On this 13 year “voyage” toward launch date of 10-10-10, Ken and I have faced many highs and lows. Well September 29, 2010, was a HIGH! On this date, Ken’s 55th birthday, Ken carried the last lead brick up the 12 foot ladder.  It was manhandled into position on a base of hardened melted lead (whose coefficient of friction of NIL)! After a 20 minute wait for the last batch of lead soup to melt. Ken ladled the fluid into the various voids with the Teflon saucepan modified with a 4 foot extension handle. Not only is lead heavy and resistant to movement, it must be coerced into place in ballast compartments that are virtually inaccessible to human kind.  Each of the previous lead bricks was either cut in 4 pieces to melt in a corn pot atop a propane burner or cradled and carried one by one up a 12 foot ladder and down a 4 foot one. With the floor boards raised and the boat sealed with plastic, we gingerly stepped from frame to frame to access the ballast compartments.  In  compartment 1, Ken would climb into the 4 foot deep cavern to lower the 60lb bricks through a 2 foot by 2 foot opening. Its placement was to be exact. Turning his shoulders sideways to fit into the hole and hand lowering the brick to the base, all I could see of him was his back . Wearing breathing mask, goggles and a tyvek suit, this contortionist gave new meaning to the word “claustrophobia”.  4 days later Compartment 1 was full the 2nd and 3rd took 4 more in total. 235 x 60lb lead bricks, 10 x 100lb lead bricks and 6 x 25lb lead “stakes” made up VOYAGEUR’S ballast. Each of these was stacked, sawed, carried, melted, lowered, pounded, tamped, and levered with a crow bar, steel bar, sledgehammer or Ken’s steel toed workboat.  We praise the Lord…the lead is in the keel! This was by far the most physically challenging and the most painstakingly slow task of all….Now concluded…It was Ken’s favourite Birthday Gift !

We picked up our Volvo 75 hp turbo diesel engine from Eastern Marine in Toronto on Friday. Being a long weekend we expected a long drive back up to Barrie, but the roads, especially the Don Valley, were empty. We spent a few hours finishing up a few last details and cleaning up the engine room ready to lower the engine in place. Our cockpit floor opens up directly into the engine room making the install job fairly easy. Biggest part was removing the bimini and sliding the hard dodger out of the way. Photo 3 shows the engine sitting on the custom molded fibreglass pan. The pan will catch any engine fluids that may leek, preventing them from getting in the bilge. Under the pan are the aluminum support beams that carry all the related engine loads. Eastern Marine fabricated a custom 70 gallon diesel tank that sits at the forward end of the engine room. Coupled with our 130 gallon keel tank, Voyageur should have a cruising range of 1000 miles under power. Next step is to measure out and fabricate the propeller shaft and exhaust system.

At Dutchman’s Cove Marina, VOYAGEUR, aiming water-ward, anxiously awaits her launch! Her blue & white stripped deck cushions are presently doubling as our mattress in our soon-to-be Stateroom. We are comfortable with full sitting headroom and good ventilation. Saturday to Sunday sleepovers have reduced the four x 40 minute car trips to Penetang to two, affording us more effective maintenance and installation time. The results… Cabin sole has been fitted and screwed down.  The Maxwell vertical windlass has been installed on the foredeck. Five Harken winches are bolted to the combing of the cockpit and the bimini has been reinstalled. Last year we had witnessed some pooling of rainwater and few areas of potential wear on the bimini. Ken installed a second aluminum bar to each side of the frame, Carol applied a grommeted facing to both outside edges of the bimini. Now laced over the two bars we can apply ample tension. Wear areas have been reinforced with 3 layers of Sunbrella. The big news! A Volvo 75 hp engine is ordered! It should arrive for install over the next few weeks! …VOYAGEUR is chomping at the bit!

The boat is now resting at Dutchman’s Cove Marina in Penetang. It is great to stand on the bow and overlook the water and other boats around us. The past few weekends have been spent re-attaching all the hardware that was removed to make the boat lighter and smaller for the trip up. The dodger has been permanently attached along with its glazing. Pedestal fixed in place as well as stanchions, pushpit and pulpit.
Work has now moved to the interior, doing the final fitting of the cabin sole so that the foam insulation can be sprayed to the hull and deck interior down to the floor height. The bilge under the flooring will be left bare aluminum
Check out the slideshow of the move on the left side of home page

MOVING DAY!!!

The day went really well. We only had a couple of minor glitches with the tractor trailer getting stuck on various small hills in the yard, but with the speedy delivery of gravel from Carr Excavating and using the bobcat we already had on site, we were able to build a road within an hour. However, that only helped get the truck parked on the patio. With the load of the boat on the trailer, it bottomed out and we had to lift the back end off the trailer with the crane and tow the front with the bobcat.  The crane arrived on site at 8am and the boat was riding down the street just after noon arriving at Dutchman’s Cove Marina around 2pm. A-Channel was on site videoing the event, which was presented on the 6 and 11 pm news.

Our hats off to all those involved in the move – Bob at JC Mitchell Insurance for coming through at 9pm on Thursday night, Jim Bertram Crane for taking on and completing the challenging lift, Andrews Trucking for persevering through the off road conditions and being stuck at least 4 times, Carr Excavating for delivering gravel with 30 minutes notice, Louie from Battlefield Equipment for making sure we had the tracked bobcat on the day, and the staff at Dutchman’s Cove Marina for completing the day by setting the boat down on its new resting place for the winter. It is really nice to stand on the bow of the boat and see water instead of trees.
Carol and I would especially like to thank all those who came to the house and helped out by cleaning, serving coffee, making cookies and just sharing the day with us!! We will be adding a slideshow of the move to the website in a few days.

Windows are temporarily installed on the hard dodger. The side windows are heavily tinted acrylic whereas the forward facing windows are ½” tempered glass. This will provide us with high strength and exceptional optics when looking forward. The center window opens to allow for good ventilation while under the dodger. The dodger will be removed to allow bridge clearance while trucking the boat up to Midland this fall. Last photo shows the handholds on the aft end and top of dodger.

DATE:
Aug. 22, 2009

We have just completed a number of “Starboard” projects above deck. They include the two aft seats that are attached to the arch and the 16”x32” stern table that will be used for BBQ, food prep or any outdoor work project. We also fabricated the pulpit seat (aka diving platform). Not pictured here but completed is the folding cockpit table. First time using the Starboard product and just loved working with it.

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Voyageur unveiled!        Time to get re-inspired!                Working on details, non-the-less important, you lose sight of the full picture. Skill saw in hand, Ken chipped away at the frame supporting Voyageur’s tarps. Bit by bit the sky is visible from her decks. Standing with full headroom for the first-time in 10 years, we can see the fruits of our labour, feel the wind in our hair and almost taste the salt of the sea! A few more last minute welds and the crane should be here to launch her over the house and onto the flatbed….Midland , here we come!

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Rudder installation is complete. It has been a challenge trying to keep the three bearing supports in alignment throughout the welding process. There is one bearing at deck level, another where the rudder shaft exits the hull and a third that is 2/3rds down the skeg. Last winter we installed the rudder shaft that is guided with the two upper bearings and knew that they were aligned, but now the rudder itself is bolted to the underside of the shaft (photo 2) and supported by the lower bearing (photo 4). All three bearings must be kept in perfect alignment, or the rudder will bind and not turn smoothly. We were 100% successful in our efforts and the rudder swings effortlessly through the 70 degree arc of its turning range. Photo 5 is looking down the rudder shaft tube at deck level. The top of the shaft is machined square to accept the emergency tiller. Even though the rudder is partially balanced with a portion of it extending forward of the pivot point below the skeg (lower portion of rudder in photo 3), it will be near impossible to steer a rudder of this size by hand with a tiller. The emergency tiller will be set up so it can be steered with block and tackle leading to winches at the cockpit.

One of the largest causes of reduced engine life is an improperly designed exhaust system. This is either a problem of water making it back into the engine through the exhaust tube, or excessive back pressure. Turbo diesels are especially susceptible to back pressure. The back pressure can be caused by inadequate size of exhaust tube or the exhaust trying to push too large a volume of cooling water through the system. Voyageur’s turbo diesel engine will be mounted below the water line so extra care must be taken in designing the exhaust system to prevent water from getting into the engine through the exhaust and every effort taken to minimize back pressure. To complicate the issue even more, Voyageur is a center cockpit with an aft cabin. If we run the exhaust below the aft cabin floorboards and up above the water line we will have gallons of cooling water accumulating in the low point of the exhaust leading to excessive back pressure. So the exhaust has to be routed around the cabin. With the design completed we are able to weld in the 3.5” diameter pipe for the exhaust to exit the hull. Unfortunately the routing plan has the exhaust passing near the fridge, so we are routing the exhaust pipe inside a 5” diameter insulated pipe to reduce heat transmission to the fridge. There will be an additional 4” of foam between the pipe and the fridge liner.

The bimini framing and canvas work has been completed. It is supported by 2 beams attached to the top of the hard dodger. The beams double as handholds when moving about under the bimini.

Our alternate companionway door for colder climates where we don’t need the ventilation. This door will also be used when offshore, allowing us to secure the boat interior from water. The door is hinged and has positive locking device. The window is ½” lexan. A lower weather board (not shown) fills in the lower section

Steering pedestal has been installed and awaits the hydraulic pump
The cockpit floor is visible here showing the hatch cover in front of the pedestal. This opens up providing access to install or remove the engine which is directly below.

Swim ladder has been added to the stern platform. This ladder folds up against the underside of the platform as it retracts against the hull. The fuel container can be seen inside the storage area.

Another view of the bow

Bow is complete with pulpit, cleats and anchor roller

Once again the tarp is being removed. This time exposing the completed deck.
Dorade  boxes with cowl vents are in place with protective guard rails.
Hatches are in place ready for final installation

Retainer rings have been fabricated for the fixed windows. Lexan (1/2”) has been cut and ready to install once welding has been completed

Toe rail and stanchion bases have been welded in place

Cockpit coming has been completed with winch base plates and pads for rope clutches. The primary winches (aft) will be electric. The forward winch will be used for the staysail sheets, reefing and furling lines, as well as outhaul and boom vang. All these lines will be run through rope clutches.
There will be no lines or winches under the hard dodger

The deck really starts to take shape with windows cut out, hatch framing and dorade boxes completed

Bow seat has a cushion too
Pulpit, anchor roller and Sampson post have been installed

Cushions have also been fabricated for the stern seats.
Hatch covers have been formed and installed on lazarettes

Cockpit cushions completed by Carol
Companionway door has been installed. It is fabricated of aluminum including the louvers, all welded together for security. The inside of the door has a screen mounted on it. The door can be locked from both inside or out.This will allow us to have lots of ventilation in warmer climes while still having the security of a solid door.
A solid door will be fabricated for use on passages and colder climates

The foredeck has been tacked into place.
Although Ted Brewer did not design the staysail to be self tacking, we considered it to be a good idea. So we looked at installing a boom for the staysail. Seeing how much space it occupied and how awkward it makes working on the fore deck we promptly cut it off and went back to Ted’s design of a slightly overlapping staysail.

Looking down at the cockpit and hard dodger, the hand holds at the aft end of the dodger are visible.

We can finally see the hull, cabin and hard dodger from a distance while tarp is being replaced. Once the tarp is replaced we can start installing stringers and plating on the fore deck.

The tarp enclosing the construction area has disintegrated and is in the process of being replaced. This has allowed us to step back and see the boat from a distance.
Stern of boat is visible with davits extended. They fold down against the radar arch when not in use.
Bottom right of photo shows the swim platform extended. The platform is hinged and folds up flush with the stern of the boat. The space behind the retracted platform provides storage for dingy fuel, diesel containers and spare propane tank.

Aft decking has been installed including cut outs and framing for lazarette hatches.
Pushpit, radar arch and davits construction has started

Now that the cockpit is almost complete work on cockpit cushions can start.

Closure panels have been fabricated that will close off the aft end of the hard dodger in inclement weather. Sailing instrumentation, chart plotter and auto helm controls will all be located under the hard dodger

The cockpit has more details added – half pipe to top and front edge of seats and winch bases have been tacked into place .
The side and aft decks have had stringers cut in and plating started.

The hull interior is nice to have right side up. Temporary aluminum ladder leads up the companionway, with plated engine room behind. All the floor beams are visible with additional stringers (1 ½”x1 ½” angle) running fore and aft.

More cockpit plating.

Cockpit plating is moving along as well at the hard dodger is being fabricated. One of the additional challenges with the dodger is that it will have to be removable so that the boat can meet the clearances on the highway when it is transported to Midland.

Cabin roof and sides start to take shape

One thing we have added to the design is a hard dodger. Sightlines are extremely important here, so we fabricated a mock-up out of plywood, adjusting heights to suit both us. Keeping the overall height low enough to see over severely restricts headroom under it. To solve this we have incorporated a curved bump up in the roof to allow easier access to the companionway.

Work starts on the cockpit first with seats and coming. All the deck work is fabricated from 3/16” plate.

What do the neighbours think?

What neighbours?

Successfully rotated the boat is set down on a level platform and braced with outriggers.
The tent is re-assembled and work can start on the deck, cabin roof and cockpit

The boat is slowly rotated in the slings

A crane is brought in for the big day. This was a long awaited milestone in the construction process. With the lifting straps tensioned, the boat is disconnected from the strong back.

With the hull all welded the tarp can be removed and the hull prepared to be flipped over

Plating is all fit and tacked into together. The plates are welded on the interior first, then back chipped and fully welded on the exterior.

Plating continues with the keel. There is the framing for the skeg and the rudder in the foreground. We can also see the stern tube for the propeller shaft protruding  between the keel and the skeg.

Flat plate (3/16”) is fitted and installed on the topsides and the bottom of the boat. We can also see the two ring frames that have the flat plate baffles that form the ends of the lazerettes.
The aluminum uprights in the foreground are 1 ½”x1 ½” angles that will support the walls for the engine room and the cockpit floor

The last few stringers are installed on the keel and the boat is ready for plating

Plywood templates were also utilized to form the transom, and the stringers are cut to length.

With all the frames aligned, we could start cutting in the 1 ½” deep stringers that run the length of the boat. These stringers are 3/8” thick below the water line and ¼” thick above the waterline. They vary between 4” to 11” on center.

With all the frames completed they are carefully aligned on the strong back at 2’-4 ½” centers. All frames had the waterline, centerline and level strong back line marked on them to assist in the accuracy of placement of the frames. They are set square to the centerline and plumbed, and then the stem is inserted and tacked into place. The stem was fabricated from ¾”x4” flat bar and is set into a slot that is cut into the bottom of all the ring frames. With all the frames set into place and aligned, it begins to show its shape.
The frames also include watertight collision bulkhead forward and endplates for the water tanks in the middle of the boat.

Using the templates  prepared from the lofting table, we were able to make the 17 ring frames that form the structural ribs that will give the boat its shape. The ribs are formed from 3”x3” aluminum angle, either ¼” or 3/8” thick. These angles were bent to match the profile of the templates using a hydraulic press. The ring frames included the keel shape, the beams that will support the sole and any deck configuration that occurs at that particular station.

We also need a protected area to assemble and weld the boat in. There was also the requirement for strong and level frame to erect the ring frames on that will hold them in alignment as assembly takes place.

We went out for quotes on construction of the aluminum hull and deck. They ranged from $135,000 to $150,000., with all builders indicating that they could turn over the hulls within 6-8 months. Although the prices were palatable, we had a lot more time available to us for this construction. Talking with Ted Brewer, he felt we were more than capable of building the hull and deck ourselves. We sourced out the aluminum and prepared a budget of $40,000.00 for aluminum and related consumables. First job was to loft the drawings full size so we could make templates for all the ring frames that will give the boat its shape.

Voyageur was designed by Ted Brewer. It was originally designed as an aft cockpit world cruiser constructed of steel.  Altered to have a center cockpit a couple of years later, but maintained its same hull shape. However, we were looking for an aluminum boat. We built a scale model of the boat using preliminary drawings of the original design. Deciding that this was the boat for us, we commissioned Ted to reconfigure the design to be of aluminum, while maintaining the same hull shape.