Re: Digest Number 390
Bill!,
Be fair! In your zeal to embrace the 'huge great gobs of wood and a
power plane' method of spar building, you miss three overwhelming
points.
1) Knowing his builders have a wont for using cheap wood in them, PCB
overspecs his masts (thus yours hasn't failed).
2)Building a hollow mast without a plug at the partners is like
getting up from the toilet without doing the requisite paperwork; the
job is not done, so the end result stinks. I think Fraser himself
(and I do sympathize with him!) would admit that.
3)You've already built your stick. You're satisfied with it. You
see no need to build another one! Fair enough. But please don't
dismiss a new building system out of hand because you have no need
for it!
I would also point out that my one and a half year old, cheap wood
solid stick, built to PCB's specs, failed, right at the point where
the snotter attached, in a big breeze yes, but nothing I hadn't been
out in before.
Building a 2' or 4' long, birdsmouth hollow cylinder (as a plug to
reinforce the mast in way of the partners), after having already
built an 18' or 23' birdsmouth hollow cylinder, is an hour's work,
literally.
Having built 4 spars using the 'great gobs of cheap wood' method, and
2 spars with the 'barely more good wood than ends up in the mast'
method, I wholeheartedly recommend the latter.
Regards,
John
Be fair! In your zeal to embrace the 'huge great gobs of wood and a
power plane' method of spar building, you miss three overwhelming
points.
1) Knowing his builders have a wont for using cheap wood in them, PCB
overspecs his masts (thus yours hasn't failed).
2)Building a hollow mast without a plug at the partners is like
getting up from the toilet without doing the requisite paperwork; the
job is not done, so the end result stinks. I think Fraser himself
(and I do sympathize with him!) would admit that.
3)You've already built your stick. You're satisfied with it. You
see no need to build another one! Fair enough. But please don't
dismiss a new building system out of hand because you have no need
for it!
I would also point out that my one and a half year old, cheap wood
solid stick, built to PCB's specs, failed, right at the point where
the snotter attached, in a big breeze yes, but nothing I hadn't been
out in before.
Building a 2' or 4' long, birdsmouth hollow cylinder (as a plug to
reinforce the mast in way of the partners), after having already
built an 18' or 23' birdsmouth hollow cylinder, is an hour's work,
literally.
Having built 4 spars using the 'great gobs of cheap wood' method, and
2 spars with the 'barely more good wood than ends up in the mast'
method, I wholeheartedly recommend the latter.
Regards,
John
--- In bolger@y..., "Samson Family" <Bill.Samson@t...> wrote:
> John,
>
> I'm with Jamie on this one. Unlike the meticulous Jamie, I moseyed
<SP?>
> along to the demolition yard and picked up a couple of reclaimed
floor
> joists. I pulled out the rusty nails, planed a couple of faces
flat and
> glued 'em up with epoxy. I borrowed a power planer and in a few
hours had
> my Chebacco mast, with one whopper of a knot near the partners! I
confess -
> I did worry about it for the first couple of seasons. Now that
I've been
> out in all weathers, I never even think about it - even though it's
loose
> now. I'll maybe glue it in before next season, just so I don't
lose it.
>
> As I mentioned before, the only Chebacco mast known to fail was
Fraser
> Howell's hollow birdsmouth one.
>
> My case rests.
>
> Bill
>Is it easy watching those leftover knots in your spar as you sailJohn,
>along in a rising breeze, wondering...wondering....how many knots is
>one too many?
I'm with Jamie on this one. Unlike the meticulous Jamie, I moseyed <SP?>
along to the demolition yard and picked up a couple of reclaimed floor
joists. I pulled out the rusty nails, planed a couple of faces flat and
glued 'em up with epoxy. I borrowed a power planer and in a few hours had
my Chebacco mast, with one whopper of a knot near the partners! I confess -
I did worry about it for the first couple of seasons. Now that I've been
out in all weathers, I never even think about it - even though it's loose
now. I'll maybe glue it in before next season, just so I don't lose it.
As I mentioned before, the only Chebacco mast known to fail was Fraser
Howell's hollow birdsmouth one.
My case rests.
Bill