Re: Unhinged no longer
Just got back from a wonderful week at East Grand Lake in Orient, Maine. East
Grand is one of the Chiputneticook Lakes in Norhtern Maine on the Canadian
Border. They are part of the St. Croix watershed. Portland, Maine is about
halfway between our home in CT and East Grand. On the way we stopped at
Boothbay Harbor and visited Dynamite Payson in South Thomaston. He had offered
to let us trace his patterns for the hinges of the Folding Schooner but alas he
was not able to find them. The stop was well worth the small detour and we were
able to solve some of the mysteries of Folding Schooner construction. We spent
a wonderful hour in his meticulously organized shop being warmed by wood heat
and Yankee wisdom during a cold down pour. Payson is mostly building models
now and we marveled at the table full of precise minatures he has produced. He
gave my boys a short discourse on saw sharpening that I think they will long
remember. He has a saw sharpening station set up with saw books which he says
his father designed. The station is positioned so that south light falls on the
saw but can be kept out of his eyes by a cleverly positioned shade.
We had loaded our seven year old Gypsy and her trailer which had been sitting
in the garage all this time. I contemplated repacking the bearings but reasoned
that they had been used little and never submirsed, said a prayer to the patron
saint of wheel bearings and left for Maine. Prayer answered, though it may be
best not to impose on providence any further. I did have some light trouble
which was fixed by new bulbs and moving the plastc license plate holder so that
it was not between the lights and the frame. On my Sea Pearl trailer I had run
a seperate ground wire which got rid of this kind of nuisance. Towing 200 lbs
of Gypsy and Six Hour Canoe is a lot less stressful than towing the relatively
easy towing Sea Pearl. We miss the Pearl but had a low stress, fun time with
our old boat and rediscovered what a great craft it is. A teenager and a
middle aged Dad kept the craft perfectly balanced in even a very stiff breeze,
whitecaps on the lake and the underside of all the leaves visible. Even in
puffs we never had to get up on the rail, most uncomfortable on a Gypsy. One
day was flat calm and I rediscovered the joy of rowing this light, highly
manuverable boat. I put the rudder almost all the way up and bungeed the helm
amidship for a make shift skeg and she tracked like she was on rails. I had
seen this tip in the article by the fellow who rowed a Gypsy from South
Thomaston to Beal Island, way Down East. As a family we had grown out of this
boat. Now we have sort of grown back into to it as the boys enjoyed taking it
out solo. There was a Regatta on the Lake while we were there, more of a
messabout than the name would suggest and the Gypsy collected a crowd. We made
wild promises about a Folding Schooner for next year. I think we might have a
crack at the most unusual boat trophy and would be competitive in the sail boat
race which was won this year by an old wooden Lightning.
I took the plans for the Folding Schooner hinges to Stairs Welding on the
Houlton Road in Hogdon, Maine. Some of our friends in Maine had recommended
them. It was a huge shop with about ten men working diligently on three big
logging trucks, sending up fountains of welding sparks. A forester friend of
mine said that they make most of the log trailers in the North Maine Woods. Mr.
Stairs had mercy on me and decided to do a job that was probably more trouble
than it was worth. He charged me exactly one quarter of the best price I had
been quoted in CT. I am now the proud owner of four beautiful hinges. Payson
said to have them made out of regular 1/4 steel strap and then epoxy and paint
them and they would be fine. I still need 4'+ of 1/2" steel rod for the hinge
pin. These hinges are pretty massive and weigh at least ten pounds each. If I
were building the schooner over I would make the top frame either side of each
transom out of a 2x3 as the plans call for the transoms. I also would make the
bridge decks out of 3/4" plywood. With stiffeners and then backing for the
hinges I can't see much weight saving in using 1/4" and then putting in all the
other bits and pieces. It is also hard to see the point of screwing 1/4 steel
plate into 3/4" of fir with a wood screw as per the plan notes for the
connection to the frame tops. Beefing up the frame would alow the hinge to be
through bolted at both ends. I am wondering about using some bedding compound
under the hinges?
I am back to working on the Folding Schooner in the evening and on my day off.
Hoping for a late August launch. Thanks to all on the list for all the good
ideas and encouragement.
Leander
Grand is one of the Chiputneticook Lakes in Norhtern Maine on the Canadian
Border. They are part of the St. Croix watershed. Portland, Maine is about
halfway between our home in CT and East Grand. On the way we stopped at
Boothbay Harbor and visited Dynamite Payson in South Thomaston. He had offered
to let us trace his patterns for the hinges of the Folding Schooner but alas he
was not able to find them. The stop was well worth the small detour and we were
able to solve some of the mysteries of Folding Schooner construction. We spent
a wonderful hour in his meticulously organized shop being warmed by wood heat
and Yankee wisdom during a cold down pour. Payson is mostly building models
now and we marveled at the table full of precise minatures he has produced. He
gave my boys a short discourse on saw sharpening that I think they will long
remember. He has a saw sharpening station set up with saw books which he says
his father designed. The station is positioned so that south light falls on the
saw but can be kept out of his eyes by a cleverly positioned shade.
We had loaded our seven year old Gypsy and her trailer which had been sitting
in the garage all this time. I contemplated repacking the bearings but reasoned
that they had been used little and never submirsed, said a prayer to the patron
saint of wheel bearings and left for Maine. Prayer answered, though it may be
best not to impose on providence any further. I did have some light trouble
which was fixed by new bulbs and moving the plastc license plate holder so that
it was not between the lights and the frame. On my Sea Pearl trailer I had run
a seperate ground wire which got rid of this kind of nuisance. Towing 200 lbs
of Gypsy and Six Hour Canoe is a lot less stressful than towing the relatively
easy towing Sea Pearl. We miss the Pearl but had a low stress, fun time with
our old boat and rediscovered what a great craft it is. A teenager and a
middle aged Dad kept the craft perfectly balanced in even a very stiff breeze,
whitecaps on the lake and the underside of all the leaves visible. Even in
puffs we never had to get up on the rail, most uncomfortable on a Gypsy. One
day was flat calm and I rediscovered the joy of rowing this light, highly
manuverable boat. I put the rudder almost all the way up and bungeed the helm
amidship for a make shift skeg and she tracked like she was on rails. I had
seen this tip in the article by the fellow who rowed a Gypsy from South
Thomaston to Beal Island, way Down East. As a family we had grown out of this
boat. Now we have sort of grown back into to it as the boys enjoyed taking it
out solo. There was a Regatta on the Lake while we were there, more of a
messabout than the name would suggest and the Gypsy collected a crowd. We made
wild promises about a Folding Schooner for next year. I think we might have a
crack at the most unusual boat trophy and would be competitive in the sail boat
race which was won this year by an old wooden Lightning.
I took the plans for the Folding Schooner hinges to Stairs Welding on the
Houlton Road in Hogdon, Maine. Some of our friends in Maine had recommended
them. It was a huge shop with about ten men working diligently on three big
logging trucks, sending up fountains of welding sparks. A forester friend of
mine said that they make most of the log trailers in the North Maine Woods. Mr.
Stairs had mercy on me and decided to do a job that was probably more trouble
than it was worth. He charged me exactly one quarter of the best price I had
been quoted in CT. I am now the proud owner of four beautiful hinges. Payson
said to have them made out of regular 1/4 steel strap and then epoxy and paint
them and they would be fine. I still need 4'+ of 1/2" steel rod for the hinge
pin. These hinges are pretty massive and weigh at least ten pounds each. If I
were building the schooner over I would make the top frame either side of each
transom out of a 2x3 as the plans call for the transoms. I also would make the
bridge decks out of 3/4" plywood. With stiffeners and then backing for the
hinges I can't see much weight saving in using 1/4" and then putting in all the
other bits and pieces. It is also hard to see the point of screwing 1/4 steel
plate into 3/4" of fir with a wood screw as per the plan notes for the
connection to the frame tops. Beefing up the frame would alow the hinge to be
through bolted at both ends. I am wondering about using some bedding compound
under the hinges?
I am back to working on the Folding Schooner in the evening and on my day off.
Hoping for a late August launch. Thanks to all on the list for all the good
ideas and encouragement.
Leander