Is It Spring Yet? Chores & Dog Walks - Episode 302 - Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat
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- Опубликовано: 29 фев 2024
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Who else is counting down the days until spring? Steve and Robin are eagerly anticipating some warmer days, but-until then-there are plenty of winter adventures to be had.
Now that the sail covers are installed, Steve laces on the sails. Once Arabella goes out for a sail, the last few adjustments will be fine-tuned. There's still work to be done, but it’s good for now.
As avid outdoor enthusiasts, Steve and Robin always find time for the outdoors, whether biking, climbing, skiing, or running. In this episode, they check out the Badlands trail in Yarmouth for some mountain biking that is supposedly unlike anything that’s ever been ridden before.
It's important to carve out time for self-care, even though it's never easy for Steve to pull himself too far away from Arabella!
We also circle back to the state of the Spectra water maker issue-after being a bit misguided as to which model water maker would be a good fit for cruising, Steve finds himself needing to engineer a solution that won't break the bank-water makers aren't cheap, you know! Turns out, the water maker worked fine over the summer in warm waters, but it couldn’t hold up to the sub-40º water temps typical of a New England winter. Rather than spending $9,000 to buy an entirely different model, Steve’s fix will be a lot cheaper-he'll "simply" replace a few parts of the pump and, voilà (we hope)!
Of course, it wouldn't be winter in New England without a snow day tucked in between a few spring-like days. While Steve may be hoping for a few inches of snow, he’s also hoping it doesn’t stick around too long. Can you blame him? This is Arabella’s first real encounter with snow. The storm may have brought about some shoveling, but the reward was a day spent at the beach, basking in the sun on a 28º degree...in a snazzy new chair ;-)
Life on a wooden sailboat is all about embracing the changing seasons...but Steve and Robin are pretty ready for this one to exit stage left!
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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This is not a good sponsorship, I'm really surprised at this channel for promoting it. Better help has been in all kinds of trouble for not employing actual therapists, horrible customer service, and scamming their customers and employees. Some basic research shows how sketchy they are, their reputation is bottom of the barrel. As a low income person who has to fight for access to *actual* mental health care, companies like this cause a lot more harm than good. Please do better, yall.
Please just do some research into betterhelp. They have been known to illegally sell sensitive medical data to advertisers and underpay and overwork therapists.
Betterhelp is a Wall Street invention whose sole purpose is to profit from a combination of three factors: 1) health insurance plans pay for mental health services, regardless of quality; 2) any nitwit with a C minus grade point average can get a credential like "mental health counselor" from an online diploma factory and put themselves out as a "therapist" covered by insurance; 3) the covid pandemic made videoconferencing mainstream, and more importantly prompted healthcare regulators to allow mental health providers to practice across state lines (over the internet), which they weren't allowed to do before. Private equity, Silicon Valley, and Wall Street lept at the oppoturnity to enlist the unemployable dregs of the mental health world, log them into online chat sessions with desperate "patients," and then bill the heck out of insurance. The quality of "therapy" is maybe one step up from an AI chatbot, and therapist compensation is commensurate. Betterhelp is just one of several vultures getting rich off this racket.
@@user-yn4xc8kt3iThank you for the warning. I'm so suspicious and angry about a supposedly empathetic and supportive medical service which isn't 😢
To be honest. I loved the construction and community involved. Not relating. Fair winds. Over and out ☝️♥️
Nothing like a company shooting itself in the foot, nice work Spectra!
Not all distributors are created equal. Fortunately we found Defender Marine in Connecticut and they were super helpful!
Argh, really? That spectra customer service need a class at customer service, yeesh..
In discussing the Spectra issues in would be good to know source of the mis-application info from Sprectra themselves or a Spectra dealer. Also for Steve's positive comment I'll guess that Defender Marine isn't the original dealer. @@AcornToArabella
Spectra makes good equipment, but some of their employees are ignorant of the needs of a particular boat. They should have asked a boatload of questions...
I don't now much about these water makers, but does it not have a pressure switch to turn the pump off when the max setting (limit) has been reached? At least that's how the water pump for my house/well works. I can mechanically adjust mine, but it is possible to do it electronically as well. That assumes that's all it would take, of course, but it sounded like maybe some other modification was required as well...
steve in the snow: oof. it's gross.
akiva: are you kidding? I was MADE for this!
When you were making the sail bags out of the old sails I was thinking that the color was horrible. After seeing them installed, I love it! It makes the Arabella even more beautiful
Steve: "the weather is gross".
Akiva: "what are you talking about? I love it".
😂😂😂
Ben, one of my favorite editing choices you make is the sped-up footage tied with the real-time sound of the thing that's happening (like when Steve shovels the snow off Arabella in this video). Unnatural sounds really take me out of a video, and most every RUclips channel that speeds up footage also speeds up the audio to the point that it totally distorts what it should have sounded like. I love being able to get a window into the actual sounds from working on Arabella, and it's an editing choice I wish was the standard everywhere! Seriously, I appreciate it every single time you do it.
Thanks Zach. I appreciate that. I would rather listen to a record skipping than a man hammering at 4000% speed.
I couldn't agree more. That's an excellent editing choice!@@AcornToArabella
+1 to this, it's a great choice
BTW, those sail bags came out great! They absolutely look like they belong there. Size, fit, color, everything!
Alternatively, could you install an in-line water preheater to bring the intake water up to an optimal temperature? Maybe something as simple as diverting the intake line so that it runs through a coil next to the diesel heater?
I'm sure Spectra will lose a few sales after this. I'm already looking for an alternative.
Balmy 28 ºF, comfy chair, walking together on the beach . . . you guys are truly living the dream!
how about putting a heat exchanger on the water inlet to the water maker? pre-heat the intake water to an operable range to keep the pump happy..
Haven't seen snow in over 50 years, if I never see it again I won't be disappointed
"It's a little breezy" Opens the hatch and shows us horizontally falling snow xD
Can’t wait for Steve to get some good sailing days and get some sailing experience for future endeavours.
As a former Maryland resident... I must say watchjng snow videos from Florida are GREAT!!!!
Looks good from Az also!
Even looks nice to a guy STILL stuck in MD!
Hey Steve; been following your journey for a long time. Great job. .Any chance the next time that you head off the dock, could you do a quick walk around that Pete Culler leeboard Sharpie? Happy Sailing!
I was waiting to see Akiva shake that snow-covered coat inside Arabella. They always wait until they're inside to shake. Yah, the stack-packs look great! They help give Arabella a trademark look! Good job!
Spectra: “Hey, you effed up…you trusted us”.
thank you for being as reliable as sunrise.
Thanks for watching all those sunrises! ❤️
The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!
Agreed, sails and bags look great!
Dear Robin, Anne, Steve and all others who worked on Arabella,
It’s amazing to see that Robin and Steve apparently are the only one who are living aboard in the harbor where Arabella is. Willeke and I did like the thick layer of snow on top of Arabella what makes a nice wonder winterlandschap.
We look forward to your next vlog and send you love from the Netherlands
Good morning/afternoon to you and Willeke!
Don't forget Akiva!
@@JoesWebPresence who’s Akiva?
@@dickdegraaff5452 I see you comment on like every single AtA video, and you seriously don't know their dogs name?
@@user-yn4xc8kt3i Well Elizabeth, You’re right the I follow every vlog of Acorn to Arabella and I know a lot of people who worked with Steve to realize this beautiful wooden ship but believe me I couldn’t remember the name of the dog. Sorry for this but due my age it might be the reason for this. I’m really sorry
Steve sporting the Botello shirt, Becoming a real Cape Codder
Cape Cod in winter is truly a special place!
"I can see Steve and Robin from my house!"
Not really.
But not by much...
The Alvin submarine to my right and Steve to my left...
So tiny on a globe...
It must bet delightful to see your sails all tucked in warm and cozy under a blanket of frozen snow.
To avoid getting bacteria from your mouth in your water tanks while using the same siphon you can push the hose down into the bottle until mostly submerged then plug the opening and withdraw from the bottle. No sucking required and no spit added to your tanks.
Or plunge it rapidly up and down in the bottle until a flow is achieved. Works really well when cleaning my fish tank.
If after the water maker is up and running, you might consider a screw in extension with a funnel on top, to tip your water jugs up side down.
Spring is right around the corner !!!! Although the water temps keep things a little cooler her on the Cape. And who’d a thunk you’d need a snow shovel on a sail boat!
I started watching Sail GP and noticed all of their super technical sails are all Doyle made. It's awesome that Robbie Doyle himself takes time to talk to Steve when they must be massively busy.
Its truly an enormous honor that he's donated so much time and material to our project.
12:13 -- Akiva be like "my boat's messed up with snow. I need frens...
Oh you two on Valentine’s Day 😊👍
Mid summer here in Aus!!
Looks great guys! Nice weather coming this weekend, go and enjoy a winter sail! As Robin knows, we go from Jan, to Feb then to March, March, March then to June! Be safe!
I agree with Robin. At least on video the color contrast of the white sails and the red-ish covers looks really good.
Love the cover over the enter hatch from ouyside to inside
The packs look good. They almost colour match with the natural wood on the boat.
Beautiful snowstorm. Saddest time for me is when the sun comes out after it has been snowing really, really well. I love watching it snow. This year we have had crap for winter here in Upstate New York. Lots and lots (too many) of really cold days (in the low teens and twenties, with lots of wind), but almost nothing for snow. I think we only plowed the driveway and sidewalk once this winter. Bummer.
The scene of walking out on the dock and everything is the white and dark grey it looked like an old school computer game for a few moments there.
Having watched your project from the beginning, I am delighted with the ever fresh and interesting content that make up your videos. I can't imagine a better outcome for you as a couple moving ahead into a sailing lifestyle that is ever challenging and rewarding physically and spiritually. Well done!
The colour of the old sails from victoria look really good, it gives Arabella a classic feel.
And Akiva reminded me of some dogs i used to know, it was the "Want to go for a walk?" bit. I miss having dogs in my life.
In case you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend Sailing Yabá. A young couple in Brazil is repairing a large boat to use as a platform for teaching scuba diving. They are helped by a bunch of older men who have built or repaired scores of boats using somewhat unconventional techniques. For instance establishing a waterline without using a laser level, not steaming any planks and a bunch or other interesting techniques!
I get chilled just watching the video
Sometimes you gotta just walk the dog. 🐶
shoveling snow on a crusing sailboat.... that's something the other canals never show..... 😉
Which others? You might want to check Alluring Arctic Sailing
@@Ernescme ok, you are right there are a few, but the majority are sailing the barefoot route. At least I knew about Ran and Uma. And the Delos crew also went to Svalbard. And Kika from Uma even went for a swim there....
I spent a winter in Saratoga Springs. Saw enough subzero days and April snow to last a long long time
Balmy 28 degrees, eh, guys? Ah you two funny people!
Such swings in the weather. Good to get off the boat, whether riding or walking. Oh mid-morning coffee breaks. Sacrifical water jugs with spigot and hose. Or shower bag with spigot. All until you swap out the pressure block for the lower 7% recovery..
Interesting they recommend one for cruisers, but declined to ask about destinations north or south of 54.
Pretty clear the guy could not imagine anyone being on a sailboat in freezing temperatures.
I half expected a new snowman crew member joining you!
Great video today Steve. I must say today you look a lot better today. the darkness has gone from under your eyes. Amazing what some good sleep can do for your body. enjoy the ride up and over the trails.
0:12: ⛵ Preparing Arabella for sailing by lacing new sails with strong dyema line to ensure secure attachment.
4:32: 🚴♂️ Exploring new trails and finding time for outdoor activities with the help of a therapy service.
8:54: 🌊 Observing water levels during high tide, anticipating potential flooding, and enjoying the snow with a dog.
14:34: ⏳ Routine boat maintenance tasks demonstrated with makeshift tools and gravity-assisted emptying process.
20:59: ⚙️ Issues with feed pump due to cold water temperature causing high pressure and pump shutdown.
Timestamps by Tammy AI
Hey Spectra, you should comp them the new pump and educate your sales engineers!
Have you considered a filler neck and cap for the water tanks? a flexible large bore neck that screws down the current cap thread and travels to a locked cap on deck. Although theres probably a reason you don't have one already
Nice outro edit with the water jug... 🙂
You need a splash of color on that boat. Royal blue would be good.
Good morning all, thanks for my weekly fix,
Mate I think you’d do really well on Arabella with a classic collapsible fabric dodger that can be expanded right back to the helm. The Swedes and Norwegens make dodgers that expand to become entire aft deck tents for when at anchor. Surely some producer would sponsor you a custom construction.
I was thinking "that boy needs a tarp or something to tent over at least part of the house top and the cabin opening, to keep things 'dryer'."
not being a boat guy myself, I guess that's what a "dodger" is?
That is one thing that I have never needed to do to my little ski boat out here in So. Cal... Shovel Snow off of it. That made me cold just watching. Thanks for sharing the experience.
13:34 I can't think of anything nicer you can say to the person you love and want to be with. My beloved wife and I never walked anywhere without holding hands.
This is exactly what people that live on boats follows. The weather goes South for the winter.
14:15, it reclines… whether you want it to or not! Lol
Steve, Robin, and team. How about a list of the projects you mentioned in last weeks episode you’d like to complete before leaving. Then you could put in a quick update each week on where you are on completing the list?
Also, who comes up with the funny titles at the end of each episode?
Its a good idea, and I had the same thought. You might end up seeing something like this soon. And I come up with the titles for Steve and now Robin, edit the videos, and now handle the youtube comments too. hello! -Ben
Wonderful variety in this video. Arabella looks good even with a layer of snow. Who were the "they" that chewed up the power cord sheath? I love how calming Akiva seems to be.
They are the good folks who plow the long walk down the dock.
If you have to pay for the new pump yourself, without getting any refunds from the company, you should put in the new pump parallel to the old pump. In that way you have the option to run either one or may be both at the same time creating more freshwater in less time.
or at the very least, using the investment in the pump. when he mentioned it being a temperature problem, I was already spooling up in my head "ok, so how can we warm the water before it goes through the pump."
Did I miss-see the video. I always thought the out haul should be adjustable. Saggy sail with a bow for light winds, tight and flat for heavy wind.
Love the progress and the work and the continual updates to the boat. I also love the time you get with Akiva and Robin on getting out and enjoying the space around you. I like your thought process on the half hitch. You could also add a knot on the end of the line or even a safety knot so even if it gets loose it wouldn't come undone. Cheers and can't wait for the warm weather here either.
I'm impressed with your sail covers.
When I imagine the cruiser’s life, living on a boat, it’s usually somewhere tropical and it never involves shoveling snow off the boat.
Does it make sence to tent the cockpit area from the boom when a big snow fall is expected? Good clean area to exit and enter the cabin, sheds the snow off either side of the boat, etc
Sounds like Steve didn’t give enough information or ask enough questions of the Spectra Watermaker technical people. When I think of cruisers, I also think of those sailors who are cruising the Caribbean Ocean or South Pacific Ocean waters and not the waters of the northern climes.😊
Good morning Akiva , and Crew 😸😺
Morning! ☀️☕️
I have seen devices that you install on your siphoning pipe, you shake it a couple of times and it starts the siphoning for you, without having to suck on the pipe.
Sounds like Spectra needs to revamp their customer service procedures. "Hey, we know we told you the wrong one to buy, but since you bought it, it's your fault."
So cool that there are now trails in Yarmouth. Great to see you all getting out and doing some stuff away! I spent some time in Falmouth back in the 90's. My GF at the time got to do SEA program there and it was awesome.
Sorry to hear of the water maker troubles. So enjoyed the walk on the beach!
Steve, too big of a hose won't hold a syphon. You can set up a 5 gallon bucket on deck with a hose screwed into the bottom side of it and run it down into your tank. Just tip your water jugs into it just like when you reload an office water cooler. No need to watch it while it drains.... it'll drain on its own and won't overflow the bucket (same principle as the office water cooler)... And you can you can use a larger hose..
Well done. I hope you can get down to the Chesapeake Bay where I live sometime next year at this point.
Until I’ve had my coffee, I’m only capable of talking about coffee, is my mantra…
The windy beach would’ve been a good place to brush out Akiva. Maybe the next warmer, breezy day. ❤
Akiva has really taken to living onboard. He even seems perkier than he was towards the end of the build... but maybe that's just because we're seeing more of him.
Who is the "they" that chewed the chord?
The snow blower came through early that morning and nicked the cord. Not a big deal, and at least Steve didn't have to do the whole walk to shore with the little shovel!
Came to the comments looking for the answer to the same question! I was wondering what manner of harbour rat did that one!!!😅
Or the elusive New England wire piranha!
At first I really thought that maybe some sort of fish might have nibbled on the yellow extension cord. 😁
I said out loud, "Who the f^@# is they?" and I was immediately scolded by my wife for cursing around my son. Lol. Good thing the wire is still safe to use!
Arabella is surely a beautiful boat. The snow pictures were great and I think proof that plans for next winter should include lower Latitudes.
For whatever it's worth. I went to the Spectra website, looked up a water maker and downloaded the fact sheet. The operating temperature ranges are listed right there pretty clearly. I don't agree with Spectra shutting Steve down like they did but I do see that someone buying such an expensive and critical piece of gear would normally look over the spec sheet.
Completely fair. Nobody is claiming this is all on Spectra. There were tons of folks working on the boat in a mad dash to make the launch date at the time that decision was made. Assumptions were made, details were missed. It'll get addressed.
I'm with Robin on the importance of keeping to the coffee schedule.
The Sail Life channel had the same exact problem and are replacing the block too (~500$). If I didn't know better I would think that Spec was intentionally not asking potential customers what waters they plan on cruising!
Going against the herd does have it's disadvantages.
So sad. Instead of getting a dig here, they could have helped a little on the cost to correct it and been presented with a positive supportive recommendation from Steve. Dumb on their part.
I think it's pretty shocking frankly. What use are experts if they just make assumptions about their customers needs!? That's a severe limitation to the units functionality.
Never thought watching a video of an opening zipper would feel so satisfying :).
For those who don't know - there is a dark side to snow, and it comes with a shovel...
The siphon might work a little faster if the bottom end of the red tube were cut at an angle so that it could not be obstructed by the side or bottom of the water container
Snowed in at the dock looks pretty. Pretty challenging too!
Happy Friday everyone ,
1:40 should you dye the last inch or two of the tail end bright red so you can see it flapping in the breeze when some hitches come undone?
Those sailing covers are awesome very classy, good on you
It seems like running the water through a homemade heat exchanger (several coils of copper) and using cabin heat to bring the water temp up would be an economical and easy fix.
It could work, but a fix that doesn't eat into the available space inside the boat is far preferable at this point.
"place coffee here" LMFAO!!!
Cleaning the car off and shoveling the driveway looks really easy to me after watching you shovel the boat.
Tell a customer to buy a specific model, then tell them tough you bought the wrong one 🤦♂️.
And it seems all to have hinged on the definition of "cruising".
You'd think that SPECTRA woulda ate the cost just for the generated good vibes. Enh, whatever, things happen, don't happen, don't line up right.
Pick up a cheap 3/4" ID garden hose, cut the 'female' end about five foot long to use when refilling the water jugs, and use a piece of the remainder, slit lengthwise, to tie wrap over the shore power cable at all the major chafe points. So much easier to replace worn hose than worn power cord...
dog loves snow
This is why I left Massachusetts 45 years ago.
oh and, Steve that lashing on the forward edge of the yard will most likely cause an issue at some point with your topmost slide on your sail. the closer to the mast that you can get that lashing afixed to the yard the less load that top slide will see. Right now that lashing is pulling up and back, it really needs to be pulling directly up inline with the mast.
Homebrew shops sell autosiphons for transferring beer/water out of 5 gal jugs like that. Initiating the siphon would be easier but the inner tubing diameter looks about the same so probably wouldn’t speed up the water flow rate.
great water conservation practice!
Whoever uses the most has to make the three trips to fill up the tanks.
Happy Friday from Normandy....cheers richard
Happy Friday, Richard!
Steve, have you thought about making a cover that secures to the mizzen boom and toe rails to keep snow filling the cockpit and rear deck? I'm curious if this fresh water is an issue for timber care. In Australia I've seen a bunch of boats that add "tent" shelters for shade and to keep cool at anchor.
You must be on only youtuber with a snow shovel on a boat at the moment.