Is your bank account secure?

While this is not directly related to building SV Sojourn, I think this is something that everyone can relate too.

Dangers

When we are doing business online, or even far away at distant port...sometimes our banking information is at risk. More specifically our credit, and or debit cards. In this day and age it is convenient to order our products online. While we usually try to stick with reputable vendors, often times we happen across that "Great deal" from an online advertisement or website that may be questionable. Even if it is a known and reliable vendor, things happen to put our security at risk.

For those of you with credit cards, no doubt you have far better fraud protection than those of us that have only a debit card. This article is more so aimed at users of debit cards but may also be of interest to users of credit cards as well.

My experience

Most recently I had an experience which caused a little bit of grief and inconvenience for me. I went to my local gas station for some fuel and a few other small items. I am a frequent customer so this isn't some sort of new place for transactions. I had recently checked my bank account and knew I had enough funds for my purchases.

Upon running my debit card, the terminal came back with transaction not approved. The clerk made a second attempt and still the same result. A bit irritated, I drove the 10 miles home and checked my bank account again to see if there were any pending charges. As I suspected there were not.

The next day thinking perhaps it was a communication error, I made the 10 mile drive back to the same station to try again. Same error...

I was able to call my banks customer service and the service rep was able to inform me that there were several suspect fraudulent charges attempted on my account so they froze my debit card use. This was a first for me but I am happy they have such safeguards in place. The service rep was able to unfreeze my card so I could make my transaction and after that I decided to shut down the card and have a new one sent.

The strange thing is I had not recently made any online purchases and can only assume my debit card info was obtained by someone getting my information from a vendor's website or records.

Solutions

We hear of these horror stories all the time and with more dire consequences. I try to do mostly cash purchases when I can. Of course those times online we can't do cash so other options should be explored.

I will likely be using my pay pal account more often and when I cant, I will be most likely using a prepaid credit/debit cards. My other option is to set up an account for online purchases only and just transfer funds into the account as needed.

These things happened near my home so not as big a deal. Consider if I was taking a road trip and in some far away place I discover my account had been compromised and I was left with no funds for fuel etc? Take it one step further and lets say it was some foreign port? All things to consider in this world of electronic banking and purchases.

I am sure many of you can tell similar stories. I know most of you have your own solution to these problems and would be great to hear them. This is a very real problem in today's society so being armed with more information on solutions would be great.

I look forward to hearing any comments and suggestions.

Scotty

No Shame

I know it has been way too long since I posted and wanted to give an update on building SV Sojourn.

Truth is there has been no progress made towards building SV Sojourn other than getting a great deal on a small table saw for $30.

Truth is I have been a bit depressed lately. Many reasons. One of my faults is being too honest. I am sitting thinking "What have I got to lose?"

Truth is I realize I don't have the funds to even begin Building SV Sojourn. I suppose in time I will but just not right now. I am leaning towards building this little 15 foot camping catamaran. Once build I can take it to the lake towing it with my car. Even that project will be tough for me to afford but more affordable than a larger project.

So many other reasons for being depressed. Maybe I just need some "Me time" Maybe an escape. Go camping for a bit. Do some gold prospecting on the river.

I won't bore you with all the details in what is causing my depression. Just in a funk I guess. Main thing is I wanted to give a short update.

Other than that, it has been raining a lot here in Colorado. I am higher up in the mountains so not much a problem with flooding like down in the lower elevations.

Fire going and clearly fall is coming. I suspect we will have a very harsh winter. I may be getting a cheap four wheel drive to at least make it easier for me to get to fire calls when having really heavy snow.

That's all for now folks.

Funding SV Sojourn

As you have probably gathered from my previous posts, I am on a very tight budget. Yes this is a project of my own choosing and I will find a way to make it work. I used recycled or inexpensive materials when I can. I am blessed to have a few friends and neighbors willing to lend a hand or donate materials.

While I really don't have the money to put out for such a project, I have time. Lots of it. especially during the winter months.

Some have suggested I look at buying a boat instead of building one. For some this may make sense and really if I had the money on hand to do so I would. For me this project is something I want to do. I want to build and create something with my own hands. Something I can be proud of. Also a way of stretching out the cost over a long period of time to make it more easily affordable.

I suppose the reasons I made a blog is not only to share my project and of course get suggestions, but also to earn a little money (very little) from adsense revenue. Of course the more people that visit the better it pays if even a few dollars.

While this project may be a great one for myself, I am not sure how important or attractive it will be to others.

Some have blogs with many different types articles and they do quite well I imagine. Some even sell books or journals of their build which certainly could help. others sell Tshirts, Mugs and whatnot with their logo or vessel name on it. I see even more have donation buttons and or links to affiliate sites. That's all fine and dandy but I don't really want to make this a place for commercialism.

I have even heard about other that get sponsors but most of those are actual cruising boats with the ability to try, test, and review various products. How does one get a sponsor anyways?

Forgive my rambling here. I think the end purpose for this particular article is to express my position and to make justification for putting things like maybe a paypal donation button or something else.

I am not one who will beg for money etc but if a company were to send me a nice power tool to try and write a review on it or other products I would probably be elated!

Maybe I should put a working wish list on here and see what happens? Maybe Santa will be good to me this year. Yes, I have been very good Santa!

So if any of you have comments, ideas, or suggestions I would love to hear them.

Until then, Fair winds and following seas

Scotty

Tools for wood boat building

Minimums

Tools for building a wooden boat can be as many or few as you desire. What I use for building SV Sojourn will likely vary greatly from what someone will use building their own boat.

If you are an experienced wood boat builder already this is probably all old news to you. For the novice it may be of interest. If you are even considering building a wood boat for the first time, you probably already are some sort of DIY house project person (Yes ladies too) and likely have some of the basic tools to get started.

Some of the minimums are your basic hand tools such as Hammer,Tri square, perhaps a few chisels, a cross cut saw, crescent wrench, a plane, level, and so on. A few more deluxe and labor saving tools would be a bevel measure, rip saw, and a block plane. 

To really make your project easier a few power tools are essential such as a Skill saw or circular saw which you will use for just about everything. Another important power tool would be a 10 inch table saw. You don't need to go out and buy a big industrial brand or model. A cheap one from Harbor freight tools or even craigslist would be fine. In fact after you are done building your wood boat you could even sell the table saw for what you bought it for. Maybe more. 

Some more deluxe power tools would be a chop saw. I got my 10 inch compound chop, miter, bevel, and sliding saw at harbor freight for $100 on sale. I paid the extra $20 for 2 years full warranty. 

A bandsaw would be great to have although expensive. A cheaper solution would be a high quality sabersaw. probably best to get one with a scrolling head.

You need at least one 3/8 inch chuck reversing drill. Corded or cordless is up to you. I would have two available so you can use one to pre drill and the other to drive screws.

For me and the design I am building, a chainsaw would be handy. Another worth considering is an electric plane depending on how much you might use it for your particular design.

An air compressor would be handy as well. Aside from using air to blow off sawdust, all sorts of tools can be run with an air compressor. I am thinking about when it comes time to bolt the keel and ballast up.

Clamps! You can never have enough clamps! I think at a minimum you would need to have 8 C clamps large enough to cover the frame and planks plus a couple of inches. Twice as many would be preferable. 9 sliding pipe clamps 4 foot long is great for many things. Also one or two deep throat 2 foot bar clamps come in handy everywhere. Of course you can make the pipe and bar clamps with a little effort and save some bucks.

So unless you have no tools at all, I would just start building with what you have already and then later when you find yourself needing a special tool that is the time to buy it. Browse yard sales, garage sales, clearance sales at hardware stores or Craigslist is a great source for not only tools, but parts and materials as well.

Just now did a search for clamps on Craigslist and found these assorted clamps for $10 total.

Of course you always find that tool for the bargain price when you don't need it. Think ahead and save!

I know many of you will have a gazillion suggestions for the proper tools to have when building a wood boat. These are my basics and I will probably expand on them as time goes by. As always open to comments and suggestions.

Fair winds and following seas,

Scotty

Life...It happens

Greetings all, It has been awhile since I posted anything here on the progress of SV Sojourn.

Funny how life has other ideas for us while we are making plans. I seem to have become extremely busy with the fire dept. We have a new Chief and there are many changes being made. This includes extra responsibilities for some like me.

In addition it is wildland fire season here in USA. So being also on the Wildland team, this takes a lot of my time as well.

It seems Building SV Sojourn will be mostly a winter time project. I have not even began to build the shop yet. I hear and have read that the hardest part is actually getting started. Once that happens the rest just falls into place. I hope so.

Other than that, I have spent a little free time looking for bargains on tools. I know I hardly have what I need to do this project. I know I need lots of clamps so I found a few bargains on those.

I am making a list of must have tools for wooden boat building. I am sure many of you out there will have great suggestions and would be great to hear them.

As far as what else is going on in my life, Aside from the fire department and making sure My Dog Iris and newly acquired stray kitten are cared for...Nothing really exciting going on with me for now.

This will be a short post as I am really just checking in.

As always Fair winds and following seas,

Scotty

Gratitude

Saying Thanks

Sometimes I get caught up in things, I forget to focus on whats important.

Lately I have been busy with late night calls. With this I mean the fire page going off at 3a.m.. with my eyes rolled back in my head dreaming of SV Sojourn.

Stumbling through the dark and blindly trying to put on my feet in the boots and pull up the pants (Bunker gear). Only to find out the suspenders were not quite placed right and WOW! suspenders strung across the crotch!

OK I AM AWAKE NOW!

Unfortunately coffee is not an option when responding. Unless I have a little in pot from day before, then I just take a quick swig of the rancid cold bean derivative. That in itself will wake someone.

It's all about the people

I guess that is why I volunteer and put up with those late night calls. It IS all about the people. In this case my neighbors and community. I have never been a social person before. Well yes a little I suppose, but being here alone in the mountains social activities are few.

That brings me to why I am bothering doing a blog. on SV Sojourn. Yes, I do like to share what I am doing as it may be of interest to others. Maybe a bit of social interaction would be nice as well.

As I said before in another article, I am not a writer or an English major. I think I can write things so that they are fairly understandable. Thank Goodness for spell check!

I do plan in the future to get photos as I go along, as well as some video. I cannot promise I will be in Pictures or video. Besides, this is about a boat...SV Sojourn. Not me.

Thank you visitors

I like to thank the people who have come and visited this blog and tormented their eyes.

My friends over at Google communities.
Boat building: A great community of like minded people sharing thoughts and ideas.

DIY Wood boat club: A fine wood boat building club.

For now that's all I know that visited from those.

Finally I want to thank those that visited individually by nation.

Thanks to my visitors From:

United States
Hungary
United Kingdom
Brazil
France
Netherlands
Russia
Taiwan

Meanwhile, back to drawing board so to speak. I have a full day ahead of me with fire stuff! Training, training, and more training!

Take care all,

Scott

Setting up shop

A place to work

Before I get ahead of myself in building SV Sojourn, I know I need to set up a shop. The idea is to have a clean dry area to work that is not too cramped, but not too large to become unmanageable both financially or physically.

One must consider the weather to be dealt with. How strong will the winds be and from what direction? How hot or cold will it be? Will I need heat or even cooling of some type? Or both?

How far is it away from the house? The electric? Will it be secure?

Think ahead. When the boat is finished, will I have to crane it? Or maybe I can build the shop so a truck can back up to it.

What about the walls? I like having a workbench and a back board to hang things. All these things need to be considered in planning your shop.

Building a temporary shop 

At minimum, the shop should be a few feet longer than the boat and about 12 feet wider(6 foot each side)

In the spirit of "Cheap" I have in mind a framed wall section along one side, and then pvc pipe construction for the rest of the structure. Seen in the Image above is a plan that I think will work. Some variation will be applied as the center poles will only get in the way and not be very feasible.

The roof and sides will be covered with vinyl tarps. I will dig a drain ditch around the base to avoid water collecting inside the shop. I will plan on framing in a section on the roof or high up on the side so I can put in a stove pipe for a woodstove as it gets a bit nippy here in the winter.

I can run power from the house to the temporary shop. I could even run water but not really necessary.

I may spread a load of gravel on the floor just to keep down the dirt and dust. Maybe even mix in some dry concrete mix and then water and pack it down to make a poor mans concrete,

Where I plan to place the temporary shop, it is perpendicular to the driveway so the boat would need to be turned to face toward any truck and trailer that it is to be loaded on.

The plan would be build some sort of loading ramp. The boat would already be on a cradle with large wheels attached and can be pivoted to face outward and rolled out and onto a trailer.

I am planning on having enough room for table saw, work bench etc to be placed on one side. My neighbor tells me if I expect him to ever come over and help, I better put in a bar!

Many things are possible if you put in a bar!

One final thought, I have a pallet stacked high with recycled snow fence slats. I think 1/4 inch x 1.5 inch x 3 foot. I have thought about forming these 2 thick so they can be about 1/2 inch thick and bending them to form an arch. Maybe I would make a jig on the ground, bend them into the arch and then practice with fiberglass or epoxy resin to bond them. I will think more on this.

This is of course the beginning of the big project. Next after the shop is complete, I have to decide on either locating a solid timber for the keel or laminate up 2x8's x 16 or 20 foot probably to make a full keel of 8x12 and 23 foot of so not including the stem etc.

After that will be the lofting. Seems simple but actually doing it will tell the whole story.

Till next time....Fair winds and following seas!

Boat plans

 The research

This all started from researching plans on the internet. I originally wanted to build a Catamaran of fiberglass. I quickly came to the realization that transporting such a thing would be insanely priced. So I went on researching monohull sailboat plans. While I found many that seemed to be suited for what I wanted to build, they were a bit costly in my opinion.

The source

I happened across George Buehler Designs. Here is his plans page: http://georgebuehler.com/photothumbs.html While still a bit pricey for me, there was a lot of good information there.

George takes a no nonsense approach to boat building. His boats are designed to take almost anything that can be thrown at them. Designed with simple systems that a sailor should be able to repair at sea. I bought two of his books. The Troller yacht book, and Buehlers backyard boat building. Both have great information in them, and they can be found on Georges website.

 In Georges boat building book, he also includes several free plans of successful and tried boat designs. The plans have been scanned but some of the details are very small. George states in his book that he will send more legible copies of the plans if you just ask. To be fair, you should really buy the book first.

The plans

The plans to be used for SV Sojourn will be based on the 35 foot "Juno" plans designed by George Buehler. These plans are in his book and is a trusty design. Here is the page for Juno http://georgebuehler.com/juno.html

These are the particulars:    

LOD: 35'6" Beam: 10'7" Draft: 5'6" Displ.: 22,000 lbs

 I am still trying to decide whether to go with store bought dimensional lumber or buy a chainsaw mill and cut my own trees here on my property and mill to the sizes I need. The problem with milling them myself will be the drying process of almost a year. I am also still deciding whether to go with a conventional sailing rig or junk rig. I plan to be single handing the boat so ease of operation is the primary concern.

In any event it should be an exciting project. I know it will take lots of time as not only does the materials need to be obtained and assembled but also I need to acquire the tools to do the task at hand. I don't have much of a budget but I will do what I can with what I have.

About me

My name is Scott and as of this writing I am almost 48.
I am not a Writer, an English major, a Mechanical engineer, nor a Boat wright.

I am however a Volunteer Firefighter that has a passion for building a boat. Not just any boat, MY BOAT!

I thought it would be fun to share that with you here. 

I have long wanted to sail the seas but a lifetime of working,family and such has always kept me busy doing other things. Being not very financially robust, I decided to look into building my own sailboat. Being single now with no real commitments except for my dog Iris, it is an excellent time to begin this project.
I live in the mountains of Colorado and will build it here on my property. I felt I needed to limit the size of SV Sojourn as to keep down the expense of eventual transportation to sea. SV Sojourn is a George Buehler design called Juno.


The plans are for a sailboat of 35' 6" LOD. She will have a beam of 10' 7". She should have a displacement of 22,500 lbs. and a draft of 5' 6".

The plans call for wood construction with Plywood and a fiberglass and epoxy skin covering the hull. I am still deciding on whether to use a Junk rig or another type of sail plan. I do plan on sailing this single handed so simple and ease of handling is a priority.

 In building and posting progress here, it will sometimes be delayed as I am not only a Volunteer firefighter but I also am a Firefighter on our Wildland team. This means sometimes I can be dispatched to Wildland fires spending 2 weeks or more away at a time.

 When things are more normal, I plan to do at least one update per week. I also plan to do video along with pictures. I will probably post the video on youtube with links from here. I hope all of you enjoy reading the progress here.

I hope not only to share my progress, but also look forward to your comments,questions, and suggestions. For me this will be a monumental project and on a shoestring budget.

Stay safe and may you have fair winds and following seas!