Category: Uncategorized
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Preparations for 2025
After moving Tarka to the sailing club I’m finding it much harder to get jobs done to prep for this year’s sailing season. Having said that I have enjoyed being back at the club and for the odd days spent at the club doing jobs I’ve spent time with old friends and enjoyed their company…
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Standard Sea Otter 18 Review
This time from Boatman magazine from Aug 1996 this Sea Otter is with the standard smaller cockpit and therefore with side decks running along the cockpit roof.
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New Boat Review
From pictures of Tarka (originally Trudie) during construction we move forward to the place that became her first home Loch Ceran in western Scotland. This new boat review comes from Watercraft magazine from the May/June 1998 edition.
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First Photos of Tarka
I’ve been meaning to add these photos for a while. Most were taken by David Moss during build, a few odd ones the end are from the previous custodian to me. There’s one of the weighbridge record that I did using the old trailer to compare with David’s initial record. I think the next three…
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Moved Tarka
Had issues with my car last week and it’s currently still on the ramps in a local garage. Down to the appalling condition of the roads in cheshire no doubt, it suffered a chain reaction seized calipers causing hubs to overheat leading to bearing seal meltdown leading to badly worn bearings. Goes without saying I…
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Building a Removable Rear Bumper
Moving Tarka up to her summertime home at Glasson Sailing Club later this week so last minute preparations for the trailer. I have to glue up the wooden vee guide and install. Then install the removable cross member and add wedges under the stern. And now I have a new challenge, to make a rear…
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Building A Wooden Bow Guide
Making a start with the bow or vee guide. This will help align the keel to the rollers when retrieving. I’m reusing some of the timber from the old keel guide to provide uprights as useful resource. This upright from the old keel guide already has a slot cut in the base with bolt holes…
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Installing the Removable Aft Support Cross Member
The weathers been bad this last few weeks, freezing temperatures rain and snow put a stop to work outside. But today we have a warm day and little rain so pressing on with the aft support. It’s a removable section so need to drill some holes to fit bolts. Taking this opportunity to finish the…
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Winterising Tarka
It’s been very mild weather so far this winter but freezing weather will arrive very soon. Last steps at winterising tarka include taking out the water from the storage tank and purging the brass hand pump, top up the fuel tank, covering the engine, switching off the solar panel and removing battery. Floors have already…
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Building the Support for the Bow Guide
This page covers the building a new bow or vee guide. The idea of the vee is to help get the bow aligned on the rear center roller during recovery. Here I’m putting a cardboard template onto the trailer to transfer the exact shape and size of everything, and extrapolate on that to get a…
Small Boat Voyages 