412 replies to this topic

[Steam Flyer]

... ...
... we were having all this stuff laser cut anyway.. What the heck, lets have fun, design something cool and slip it in with the rest. We made up a bunch of 'em.

...

It's an ongoing pleasure to see stuff really done right.

FB- Doug

[jim lee]

One question though. Is it not risky having the instrument sender through hull fitting below the electrical panel ? Even with a dry sailed boat and the water flaps in the through hull there could still be water getting in.

Well the thinking was that, like you said it is a dry sailed boat. So there's no real worries about pulling the machine out to do work on the through hull. Sealed up correctly, thru hulls don't leak. If the thru hull is leaking, pull the boat and fix it.

Stem Flyer : Thanks! We're tryin'.

-jim lee

[jim lee]

Another challenge. Mark told us that he wanted to be able to run a dehumidifier while at the dock. He informed us that this is done with the boat sealed up. We live in a completely different climate so we'd never thought about something like this.

The first thought was that we needed to put a standard 30A shore power system into his Dart. That would be heavy, expensive and complicated. No one wanted to do that.

Here's the solution. Put the stadard 30A receptical into a 6" deck plate. There's already a deck plate mounted in the Dart's cabin top for lifting the keel.

Want to run the dehumidifier? Swap in the shore power plug, want to go sailing? Swap in the clear cover plate. Simple!

-jim lee

[hobot]

Smart Plug or Marinco outlet?

[jim lee]

That one's Marinco 30A.

Here's where the idea came from.




This is a solar vent adapted to the same deck plate. Its used as a storage vent for Dart #1. Want a vent? Swap it in. No holes drilled in boat.

-jim lee

[tekton]

The more brilliant this boat gets, the more I want one.

Fuckin' aye, there's $56K worth of dedication in this boat.

I'll honor that.

Way to go, Gentlemen.

[Hitchhiker]

One question though. Is it not risky having the instrument sender through hull fitting below the electrical panel ? Even with a dry sailed boat and the water flaps in the through hull there could still be water getting in.

Well the thinking was that, like you said it is a dry sailed boat. So there's no real worries about pulling the machine out to do work on the through hull. Sealed up correctly, thru hulls don't leak. If the thru hull is leaking, pull the boat and fix it.

Stem Flyer : Thanks! We're tryin'.

-jim lee

Cool. I was thinking more about someone trying to service it for whatever reason during a sail. You know, Murphy's law of the sea and all that.

[Hitchhiker]

Another challenge. Mark told us that he wanted to be able to run a dehumidifier while at the dock. He informed us that this is done with the boat sealed up. We live in a completely different climate so we'd never thought about something like this.

The first thought was that we needed to put a standard 30A shore power system into his Dart. That would be heavy, expensive and complicated. No one wanted to do that.

Here's the solution. Put the stadard 30A receptical into a 6" deck plate. There's already a deck plate mounted in the Dart's cabin top for lifting the keel.

Want to run the dehumidifier? Swap in the shore power plug, want to go sailing? Swap in the clear cover plate. Simple!

-jim lee

Nice one. Although, I hope the owner won't be relying on the dock side breaker to trip in an overload sitch. I dual pole breaker on the inside of that cap would be cheap insurance.

[Windward]

Wont that fitting fill up with water when it's plugged in?

[jim lee]

Ok, lets look at this from another angle.



I'd like to run a dehumidifier in my little trailer sailer that has no shore power. How about I use one of these to plug my dehumidifier into the shore power cord on the dock?

-jim lee

[hobot]

+1 on the horizontal outlet getting water in it while plugged in.

What about a simple vinyl dorade? Push the extension cord and cover the whole thing with a canvas sock akin to a winch cover.

[Willy T]

That cap looks waterproof. Id assume the plug stays on the same way as the cap.

[Hitchhiker]

Ok, lets look at this from another angle.



I'd like to run a dehumidifier in my little trailer sailer that has no shore power. How about I use one of these to plug my dehumidifier into the shore power cord on the dock?

-jim lee

In theory it ought to work, as this plug only adapts a domestic three pin plug to a marinized three pin plug. In practice the issue is whether the curcuit breaker at the dock box is able to "see" the power overload to trip, if the dehumidifier does something wrong,....... like lock up the fan motor.

BTW, I generally only get called after the boats have burned down. Not before

Or Sunk, or maimed or.. well you get the picture.

[jim lee]

Well ok, I'll chew on it.

-jim lee

[RobertMw]

Jim, look at this item,
MARINCO
15A Battery Charger Inlet

[Windward]

Well ok, I'll chew on it.

-jim lee

I think hobot was onto a decent idea... a 90 degree dorade cowl like solution would work. Marine inlet on the outside, normal 110 on the inside.

Mock up a snazzy fiberglass power pod that you could sell separately to others as well!

I see West Marine ordering 1000's of AnarchyDart Power-pylons from you in the future.

Ooo! Do it in carbon fiber!

[jim lee]

Jim, look at this item, MARINCO15A Battery Charger Inlet

This is actually what we use now for the charger. Until Mark ordered Dart #3, the charger was the only AC piece of equipment on the boat. See the top left corner there. We even make a custom aluminum 45deg bracket to mount it. So slick, you never even noticed it.

I'm not seeing the dorade idea. When I read the posts, I see a dorade with an extension cord hanging out of it with a rag jammed in there as well. I gotta' be missing something here..

-jim lee

[jim lee]

Replying to my own posts.. how sad.

Anyway an update.



More trailer cradles. Getting the trailer built is absorbing a large percentage of our resources. We all want it to just be done.



Next step in wiring.

Remember we installed the battery and electronic panels just in front of the keel? You can see the battery box peeking out on the left there. Well, the wires that come from these plates have to go somewhere and they end up going into what we call the wireways.

The wireways are plates that mount next to the main bulkhead, you can see them in the picture here. When the boat's complete they are hidden behind the side panels.



Starboard side wireway. This is where the switch panel will end up being mounted. Power comes up from the main breaker to the power post. From here it will go to the switch panel (Not shown) to feed all the boat's curcuits.

The terminal block is where all this ends up being connected. The ground buss is just a handy place to collect ground wires. The wires going up feed navigation light and electronics power into the deck.



On the port side? We bring Cabin lights, Nav. lights & electronics over here as well. The cabin lights are used, but the rest are there in case Mr owner wants to add some equipment that we didn't think of.

That's it for now.

-jim lee

[See LEVEL]

Have you looked at Hubble Electric inlets, housing is plastic, saves weight. I think a small shore power system would be good, 1 or 2 gfl outlets. Your already installing an a.c. appliance, the battery charger. So you have to do all of your electrical install to ABYC standards.

[hobot]

Jim, look at this item, MARINCO15A Battery Charger Inlet

This is actually what we use now for the charger. Until Mark ordered Dart #3, the charger was the only AC piece of equipment on the boat. See the top left corner there. We even make a custom aluminum 45deg bracket to mount it. So slick, you never even noticed it.

I'm not seeing the dorade idea. When I read the posts, I see a dorade with an extension cord hanging out of it with a rag jammed in there as well. I gotta' be missing something here..

-jim lee

It'll definately look like an afterthought that's for sure but a horizontal female versus vertical electrical outlet in the rain?....pass.
Winward's right, make something cool in carbon that works with that deck plate ring (then start selling them!)

The through hole....is it the speedo? isn't there a bit of a geyser when changing the plug out?

[xyzzy]

Ok, lets look at this from another angle.
I'd like to run a dehumidifier in my little trailer sailer that has no shore power. How about I use one of these to plug my dehumidifier into the shore power cord on the dock?

Nothing wrong with extension cords and power bars either. But your not allowed to stick them inside the walls of a house. I'd look at what the ABYC regs are for that shore power inlet with no breaker. You certainly couldn't do it if it was permanently mounted in the boat, but maybe if it's a removable item that fits in a vent it's ok.

I think that power adapter might technically not be allowed at my marina. I know they will ticket if they see an adapter like that which is connected to a normal 15A extension cord leading to the boat. Certainly there are plenty of boats who run a 30A shore power cord into their boat and then put an adapter on it, inside the boat where the marina can't see it. I used to before I put a real shore power system in my boat. I'm not sure if it's against the rules or not.

[triciarob]

It is so nice to see a boat build where the builder is not only using high standards of workmanship but is also thinking of "How can I make this better ?" As opposed to "How can I make this cheaper ?"

I have always believed that there is a market for quality, no matter what size of boat you are talking about. Building a reputation for that quality is the hard part and this thread ( in a small way ) is helping you to do that. Of course then you have to convince the masses to share your vision, but I never said it was a large market !

I sincerely hope everything works out in your endevours

Best wishes

Rob

[hobot]

Agreed, definately a very cool project.

[jim lee]

Lots of things being started and not a lot getting completed. I guess its all about man hours. But, it would be nice to knock some more things off the list.

The trailer is getting scarier and scarier because the people that build the frame are really busy and want to drag out schedules. Still have no mast. I do have promises. Anyway, we go blindly forward with our part hoping for the best and doing a lot of phone calls to vendors.

Here's some of the things we've been working on..


ICE CHESTS : This is what we find using ice chests as handy companionway step ladders. Igloo ice chests last about 2 weeks and collapse. Coleman ones last maybe 4 weeks. We needed to add something to spread the load.

Here's Tim setting up to infuse an ice chest top.



Shooting the part.



Vola! Composite ice chest lid with cherry & maple veneer inside the glass. Now we have an ice chest that matches the interior of the boat and won't collapse.



Remember some time ago we showed this picture of shooting a composite part using wood veneer as gelcoat?



Here art the "wood" parts we shot. Attaching veneer with contact cement is all fine and good. But this boat's going to where its hotter n' all get out. They tell me that contact cement doesn't always hold up in the heat. So, by infusing the entire thing together we get around problems like this.

[jim lee]

Steve trims the raw parts and makes up the trim pieces. Steve's worked here before doing most of the interior tooling for this project. He also developed these side panels. His "day job" is over at San Juan Composites, but seeing things are slow, I "borrowed him" back for a few things.



Trim bits getting pre-varnished.



Assembly of all the trim pieces.




Test fitting. There is a rear mount that needs to be attached to the hull before these can be permanently installed. But at least the "wood" panel is complete.

Hoping to start deck hardware soon.

-jim lee

[StayinStrewn]

why not just use a Yeti cooler...those are supposed to be the best and super strong

[RumLine]

why not just use a Yeti cooler...those are supposed to be the best and super strong

I agree on the strength, but I would imagine they're also pretty heavy. It seems like Jim has found a good compromise and a classy looking cooler, although I would have gone with white instead of blue.

[Winever]

Another challenge. Mark told us that he wanted to be able to run a dehumidifier while at the dock. He informed us that this is done with the boat sealed up. We live in a completely different climate so we'd never thought about something like this.

The first thought was that we needed to put a standard 30A shore power system into his Dart. That would be heavy, expensive and complicated. No one wanted to do that.

Here's the solution. Put the stadard 30A receptical into a 6" deck plate. There's already a deck plate mounted in the Dart's cabin top for lifting the keel.

Want to run the dehumidifier? Swap in the shore power plug, want to go sailing? Swap in the clear cover plate. Simple!

-jim lee

Hatchboard, mount it on the hatch board.

Win ever.

[jim lee]

Actually, we have new idea about this power plug deal. But its going to take some time for us to cook it up.

Looked into the Yeti coolers. Wrong sizes, and they are heavy. On the coleman ones, we can't get white in the size we need, only blue or red. So, when someone wants a red or orange cove stripe they get red cooler. If one wants a blue or green cove stripe, blue cooler. If you don't order the wood trim package, the top's white.

-jim lee

[Badda Bing!]

Greetings Anarchists! Hull #3 buyer here. Wanted to chime in and share what is happening down in cajun land in preparation for the next "Sapphire".

First, a racing upgrade:



Second, a custom made hoist as an add-on to my existing boat house/dock:


This is NOT the actual hoist for the Dart, just an image to illustrate the concept. Our hoist was engineered for the hull shape and weight of the Dart. The keel bunk shown here will be replaced with a Dart trailer keel tray provided by Jim and his team. The hull bunks shown here are on end. Ours will be mounted with wide side up, helping the bunks conform to hull shape. We engineered the hoist to displace weight between the keel and hull in an effort to retain integrity of both, lifting keel housing and hull. The fourpost hoist will be wrapped with a nice step-down slip, decked with composite material. Construction is underway. The hoist will be here in a week or so. I will post some pix when available.

Third, we asked that Jim not install the downhaul and twing system and allow us to handle that task locally. My idea is to simplify jibing by taking the J22 "Twing-Downhaul" approach. This will allow for faster jibes during windward-leeward races. We'll still have a downhaul system for reaching situations.

Next, we are having some very nice black Naugahide lifeline cushions made for the lifeline sections forward of the helm section. http://www.kinder-in...line-covers.jpg.

Lastly, we're breaking away from the traditional, distinguished yachting image and going with professional style Grand Prix crew apparel for the Dart. Why? Corporate sponsors like it, and, the Dart is FAST!

Other considerations:

• Carbon Spar/Boom - not worth the costs when considering weight difference is negligible. Also keeps the PHRF wolves at bay.
• Flat Deck Racing Furler - not worth the expense, heavier alternative, and very tempermental for trailerable boats (continuous rigging, de-rigging).
• Magneto Silent Drive System - Pentagon said no, and it's illegal (but had to mention it nonetheless because I know who is reading this!).

Thoughts? Ideas?

Badda Bing!

[Raked aft \\]

Greetings Anarchists! Hull #3 buyer here. Wanted to chime in and share what is happening down in cajun land in preparation for the next "Sapphire".

First, a racing upgrade:



Second, a custom made hoist as an add-on to my existing boat house/dock:


This is NOT the actual hoist for the Dart, just an image to illustrate the concept. Our hoist was engineered for the hull shape and weight of the Dart. The keel bunk shown here will be replaced with a Dart trailer keel tray provided by Jim and his team. The hull bunks shown here are on end. Ours will be mounted with wide side up, helping the bunks conform to hull shape. We engineered the hoist to displace weight between the keel and hull in an effort to retain integrity of both, lifting keel housing and hull. The fourpost hoist will be wrapped with a nice step-down slip, decked with composite material. Construction is underway. The hoist will be here in a week or so. I will post some pix when available.

Third, we asked that Jim not install the downhaul and twing system and allow us to handle that task locally. My idea is to simplify jibing by taking the J22 "Twing-Downhaul" approach. This will allow for faster jibes during windward-leeward races. We'll still have a downhaul system for reaching situations.

Next, we are having some very nice black Naugahide lifeline cushions made for the lifeline sections forward of the helm section. http://www.kinder-in...line-covers.jpg.

Lastly, we're breaking away from the traditional, distinguished yachting image and going with professional style Grand Prix crew apparel for the Dart. Why? Corporate sponsors like it, and, the Dart is FAST!

Other considerations:

• Carbon Spar/Boom - not worth the costs when considering weight difference is negligible. Also keeps the PHRF wolves at bay.
• Flat Deck Racing Furler - not worth the expense, heavier alternative, and very tempermental for trailerable boats (continuous rigging, de-rigging).
• Magneto Silent Drive System - Pentagon said no, and it's illegal (but had to mention it nonetheless because I know who is reading this!).

Thoughts? Ideas?

Badda Bing!

Congrats Bing!

The boat looks sweet!! and well built

I would definitely discuss w Jim the option of molded in cup holders in the cockpit! 4 minimum!


The LS 10 revamped cockpit w beerholders molded in, they also drain.

Not sure what your plan is for the downhaul, but my suggestion would be to make sure it contacts the deck at the mast.
there's no better way to keep constant pressure on it and be able to have the guy trimmer have unlimited range to play the guy without fucking w the downhaul.

Send in some pics when you make your mods.

have fun!!

[Varan]

why not just use a Yeti cooler...those are supposed to be the best and super strong

I agree on the strength, but I would imagine they're also pretty heavy. It seems like Jim has found a good compromise and a classy looking cooler, although I would have gone with white instead of blue.

My money is on the bear.

[casc27]

I think the hatchboard idea for the power pass-through has merit. All you would need is a half-bowl type cover over the top to keep the water out.

As for the cooler, maybe something like this? (Too heavy I am sure. But it works great.)  sc27_cooler1.jpg   100.21K   10 downloads


+1 on the cup holders (I want some!).

[hobot]

Cup holders for sure....wonder why they are so rare?

[RumLine]

Cup holders for sure....wonder why they are so rare?

A real sailor doesn't put his beer down

[jim lee]

Window install..


Steve doing the Dart window install. First step, not shown, is a lot of fine trimming to get the windows to fit exactly right. Then there's another step where the backing paper is cut to the exact measurements and black stuff is painted on.. Very precise, takes a lot of time and almost no room for error.

This is nearing the end when the windows are actually installed.


Neat trick the boat builders use. Clamps, hot-melt glued to masking tape. Never in a million years would I have come up with this. I wonder who did?



Now that the window is mushed down into its bedding/adhesive, Steve goes around the inside shaping the inner bead.



Inner bead all shaped.



Window's installed. They look great!

The black rimmed windows ended up being sort of a trademark look for the Darts. They came about completely by accident.

The original idea was sort of an art deco/steam punk, thick green glass bolted in with white gaskets thing. Luckily this idea never saw the light of day. While working on this misguided plan we found that white gasket material was hard to come by. So, we grabbed some black gasket to keep things moving. When we set in a window with the black gasket we were all, "Hey, that looks nice!" Later when the white gasket material showed up, we were all. "That looks terrible!" Then Jim Betts looked at what we were doing and told us to.. "Stop screwing around and glue the stupid windows in!"

Black adhesive looks wonderful!

Cup holders, we actually have cloth ones strapped to the stanchions on Dart #1. I always thought the ones on Bill Lee's boats were a pretty cool idea. But I can't do -everything-.

-jim lee

[hobot]

Window install..


Steve doing the Dart window install. First step, not shown, is a lot of fine trimming to get the windows to fit exactly right. Then there's another step where the backing paper is cut to the exact measurements and black stuff is painted on.. Very precise, takes a lot of time and almost no room for error.

This is nearing the end when the windows are actually installed.


Neat trick the boat builders use. Clamps, hot-melt glued to masking tape. Never in a million years would I have come up with this. I wonder who did?



Now that the window is mushed down into its bedding/adhesive, Steve goes around the inside shaping the inner bead.



Inner bead all shaped.



Window's installed. They look great!

The black rimmed windows ended up being sort of a trademark look for the Darts. They came about completely by accident.

The original idea was sort of an art deco/steam punk, thick green glass bolted in with white gaskets thing. Luckily this idea never saw the light of day. While working on this misguided plan we found that white gasket material was hard to come by. So, we grabbed some black gasket to keep things moving. When we set in a window with the black gasket we were all, "Hey, that looks nice!" Later when the white gasket material showed up, we were all. "That looks terrible!" Then Jim Betts looked at what we were doing and told us to.. "Stop screwing around and glue the stupid windows in!"

Black adhesive looks wonderful!

Cup holders, we actually have cloth ones strapped to the stanchions on Dart #1. I always thought the ones on Bill Lee's boats were a pretty cool idea. But I can't do - everything, yet -.

-jim lee

Fixed

[casc27]

Cup holders, we actually have cloth ones strapped to the stanchions on Dart #1. I always thought the ones on Bill Lee's boats were a pretty cool idea. But I can't do -everything-.

-jim lee

Judging from what I've seen in this thread, Jim you had me fooled. Sure looks like you guys can do just about everything.

[Timmys_Trick_Turkey]

True, as can anyone, but at what overhead and labour cost ??

[Mojounwin]

Forget changing the deck, this is what you need.


They keep your beer cold and upright. Just clip them on the windward lifeline when you tack.

www.stubbycooler.com.au

[BNB]

Mais chere- who takes dat long to drink a beer? Where this boat is headin' your beer will be at 90 degrees quickly if not drunk forthwith!

[steele]

It is great the way you take the extra time to get the windows just right. Last season I had to deal with the ports on a boat known for high end construction, begins with a T and rhymes with fartan, you do a much nicer job.

Cup holders seem like a good idea, but have to drain well or you end up with moldy bug ponds that can only be cleaned by small children, stitck with the clamp on type.

As I follow this thread I continue to kick myself for not getting in on your auction, what a deal that was. Next time do a build blog first, then set up the auction.

[jim lee]

While your kicking yourself, chew on this..

The pricing on these machines is still below our cost to build them. And, this pricing is good for only two more. #4 & #5. Then we're going to re-price them so we don't loose so much per boat. ( Some one is already nibbling at #4 ) But of course, nibbles don't really count, do they?



-jim lee

[JSoup]

Love the continued posts on the build of these. I was interested in the lifeline covers mentioned below, but cannot believe the price - $650 for two for a J/105, and while the same brand, not even what you describe. What am I missing? I thought maybe a decimal was misplaced, but the price is pretty consistent for other boats. Their boat covers, keel covers, everything else...seem relatively reasonable. What makes the lifeline covers so special?

Greetings Anarchists! Hull #3 buyer here. Wanted to chime in and share what is happening down in cajun land in preparation for the next "Sapphire".

First, a racing upgrade:



Second, a custom made hoist as an add-on to my existing boat house/dock:


This is NOT the actual hoist for the Dart, just an image to illustrate the concept. Our hoist was engineered for the hull shape and weight of the Dart. The keel bunk shown here will be replaced with a Dart trailer keel tray provided by Jim and his team. The hull bunks shown here are on end. Ours will be mounted with wide side up, helping the bunks conform to hull shape. We engineered the hoist to displace weight between the keel and hull in an effort to retain integrity of both, lifting keel housing and hull. The fourpost hoist will be wrapped with a nice step-down slip, decked with composite material. Construction is underway. The hoist will be here in a week or so. I will post some pix when available.

Third, we asked that Jim not install the downhaul and twing system and allow us to handle that task locally. My idea is to simplify jibing by taking the J22 "Twing-Downhaul" approach. This will allow for faster jibes during windward-leeward races. We'll still have a downhaul system for reaching situations.

Next, we are having some very nice black Naugahide lifeline cushions made for the lifeline sections forward of the helm section. http://www.kinder-in...line-covers.jpg.

Lastly, we're breaking away from the traditional, distinguished yachting image and going with professional style Grand Prix crew apparel for the Dart. Why? Corporate sponsors like it, and, the Dart is FAST!

Other considerations:

• Carbon Spar/Boom - not worth the costs when considering weight difference is negligible. Also keeps the PHRF wolves at bay.
• Flat Deck Racing Furler - not worth the expense, heavier alternative, and very tempermental for trailerable boats (continuous rigging, de-rigging).
• Magneto Silent Drive System - Pentagon said no, and it's illegal (but had to mention it nonetheless because I know who is reading this!).

Thoughts? Ideas?

Badda Bing!

[jim lee]

I was thinking about doing a post on things that come "out of left field" that totally mess things up. Venders not doing as promised, parts not meeting spec. We had a hatch that failed QA, so Tim had to mold a new one yesterday. This morning we found that we have not one but two different types of barrel nuts for mounting the winches. Mixing them would look really bad. The wires on the railings for the Nav. lights all came out about 8" too short.. WTF?!

So this morning, thinking about these things, pulling kits of parts for Tim Tom.. My lower back gives out and suddenly, I'm laid up!

Good lord! I hope this doesn't last too long. I'm home now drinking "muscle relaxant". Tim Tom have plenty to keep 'em busy for quite awhile so things will continue moving forward.

Groan..

-jim lee

[GybeSet®]

True, as can anyone, but at what overhead and labour cost ??

not your problem

can't you just enjoy seeing a boat built properly in a quality fashion, by people who won't compromise quality for once in our viewing lives ?

would you rather a trip to the j/80 factory ?

[Somebody Else]

Not knowing the exact nature of your back pain, I will offer you what has worked FOR ME.

40 years ago I did a lift and twist, which it the major no-no in back care. Straight pulls: fine; twisted pulls: no good at all. For the record it was a VW crankshaft across a wide workbench. The effect was sudden and dramatic and long-lasting.

I suffered from on-again/off-again back trouble for the next 25 years before I hit the magic combination.

First: pain begets pain. If your back hurts, it starts contracting the local muscles to restrict the movement. This causes more and longer lasting pain. Start in on the ibuprofen ASAP. I always take the minimum dose possible unless it feels like a bad one, then I'll take two. If after 4 hours the pain is still restrictive I'll change to three, then for the next does, back down to two, then one.

Second: stretch the lower back muscles. What works FOR ME is to lie flat on my back, then draw one knee at a time up to my chin, hold it, then switch knees. I do that a couple of times, generally not more than two minutes spent stretching. I do this once in the morning and once in the evening.

This has been highly successful for me and now back pain episodes are limitied to one every year or two and they only last about a day, if that long. This is in contrast to having to be lifted off a boat and crawl on hands and knees into the bathroom.

Another thing: they say lift with your knees, not your back. I say bullshit. Straight (not twisted) lifting of moderate loads with your back builds the supportive muscles which help prevent injury. I'm not suggesting trying for the world record in lifting weight with your back, but I am very much an advocate of not babying it. Use it or lose it.
_________

Plus, a race boat cockpit is so much easier on the back than a cruising boat. I am always disgusted how many cruising boats have terrible and strenuous sail controls. I've heard it excused countless times by arguments like, "We're not in a hurry; big winches are for race boats."

No!

Cruising boats need bigger and more powerful winches to reflect the fact that the crew is less likely to be athletic and more likely to be your mother-in-law.

My friend's Catalina 30 is absolutely horrible to trim the mainsheet on. With the spray dodger up--which he never lowers--the powerful 2-speed cabin-top winch is limited to ratcheting through a 110° arc. You're just whacking back and forth forever until whoever is on it just gives up and so the main is chronically undertrimmed upwind. When they collapse after that silly and pointless work-out, knuckles scraped by the dodger stitching, I move into place and trim in the final few feet. This is a freakin' 30-foot boat. Shameful. Farr40 main: MUCH easier to trim despite being almost 3x larger.

How's THAT for a tangetial rant?!

[aA]

Forget changing the deck, this is what you need.


They keep your beer cold and upright. Just clip them on the windward lifeline when you tack.

www.stubbycooler.com.au

those are flipping brilliant! now if i can just figure out how to address them on a non-life lined boat (sorry no cut in style, deck is already complete)....






jim...love the thread and your attention to detail. wishing you much success!

[Varan]

Forget changing the deck, this is what you need.


They keep your beer cold and upright. Just clip them on the windward lifeline when you tack.

www.stubbycooler.com.au

those are flipping brilliant! now if i can just figure out how to address them on a non-life lined boat (sorry no cut in style, deck is already complete)....






jim...love the thread and your attention to detail. wishing you must success!

Clip 'em on your life vest.

[jim lee]

On a related subject..

Ogopogo, Paul's Dart #2, pulls second in class in the 2012 PITCH regatta! Way to go Paul & April!

http://pitch.byc.org...ack_Overall.htm

-jim lee

[silonam]

Jim - keep the pictures and the Darts coming! The workmanship and attention to detail is incredible - very exciting to see. You guys are putting some aerospace companies to shame.

[jim lee]

The guys are working like mad, time's flying by and it feels like we're standing still.


Kits of deck hardware ready to install.



Rudder being fared.



Faring out a slight low spot in the rudder. The plan is to get the first coat of "paint" on this next week.



The boring bits, forepeak plates. You can make 'em out of extremely heavy plywood or- Infused composite.



More forepeak plates..

[jim lee]

Even more forepeak plates being made up. All these parts just suck up the man hours. It wouldn't be so bad but some dummy drilled holes in the "flat table" so we can only do one plate at a time. How was I to know it was the "flat table"? There was paper over everything! Its not my fault! You can't prove nothin'.



Then of course things will go wrong at the oddest times and in the weirdest ways. Its always the unexpected that nails you.

For example..
To infuse wood inside a fiberglass part, you really would like to use the clearest resin possible. Now, the resin we use for the rest of the boat looks a little like maple syrup. So, we opted to use polyester for these. They're only floor plates and polyester is so much clearer.



The bottom side of the floor plates have certain measured pads built into the laminate schedule so they fit correctly to the bottom of the hull. Tim installed these and they didn't fit right. So Tim adjusted the pads. The next day they didn't fit right again? This is when we realized that they were warping more and more every day! So much for polyester resin.

Dart #2's floors & ice chest top were built from this really nice, very clear, vinyl ester resin.. That we only had a 5 gallon test sample of.

Ok.. Sadly all links to this resin were gone.

The salesman that gave it to us had been fired. The distributer we got it from, no longer carried it. And of course, no one knew anything about it. So I started Google searching for it with what little we knew about it. This lead to some obscure document that mentioned this resin along with a company name, Momentus. What kind of name is Momentus? Anyway, finding the company resulted in a phone call to one of the rudest people I've ever heard.

"So, I'm sorry, what do you do there again?"

"I'm in customer service!"

It finally came out that they no longer owned the company that made the resin. But I did find out who made the stuff.

The people that make the resin only sell it through some company called Horn or something. Called Horn to find a local rep. They wouldn't give me a number to a local rep. Whatever, Fine! Back to Google and from a couple bits of info. I'd gleaned, I was able to link a phone number to the office address of the local rep. and gave him a call. He forwarded me to another Rep. and I was finally able to speak to a human that knew of the existence of the resin I wanted.

Are you still reading this?

They only wanted to sell in barrels, or better yet, train car loads. But, after arguing for awhile, I was able to, for a hefty fee, order another 5 gallon bucket of the stuff. Of course its not something you can use out of the can. First we have to add Cobalt, DMA and some other nasty chemical all in precise amounts before we can do anything with it. Nightmare! We're now chemists.

This kind of thing goes on all the time in this industry. If your small, no one wants anything to do with you. Every time there's a change, there's a good chance your entire word will go haywire on you all over again. This is why boat builders end up being really set in there ways. Its so painful to change from what works. I came into this all full of hope and energy and now I'm bitter and set in my ways just like everyone else! Took two full days of my time to track the silly stuff down. Took another full day of Tim/Tom being shown how to do all the chemical mixing to set the stuff up to use.

Granted, its really nice resin once you get it set up. By Youch! What a nightmare!.





We're now redoing all the wood-in-glass parts with our fancy new vinyl ester resin. Here we remolded a new ice chest lid with the new resin so it will match. The color -is- nicer with this new resin.



We pulled the companionway hatch out of stock and Tim went over it checking for flaws. He found air around the top edge of the laminate. So, instead of reworking it, we just built a entire new one.

There is another "lost part" saga on this too. The perfect and wonderful weather stripping we found to use on Dart #1 & #2 I bought from Kragens auto parts. Using a vendor like Kragens for a production item is an absolute no no. I was in a hurry, it was perfect and I cut corners. Going back for more, the part number didn't come up. Finally, calling them, I found.. Not only was there no record of this part, there was no record of my previous order or that I ever ordered anything.

Well, it seems that Kragens was bought out and I guess the new owner wiped the database of customer files and part numbers. Lovely! Googling the manuf. part number led me to some giant company that won't answer questions and a lot of eBay stuff.. So its on my list f things to find.

[jim lee]

Some good news, starting the side cabinet assemblies..



Test fitting the side cabinets. Steve did an terrific job building and fitting these. They look wonderful and fit like a glove.



Keel trays being built..



Keel trays complete. This one shipped to Mark for use on his hoist.



Trailer finally being built..

That's another Jim. He's in charge of building the trailer frame at the fabricators. They also build factory and farm equipment.

Still we have no mast, or rudder mount hardware or a few other things that I've been yapping at vendors about.

Like a tiller. For lords sakes! Its an off the shelf item!

It looks like everything is going to hit next week. And the plan here is to spend nearly all that week building the keel. Yeeks! Scary heavy thing!

And there you go!

P.S. I loved the little beer hook things!

-jim lee

[GybeSet®]

just WOW

[Badda Bing!]

Hull #3 buyer here.

I gotta say following the build via SA has been way cool.  I feel like a kid with continuous recon on Santa's workshop, elves and all!  At least that is how the wife see's it.  She is taking great delight is my "youthful enthusiasm" with this one. Too funny.

Ok, the area PHRF Rating Committee assigned a rating to my Dart - 111. Obviously a compliment to Jim and the Left Coast Team.

Haven't received the certificate or minutes from the meeting yet so not sure about details. Nor am I sure the rating is Base or Net. I know the guys on the committee well and know they crunched the numbers thoroughly. We really won't know degree of accuracy until I get my "A-Team" through the learning curve and race hard. It will be interesting to see how we are rated when participating in KWRW, Charleston, etc.

THOUGHTS?

[Murphness]

Absolutely love this thread! Didn't think it could get any better and then a buyer jumps in!

KWRW, Charleston, great to see you're planning on racing the crap out of it! It's really what small guys like Jim need for their product to take off! The exposure you get at those venues can't be matched in the average sailors world.

I'm really rooting for this little boat to take off! Such an awesome project and it's amazing following along here! It takes a lot of time to document all of this and watching the progress every week is fantastic...

[jim lee]

Small update today. A large portion of this week was taken up with keel work but there's no pix of that to show. Hopefully there will be more pix next week.


Trailer is -almost- done.. It was supposed to arrive today, but didn't. Oh well, its not like we're ready for it really.. Tim/Tom 's going to be buried building a keel for awhile. There were a couple things wrong that they did, and a couple mistakes we did. Ironing out new builders is always interesting. This looks like it may work out alright.



I decided it was time for some deck hardware. And, being lazy, I brought my daughter in to help. Alex, going off to college next week. She ended up spending 7 1/2 hours under the cockpit floor spinning nylocks.



I also roped in Guy Masters. Together we got most of the cockpit completed. Mainsheet, traveler, backstay etc. This is where all the time we spent doing templates really pays off!



During this time Steve K showed up to work on the bunk fiddles.



Bunk fiddles all shaped and with their seal coat of varnish.

Other things completed and worked on. The forepeak plates are completed, the rear floor plate and replacement ice chest lid have been completed. The rudder is ready to be sanded through the grits and shined up.

Most of the vendors have delivered most of the stuff and a bunch of them have monkeyed up their accounting. I spent nearly all week of my time on the phone and e-mail combing out paperwork and hounding vendors.

Still no mast, its all about getting it shipped at the moment. And still no tiller.

We're getting there, but it feels like sprinting in mud.

-jim lee

[jim lee]

Mid week, mid projects update.


The trailer frame arrived. Looks good. I think they did a great job and spot on the bid price. Needs fenders & our fiberglass parts bolted on. Wires, lights and the bow roller.



Lead's here for the keel. There was a problem with the pour and the tail end got shorted. So, instead of repouring it, we cut the tail off and had two tail halves made up to use instead. Its only ballast, not structure, so it won't cause a problem.



Weighing up the bulb. These tend to vary a bit so we need to know how much we're putting in.



And the lead bars. We have a pretty good idea how much the keel parts weigh. So, the led bar lengths are what we use as the variable to put the total keel weight at 850lbs



Keel skins ready to assemble.

[jim lee]

Bulb being lowered into the skin. We use the mold as a cradle to hold everything inline as we assemble all the bits.

As I type this, Tim/Tom are trimming and fitting the bulb parts into the keel skin. Once that's complete, the lead bars will be trimmed to length (37" in this case) and they will be assembled with the fiberglass mainspar.

Slowly the keel is coming together.

-jim lee

[jim lee]

Bonus AM update..


Bulb and tail in place. The tape is to guard from accidently gluing the keel into the mold when we assemble it.



Measure out the spar for trimming.

We mold the spars extra long so we're sure there is no tapering or other oddities at the ends.



First lead bars going in.

Leif's original design was to make up the extra weight with lead shot in epoxy. We were not pleased with that method. So, when it came time to do Dart #2 we set up to have these bars cast for us. This makes for a much easier build with a lower center of gravity.



First bunch of plexus going in..

Remember, this plexus doesn't get along well with uncured resin. And, we need to use glass/resin to tie the outer seam together. So, we use the plexus on the high stressed spar to skin joint where no glasswork is going to happen then use polyester glues for the outer skin attachments.



Spar going into place. We add scrap core pieces where there is no lead to take up room for when we pour in the epoxy filler.

I'll go look and see it its time to take some more pix..

-jim lee

[derelicte]

way cool! thanks for the pics and accompanying descriptions.

this thread and the 65' cat build thread are two of my favorites on sa.

thanks!

[jim lee]

Well thank you!

Here's some more, the late in the day how it all ended up - update.


Lead bars and mainspar are in Next we pack the voids with core and..



Goopping adhesive on the high spots. The tops of the main spar and around the perimeter.



Cap it all off with the port skin..



Vola! All packed and assembled. There is a lot of work left t do, but this marks the end of working with lead. And that's a real milestone.

Now we sweep out the shop. What a mess!

-jim lee

[Soley]

So does the spar insert into the ballast bulb? Or is all the structural strength in the skins?

[jim lee]

Both skins and spar, a lot of the strength is in the skins. Leif allowed us only 6" that the bulb could protrude up the keel fin before starting the spar.

-jim lee

[Soley]

So the spar does not insert into the bulb then?

[jim lee]

No, it does not.

-jim lee

[Soley]

I like the glass casing of it all instead of fairing steel and lead

[jim lee]

Other things besides the keel going on..


Door latching hardware installed.



Outboard plates (Version II) made up. These have threaded holes for holding on the wood clamp plates.

Sorry Paul, if you want, we'll send you one of these when we get 'em finished up.



The wood clamp plates for the OB mount.



Steve making up metal parts for the keel crane.

Oh and the Mast showed up this AM. We are basically buried in boat parts.


Installing deck hardware. This is going on as I type. Its one of them midnight projects. We should have most of it installed by the end of the night.

IIts cleanup time. Now to find some late night food.

-jim lee

[Timmys_Trick_Turkey]

Nice work so far, but that bulb is the first design flaw. The bulb construction made up of multiple pieces with no mechanical fastening to the chord or itself, makes me nervous. What is the skipper's first reaction when he realises he is running aground ? He tacks the boat immediately. So if the bulb has wedged itself into mud or sand, and the skipper turns the boat quickly, that bulb is going to be twisted off the chord, probably in pieces, as it splits the skins apart. And when the skins are split apart, what hope have you of being able to lift the keel enough to retrieve the boat or motor it onto its floating dock ? The bulb casting should have an integral frame, the top of which becomes the lifting point.

[By the lee]

Yeah I'll admit that I'm confused by what I see here.
I mean, if that grey goo etched lead I could imagine slathering a thick layer all over the bulb and spar assembly before application of the skins and then running your car back and forth over it a few times to ensure really good squeeze out so that it hardened into a monolithic structure and all.
Bet you're gonna' finish with a few wraps of cloth around the whole thing before fairing, amiright?

[jim lee]

A little more on keel structure..


The keel structure is made of thee main fiberglass parts. The two skins and the main spar. There's a few things holding all this together.

First is the plexus joint of the spar to the skins. Next is a polyester/glass bonding material holding the trailing edge together. Along with this, the entire perimeter is bonded together, but that's not all that strong or important. This is what we showed in the last set of pictures. Not shown was a set of fiberglass plates bonded inside across the bottom seam below the bulb. These also contribute to holding the skins together.

Notice that the nose section has a built in relief. (Near where you can see the #1 in pen.) This entire relief section will be filled completely with layers of fiberglass cloth & mat. Doing hand layup you need the mat between the cloth layers as a binding layer.


Tim's here grinding the perimeter for glassing the seam of the keel. In this second phase the nose section gets a massive fiberglass laminate covering over it. And, as a little extra, we grind and glass around the entire perimeter of the bulb to hold it together and seal it up as well.



Nose section ground and ready for the laminate to go on.



Once all this glassing is complete we drill 2 holes in the top of the keel. This allows us to pour the entire remaining keel cavity full of liquid epoxy.

So, when we're all finished.. We've bonded the parts together, then fiber glassed them together and lastly, when the epoxy goes off, the entire keel becomes one unified plastic block. And at this point, just about everything is holding everything together.



On other fronts..

We finally have our mast. It came with packaging that is going to take hours to cut up. And we got the tiller! Yay! That took awhile. Seems the place that was supposed to be back ordering it forgot, 'till I yapped at 'em.

Guy, (Another player in this production) came in tonight as I was writing this. He was wondering if there was anything he could do to help. I told him he could take over and finish assembly of the trailer. He was good with that, so I guess I'm on swing shift again. This time working on the trailer with Guy.

-jim lee

[Somebody Else]

I'm not clear on what's happening at the green line here:



Is there anything other than the outter skins tying the bulb (pink) to the foil (aqua)?
I think we're all looking for something like a couple of large steel pins (black) set into both pieces.

[jim lee]

Not yet, but remember, this will be inside a solid block of epoxy when the keel it complete.

-jim lee

[Windward]

Whenever I've poured any amount of epoxy in volume I've made a frothy smoky mess... You probably use a super slow catalyst, yes?

[jim lee]

Actually, back when we were putting the first boat together, Leif told me to fill it with West System epoxy. I was like,

"Leif, if I do that, I'm going to get Chernobyl keel effect."

"No, pour it in really slow, a little at a time."

"And how many lifetimes do I get to use up building this thing?"

Anyway, we found an epoxy that's designed to be poured into cavity molds to make solid parts. Low exotherm, tough as nails when cured, doesn't get brittle and won't overheat as long as you stay within its parameters, and we do.

Sadly, we discovered last week that our entire stock of epoxy was timed out. (See picture above) We had to order fresh buckets of the stuff.

Aggrh!

Oh well, Mark gets a keel with spring fresh epoxy in it. None of that moldy stuff.

-jim lee

[Speng]

Nice build. Question: is there a reason to chose Plexus over something else e.g. SP's Spabond?

[Speng]

HAHA!! it's interesting to see a fiberglass boat go together because most people don't realize all the fiddly shit that goes into it particularly when you don't have the resources the big boys do to have humongous CNC, laser alligned tooling.

Not how I would do the keel but at some point there's tons of way to skin that cat and composite fin/ lead bulb aren't an easy combo at some point it does come down to bunging a whole bunch of epoxy and relying on brute strength. Back in the day (of fuller keels) it was bung in a whole bunch of far dodgier materials (asphalt, concrete etc). Not sure why the designer chose to have you put the lead bar up in the fin rather than using a bit more bulb volume though.

[Timmys_Trick_Turkey]

Its an expensive build, no doubt about that, but lead is relatively soft and doesnt hang onto epoxy well. When you run aground while surfing under spinnaker, and the boat then broaches, there is a hell of a lot of twisting forces there that cant be pacified. Shorter boats just bury their nose when they run aground, but longer boats put a lot more forces on the bulb itself. Im not seeing epoxy doing a good job hanging onto a relatively soft lead, and the disadvantage of using skins like that, is all the hairline cracks in the lead, and in the lead/epoxy interface remain concealed until too late. My preference would be mechanical fastenings capable of being externally inspected, and an antimony lead bulb with integral frame, which could handle the occasional abrasion on its forefoot. Without mechanical fastenings, its only a matter of time before the hairline epoxy/lead crack fails. My 2c worth.

[quasi-expert]

Its an expensive build, no doubt about that, but lead is relatively soft and doesnt hang onto epoxy well. When you run aground while surfing under spinnaker, and the boat then broaches, there is a hell of a lot of twisting forces there that cant be pacified. Shorter boats just bury their nose when they run aground, but longer boats put a lot more forces on the bulb itself. Im not seeing epoxy doing a good job hanging onto a relatively soft lead, and the disadvantage of using skins like that, is all the hairline cracks in the lead, and in the lead/epoxy interface remain concealed until too late. My preference would be mechanical fastenings capable of being externally inspected, and an antimony lead bulb with integral frame, which could handle the occasional abrasion on its forefoot. Without mechanical fastenings, its only a matter of time before the hairline epoxy/lead crack fails. My 2c worth.

integral frame is a bit much on a bulb this size isn't it? Maybe having one or two bolts going straight through the bulb and a large backing plate would be nice, but IMO the skins should handle it fine. pouring epoxy into it is probably more about filling the voids to keep the parts from moving, not so much to keep the lead under the boat.

[jim lee]

Speng :
Leif told us to use plexus. Basically in a few places it was deemed that it had to be done that way. I just said "Yes sir, I'll make it so!" and that's the way we build it.

And the lead bars? They were my idea. The original plan was lead shot in liquid epoxy. Dart #1 was done that way and we weren't happy with this at all. So I figured, if we pack in the extra ballast as bars, it would be more compact (lower cg) and easier to assemble. Why the bulb wasn't bigger? I don't know. I guess there's some tradeoff somewhere that says this is the ticket. And from what I've seen, It seems like it is.

Timmys-t-t : From what I understood, and really, I didn't question Leif too closely on this, is that the epoxy is mainly there to create a really tough core for the opposite keel skins. It locks everything together as one solid piece of composite. There was never any mention of lead having any structural responsibility. Or the epoxy needing to be well bonded to it. The lead just sits there being heavy and the epoxy sits there in the way of it moving about.

Hope this helps?

-jim lee

[jim lee]

By day Tim/Tom are feverishly building the boat. I spend my time feverishly doing office stuff, driving around, deciding yea and nay on this and that. Mostly making sure we have a flow of parts and materials coming in. But it just feels like pointless busyness.


The rudder blade was completed today!

Tim/Tom like to have a bunch of projects going on at the same time. It seems to be the way for people who work with resins that have to either kick off or dry. This way they always have something to work on when other projects are in the "wait cycle".

But it also means that everyone's working like mad but nothing ever seems to get completed.

I need to see things getting ticked off the list so this just drives me batty!

But it works, so I keep quiet.



Lining up and mounting the keel tray.

By night Guy comes in and feverishly works on the trailer. He did the original design for it. A lot of times Guy has me help him. He's all fit and full of energy and I can barely keep up with him. So, by the end of "swing shift" I'm totally bushed!

Afterwords, if any engineering or online ordering is to be done, this in when stuff like that gets completed. Sometimes web updates like this.


Drilling vent holes.

We wanted a very light trailer so the entire package would be less that 3,000 lbs boat and all. The problem was, when Paul tried to pull his Dart out of the water.. The trailer floated. Whoops!

Now the trailers will have vent and drain holes so they will sink and drain.

Sorry Paul!



Last night we were setting up the forward cradle and it wouldn't go in place. Turns out that the uprights that mount it are about 10" too far forward! We checked the prints and it we actually modeled it wrong. This is the first "production" trailer off the drawings.

So much for doing this in a couple nights..

Guy just came in. Tonight we're going to try and finish off some of the boat projects because we can't do trailer stuff for awhile 'till we get it fixed.

Sigh..

-jim lee

[jim lee]

I've been putting off finishing up the wiring for what seems like forever. Almost every day its "Ok I'm doing it today." And by the end of the day I didn't get around to it and i just want to go home. "Tomorrow, first thing even!"

Free beer tomorrow..

Anyway, No one was at the shop friday, they'd all maxed out their hours. So, I had the entire place to myself. Packed up all my wiring tools and started in at it. I wire at the speed of a diseased tree sloth. I found a million other things I needed to do, but kept myself coming back to work on it. By 7 PM I had the main panel wired. All that was left was some bits here and there. So I let myself go home. This AM came back in and forced myself to crawl back in and finish up..

And finally.



The lights come on, the stereo comes on, electronics all fire up, the battery charger charges the battery, even the wireless network stuff comes alive and works.. Oh my lord! IT ALL WORKS!

And on top of all this guy & I finished up the deck hardware.

What I'm seeing might actually be the light at the end of the tunnel. Not just the fuse on the powder keg.

-jim lee

[StayinStrewn]

Good work Jim!

[hobot]

Jim, really inspiring stuff. I love boat building and wish that I lived closer so that I could jump in and help at a time like this.

[jim lee]

Thanks strewn!

Hobot, you don't live that far, you could at least come for a tour of the factory.

[hobot]

First part of the week I'm road trippin' through Oak Harbor and Bellingham so for sure I'll take the offer!

[Badda Bing!]

It just doesn't get any better than this! Hull #3 buyer here.

Think about it - how often does a new boat buyer have such an opportunity - to observe the actual manufacturing process, start to finish. You may think, "Yea, pretty cool". But to see a LEFT COAST DART build is truly a magical experience. Why? Because Jim, Tim, Tom, and a whole bunch of other artisans of the craft are doing it the good ol' fashion way - hand-crafted, made in America. I encourage Left Coast fans within proxomity to pop in and visit. Jim "Emmit Brown" Lee is truly one of a kind - the kind I enjoy doing business with as much as calling 'friend'.

Jim, I took great delight in seeing the pic of Alex helping out. Exploiting poor college kids are ya? In my company we call that "internship" - ha. After seeing the pic I thought, "geesh, I think I need to send more Paul Mitchell products"!

Ok, on to business: (1) I'd like to add a solar vent to my order (good to have when not running the de-humidifyer, (2) my crew is already chirping for Dart t-shirts (cult-like following already?) - I'll follow up on this, and (3) what are your plans to refit the trailer bunk?

"Light at the end of the tunnel?" Music to my ears - whoo hoo.

On the recieving front: the add-on slip is completed, sized perfectly for the Dart. The custom hoist and cradle are scheduled for installation this week. Will post a pick when done.

Cheers! MP
"When life throws you a knock, TACK!"

[jim lee]

Mark, we're taking' the trailer back to the welders (Hopefully this AM) and having the posts moved. Paul (Dart #2) pulled some measurements for us. I'll get the solar vent in the Q.

Hobot, Oak Harbor -> Bellingham you will pass right by us. (we're within a biscuit toss of Hwy 20.) Give a call within an hour or so of arriving (408) 340-0352 to make sure someone's there and we can vector you in.

-jim lee

[Bump-n-Grind]

It just doesn't get any better than this! Hull #3 buyer here.

Think about it - how often does a new boat buyer have such an opportunity - to observe the actual manufacturing process, start to finish. You may think, "Yea, pretty cool". But to see a LEFT COAST DART build is truly a magical experience. Why? Because Jim, Tim, Tom, and a whole bunch of other artisans of the craft are doing it the good ol' fashion way - hand-crafted, made in America. I encourage Left Coast fans within proxomity to pop in and visit. Jim "Emmit Brown" Lee is truly one of a kind - the kind I enjoy doing business with as much as calling 'friend'.

Jim, I took great delight in seeing the pic of Alex helping out. Exploiting poor college kids are ya? In my company we call that "internship" - ha. After seeing the pic I thought, "geesh, I think I need to send more Paul Mitchell products"!

Ok, on to business: (1) I'd like to add a solar vent to my order (good to have when not running the de-humidifyer, (2) my crew is already chirping for Dart t-shirts (cult-like following already?) - I'll follow up on this, and (3) what are your plans to refit the trailer bunk?

"Light at the end of the tunnel?" Music to my ears - whoo hoo.

On the recieving front: the add-on slip is completed, sized perfectly for the Dart. The custom hoist and cradle are scheduled for installation this week. Will post a pick when done.

Cheers! MP
"When life throws you a knock, TACK!"

Mark,
I'd love a chance to get down for a sail on that thing. and quicker to get to your place than the factory besides, y'all got better food down there hehehe

[mcsailor0303]

Kind of jumping in late here, but...THAT BOAT IS HOT!

[skew]

I've been following this thread and my lord this looks like a well built boat! Kudos to you guys. I also just watched an episode of "How It's Made - Pleasure Sailboats". It showed a 40' Jeanneau being built. There is no comparison. I can't believe anyone would even consider buying one, especially if they saw how it was built. For starters, if OSHA was watching the place would be shut down, but then again, maybe there is no OSHA in France (I doubt it). The contrast to the Dart build was startling in how inferior the Jeanneau product must be. The finished product is all shiny and nice, but truly it's all just lipstick on a pig.

[Badda Bing!]

Hey Bump-n-Grind, absolutely! Laissez le bon temps rouler! MP

[SereneSpeed]

I've been following this thread and my lord this looks like a well built boat! Kudos to you guys. I also just watched an episode of "How It's Made - Pleasure Sailboats". It showed a 40' Jeanneau being built. There is no comparison. I can't believe anyone would even consider buying one, especially if they saw how it was built. For starters, if OSHA was watching the place would be shut down, but then again, maybe there is no OSHA in France (I doubt it). The contrast to the Dart build was startling in how inferior the Jeanneau product must be. The finished product is all shiny and nice, but truly it's all just lipstick on a pig.

This one of the C445?

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=KiABZgeiHYM

[hobot]

I took Jim up on his offer of visiting the shop and came away quite impressed, Badda Bing's gonna be having alot of fun with this boat.

I've worked in shop's where there's shite spread out everywhere and this place is clean! (I've always believed that a clean shop begets clean work). Alot of thought has gone into this build and the guys there are true Craftsmen.



I could easily see lounging in bean bags in the huge cockpit.

[hobot]

We all have been looking a the pics but when you are right there the attention to the details was really cool to see.

[hobot]

The bulb is coming together nicely.

[hobot]

I told Jim that the pictures I've seen of the v-berth just didn't do it justice...the berth is really deep. I get claustrophobic in the v-berth on my Ericson 27 but the Darts is very airy and I didn't see any problem for 2 people using it.



Very cozy down below.

[hobot]

[hobot]

The very cool icebox setup. The cam cleat and bullet block are part of the system that will keep it snug in place.