Getting to the boat is a bit of a chore at the moment. The 'rules' limit dinghies to 10 feet on the dock. For now, I am making use of my great-grandfathers skiff that he bought used in the 1960's. I had turned it over several years ago and sold the trailer because I was tired of paying registration on a trailer I wasn't using (plus I needed the cash for boat supplies). A trailer would be nice right about now.
Not a particularly classy way to travel but at least I save five dollars. When I went to the public launch ramp the attendent told me that I could use the free ramp for 'roof mounted boats'. I think he wanted me as far from the busy ramp launching operation as he could get me. Its a chore but it is getting the job done.
With the forecast calling for 50% rain all day, I decided not to drill any new holes in the deck for deck hardware. Instead, I hauled out a bunch of supplies and fussed over a few things. I started the engine. It fired right up.
The dock is terrible and it doesn't look like the owners intend to do anything about it. Right in front of my boat is a pair of paint scrapers. I had put a fender in front of the first one last week just in case I got sloppy on the approach.
The cleats are not spaced well, some are loose, some are broken, and some are rediculously small.
I am worried about my topsides looking like my new neighbors.
I have strung out fenders on a line down the length of the boat. They will stay there when I go out for the day or weekend. Those terry cloth fender covers are very nice and I am told do wonders to protect the paint. With my wallet hemoraging cash the past few weeks I couldn't buy any but I did try the low budget option which is to use K-mart towels and tie wraps.
My neighbor has decided to tie up on the other side of the dock so I repositioned the boat to the other end and away from the paint scrapers at the end. Really, who would rent such a dock? I pity the next boat that has to squeeze between my boat and those scrapers. I have a suspicion that the other two spots on the dock are going to go unused. Now that everyone can see the docks as they are its going to be a hard sell.
I would like to thank everyone once again that came to my launch and brought gifts.
Two sporta-seats (which are absolutely awesomely comfortable and good looking), Gourmet beer (12% alcohol content - be careful!) and Pyrat XO reserve rum.
Here is one of the two stern cleats I installed in the mad dash before launch day.
I think I am going to revisit the whole design in the future. First of all, my first cut was intended to be the block height, and instead I went on the wrong side of the glued up blank and cut the width. The cleats are now a bit wider than the blocks. I might also try to tie them in with a future taffrail.
The anchor platform remains unchanged from what I built several years ago now. It has worked fine so I wasn't going to revisit it just yet. Its mahogany and the rest of the boat is teak. For the moment, it doesn't bother me too much. I am not crazy about the look of a Bruce anchor on the nose. A 'pigs snout' as someone once called it. Nevertheless, it works quite well.
I really wanted to get wood down on the edges where the skene chocks were going to go but I didn't have shaping tools with me and the rough blanks were a little large to notch into the anchor platform.
Towards the end of the day, the tide changed and the current started to really rip along the float creating a bow wave on the boat.
The fog was settling in thicker when I left but I got one nice look back at the boat as I left.
And finally back once again at the 'free' dock.
I am thinking that I am going to just put the skiff on the dinghy dock and wait for someone to complain. I would do it this weekend except with rain forecasted every day this week, I don't need my skiff to sink with rain water with my hardly used Honda on the stern (again).
Not a terribly productive day. But a nice day to be messing about with boats.
3 comments:
Cormorants are staying away?
No. They were camped out when I arrived today. I am not sure if it was my scrubbing last week that made the dock look better or just the 7 days of rain. I remain concerned. Another strike for the dock situation. Moorings good. Docks bad. Live and learn.
Well, you did what you had to do for this season. It was never a long-term solution anyway.
Dock looks better between the scrubbing and the rain, though! Certainly an improvement. And having the other boat on the other side ought to help.
I think it was a good call to move your boat to the other end. I was going to comment and suggest that, until I read a couple paragraphs down that you had done exactly that. Let someone else deal with those nasty galvanized protrusions at the other end.
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