Association Forum - Tanner's dink is done!

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Tanner's dink is done!

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

bren737
Captain

Member Avatar

291 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/26/2005 : 13:14:18

Took longer than we had hoped (too many other projects under way) but she's finally complete and fully tested! The proud skipper took her out for sea trials yesterday with full success. We still have some adjusting to do on the sail plan but she'll scoot along pretty good, especially without Dad's added ballast aboard. . .

We plan to use her as a 'tender' when we're out for a weekend or when we take 'Ruah' down to Corpus Christi.

Tanner did about 95% of the work all himself, with Dad playing 'safety observer' in the shop. She's christened 'Putt Putt Maru', after a famous P-38 Lightning fighter plane from WWII.

Bren Peterson
C250WB, #642, "Ruah" (former)
Passport 40, "Fiato"
Kemah, TX

Edited by - on

Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1768 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2005 : 13:31:49

Wow! That is just too cool!

Tanner looks right at home, too ... what a GREAT project for the two of you to do together ... memories for a lifetime ... EXCELLENT job!

Edited by - on

Ray Seitz
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
416 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2005 : 13:57:55

Thats a cool project. Nice work. Where did you get the plans? How long did it take? I have more questions but will save them for later

Edited by - Ray Seitz on 02/26/2005 13:59:20

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
3321 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2005 : 14:40:22

Nice job Bren & Tanner! Now you can race Jerry around the marina in his Catalina 2.2!
Derek

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3072 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2005 : 17:39:15

Very nice... time well spent, he'll remember this project the rest of his life.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

Members Avatar

Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2005 : 18:51:55

Very nice Tanner, good job.

Everyone should notice the 25 up on the hydro-hoist in the next to last picture. It is coming to Wichita to kick some tall rig butt.

Bren, is RUAH coming?

Edited by - on

bren737
Captain

Members Avatar

291 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2005 : 19:29:27

Tanner says 'thanks' for the compliments!

Frank: Good eye! That is 'TSU' overing above the water. No, 'Ruah' won't be making it. She's got a road trip to Corpus Christi in a couple of weeks and my remaining vacation time is spoken for.

Ray: We got the plans from 'www.unclejohns.com' ; it's the 'sailing skiff.' I made a few mods here and there but they are really easy to follow. If you have any questions just drop me an email: bren737@msn.com . Should have taken only a couple of weekends, but we've been just too busy (like everyone else).

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 02/26/2005 : 20:03:27

Bren and Tanner.... excellent job guys. Have lots of fun together with her and sailing. Great name!

Edited by - on

tmhansen
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2005 : 02:33:44

Bren, my 9 year was very interested in Tanner's craft. It looks very nice. A couple of things I see worry me. Tanner's life vest looks like it could get pretty uncomfortable where he to end up in the water. It looks too big/loose. I worry that the shoulders will end up about even with the top of his head. Maybe you could fix a crotch strap to it. It would be a good idea to have him go for a swim in it and see what happens. I remember being his size and having the same happen to me.

The other thing that concerns me is flotation for the boat. It looks like a concervative design but still, a small boat can capsize. When this one is tipped back up will it float high enough to allow Tanner to bail it out? Maybe a couple of those inflateable bladders. The El Toro racers use them I think to minimize the interior volume of water to bail because automatic bailors are not class legal.

I know I am probably being overly concerned, sailing seems to have done that to me. I try and foresee problems before they arise so I don't have to deal with them.

Edited by - on

reuben
Navigator

Members Avatar

USA
202 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2005 : 09:45:51

Tanner, your boat is stunning. I'm betting it won't be your last boatbuilding project, either -- once you get started on these things, they tend to take hold of you. My two boys have each built boats; the older, a dinghy much like yours, though without the sailing rig; the younger, a lovely light canoe. Time well spent. Hope you and your family have a marvelous sailing season.

Reuben

Edited by - on

bren737
Captain

Members Avatar

291 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2005 : 17:08:51

Ok. . . I've slept on it, calmed myself down and tried to tell myself that it's just not worth it. . . but I can bite my tongue no longer.

I am sorry if my posting of some pictures has caused anyone to lose sleep and worry over my son's dinghy and his use of it.

For the record: Tanner is a competetive swimmer who swims 1500-2000 meters/week. His life jacket fits perfectly fine when tightened. He has spent many hours in the water, in this jacket with no problems. These pictures were taken as an after-thought, before loading the dinghy for the trip home, in the marina, four feet from the dock and mostly in about three feet of water with the winds and water flat.

For the record: One of the modifications I made to the boat was to have him build the supports under the bow and stern seats boxed. They are filled with styrofoam for positive flotation. It can and does float just fine full of water.

Over the last twenty-four years I have flown airplanes around the country and around the world. I get paid to monitor and analyze safety and risk, for my experience and judgement and for being 'situationally aware'. I approach my boating with the same critical eye and analysis.

I do not claim to be infallible and am well aware that accidents can and do occur. However, I think I am fully capable of conducting my son's 'photo shoot' safely.

I hope this does not come off as arrogant or condescending; that is certainly not my intent. I simply feel that we should be able to be free to share the joys, triumphs and accomplishments of our sailing and our families without having to first screen them for every considerable scrutiny or run them by an attorney.

In Texas we try to 'give the benefit of the doubt,' not benefit from the doubt. . .

Edited by - on

Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1768 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2005 : 19:23:17

<font color="blue">In Texas we try to 'give the benefit of the doubt,' not benefit from the doubt. . . - Bren</font id="blue">

Amen to that!

I understand where you're coming from, Bren, and I know that this isn't a knee-jerk reaction on your part ... this sort of thing has happened before on some of your previous posts. I'm sure no one intended to throw a wet blanket on the dink project, but that's the end result nevertheless.

I can vouch for both Bren's commitment to safety, and Tanner's swimming and sailing ability. As an airline captain, a former Air Force pilot, and an excellent sailor, Bren doesn't take any shortcuts when it comes to safety ... and Tanner is the kind of young man we all wish we had for a son ... he faithfully wears that PFD without complaining, even though he could swim circles around most of us.

Maybe we all tend to be a little critical when we should be "giving the benefit of the doubt" ... just a thought ...

Edited by - on

tmhansen
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2005 : 23:02:22

Sorry, Bren. I did not intend to be critial of an impressive accomplishment or of your ability to keep your family safe. We have a new kind of community here where we are still learning the rules for interaction. I debated whether to say anything about what I percieved. I guess I should have held my tongue or asked for clarification if I was concerned. In the same way I did not know that you were a pilot with all the training and daily responsibility that entails you can not know me and my history of meeting sailors on the beach only to read about them in the paper later.

Edited by - on

frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 03/01/2005 : 23:53:18

Bren, Tanner, excellant job on the dink. Bren, I am sure your chest got a little large as Tanner worked on it and is now sailing it, I know mine did when my kids worked hard and completed their projects.
Still waiting for your family visit to sunny Florida.

Edited by - on

bren737
Captain

Members Avatar

291 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2005 : 14:29:03

Todd,

Thanks. I, too, am sorry if I came off the wrong way. Yours was not the first time I've been 'critiqued' publically and privately (via email) regarding something I posted here when the facts were assumed, not known. I know what you mean about reading about people in papers. . . aviation is full of that, too.

All over. . .

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1608 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2005 : 22:52:22

Nice pics Bren. Must be very satisfying.

How do you plan to tow it and does it fit on the deck of a C25? I'm still on the hunt for the right build-it-yourself tender and have been leaning towards a nesting boat.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.