Backyard Pirate Ship - Day 16

Gooday mates!

sorry but not much to report this weekend. Did get everything out Saturday morning but there was a lot of traffic (people dropping by to see the ship) and it slowed things down quite a bit.  Then around lunchtime one of my cousins dropped by with his kids and they were headed to the beach so we decided to tag along.  It was something like 35 degrees with some pretty big waves out there so we ended up only getting home around supper.

On Sunday I didn't have much time either as we spend a good portion of the day with some farm related stuff.  I won't bore you with the gory details but let's just say some lives were lost, the freezer is little fuller and we ended up having turkey for dinner last night.  (and in my best Forrest Gump voice) That's all I got to say about that. 

Before I forget, there was an incident on Saturday that was a little concerning, it ended well but gave me pause.  You see with all the visitors coming and going around the ship, I couldn't keep track of everyone and at one point I could hear screams coming from the hold of the ship.  With my cat like reflexes, I was there in a second and this is what I found.

Yes, that's my neighbour Ron, who Mathieu decided to capture and hold for ransom.  Now while I didn't approve of real piracy, I am now getting my lawn mowed for free for the next two weeks so I guess it can be ok in certain cases.  I'll just have to keep a close eye and take it case by case I guess.  Ron was evetually released without any physical harm but the emotional scars of being bested by a 7 year old may haunt him for years to come.

Back to the ship, I'm at a point in the build where a lot of time is spent on areas where you have to look closely to really see any progression.  So I am now on doing trim work and I did get both the back door as well as the cabin door trimmed but I'm going to wait to install said doors to take pics.  Plan was to sleep in the ship this past weekend but no doors means that some critters might join us for a sleepover so we've postponed our plans to this upcoming long weekend.  So this coming weekend I should have lots of new pics so be sure to check in then.

Thanks for dropping by.

Backyard Pirate Ship - Day 15

Get ready for some pics, cause today was a good day at the shipyard.

Well, it was bound to happen, I am completely out of wood.  What you see here is what's left.

I'm getting a little ahead of myself.  I did start the day off with some wood, so let's go back to that.

Started the day by framing up the rest of the railings on the main deck as well as installed that front somewhat horizontal mast thingy.



Then Mathieu came out and although the brig isn't built yet, we had to put the first inmate in anyways, but unfortunately this poor soul is already past his expiration date.



Oh, and we had to install some of the props we found at the yard sale.



Those pullies will eventually be part of that back mast (crane) that he can pull supplies on to the ship with, but for today he just HAD to have them hooked up somewhere on the ship.

So once I was done framing railings (and out of 2X4s), I started to finish up with the pine boards.



And when I finally got to the back side of the ship, that's where I ran out of pine. 

 

Well almost, I did have a few 2ft pieces left to make the front hatch.

And to give you an idea of the size of this ship, here is a view from the bridge.



Out of pine, out of 2x4s, only substantial piece of lumber I had left was the top part of the main mast.

And it was high time I installed it. This was the second piece of rough 4x4 I had gotten so I got the electric hand planer out again.  Ran 2 passes on each side, then a pass on each corner.  Then the plan was to use a skillsaw (circular saw) to widdle down the 76 inches I needed to slide into the channel I had cut into the 6x6 main mast.  I was afraid that using that saw wouldn't be precise enough and I would end up with a crooked mast so I opted to take my time and shave down the 4x4 a but more with the planer.  I shaved about an 8th of an inch on each side for the length of the insert (76") and this gave me a width of 3 and a half inches.  Then I knew my channel was 2 inches deep, so at this point I used the circular saw to basically remove a 2X4 from the bottom of this mast.  The thing fit like a frickin glove! 



The thing is only fastened with about a dozen screws right now, but my neigbour has started making some metal components for me, two of which are 2 inch metal bands to secure the insert into the 6x6.

You know, when I started on the mast tonight I almost cut 2ft off of it because I thought it would be too high.  I decided to just install it and if it ended up being too tall I'd just cut the tip off of it later.  Really glad I didn't cut it because I think it looks just right.



And I was telling the wife tonight, I don't think I have ever built anything that is so level, so straight.  Here is a view from the front.  The masts line up so perfectly that the flag which is now hanging off the rear mast looks like it's off the main.  In fact, I can't even see the rear mast on this pic.



 So still not done, but getting there.  At some point in the very near future, now that this thing has settled on the base I laid out, I'm going to pour concret around two 4x4s in the ground and they'll be tied to the frame of the ship on the back side.  I know this thing is huge and probably won't budge, but I always over-build.  We get strong winds here and I'd like a bit of peace of mind knowing that this thing had some pilons 5ft in the ground. 

Next weekend I plan on working on some smaller stuff, like portholes and maybe some rigging on the masts.  Would like to get another door done too.

Till then, thanks for dropping by.

Backyard Pirate Ship - Day 14

Good evening all.

Didn't do any work on the ship today as we headed out to the giant yard sale in Sussex to scope out some pirate stuff, well things that could go with the ship at least.  Got a few things like old wooden pullies for some of the rigging and also an old looking (but newly made in India) lantern.

Also, last night when I got home I had received this e-mail:

              Please advise Cpt`n Mathieu that his arsenal is ready for shipment
and will be forwarded to him as soon as transport logistics can be arranged.

Respectfully yours,
P.A Theriault
Production Manager,
P.A.T. Arms Manufacturing
Ottawa,ON,Can


Attached to said e-mail, were these photos:

Suffice it to say that these are big frickin guns.  I haven't shown Mathieu these yet as I think we're going to keep them as a surprise.  I can't wait to see these on the deck of the... come to think of it, we need to find a name for this pirate ship.  Any ideas people???

Hoping to put a big day in tomorrow as Mathieu is headed to a bday party in the afternoon.

Feel free to drop by tomorrow.

Good night.

Backyard Pirate Ship - Day 13

Bonjour.

Wasn't planning on working at the shipyard today as we had planned a day at Fundy, but weather was not supposed to cooperate.  Wife and kid headed to one of her friends (a fellow hobby farmer) and I planned on taking a nice Sunday nap.  Couldn't doze off so I went out in the drizzle and started doing some chores around the farm.  Then the rain died down a bit so I broke out the tools.

As you can see, the threat of more rain was always present and it did pour quite a few times. An trust me, this photo does not do dark clouds justice.  I had to seek refuge in the ship once or twice. Temperature was around 26 degrees so the light rain was refreshing to work in though.  The sun even managed to poke through a few times but when it did the humidity and sun combined was stifling.  And when the rain stopped completely, squadrons of mosquitoes would dive in.  If it wasn't for my lightning fast reflexes, I could have easily lost a quart of blood today.

Building supplies store near our house was closed today and I didn't want to go to Moncton so I scavanged for the few pieces of 2x4 I needed to finish framing the railings on the bridge.  Then I covered the bottom part of the railings (top part will be some sort of patterned pieces). 

I now have only 3 boards left and a bunch of small 2 and 4 ft pieces.  I will have enough to finish the main deck railings, the doors and the hatch but for all the trim pieces, I think I'm going to need Doug or Brett to strap a small bundle to the roof of their car the next time they go up to Doaktown.

Back to work tomorrow so likely no update on the ship for th next few days.

So I guess this means, to be continued...

Backyard Pirate Ship - Day 99

Good evening all,

and no, you didn't miss 90 days of posts, I'm just exagerating and it just felt like day 99.

So, with my supplies dwindling, I tackled the port side (that's left for ya land luvers) of the hull.  Started by finishing the bow as with the bit of bending and twisting that needed to happen here, I wanted to use full boards.

Then I finished the back but once again, I tried to use as many scrap pieces as I could.  I did end up with a few seams but ended up with still a few full boards left.  I do believe I'll have enough pine to finish everything except maybe for some trim pieces.

Here is the view inside now that the hull is completely covered.  I haven't gotten around to making the hatch cover for that front hatch yet though.

So that was yesterday.  Today I woke up to grey skies and some drizzling rain.  Decided to chance it and I set up and got going on the railing around the bridge.  Mathieu is climbing up there more and more, on top of all the visitors we've been getting so I thought it would be good to get these up. 

Several times during the day it rained so hard that I ended up packing everything up and going back in the workshop.  Nice thing at this point in the project is that I have some things I can work on in the shop, for example portholes.  I'm cutting those out of 12 inch pine, then I'm going to route an indentation maybe a quarter of an inch wide on the inside of the circle and glue some plexiglass in there.

I've successfully cut most of the frames (circles) so the next step is to try and route just the right indentation in them and I also need to see if my rotary tool (multi max) can cut plexiglass, with the right bit of course.

It cleared up again so I set up again and went back to some railings.  Then it started to pour again and I made sure Mathieu wasn't around and I muttered something that sounds like "muck it" and packed everything up again.  Went back in the workshop and set up the tools in there, so while there was a downpour, I'd be making components so when it did clear up again I could quickly install the pieces I had prepped. 

At one point as I'm coming back to the ship with some parts, I see the captain playing with some rope and a few pieces of boards.

He must have seen something like this in one of his books.  He told me he is now ready to install some portholes and paint the ship.

So despite the crappy weather, I still got a few things done today.  No more putting a step ladder on the deck as the steps to the bridge our now in and just a few boards to go and I'll feel much better about Mathieu going up to the bridge.

With all the rain I also got to see how "waterproof" this ship is.  It was never my intention to make this watertight, but I did hope it would be somewhat impermeable.  What I discovered today is that the ship is too level, meaning the water does not roll off the ship in any direction.  The seams between the boards are so tight and water (swells up wood) makes it so that there's not much leakage there.  Where I do have some leakage is at the front of the ship where the deck has some boards butting ends.  Those joints are not tight enough and once this thing is painted (or stained), I think I'm going to caulk those joints.

We're still getting a steady stream of visitors (friends dropping by) and their kids.  The consensus is overwhelming, this is the ultimate kid's playhouse!  Mission accomplished...well almost I guess as there is still lots to do.

Calling for more crappy weather tomorrow so I may only get to work on some portholes and maybe start on some doors. 

Until then, thanks for dropping by.

Backyard Pirate Ship - interlude

Good morning all.

Just a quick note, I'm back at work this week so don't look for any new developments until sometime this coming weekend.

This week I'm only going to be gathering some supplies and unless you want to see pics of receipts and how I can fit 10ft 4X4s in my Civic, I'll skip the updates till I get some real work done.

Also, I appreciate you checking in and wanted to say that the comments function apparently does not work from certain workplaces.  I know you are able to comment from home though.

Thanks for dropping by.
André

Backyard Pirate Ship - Day 10 (I think)

I know, haven't posted an update in a few days but in my defense it was hot, so we hit the beach a few times, then i trained all day yesterday.

Anyways, really big day today so get ready for some pics.

So when we last tuned in, I believe I had started framing the cannon room.  So this morning I was out there at 7:30, finishing up the decking on top of the cannon room.  That deck will be the bridge.

And at one point this morning I got to pull out another tool I hadn't used yet, the table saw.

So to recap, I have now used practically every tool in my arsenal on this project.  Only the air tools have remained on the shelves and also some plumbing tools cause I sure am not putting running water in this thing.

I needed the table saw to rip my boards at an angle to finish the top of the hull.

Also, at one point today I had to relax and go spend a few hours weeding the garden.  Doesn't it look nice.

In all honesty, this is all the wife's work.  I have provided some technical support but 99% of this is her handy work and with the summer we're having, veggies are already coming in and we now have more than we can eat.

Remaining on the farm for a sec, we have had some new arrivals.  We have had 9 quails that have hatched.  I've never had them but I'm hoping they taste like partridge.  We also have a new bunny named Potter, which Cooper is obsessed with.  He can stare at it for hours and it is hilarious.

Ok, so back to the ship.  After framing the cannon chamber, I started looking at my supplies and noticed that I was starting to run low on pine boards.  So for the back of the ship, I started dipping into my scrap board pile.

I used a lot of the bits an pieces and managed to finish the rear of the boat without dipping into what was left of my full board pile.

So I then continued with this side of the boat and finished boarding up this cannon room.

Mathieu had a friend over so I asked them to go to the bridge so I could take a pic.

So my son is apprently fearless (or suicidal) and his buddy was hanging on to dear life.  Right now I'm still debating on if I'm going to put railings around the bridge or just buy parachutes or those winged jumpsuits that they could glide back down to the ground with.  I'm going to sleep on this.

I then wanted to finish up another part of the structure so I went to the small mast.  Now I had to run around to a few building supplies places on Tuesday and apparently nobody carries 4X4 in 16ft lengths.  I ended up going to a small sawmill nearby and they did have them but they were rough (not planed).  I got them anyways and with 2 passes with my elec. hand planer on each side, I got the thing to a nice finish.  I even turned the planer to a 45 degree angle on the corners and rounded them up.

So put the rear mast in.  Technically it really isn't going to be a mast as it won't have a sail, rather it's going to have a yard arm (I think that's the right term) that will swivel at the top, have 2 pullies and Mathieu will have a crane to bring supplies onboard before he heads out to sea. 

Now this mast goes down to the bottom of the hold as well and will serve as the corner to 2 walls.  One wall which you can see the bottom plate of will seperate the front of the hold from the back entrance.  It's also going to provide me with some structural reinforcement at mid-ship.  Then I'm also going to frame a wall and small door between this mast and the ladder, and voila! Mathieu has his brig.

Now back up top, I started on some railings, starting from the entry way going into the cannon room.

I'm using boards up to the middle of the railing then the top part will be patterned individual pieces of pine, to add a bit of style.  That 3ft void is where he'll have a cargo net type of ladder to climb on board.

Seeing that I was almost out of screws again, I decided to tackle the other side of the ship and try and get the most out of my day.

Then I ran out of screws...again, so Mathieu and I did a really good site clean up.  I also took down the  rear ladder and trimmed it to give it a bit more angle, it is now kid approved.  Really happy with everything that I got done today.  Another day like this and we'll be down to finish work and props.

Also spoke to the armorer (grandpa), and he was working feverishly on completing two cannons.  Grandpa sounded bored so I upped the order to three cannons, 2 for the cannon room and one for the main deck.

Tomorrow morning we leave for a little road trip (actually it's a workday for me).  I'm going to visit a few railway and trucking guys up north so I won't be reporting much from the shipyard for a few days.

So until my next update, thanks for dropping by.