Nearing the End

On December 22, 2006 I entered the following to introduce myself at the Passagemaker Dinghy Builder's Forum:

"Well, I have officially joined the ranks. I just ordered a PMD with the sail kit. I also ordered a trailer from Harbor Freight and a trailer hitch/wiring kit. I've read these postings over and over and over again and I have to build one of these. I'm a physics/math teacher with 30 years experience from Grand Rapids, MI. I love to work with my hands, I grew up with boats, and, when I saw the kind of results you could obtain with one of these kits by visiting a guy in Holland, MI, I just couldn't resist. Unfortunately I'm a little (OK, a LOT...) obsessive compulsive. While the motto at CLC is that aircraft tolerances are not required my motto is why should I settle for aircraft tolerances? Yeah, my dad was a tool and die maker. I may get over it or it may take me two years to build the boat, but I can't wait to get started. My daughter lives near Baltimore so I intend to visit CLC in Annapolis this spring. Whether there, in Michigan, or online I hope to meet up with some of you."

"it may take me two years to build the boat" - part of me was kidding and the other part of me was being honest. In one respect it has indeed been two years - at leasty it has involved two summers. On the other hand, the weather in Michigan doesn't provide temperatures and weather that are conducive to a long garage-based building season. On the other hand, (apparently I have three hands!) there are stretches when you just don't feel like using the three thousandth piece of sandpaper while breathing through a respirator and sweating profusely.

On Wednesday Woodstock will have her maiden voyage if weather permits. The inside still needs to be lightly sanded once more and the final coat of varnish needs to be applied. Then there's just a few fittings to be mounted, a name and registrations numbers to be applied, and a couple knots to be learned.

I had occasion to go back over this blog and I was profoundly struck by how much of a project this has been. Most of it was immensely enjoyable but fillets, varnish, and primer were NOT. The combination of geometry, physics, woodworking, design, procurement, and ingenuity involved in this project fit me to a tee. In these final days I have also been struck by how narrowly focused I have been with each task as it came along whereas now that the boat is nearing completion I have more of a realization just how cool this boat is and how close the finished product is to what I envisioned at the outset. Up until now it's been like the old saying where you can't see the forest for the trees. Well I'm starting to enjoy the view of the forest, I just need a lake to complete the picture.

The final cost is about $5600. I originally thought I would spend about $3600. It strikes me that my cost estimates were off by about the same amount as my time estimates.

Can't wait for Wednesday!