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Once the turned hull was stabilized I began the process of laminating a second layer of ply to the bottom of the hull. After removing the more than two year old butt blocks I gave the bottom panels a quick sanding. Once I had the panels for the new layer cutout I began mixing and applying the large batches of epoxy and woodflour laminating “slurry”. With the hull completely upside down gluing the panels in place was a pretty easy task. And once again a few haybales came in handy to hold everything in place as the epoxy set.

Next, using my trusty orbital sander and angle grinder I rounded off the outer seams and then applied the fibreglass tape.

I’ve recently enrolled the services of a guard cat (with lasers for eyes no less) to patrol the hayloft at night. You can see her at her post beneath the hull.

A few more photos in the photoviewer too… New ones start here.

Looks like Captivate and Authorware have joined Director in getting a ‘commitment FAQ” from Adobe:
http://www.adobe.com/resources/elearning/products/special/crossproduct/faq.html

According to the FAQ, Captivate 2.0 is currently undergoing beta testing (again?) and an Authorware update (presumably the long awaited Authorware 8) is slated for an expected release sometime during the second half of 2007.

As someone with an appreciation for irony, I choose this item as my favourite from the document:

Can I participate in the Authorware prerelease program?
Adobe will actively engage the Authorware user community as we continue development.

Adobe’s Tom Higgins is pointing to a new Macromedia Director and Adobe Shockwave Player FAQ on the Adobe website:
http://www.adobe.com/products/director/special/crossproduct/faq.html

Most significant is that Adobe is expecting a new Director release in 2007 and are committed to continued investment and development.

With 14 of the 21 FAQ items dedicated to the Google Toolbar bundled offered with Shockwave Player I wonder if the document would be more aptly named the Macromedia Director, Adobe Shockwave Player and Google Toolbar FAQ.

It sure has been awhile since my last update on the VG23 build. Putting a positive spin on my neglect, that should mean this won’t just be a “more sanding” report…

After installing the cockpit gunwales I began the process of dismantling the basket mold that had support the hull during the assembly process. As I was doing so I recycled a number of the 2×4’s to build a supporting frame ‘box’ in which I planned to roll the hull. By adding a number of supporting members I hoped to prevent any shifting during the turning process.

I’m fortunate enough to have plenty of space in the hayloft so rather than turning the hull in place I was able to ’simply’ roll in on to the starboard side. To do the heavy lifting we ran a line from the newly constructed frame through a pulley hung in the peak of the roof of the hayloft and out the window to a tractor on the ground. For safe measure I strategically placed a few haybales to act as cushions in case we set things down to quickly (or worse yet, something let go). After a few false starts the hull was eventually sitting on her side and I was grinning from ear to ear. I’ll tell you, with a beam of 8 1/2 feet the VG23 was looking mighty imposing resting there.

At this point I had a decision to make. Installing the centerboard trunk would be easiest with the hull on it’s side but first I needed to laminate a second layer of ply to the hull’s bottom. In the end I decided to go ahead and complete the roll - it would need to be keel up to complete the fibreglassing of the hull anyhow.

I’d attached a set of coasters to the starboard side of the frame box prior to turning the hull so we were able to ‘wheel’ it back over to the side of the hayloft. Again we attached the line that ran out the hayloft window to the tractor. I dragged the haybale cushions back into place and slowly we rotated the hull. Slowly that is until after the hull crossed the tipping point. As it was being lowered the line gave way and the hull dropped to the hayloft floor. My grin did too.

Fearing the worst, I inspected for damage and was relieved to find the VG23 uninjured. It was resting crookedly on the haybales and one corner of the 2×4 frame box had given way but there wasn’t so much as a scratch on the hull. I’d built the frame box with some extra length to the vertical members so the hull would be sitting a foot or so off the floor. As near as I can figure, the haybales beneath helped the hull to roll onto these ‘feet’ which had hit, causing the frame to fail and absorbing the impact. My grin returned. Things hadn’t exactly gone according to plan but the hull was intact and in the position it needed to be. With the hull resting on the haybales I dismantled the framing and built some supports on which to rest it while I completed the build.

I recently installed Bon Echo Alpha 1 to test RMD compatability with what will eventually become Firefox 2. First impression? I’m impressed with this alpha release.

There are no killer new features but I’m enjoying discovering the “nuance improvements”. Okay, scratch that. I’m typing this entry in the web based WordPress “editor” and Bon Echo pointed out that I’d misspelled “nuance”. When I right-clicked on the typo, suggested alternatives were offered.

Performance seems much improved too.

Oh and it looks like RMD is working fine. Here’s a version that will install in Bon Echo.

update 2006-08-04:
This one should install in Thunderbird 2 alpha 1 too. There is one ‘known issue’ - detailed in this post.

Got pretty busy and the blog was among the neglected. I’m slowly catching up though and expect to have opinions again soon…