Some serious R & D

Framing hatches

5/6 hatches are framed in, and 3 of them now have their coamings. I like the look of the raised hatches, a little bit old fashioned, and they are definitely drier than the flush lid hatches. And a hell of a lot less work.



I'm working with some extremely tight tolerances in the front, where the seatback comes up from the bench and ties into a big hatch for a cooler. I want to fit my 100 qt igloo marine (aka Dave and Bug's couch) into the hatch. This thing is the perfect dory cooler. It was fate that it so perfectly fit into the front hatch of the Desolation and slid so perfectly under the front bench where it helped so perfectly trim the boat. But this time it's going to take some engineering. So that is the last part to tackle before she's wired for bilges, and sealed up with the decking.

Meanwhile,
Porter in the pail.

HD Briggs progress

Reluctantly, we had to pack up and leave the spacious shop where the hull was built. The boat sure looked purdy out in the sunlight.

Moved back into the tiny studio garage where I built the (much smaller) Desolation. Tight fit. The boat sits on casters and I have to push it back and forth to get from one side of the shop to the other. Making due until I find another space we can afford.

Spent a couple weeks tweaking the hatch configurations to where we like them, and they've been roughed in, waiting for finishing and final installation. Lately I've spent an obscene amount of time tinkering with a removable rear bench made of oak, on plywood stanchions which will be filleted to the hull. The bench can pop out to make room for our two dogs in the rear. I don't know if I'd want to ride in the very back. But the bench is going to look neat. Might make a drybox that could drop in as well.

Ordered the plumbing parts for the cockpit drain. For the floor drain, I couldn't find what I wanted from any marine vendors, but found this nifty bar sink strainer which should look presentable, and with a straight 2" pipe for a faster drain. Out the side through a thru hull fitting.

We are likely going to add bilge pumps to the front and rear footwells. They are pretty big buckets, and while I know the tradition is to let the passengers bail so they have something to do besides freak out, bailing can be dangerous believe it or not. I have almost fallen out of the boat trying to exuberantly bail. So I'd rather tell my passengers to hold on, high side, and stay in the boat. I'm putting a SLA battery wired to a switch in the footwell which will control both 1500 GPH pumps. Solar chargers will keep us juiced on longer trips.

Brendan

For my new little nephew, Brenny.

Emergence

I sold the Desolation to pay the gas bill a while back, so Ky and I are excited to be building a bigger, badder Briggs for the Grand Canyon in 2012 and beyond, floats below Flaming Gorge, and everything in between.

I bought patterns from famed dory builder/guide/wedding singer Andy Hutchinson in CO. The design is a pretty standard Briggs Grand Canyon Dory with transom, 16'9 centerline, 48" wide bottom, 75" beam. 1/4" Hydrotek sides w/ 9oz glass sheath, decking and bullkheads with 4oz glass, and 1" Plascore honeycomb bottom reinforced with 12oz biaxial glass inside and out, 9oz E glass, with additional 9oz biaxial kevlar outide. BOMBer.

I was terribly sad to see the old boat go, but it is in VERY good hands, and I hope it will still see a lot of service. I hope to see it out on the water, or upside down on a beach somewhere, someday.

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Grand Canyon 2010

Photos © Kylan Frye and Jeremy Christensen

Messing About in Boats

"Simply messing about in boats -- or with boats... In or out of 'em it doesn't matter. Nothing seems to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not.

Look here! If you've really nothing else on hand this morning, supposing we drop down the river together and have a long day of it?"

- from Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

This oft-quoted ode to boats pretty much sums up my life for the past and future 3 weeks. Messing about in boats. For almost a month now I have been putzing around the garage, busy doing nothing in particular, mostly trying to keep my mind busy so I don't just fixate on the three weeks now to come. Finally it's time for the fun part, 3 weeks of solace and utter contentment, as close to perfection as it gets.

This is my third opportunity to float the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and in this case, the third time is definitely the charm. Ky (Veteran of such exciting river adventures as "High Water Yampa" and "Deso Junkshow") is coming with me on this one -- her first trip down the Grand -- and we're taking my dorky home-made boat.

Food and gear is piled to the ceiling in our living room (Everett is not amused). The boat is on the trailer, hatches battened down. All we have to do now is load the trucks on Friday and drive 7 hrs south to Lees Ferry, the terminus of Glen Canyon, and the beginning of Marble & Grand Canyons. Downstream lies 280 miles of bliss. Look for me in three weeks, I'll be the puffy, tanned, hairy, stinky one.