The shop is finally functional, not pretty, but functional. The desire to make it look like a boat shop trumped the need to get it ascetically acceptable. So, I broke open the boxes with the Petrel forms and assembled the "skeleton" of the boat. Finally, we have a boat shop.
First the set back. My hand has been feeling pretty good lately. It still reminds me that it is not completely healed, but all in all not bad. So, I was feeling pretty good about myself heading to the doctor. The x-ray showed a definite improvement, but was a much more revealing view of what happened. The fracture was not a pretty one, and it was not ready to be released. So, after a stern warning from the doc, the splint went back on for three more weeks. No paddling until mid May.
Now for the good stuff. LOTS of progress in the past ten days. While I have been creating an extraordinary amount of sawdust at the shop, my partner and girlfriend has been working equally as hard on the web stuff. The logo is done and that has opened the door for progress on many other fronts. My Kayak Addict Facebook page has received an overhaul and the website is now live. There is a lot of work to do to fill it with content, like building two prototypes, but we are making progress. It is amazing how much work is involved in making this dream happen and it is not a one person job. I am truly thankful for the support from Jayme in making this whole thing happen.
Like I said before, I've been making a lot of saw dust. I'm up to five gallons that I've been able to capture. Fortunately, I have a good cross breeze in the shop and a sizable amount has blown out the door as well. The source of all that dust is the part that brings a smile to my face, The Petrel Play. I received the forms diagrams from Nick last weekend. I couldn't wait to get them printed full size. Once printed, the real fun began. I constructed a box beam and spacers. The forms patterns were cut out and pasted to some 1/2" plywood. For the next three hours I rough cut, finish cut and finish sanded the forms to their final shape. I've been anxiously waiting to see this boat ever since I heard of the drawings existence, a little over a year ago. Now The forms were laying on my bench ready to be assembled. After finding a few self inflicted glitches, the forms went together without a hitch. It was actually happening, the Play is real, and it looks awesome!
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| The front view of the new Petrel Play |
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| Got Rocker? The rounder version still retains the hallmark hard chined rear section |
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| Rear view |
One promise I made to myself when the shop became a real possibility, was to always build when I am "present". What I mean by that, is I will always be in the moment while building. To produce the best possible product, I need to be solely focused on the task at hand. I need to be in the zone from the moment I unlock the door. I have been able to find my zone and focus has been much easier to achieve. In a recent conversation about small business, it was said that a small business is a reflection of the owner and his or her personalities. By staying focused and present, my customers will get my best work. This sometimes means, taking a few steps back to get it right.
What's next? The stripping process will begin on both boats. There's 2,000 feet of cedar strips hiding under the bench that will make up the skin of the two boats. After they have been sanded fair, a coating of fiberglass will be applied and then final surface fairing will begin. Once satisfied with the results, I'll buff them to perfection and the molding process can start.
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