The Ballad Exchange

Finally, a bit of sanding and fairing, followed by two coats of hi-build epoxy barrier coat and three coats of a waterbased antifouling copolymer. epoxy primed.jpg bottom painted.jpg A bit dusty from sitting in the shop for eight months, but finally got it mounted: IMG_20241028_152105_892.jpg New De...

Final shaping of the rudder to templates, followed by hand-layup of epoxy GRP: IMG_20230411_115049_159.jpg drape.jpg Schedule was 5 layers of 1805 biax with sewn mat backing, done in two sessions. Then two layers of medium woven fabric and one of veil for waterproofing. Some sanding and fairing betw...

Next the halves were rough-shaped to templates. IMG_20230404_171015_865.jpg The bottom extension, which is semi-sacrificial, was sawn off square to the leading edge, to be reattached later. Top and bottom plates were sawn and shaped from a 6mm slab laid up on melamine. top bott caps.jpg The foam bla...

Our Ballad's rudder was damaged, and water intrusion led to blistering. GEDC0910.JPG I split it like an oyster and found the stock was okay, but the interior was delaminated and the foam was rotten. clam.JPG So we re-used the stock and made a new, better-shaped blade from scratch. First step was pou...

Just saw your post & welcome. Yes, the Origo double burner and its clones fit very well in the Ballad galley. Our hull #18 came with an ungimballed pressurized alcohol stove, but I found a used Origo, built gimbals for it, found a sheet metal liner to go with it, and fit it into the galley with ...

I also would like to hear from Boomkicker owners. :) It is preferred to a rigid vang on our Ballad due to an additional deck hatch. K800, or K1000 model best? They are the same except for rod stiffness, so you can swap rods if needed to get the force correct. I also like the idea of quick-releasing ...

Some galley stuff. tops1.jpg tops2.jpg tops3.jpg tops5.jpg IMG_20231115_115934_564.jpg frontal.jpg That ladder, BTW, is a very cheap Vevor aluminum dock ladder -- chopped down, bent, and painted. https://www.vevor.com/aluminum-dock-ladder-c_10407/vevor-dock-ladder-removable-5-steps-350-lbs-load-capa...

Some of the bulkheads have been sanded many times, so the face veneers are almost gone. I may apply PSA veneer, or just cover the burned-thru areas with a magazine rack or mirror. :lol: These photos mostly pre-date stuffing the cushions with quilt batting. IMG_20231115_115625_599.jpg main bulk.jpg f...

Finally took most of last summer off work to push along Ballad #18, Fionn . I still need to add a few pieces of deck hardware, but it is mostly complete. bow shot.jpg rails2.jpg IMG_20231115_111614_096.jpg Of course I ran out of one component of the non-skid paint mix, so the hatch covers are a litt...

The Scampi has its fans and is still sailed hard all over the world. Nose-down trim, tho, is part of what made late-period IOR boats so terrifying downwind in a blow. As beams got wider, sterns got narrower, and CofG was raised (to the point racers were gluing lead bars to the coachroof for ratings ...