December 2015 sailboat project update
So this year I have actually made some progress on building
something. It still takes a lot of imagination to see a sailboat, but trust me,
it will be.
Much of the work was in preparation, getting the barn ready
to work in. I fixed the heater so I would have thermostatic control of the heat
I have picked up stuff to go in
the boat, such as a cute little Hobbit wood stove http://salamanderstoves.com/product/small-stove-hobbit/?ap_id=npeterson,
which I bought before I discovered the Canadian made Cubic wood stoves
.
.
Yes, that is the composting toilet as well, both set up in
the barn.
Here is the motor and jet pump I am going to put in the
boat. 
The original plan was an outboard in a well, but I had an
old Mercedes 240D with a rusted out body and a good 65 Hp diesel in it. I
thought I would use it and a marine transmission to a prop. The transmission
turned out to be a difficult thing to find on the prairies, so I thought a jet
pump would be a good idea, nothing to catch on the bottom. I found someone in Calgary
selling a 350 Oldsmobile marine engine and Berkley
jet pump, at a very good price, so I bought it. I was going to get the pump
modified to match the little diesel, then decided that since the motor and jet
pump was all ready to go, I would use it as is. I can always change it later,
and have designed the bottom opening so that I could remove motor and pump and
replace them with an suitable outboard, if I ever find one at a reasonable
price.
I welded a steel frame, to make a level work platform for
now, and it will eventually become a flatbed trailer for the boat.
Here is the last 8 feet of the boat hull, upside down,
showing the pump during a dry fit
next pictures are flipping it over and getting it ready to
attach to the rest of the hull bottom
About to be glued in place
The first bulkhead I
built, between the salon and bunk (sorry for the blurry picture)
The galley to saloon bulkhead, the bottom 8 inches are
hidden in this picture
The cockpit to galley bulkhead, leaning against previous
bulkheads ( there is a big U shaped cutout for the doorway)
This is the front hold to bunk bulkhead
I have other pictures, but these show a good overview of my
current progress. The next stage is adding the false floor, 1.5" Styrofoam
and 2x stringers, then 1/2" plywood. I am making this change from Dave's
plan because I want to be able to use this while on a trailer, when it is cold
out, and want warm feet.
I have run across some similar blogs, one in particular I
want to mention http://junkrighouseboat.blogspot.ca/2015/12/why.html
because he is doing a very similar build. In addition to the
reasons he states for building a triloboat, I want to add that I will be
starting out sailing in central Alberta
lakes, which tend towards shallow at the best of times. I also have put in the
requirement that it will be useable as a funky RV while it is sitting on the
trailer. I will be putting in a hot water shower, with a tankless hot water
heater http://www.amazon.ca/Marey-Power-Propane-Tankless-Heater/dp/B00886CZA6, and
am converting an old bar fridge to a top opening fridge, with added insulation.
For those looking for mast material, difficult to find on
the prairies, I think I have found a solution. Just down the road from me is a
fellow who has a home business cutting firewood for the local lake campers, and
has his raw logs delivered by a big logging truck. I discussed the requirements
I had for a mast, and he is going to separate a couple of suitable logs from
his next load. He says that there are typically several each load that will
work, he just has to set them aside. This will save a great deal of trouble, as
otherwise I was looking at getting a permit, then driving several hours until I
found a selection of suitable trees, then hauling the trees back on my trailer.
Now I will just have to move them less than a half a mile down a back
road.
