Yeah it is truly great to be back building again, and finer still to be transforming my own spirit back into this BBS. I've missed you folks in bunches, and been wondering what you doing for projects etc.

Greg, you 30 person kayak sounds like a very cool gift to the community. I did a little calculating 3 feet per person...... 15 foot additional on the bow and stern. I'm guessing the LOA would be just over 120 feet? LOL. Just remember the Coast Guard has requirements as to the number of bathrooms and cooking facilities that go into a craft of this size. I would also suggest a small Diesel engine as getting 30 creative people to paddle in one direction at the same time might be kind of hard... Giggle. Just teasin. This sounds like a truly great project and the fun I am sure only increases with each set of hands and the ideas that go into it.

As for this shop....Actually, I've been trying to get back into the boat shop several times, but the health stuff jsut wasn't allowing it. Between the complex poisoning and the lungs its jsut been a time to heal. The lungs are still very touchy, and having a real hard time with saw dust. ARG!!! Healing the puffers is just going to take some time, but being allergic to sawdust is just not an option for a boat builder. So we had to find some new ways of working. Like anything else. Such things are best invented around, and having good friends made the difference. We tried several things masks and blowers. (It works well enough but I look like Darth Vader building boats and its not much for talking) Still its what makes it possible. We also got real intentional about building additional dust collection systems for our power tools. Each has added to improving the situation. On really dusty projects Rick my shop buddy is usually out in the snow bank sanding for me. While I try and cover something else for him. (I've become chief sandwich maker.) Its not optimal, but he and his family have been one heck of a friend through all of this. His taking on the dusty work and cleanup has been the real key that has allowed me to get back working on boats. In the end, the real answer is giving the belows some time to heal and become less reactive so all of these work arounds will be less necesary but until then these seem to be the fix. However, in the long run its probably not such a bad thing to make our shop a cleaner working environment. Still, if you have great friends and a few quirky ideas you can get round most anything. Part of my explaining this is a deep belei that anyone can build a boat. Its just a matter of creativity and community.

We have two boats in process at the moment. An Eric designed hybrid bidarka with the Inuit transitions stripped in, in walnut. Something I started in the summer, but am just getting around to finishing.

And an Adirondak guide boat. With a walnut chain intarsai stripped into the sides.

We also finished a boat shed roller system that has really worked well for us. We took a 2 inch OD steel pipes and fit them onto a pressure treated wooden carriage. Then we cut up a 2 inch ID PVC pipe into three inch lengths. We put these sections over the steel pipes. So they roll like a bearing on round stock. Over each section of PVC we stretched foam pipe jacketing and secured it with duct tape. To act as a pad. We have three sets of these rollers per layer and we build two layers. So now we can roll our boats in and out from under our deck which doubles as our boat shed. Its worked out fabulously. It was a good dustless project. And WOw has it made both storage easy.

As I jump back into this, I'll try and get some pictures of what we have going, boat rollers, clamp stations, shop upgrades, boats in process etc

As we waited for building to resume we got a lot done with what little time we had stuffed in between the other stuff life was doing. A three month clean up put the shop back to ship shape. We did a lot of upgrades to the shop adding a drafting table and a library for plans ideas files etc. Rick build the mother of all clamp stations, and its now on rollers to make it moving easier. While I was out of the building I got a chance to sharpen tools en mass. We also added a microwave for setting up epoxy quicker and keeping hot water for tea and coffe going. AND I guess I am on for a soda fountian to keep Rick's cafeine and sugar levels flowing a bit easier. Hey if he is going to do all the dusty work for a while guess I better keep the drinks flowing.

Finally, HEY Rehd......YOUR long await box with the secret ingredient garunteed to make you talk and think like a dern Yankee is finally in the mail!

Any ways we are back to building, laughing and all the other things that make the world go round.

If this experience has reminded me of anything it is this. Hug your people. In the end they are all that really matter.

Take care, good to be back! and thanks for hanging with me!

Your friend,

!RUSS