Friday, February 4, 2011

starting the brightwork

Well, if you have a very little brain, varnishing can seem like a change of pace from painting. So, this is the first coat on the brightwork, even though I haven't finished painting. And for a complete change of pace, I'm making the tiller extension, possibly as avoidance behavior because business is picking up and I feel some slight rise in pressure. The cleats happened because there were plenty of things I should have been doing instead. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get anything done when I retire, because that pressure to do the right thing won't be there....(this was the sort of mind that sometimes needed the pressure of a deadline to get excited about an assignment when I was studying)

Sometimes it is nice to have an imperative to give energy to a parallel, totally unrelated dreamscape.

12 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "perfection is possible but the cost is infinite" a monk friend of mine told me it. Under pressure or not this is a real good job.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i love the profoundness of the statement above..nice one.......I agree with LA MAR this is impressive craftsmanship

    Steve

    ReplyDelete
  4. Boat Building for me is a hobby, taken up originally as an antidote to the pressures of work, so my boats are built to lifelines rather than deadlines. Now that I've retired I seem to have less time for boat building than I did before. I haven't worked that one out yet.

    She's Looking Great.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice work. When I built my boat my deadline was to launch on my 40th birthday. My current build, a canoe, is a lot more relaxing without a deadline but it will be cloggong up my workshop for a long time. I tend to use my self imposed deadlines to understand what standards I need to compromose. Thats why I dont have a varnished sheerstrake.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm in no hurry though 'Pablo', deadlines for me only apply to work I do for other people!
    I'm happily watching your canoe progress (I can't see a facility for commenting on your blog though)...I have a set of plans for a kayak somewhere- my son is interested in me digging them out....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Serious case of boat envy developing at this end, she is looking terrific.

    Deadlines well I'm so relaxed about my build the next job will be to clean off the cobwebs!
    Cheers
    Mike

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nice to hear from you Mike- yes but you have Herreschoff cob-webs...

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am in the throes of varnishing my topsides, using International Goldspar. I am also having a terrible time with it - the stuff won't set hard even after weeks in the sun. I can still stick a thumbnail into it and peel it off. I'm almost off my trolley with frustration.

    Still enjoying your build, btw :). At least some people can build boats properly...

    Cheers from the alex.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cheers Alex, don't fall off the trolley yet, try Norglass marine varnish. It isn't as yellow as Goldspar, but it comes in several grades of hardness and gloss, and dries dependably within hours. Despite the label, I also find it gives a good even finish with a foam roller, so I spend less time cutting back.
    Good to hear from you.

    ReplyDelete