A Few Morning Notes....

....while I'm sitting here sipping my tea and working up the ambition to tie into wall building.

This has been quite a project, in some ways easier and in some much more difficult than I'd imagined.  Here's some of what I've learned so far:

When you're building something new.....and I know this from the theatre as well.....the design is plastic.  You'll make constant revisions and changes as you go along, and that's okay.  You also may begin thinking you know how you'll build something only to discover your knowledge wasn't nearly detailed enough.  For my part, I've gotten up in the middle of the night countless times to sketch and re-sketch parts of the boat.  That's not failure, that's progress, and you should be prepared for it.

A few minor things have made a huge difference in what has been, up to now, largely a one man build:

1) get some decent freaking shoes.  I spent the first few weeks of this thing with my back killing me because I was wearing shoes I considered expendable to the workesite.  I finally gave up on them, bit the bullet, got some decent Doc Martin's, and the pain went away even though the workload increased.

2) a pair of mechanic's gloves will save your hands a lot of battering.  These are lightweight leather, intended to protect against splinters and abrasion but still supple.  Most big box lumber stores carry them.  My hands have already taken a beating from previous injuries and (once I got the splint off at the beginning of this build) the gloves have really helped.

3) a decent toolbag for your power tools will make ending the day ever so much more pleasant, especially if you have to go to and from an unsecured worksite.  My day used to begin and end with numerous trips to and fro, carrying drills, bits, cords, saws, rulers........at the end of the day it was freaking agony as I was more than ready to be done, sit down, have a glass of wine and about nine aspirin (just kidding about there only being one glass of wine...oh, I mean about all that aspirin).  I destroyed a  half dozen supermarket bags trying to use them to haul stuff.  More trouble than it was worth.  Then I saw a heavy canvas bag on sale while I was shopping for lumber.  Now I make one trip down, one trip up at the end of the day.  Nuff said.

4)  this is gonna sound dumb, but work when you're ready to work.  Mornings are not my thing.  I wake up slowly and vaguely confused and have since childhood.  Tearing into work on a project like this when you're not awake will leave you frustrated, exhausted, angry, and possibly injured (bosses take note).  Get up, wake up, have a decent breakfast. Work when it's time.  Quit when it's time.  If you listen to your body, you'll know.

So today I begin framing the walls.  I'll post pictures this evening, so stop by.  I'm thinking, looking at weather, that it's walls and framing this week, I work my job over the weekend, then the roof membrane and sides go on and the boat will be enclosed and boatlike.

stay tuned

M