing on continues on on the ongoing saga of the Correct Craft project boat. This week I actually went to a lumber yard and bought a 50 dollar piece of zebra wood that I shaved down and laid down on the deck (see picture). Some day this boat might even be finished!...knock on mahogony.

More progress

2009-08-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what can happen when you have a head of steam and don't get sidetracked at the local bar.....laid down more planks. One bad thing though, the band saw blade snapped, gonna have to get a new one, what a bummer.

At long last, work continues on the Correct Craft!

2009-08-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Overcoming inertia, ...bigtime inertia, the kind of inertia that makes it seem that doing anything is a waste of time. Anyway, i suited up in my best work clothes and planed down some planks man! Not only that but glued down the first two courses of the bow decking! Hey!, if I ain't on a roll, then grits ain't groceries!

Back from Scotts Flat Lake

2009-08-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

Had a real good time, the weather and lake water were ideal....campin' and boatin', that's what it's all about isn't it?

Gettin' er ready!

2009-08-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Been scrapin' and sandin' down the worn out varnish, then putting on some refresher coats of varnish gettin' the boat ready for this weekends trip to a place called scotts flat lake near Grass valley, CA . I have never been there before but hear it's a real good lake for campin' 'n boatin'....lookin' f'ward toit!

2009-08-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

I spent this past week patching the bottom and varnishing the chines. It's done now and I can resume boating although I will be going out of town for a week and where I'm going there's no boating to be.

It's never nuthin'!

2009-07-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here I am lifting up a 3000 pound boat with a 1/2 to chain hoist. All because I have to crawl under the boat (once again), contorting myself to work around the trailer support beams and such because the freaking fiberglass skin peeled off while I was ripping it up at lake Commanche last week....If you play, you gotta pay!

been away for awhile

2009-07-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

just got back from a trip with the boat, feeling good, checked the mail where her lawyer sent a filing that took me down. the lies. Are we going for the truth or using every weapon to get as much as we possibly can regardless of how we get it?

Here's where we are right now

2009-06-24T15:10:00.000-07:00

Now that the chicken wing contest has passed, I have had a chance to resume the Correct Craft project boat. The "covering boards" being complete, have now vacuumed off the deck in preparation for the next step: filling in the area with straight planking. Gotta make decisions, though, whether to have seams inbween planks or not....too bad Stanley isn't around anymore for consultation.

3rd place!...and had a lotta fun!

2009-06-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. Took third place in the contest....now am free to continue on wid da boat but haven't yet.

chicken wing cookoff

2009-06-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

That's what I been doing lately...ever since in a three pint buzz, I signed up for the "wing ding cookoff". that was 2 and a half weeks ago. Since then I've been working on my special Icelandic Viking wings that will blow your fxxk'n mind man! tommorrow, Jan 20th, the event happens. Please pray that I achieve 3rd place. FYI: I had never cooked wings before signing up for this. Vote for me, the underdog.

Away, I went away, to the town of Chico

2009-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

Been out of town for about a week, boat project to be resumed shortly, thanks for your patience.

23 strips of wood...

2009-06-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

...went into the bow "covering boards", (i use this term gingerly). Let's shout out YOO-HOO!! for finishing this pain inthe butt portion of the boat! think about it, 23 little pieces of wood forced into bending around a curve, a curve so-o-o tight I was worried about them snapping! Anyway, this is not a time for complaining, for dwelling on bad things that could have happened (but didn't) ...nay, now is a time for celebration for plowing through this thing! Please help me celebrate by raising your glasses high and saying "Skol" in a grand Danish/Icelandic/Nordic tradition!

While we're waiting...

2009-05-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

...for the current leg of the Correct Craft resto to be finished, here's a sketch of a boatload of people in a 1950 Century Seamaid.

ACTION HAPPENS!!!!

2009-05-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here's an action shot of me working the chisel on the boat for the first time in over a month! Maybe i'm recovering from the marital blow my psyche suffered....let's hope so!

1946 Garwood sketch

2009-05-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

I may be on the verge of picking up steam on the Correct Craft project boat, by slowly sketching back into it.

it's no-action!

2009-05-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: may 18....finished interoggatories, took 27 hours and is .75 inches thick legal size paper.

Been answering interrogatories required of me by soon to be ex-wifes lawyer who wants to know: In your own words describe your social security number. and other questions of that caliber. After 23 hours + I am still working on this, hence, no action on the pain in the butt boats!

What was I thinking?

2009-05-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Of course I will continue. Why not? I just get agitated sometimes.

It's all over now, baby blue.

2009-05-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

...that's the thing of this gig, I'm giving it up to live it up. this is the last posting. If you want to receive the sketch of the week email me at emikk@aol.com

Back from vacation

2009-05-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

If your wondering where the new posts have gone, well, wonder no longer!.....Went to Key West, then to New Orleans. Obviously Iwasn't working on the boat project. Now that I'm back I may still not proceed for awhile. Need to deal with some stuff.....y'know, divorce and such, but don't get depressed because I haven't given up!...not entirely anyway. Keep the faith that, God willing, it will continue. Rock and Roll will never die and neither will my pain in the butt boat project....here's a sketch from Key West at a restaurant at the marina. enjoy.

Boat saga continues

2009-04-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

todays vinyl is Johnny Rivers and his album Live at the Whisky A Go Go

Amphibious Car sketch break!

2009-04-10T13:53:00.001-07:00

todays vinyl (picture taken with cellphone!) is: Savoy Brown's "one step Furthur" lp.

Every day!

2009-04-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Every day I sing the Pain in the Butt Boat Blues! Just take a look at what I have to face! Lucky thing I got Sly and the Family Stone's album: STAND! spinnin' on the turntable.

sketch break!

2009-04-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

Continuing to do the do.

2009-04-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Todays vinyl is "the Yardbirds little games album"as we view the progress made by laying down little strips of wood.

Trumpy Yacht

2009-03-29T11:22:00.001-07:00

Today's vinyl: Howlin Wolf.

Lyman

2009-03-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Creeping back into it.

2009-03-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Trying to get into the half-an-hour-per-day-work-on-the-boat thing, here's yesterdays contribution where a mini plank is glued into place.

Chris-Craft

2009-03-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Back on track!!

2009-03-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

...hopefully anyway. Am attempting to get back to my origional intention to work on the boat while I listen to 2 sides of a vinyl LP.....and then quit for the day. That way i don't get too hung up with it and doesn't take away from the other activities in my life so much. Ok, let's see how this progresses in what I call: the great boat experiment!

Here I take a chisel to a piece of Mahogony that will end up as planking.

Ditchburn!

2009-03-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

...nuff said!