Rearranging My Studio

I had to do a little rearranging yesterday within my garage to make a little more room before the fun begins. This also presented a perfect opportunity to go through my tools and organize ... 

Before ...

After ...

I was still able to leave room for my wife's volvo that (under direct order from the CFO) must be parked in the garage. This setup may involve moving the volvo out of the garage when serious work is underway and placement of a weather monitoring station in the corner to keep a close lookout for any potential hail storms...

The Supply Wagon Arrives

I am now able to proceed with boat building after an exciting trip down to Austin (most amazing city in US...even though I could not see the tower because of the clouds) to pick up (what is hopefully) the majority of the wood that I will be using. The only (relatively) close place that I could find marine grade plywood was in Austin at a place called 'Fine Lumber & Plywood'. I had to borrow a vehicle that had a hitch and also a trailer from family members and I spent the day driving to Austin and back gathering the wood.

I ended up purchasing Meranti plywood. The Okoume was just a little bit out of my price range and with another viable option available, it only made since for this first time boat builder to go with Meranti. I plan on performing a couple of tests soon (water resistance and strength after water exposure) with the Meranti and some standard grade plywood to determine how good it really is ...

I also picked up some Douglas Fir for the stringers. This seems to be a relatively cheap material for stringers and has been used by many Welsford Navigator builders before me.

Even though I think that a scholarship is now inevitably in my daughters future, it was a good trip overall ...

The Drawing Board

It only took one time for my dog to run across my plans within my office for me to realize that I needed an additional desk (a couple of sawhorses and a door). This is my thinking space. 

I ended up also purchasing the book 'Something About Navigator' when I initially bought my plans. This is a book written by Robert Ditterich (a Navigator owner at the time) and he does an excellent job describing the process of building a Navigator as well as enjoying one. He does this by sharing his collection of illustrated essays written by Navigator owners throughout the world.

A Studio and a Canvas

Unfortunately (or fortunately if you ask my wife) my studio will be located on one side of my two-car garage. This image shows my limited space. Nothing makes a project more pleasurable than additional challenges ... especially for a novice (that is being generous) wood worker and boat builder.

I wanted to get started as soon as possible so I decided to start working on my canvas. In order to save money and generate space, I decided to use the lumber from my garage shelves.

Again, who does not like challenges ... my garage floor is sloped. This made things a little more interesting.

Because of their length, I had to use the 2x3 pieces for the 'stringers' of the 'ladder'. They were slightly curved thus forcing me to place the 2x4 'rungs' between the 'stringers' instead of on top. This provided the ability to adjust their height and how they are leveled. There are additional supports that attach to the 'rungs' that will be added at a later date. These additional supports will  provide the proper curvature for the bottom panel of Summa.

And this was just the canvas...

Introduction

The John Welsford Navigator

The seed was planted the first time my wife and I crossed Solomons Bridge and entered Solomons Island. For a Texas boy, this was a pretty cool place. Knowing that we were looking out on the Patuxent River and the historic Chesapeake Bay with the Atlantic Ocean lurking beyond was simply amazing. 

It started to germinate when we experienced Annapolis, walked the grounds of the Naval Academy and started learning to sail from Lisa and Andy on the island. Engulfed in sailing tradition and history, it was hard not to get swept away with the idea.

It then took root when we spent a year walking the beach at Playa del Ray watching the boats quietly flow in and out of Marina del Rey at sunset. It was such a beautiful sight in such a loud and dirty city.

It now bears fruit....the idea to build a John Welsford Navigator.