Number One Done

The Hand Plane is essentially done. I won't seal it until the kickboard is finished.

Back to Work

Not "work" as in "bringing home the bacon", but work as in labor of love -

Here are the kickboard and the handplane templated out.

A bit on the unconventional side and not as aesthetically pleasing as they could be, but ultimately paying tribute to the ubiquitous lunch tray and the simmons plan shape.

Lindsay Lord Two-Handed Plane

As I am writing, the snow is coming down and we are enjoying a slow Saturday at home. I looked at the weather forecasts last night and started to recalibrate any plans for going flyfishing at Kent Narrows, bike riding or other temperature/weather dependent activities. Before settling in, I brought in the back half of the paulownia alaia from the garage. If you recall, I took the front half and made it into a blunt-nosed paipo earlier in the summer - now it's time to work the back half. The first 14-16" is going to be a contemporary hand plane - lots of surface area for guaranteed stoke in crappy East Coast surf. Right now I'm thinking 8" wide, but that will work itself out with the plan shape. The remaining 30" is going to be a 0.4 length to width ratio belly board (smaller than a paipo) equipped with handles. There has been a lot of buzz lately about Lindsay Lord's naval architecture book and the EPS foam boards that have come of it and this chunk of paulownia is going to pretty close to the final shape - blunt nose, fairly straight parallel rails and with a 12" width, plenty of surface area to get on a plane fairly quickly. I'm going with three handles (at least right now), one up front that would work for the right or left hand, and one on each side of the back half of the board for the trailing hand (determined by the direction of travel - turn right and the left hand is the trailer - we'll see when it's time to op test it).

NHM - Looks like an ancient tarpon to me

With winter officially here, and our fixed position still not having moved any closer to the Atlantic (darn the slow plate tectonics), I haven't been doing much of anything related to the water. If you are out there paying attention, please accept my apologies. I've got a foam handplane and another paulownia paipo in the works so I'll be more blog 'chatty' soon.

Anyhow... sharks have been around for a while. Looks like tarpon have been too. Marlon and I watched a documentary on fossilized sea animals and they focused in on a Xiphactinus - another 'tarpon' like fish. This isn't one of those, but adds more to the argument "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Merry Christmas - Happy Hanukah - Great Kwanza from the Mosasaur at the NHM!!!

Vehicular and Wave Riding Isomorphism

What a title huh? So isomorphism is a capability developing independently in different organisms not linked. The classic example is flight developing in birds, pterosaurs and bats - all can fly, but none are directly related and they are each different. Well, this isn't exactly like that, but it is close. The first pictures are of an old friend and classmate of mine - Greg Wong. We studied at UH Manoa together taking graduate Ocean Engineering classes. We also surfed and played ukuleles. Anyways - after 12 years, he drives a Surf Taco and boogie boards with his daughter and I have a Surf Taco and boogie board with my kids - different oceans and continents, but similar developments. Ok - this is a horrible analogy/comparison/whatever - I'm just glad to see one of us still enjoying the 'aina!!! Surf one for me Greg!!!

Kayak Rigging on an Overcast Day

We took the weekend off and just cleaned up the house and moved some projects forward. The day over here in the Northern Virginia area started out gray and dreary, but it got sunny and warm enough to lure me out to do some work on the kayak - then it got dreary and cold again for the majority of the time I was outside. Anyways - I installed three of the nine Yak Attack plates/attachment points I bought in the recent few weeks. The rear point is a Mighty Mount and will eventually be the light/flag mounting point. The other two I placed today are just aft of the chair on the gunnels - 4 inch GT 175 plates - for rear trolling points in single seat configuration. I tested the mounting plates with 1.5 inch mounting balls and a "rocket launcher" rod holder. I might stick another two Mighty Mounts just forward of the factory installed flush mounts so I can use those points to troll if I have the kayak set up for tandem. When I get another day to work the drill, I'll mount the 8 inch GT 175 plates midway up the gunnel and a pair of GT90 4 inch plates up forward so the kids have spots for their rods (and I'll have a spot to mount a rearward looking camera).