Monday, April 1, 2013

Doryman's Melonseed

For a few days recently, the weather here on the Oregon coast was simply fabulous. But apparently the monsoons have returned and along with them, an under-the-weather Doryman. Not feeling too spry today.



The fine weather gave me the opportunity to cultivate the garden plot and dream of fresh vegetables. There are quite a few plants that wintered-over and spring seems to have a big head-start. Anyone who loves the sea and also enjoys raising a garden will instantly realise the conflict here.









Warm temperatures also facilitated putting finishing touches on the Doryman Melonseed. The roof of the porch where this boat is being built is made of a greenhouse material, so it's a joy to now sit in this solar heated space and contemplate the beauty of this little vessel.






Next the melonseed will need a trailer. When we launched this boat, just before the decks were installed, the trailer was from another boat. So, one more hurdle before true sea-trials, but I expect to discover this will be a great sail-and-oar boat. The thwarts are removable to maximize use of a nine foot-long cockpit. They are also spaced for two rowers, so an extra rowing station can be configured, if required.







Ready to head out the door.










The view during afternoon tea on the back porch. You would think I'm tired of this view, having looked at it for hours on end, but no.








Many thanks to those who offered advice in the design stages and encouragement with support along the way. Truly, this has been a community effort. I would especially like to thank Barry Long, Mike Wick, Dave Lucas, Brandon Ford, Jim Ballou, Marty Loken and most important of all, Mary McCall.

6 comments:

EyeInHand said...

Sweet! Was thinking about you a lot yesterday, wondering how you're doing. Fabulous, apparently. Nice work, Doryman.

doryman said...

Thank you, Barry. And thanks for all your help, this project owes a lot to your experience and advice.

Denis said...

Looks a treat Michael, I especially like the ultra clear deck layout which is something for me to aim for. It will be lovely to see her in the water and get a final view of the hull and deck lines as a whole. The earlier water test certainly wetted our interest. Best of luck with the weather and getting the girl wet very soon.

doryman said...

There is a foredeck hatch in the plans and also framed in, just in case. But for now I'm happy with the clean deck, too.

Brandon Ford said...

Looks beautiful! I can hardly wait to see her again.

Brandon

robert.ditterich said...

Lovely shots, lovely lines. The garden plot has a right to your attentions too, though, and you'll appreciate the bounty of home -grown treats after a warm day on the water. Our season is drying up, but we are still eating tomatoes and potatoes and many herbs.