The "BALCK FLY" Dinghy 4: Dacron Skin Installation

I've been procrastinating doing this job, but every time I walk into the shop, which, being retired, is about a gazillion times a day, I feel a twinge of guilt for not forging ahead and just ... well .... doing it!

So this morning I decided to set a date for the task, and suddenly thought: "Why not right now?"

The first thing to do was re-read the instructions that came with the plans.

The plans recommend laying the Dacron cloth over the hull on a bias, so the material can be more easily stretched around the curves. As I only had about 1" to spare in cloth width this was not an option, so the cloth was run lengthwise along the hull, and held in place with a few spring clamps.

The next step was to bond the material to the gunwale, shrinking it as I went along, starting in the middle and working both ways. What worked best for me was to heat the area from the gunwale up to the first stringer, preventing too many puckers close to the glue joint on the gunwale.

The "BLACK FLY" Dinghy 3: Heat 'n Bond Tape and Kevlar Roving

The next stage is to apply this magic glue/tape from the craft store, and then attach the Kevlar roving. Frankly, Charlie, I'm feeling really skeptical about this whole 'rinky-dink' process. I just may skip it and buy some Ballistic Nylon and proceed from there. But a little voice in my head keeps telling me to go ahead and try it anyway ... I've got the materials, so what's to lose?

The tape goes on easily enough, but it's hard to keep the skeptic in me asking if this stuff is all I want between being nice and dry, or a first-hand experience of severe hypothermia.

The hardest part is picking off the paper backing, which is easier to do if you tear the tape rather than cutting it. Overlapping the joints appears to be OK, as the stuff is so thin.

A strip of tape is also put along the centerline of the bottom, and around the centerboard slot.

Boat Spring Cleaning

Having the boat in the water 12 months of the year, and sailing it 12 months as well, takes it's toll on the exterior appearance.

My bottom paint is only one year old, but seems to last at least two. I'm using the same stuff I put on a boat (since sold) seven years ago that was hauled out for the first time last week. Apart from a few barnacles along the waterline, and a small family of muscles on the bottom of the keel, the paint was still working well. And the boat does not go out that often! The paint? Pettit Horizons Black. Works for me :-)

My whole flurry of boat cleaning activity was caused by the marina finally getting fresh water piped to every slip.

HARKEN Jib Furler Installation

Thanks to Brett Hasbrouck, the General manager at Hayn Marine, and Robert Jones of Defender Marine, I received my replacement crown rings in the mail. Now it was time to get to work. Don Casey (This Old Boat) says a furler installation should take a professional rigger about six hours.

Rather than use a Bosun's chair, I rigged my ladder, as I did in this photo of the boat taken in 2005.

The first job was to make the new forestay from 7/32" 1x19 wire and the Hayn Hi-Mod swageless fittings. After bracing the mast the old stay was removed and stretched out between two screws driven into the deck.

An 'eye' fitting was attached to the top of the new wire, and a turnbuckle rod to the bottom, being very careful to get everything the same overall length as the original stay.

The Harken manual has a length calculation sheet that makes the whole process very easy.

Vega Standing Rigging Overhaul.

I've finally decided to address an item on the boat that's been concerning me for some time: replacement of the forestay, hidden for years under an ailing and worn out CDI furler.

After removing the old furler I decided I didn't want it back on, so spent some time researching and decided on the Harken MKIV Unit 0 model.

My rigging wire appears to be the original sized 5mm diameter 1x19 stainless steel wire. The nearest size to this is Imperial measure  3/16", which is slightly smaller, hence weaker. Given the fact the wire is completely enclosed by the furler foil, and subject to more strain with the weight and windage of the furler,  I chose to upsize to 7/32" wire.

I've always wanted to try swageless fittings for the wire ends, as they make it possible to repair rigging in the field (ocean?) without extensive tools. More research here convinced me that Hayn Hi-Mod fittings fit the bill.

They have re-usable innards, and a unique crown ring that holds the outer wire strands perfectly even in individual grooves.

Unfortunately they arrived with the wrong sized crown rings, so I've been busying myself overhauling the rest of the standing rig, while I wait for the correct ones to appear.

Another Dinghy Project on the horizon ??

A recent posting on the Albin Vega Yahoo Forum has stirred my interest. This always seems to happen right about the time the present project is about two thirds done.


The posting was a link to Duckworks Boat Builders Supply, Origami Dinghy page.  Boats should be pleasing to the eye, all curves and roundness, with beautiful sheer lines, but this little dink has to be one of the ugliest boats I've ever laid eyes on.

What intrigues me is that, judging by the videos, it performs amazingly well. Coupled with the fact that it weighs only about 30 pounds is it's amazing ability to be folded into a very flat stowable package. It would probably fit in the forepeak of our Vega ... right up there with the folding bike.


More research is needed before I buy the plans, but I have a gut feeling I'd better clear another space in the workshop!

The "BLACK FLY" Dinghy 2: Centerboard slot and case.

The centerboard slot is cut into the keel.

Because of my concern that the slot may weaken the keel's strength, I extended the designed side supports on either side for 4", to help spread the load.

SIN TACHA, our VEGA 27

Our boat, 'Sin Tacha' (Spanish for 'Without Faults') is a 1971 Albin Vega 27. She was built in Sweden, and is number 1331 of about 3500 that were made between 1968 and 1978. Here is a good review of her by John Vigor, courtesy of Good Old Boat Magazine.

She's the perfect small cruiser for these Pacific Northwest waters for a couple to cruise on, and yet is very easily managed as a single hander. And she loves to sail!

We bought her in Nov. 2005 and have been steadily upgrading her ever since. There is a link to a slide show of "improvements" in the right hand column.

The "BLACK FLY" Dinghy 1: from Plans to Framing

Left: a "Black Fly" built by Maury Madden

The Black Fly is a Platt Monfort-designed Geodesic AiroLITE skin-on-frame dinghy that is 8' long and only weighs about 28 pounds.

My present dinghy, an Eastport Pram, weighs about 75 pounds, so this new one should be a lot easier to lift on deck. The Eastport Pram costs about 1/2 knot in boat speed when towing, so maybe the new 'Fly will tow more easily!

There is also a Yahoo Group for Geodesic AiroLITE Boats.

The build:
Before I started to build, I read over the plans and instructions carefully. The plans included full-size layout  half-templates for the building frame stations. The plans were tacked over a 1/8" piece of plwood, and very small holes drilled at each point along each building frame station (and the transoms), then the 'dots' joined, showing the frame outlines.

The frames were sketched in on the back of the plywood also. This gave me a 'left' and 'right' template for each frame, ensuring symetry was kept.

WELCOME !

Welcome to my site!

This is the place where I'll post information on the projects I'm working on, about boats of course !

Feel free to post your comments.
Enjoy!

Peter