| Pangur Ban creeps
to completion. In just the last couple
of weeks the emphasis shifted from building a boat
to installing things on a boat. The list of little
things to buy and install or stow somewhere seems
near endless, but it is now just a list. It's all
little stuff, an evening here or there. It's not worth
rushing at this point because the sailing season is
almost over in my area. There are no more big pieces
to build and lift into place-no more quart-sized batches
of epoxy to get rolled on before they set.
This realization set me to thinking about the major
turning points in the project.
Perhaps the most significant event was the very beginning.
Lofting
and setting up the moulds over the July 4th weekend
in 2003, I confidently predicted a one year build
time. Four years later it looks like she'll hit water
in the spring.
 |
Lofting
and setting up the moulds over the July 4th
weekend in 2003, I confidently predicted a one
year build time. |
Another early hurdle was the completion of the frames.
From that moment on, there was a boat-shaped something
in evidence. If I'd come to my senses before that
point, I could have quietly dismantled the project
and nobody would have known about it. Oh, I might
have had to dispose of some pesky witnesses, but it
was still a manageable number. After the frames were
assembled, only success or public failure remained
as options.
 |
Another early
hurdle was the completion of the frames. |
I hesitated on the next major step. Frankly, the
thought of rolling over something that large and heavy scared
me to death. That had concerned me from the moment
I lofted the moulds. It was a long and stressful day,
but it went more or less according to plan. We made
some impressive crashing sounds that prompted one
neighbor to come running to see if the crazy man down
the street had been crushed under his project.
 |
Frankly, the
thought of rolling over something that large and heavy scared
me to death. |
Decking was a significant act as well. Limitations
on space began to show up. She was no longer a large
canoe-or perhaps a planter gone wrong. It also meant
that her final shape became something other than a
matter of conjecture.
 |
Decking was a significant act as well. |
From a practical standpoint, dragging the hull out
of the workshop meant more working room
for things like hatch covers and spars. It also meant
that construction had gotten far enough along that
she was weatherproof-no small matter for a boat. Finally,
it was possible to step back and see the entire project
at once.
 |
From a practical
standpoint, dragging the hull out
of the workshop meant more working
room for things like hatch covers and spars. |
Four years. I learned patience. I learned a bit about
machine tools and metal work. Boy, did I learn about
epoxy! I spent very little time in the moaning chair.
I seldom had to re-make a broken or poorly- fitting
part. (no, I won't tell you how often) There were
times I'd go out to the workshop, stare at the monster
wedged into it, and ask myself whether insanity runs
in my family. My neighbors didn't have to ask. If
I'd known up front how long it would take, I might
not have started. The next one-if there is a next
one-won't be this large, and it won't take so long.
But I can say that big doesn't intimidate me any more.
|
