Big changes afoot... GREEN FLASH 2.0

Above is the first design developed a year ago... GF1

Below is the current design. GF2.0

There's a few good things about this new design... By increasing the sheer (the sides of the hull), I can

1) Increase volume and reduce the amount of work, time and material that would be involved in a standard cabin, like FLASH 1.0

2) Clamp some formica to the existing hull and start building up with laminates and composites. The existing hull defines the shape, so no molds or complicated forms are required to accomplish this (thanks to a tip from M43 owner Al Watson. See his "Sugar Scoop" modification to his boat KINDRED SPIRIT HERE).

3) The added non-opening portlights are designed to be installed just above the existing sheerline of the FLASH, which will be easier because the existing hull/deck joint is wide and strong and easy to get to at this stage of the modification.

4) This design provides more deck space (it's almost a flush deck) and installing it, and the opening hatches (we have seven of those) is simpler. The 1st Mate says she might even be able to do her yoga on deck.

Above is version 1 deck layout

Below is GF2.0 layout. Cleaner is better.

5) I'm 6' tall and this makes enough headroom below for me without building a cabintop.

6) I think it looks sexy, don't you?

My horoscope today:

It might be a good time for you to start thinking about trying to make some fresh starts and new beginnings in a few different areas of your life. Just be careful that you don’t come on too strong or you could end up making a little trouble for yourself right now.

Tropical Storm Julio moves on

Looking north from the GF the remnants of TS Julio blanket the mountains.







The 10-15 inches of rain we got in the last two days pressure washed the hull interior so I don't have to now.









But it means I'll have to get out the machete and the weed eater.
... and I did mention that tarps just don't cut it sometime ago.







Here's the FLASH looking like the Ghost Ship.







back to the blog...
I spent the day picking up after TS Julio drove through the area, flooding roads and filling them with debris. I climbed up through La Jungla and pumped the water out and drilled holes in areas where water was trapped, so that it could drain to the bilge pump. The generator warmed up fine after awhile, and put more juice into my battery bank.

Ecoterrorism
I also started my war against the stinging ants around the area. They were building rather large mounds under the plywood scraps lying on the ground. I wanted to try using BIO-BLAST, a naturally occurring spore that attacks termites, ticks, and ants (I think ants, anyway) and turns them into more food for the spores. The small ants feel like mosquito bites, the larger ants feel like getting hit with a BB gun, or stabbed with a large sewing needle (like a #22). The nests are around and under my new workbench, so they have to go.

Sun Protection
I have some Sunbrella awning material I may sew up for tarp over the workbench, and some heavy shadecloth I found for a couple of bucks at The White Elephant in Green Valley, Errorzona.

What's next?
Well, I sent a check off to Michigan for the 15kw Westerbeke generator that will provide the electric half to the diesel-electric side of the equation, and I'm learning about variable frequency speed controllers for AC motors before I plop down the bucks for the drive motor. I got a bid on uShip.com to bring it to Nogales, AZ to where my friend (and landlord) has a warehouse. Then the process of getting it down here and installed and soundproofed...

Also...
I am searching the internet for diesel fuel tanks that may fit the boat (I'd like to have about 100 gallons or so onboard). And I'm still researching foam core material- I'd like to find somebody in AZ who has some in stock I can play with. In the last trip north, I managed to bring down the last of the electrical connector supply I purchased at an 80% discount from a Radio Shack that was going out of business (that was 4 years ago, before I ever thought about a boat project like this). I've learned to always trust my instincts.

A day out of the sun, time for design

Click on the drawing for larger version

This is the direction I'm headed on this boat.
I know it has a lot of windows, but I plan on using Lexan- the bulletproof plastic they use in limousines and bank windows, etc.
The First Mate has a thing about cramped, dark places and so do I. The drawings, are by the way, pretty close to scale. Comments welcome.

Saloons, boats and bars

The deck saloon design is the one I'm favoring right now. Wraparound, reinforced, tinted windows. This design suggests the raising of the stern quarters to add volume below and easy passage from the saloon to the masters cabin astern.
By the way, some people may chuckle at my use of the word saloon. The truth is back a couple of centuries ago, a bar owner in Colorado (I believe) decided to furnish his bar like the interior of a yacht to attract high class customers. He borrowed the word saloon- the main cabin and social gathering place on a yacht- and soon, many tavern owners followed his example.

Getting way out there.

This is what we call the Flying Saucer Version.

Looks different, huh? Is it feasible?

Hey! It's PLASTIC! Anything is feasible!

One year later...

Yesterday was the anniversary of the first time I saw the GF and stepped aboard. I had purchased the vessel from photos I had been emailed by the last owner... hmmm, perhaps I should tell the story?

For the last couple of years, I had been perusing the internet for a larger boat. But the interior designs/photos I had seen were tight, crowded and dark. It occured to me that if I could design my own interior, I could have a boat that serves my needs and not the needs of some strange sailor/owner profile... so I started looking into damaged boats, hurricane vessels, and the like.

As I continued the process, I started getting an idea of the ideal hull for a project boat: I wanted it to be already gutted out to save me the work; I wanted a boat over 40 feet in length; I wanted a modern, fast, efficient hull shape that could give me a good turn of speed and sail upwind well; it had to be cheap; and it had to include all the standing rigging in good shape; I didn't care whether it had a motor or not, I would probably repower anyway; and I wanted a center cockpit with a nice large aft cabin.

My reasoning was that I might not be able to purchase a 40 foot boat outright, but I could pay for the materials over time as I needed them, and labor rates in Mexico are a fraction of stateside prices.

Last fall, I noticed a posting on the Morgan Owners discussion board about a project boat going up for sale. (I also own the Morgan 33 Out Island, Bliss). The vessel was located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The owner had been struggling with physical problems (a torn rotator cuff) and hadn't been able to do much with the boat. Then, his wife reached retirement age and was quitting her job, his house sold, and now he had the cash to go out and buy the cruising boat he wanted to sail off into the sunset with his wife. He could sell the project cheap and get out from under the storage costs.

Russ and Shelley Terry sent me the pictures of the boat, along with construction estimates, and lists of included gear. It matched my list above to a "T". Actually, it was even better... it was a Morgan! And I knew Morgans, and about Morgans, and all the people who owned Morgans.

Time for the morning cruisers net on channel 72 in San Carlos, Mexico. I'll continue later...