I also figured that anybody who wants to learn how to build a stir ven would be much, much better served by visiting Mike Randall's thorough blog.
Today, the 6th of January 2013, Kelpie was born. Why Kelpie? there are several meanings:
- adjective - like kelp (a kind of seaweed)
- noun - a fish that lives amongst the kelp (also known as Wrasse)
- noun - a mythical Scottish sea creature that captures and drowns small children
- noun - an Australian sheep dog (we have one of these)
The launch was attended by a few boat-owning friends and also the sailmaker, spray painter, and chandler. We launched at Trial Bay, just south of Kettering and everything went smoothly. We set up the mast on shore and I attached the boom, gaff and mainsail but had them tied up. My friend Roger, backed her down to the water so that I could do the honours of pouring a little champagne on the bow and then giving a her a light push into the water.
Splash! All my nerves relaxed as I realised that she was floating and level with the waterline! We moved her to the other side of the floating pontoon so that we could set up the sails and get ready to sail off.
The conditions were perfect! We were facing out to sea and there was a gentle breeze blowing across the beam. Once we cast off the lines and after I realised that the centreboard was touching the bottom and lifted it, we shot off very fast! Our friends who watched from the shore said it was very impressive.
We sailed out into the D'Entrecasteaux Channel and headed north on a gentle breeze mostly on the beam. A few gusts pushed us over but also surged us forward. I am already really impressed with this boat!
A couple of small problems got us straightaway. The centreboard case cap timber is a little warped and should settle over time but, because I hadn't put any sealant there, water started splashing into the cockpit. My Wife, Briony, went to test the bilge pump and found that the hose was split because we had mounted the section of hose between the pump and through-hull with a too-tight radius. Luckily, not much water came in over our trip.
When the wind died off a little to 1-2 knots, we thought we'd test out the oars but didn't make much headway into the wind. We'll need to practice our rowing......
After a brief stop at anchor where our son Noah did some snorkelling, we then raised the sails again and sailed into Oyster Cove and to the small beach near our mooring - Our first beach landing.
Tonight Kelpie sleeps on our mooring and tomorrow morning we'll sail here again and then bring her home on the trailer (to fix the bilge pump!)
Thanks to the following people:
- Mike Randall - who has never once hesitated or complained at all the questions I have asked him. He shared a lot of knowledge and full sized patterns for things that he made (e.g. cleats, centreboard pattern). I think Mike's knowledge saved me many, many hours. I owe him quite a few beers and will be able to pay him when he comes to Tasmania for the wooden boat festival in february.
- Francois Vivier - this is a beautiful boat and the plans are excellent. He almost always answered questions within one day by e-mail
Mike Seeney - my best friend who was a boat builder who encouraged me to take on the project. I wish he was alive to see Kelpie and have a sail on her
- My children, Alice and Noah, who had a father who wasn't really that attentive to them on weekends for the last 18 months. Alice also helped with quite a lot of sanding and timber oiling.
Lastly, to my wife Briony. She never complained about all the time I spent doing this project. Time that I could have been doing more things with her. She picked up many jobs around the house and the land that fell by the wayside as I worked on the boat. This made our lives really very busy and, at times, very stressful during that last 18 months. I am sorry. This boat is for you. And for me too
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| daughter Alice and wife Briony aboard |
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| checking all the halyards |
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| parcelling up the mainsail |
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| bridge deck in celery top pine |
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| sits well on the trailer |
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| still checking the halyards |
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| bow fittings |
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| silver wattle thole board |
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| celery top pine seats and floor boards |
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| loading the oars made of King Billy pine |
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| Son Noah steering the boat down the ramp |
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| roger does a good job backing boats |
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| in she goes! |
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| i didn't have to get wet |
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| happy me |
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| Noah relaxing on foredeck |
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| Kelpie on our mooring on Oyster cove |
