Monday, February 15, 2010

Reuel Parkers Ibis is Launched

Saint Valentines Day 2010. Seems like a pretty good day to launch the new boat from Parker Marine. It's being launched at Riverside Marine in Fort Pierce FL. It's colder than normal but a small crowd is gathered for the occasion. Reuel called me earlier this week and said that it would go in today and I made sure I could be here. the boat had been moved over to where the travel lift could pick it up and was hanging over the keel/centerboard prior to installing the board.

Both masts are hooked up and rigged ready for raising.

This shot shows the butt of the main mast and the main tabernacle. Also visible are the pin rails and the vent for the fresh water tank as well as halyards and lazy jacks. You can clearly see the birds mouth construction of the mast here.

Here is the fore mast tabernacle and the electric winch which will serve to raise the masts and also to control the centerboard. There is still some weather proofing of the winch to come.

A view of the winch and its' control pendant from the aft side. This was my position for about an hour and a half while the boat was lowered down and the centerboard was jacked/pulled up into the trunk. Up a little ,no too much, no a little more, fwd the boat, back the boat ,up,down.....
Here is a view of the board ready to go in. This board is fabricated of ten gauge steel filled with lead. When it is fully down it is the shape of a fin keel foil, when up the boat has 30" draft.

Everyone finally had there tongue on the right side of their mouth and the deed was done. A little bottom paint over the pivot shaft retaining plates and ready to go.

The board is about 1/2 down at this point.

Here the skeg and rudder are visible. The rudder is balanced for better control with a lighter helm and an end plate for better flow.

Here goes.
Sitting in the slings checking everything out. I took some video of this and will try and put it on You Tube later.

Very pretty.
Floating nicely on her lines. There is still several hundred pounds of trim ballast to go in.

Firing off the engine for sea trials.

I was happy to go along for the first trip out into the ICW to check things out. That's Reuel at the helm.

The happy skipper.
Cruising along at about 8 knots, very little wake.

Amy, who has been doing varnish and paint and upholstery and....... This view is from the cockpit into the aft cabin.
Port side aft over the reefer.

Moving forward, the cooker.
Further forward, a cabinet over the galley sink.

The sink itself.

Cabinet below the sink and the aft end of the centerboard trunk.

Above the forward end of the starboard dinette are book shelves.

The dinette table.
The starboard aft end of the cabin.

The engine lives under the cockpit sole and behind the companionway steps.



Our escort vessel for the excursion.

Into the slip where she will be completed in the coming weeks. I will update in a few days when I get to go for a sail. YES

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That really is sweet.

Thanks

Chris Kleinfelter said...

Very nice! I'd lov to see pictures with her rig set up. She should be perfect for thin water sailing. I used to sail the Chesapeake and know the value of shoal draft. I live on Washington's Olympic Peninsula now so I'm in deep water territory. I rather miss the gentler tides and sandy bottom.

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