Another tug boat...

[epicxt]

Just started another tug boat job. Rebuilding two staterooms that had severe mold and rust damage. This is a much larger boat than the last one for those who saw pics of that job. The build-out should be easier though as there are more straight lines/square corners on this job.
Here's a pic of the boat.

I've got plenty of space to break down sheet goods if the weather's nice, but getting tools and materials up to the staterooms can be challenging...

This boat just came from getting major steel repairs done in Canada so I've got a clean slate to work with except for one wall in both rooms.

Should be fun!

 

[JerrySats]

That's a pretty big tug boat , nothing like the tugs out here on the east coast . Are the beams ( last picture ) in the staterooms metal or wood ?

 

[epicxt]

Actually, I just found out yesterday that it no longer operates as a tug, but as a container hauler. Yeah, that deck is pretty good size!

The beams are metal c-channel. I've been blasting wood onto the sides of the channels the last few days to get ready for insulating (my least favorite part).

 

[tbellemare]

It almost looks like it was a ferry.

Tom

 

[epicxt]

Yeah, it certainly does! I'll have to ask about its history tomorrow.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I don't think that thing is (or was at least meant as) a tugboat. It's what we called a RO-RO boat, a Roll-on Roll-off boat when I worked in the harbour, meant to transport rolling material ie stuff with wheels. No tugboat would have a loading ramp.

 

[leakyroof]

Actually, I just found out yesterday that it no longer operates as a tug, but as a container hauler. Yeah, that deck is pretty good size!

The beams are metal c-channel. I've been blasting wood onto the sides of the channels the last few days to get ready for insulating (my least favorite part).

. Your own GIGANTIC MFT, cool.

 

[epicxt]

. Your own GIGANTIC MFT, cool.
[/quote]
Yeah, they might not like having 20cm holes drilled every .96m!

So this boat was used primarily for hauling containers and towing container barges. It's up in Alaska year-round and also does work for the pipeline. It used to have a big winch setup for towing but that was removed a few years ago so now it mostly hauls containers. The guy I talked to has worked on it for 12 years but didn't know the history from before that.

 

[Jasonj888]

Does someone give you a plan to work from or do they just tell how many beds and lockers each room needs?

 

[epicxt]

They just tell me how many bunks and lockers each room needs. This boat has 5 staterooms so I'm supposed to somewhat match the style but I've got a lot of leeway. The two rooms that I'm doing are going to be pretty much mirror images of each other.

 

[epicxt]

Ok, a little update. The job has been going well although I'm a bit behind where I was hoping to be. This company had two (real) tugs at the same dock as this boat until Friday and I was asked to do some misc work on those boats as their timeline was much more urgent. I was back on this project this weekend.

The biggest challenge so far has been trying to work in the available space. The weather hasn't been conducive to cutting outside so I've been forced to do my cutting and fabrication in one of the staterooms. The challenge is that the dimension of the room is 94"x103" and I'm working with full sheet goods. I've had to be flexible with my space.

Another setback is that we had to tear out the partition separating the galley from the staterooms because of rot and mold so that's added to the workload. I'm finally done with that portion and have the overhead installed so now I'm in the fun part: building bunks, cabinets, etc. I'll post more progress pics as I go.

 

[wow]

That project seems like it could be:

A. A blast

and/or

B. A real pain in the tush

I suspect it is sometimes both on the same day? How did/do you find work like that? Do you seek it out, or does it find you?

Not meaning to pry or anything, just genuinely fascinated by your business model. Not a lot of opportunity for things like that around here, even if we do have 10,000 lakes.

 

[epicxt]

That project seems like it could be:

A. A blast

and/or

B. A real pain in the tush

I suspect it is sometimes both on the same day? How did/do you find work like that? Do you seek it out, or does it find you?

Not meaning to pry or anything, just genuinely fascinated by your business model. Not a lot of opportunity for things like that around here, even if we do have 10,000 lakes.

You are right on both counts!  I feel fortunate to be able to do this kind of work and live in an area that has a real need for it.  Regarding how I end up with all my jobs, they find me.  I've never advertised other than word of mouth but I'm continually busy.  Right now I'm booked out until late fall.  The latest jobs basically came from knowing the right person who recommended me to a friend who runs the Seattle office of a large tug company.  After the first one they pass my info around to other companies as the community is actually rather small in that business with people who have been in it for a long time pretty much all knowing the people with similar positions in other companies.  So if you do a good job on the first one you get good recommendations down the line! 

I actually first started doing a bit of marine work years ago when someone took a chance on me after seeing some of my finish work in homes and had me do some galley counter replacements on sailboats.

 

[leakyroof]

Ok, a little update. The job has been going well although I'm a bit behind where I was hoping to be. This company had two (real) tugs at the same dock as this boat until Friday and I was asked to do some misc work on those boats as their timeline was much more urgent. I was back on this project this weekend.

The biggest challenge so far has been trying to work in the available space. The weather hasn't been conducive to cutting outside so I've been forced to do my cutting and fabrication in one of the staterooms. The challenge is that the dimension of the room is 94"x103" and I'm working with full sheet goods. I've had to be flexible with my space.

Another setback is that we had to tear out the partition separating the galley from the staterooms because of rot and mold so that's added to the workload. I'm finally done with that portion and have the overhead installed so now I'm in the fun part: building bunks, cabinets, etc. I'll post more progress pics as I go.

. Hey, it's a Boom... Ceiling...  Clever way to keep the hose out of the way [smile]
Sorry to hear your 'MFT' deck is under the weather at the moment, but you're working around it. [big grin]

 

[epicxt]

Thanks! Yeah, necessity = mother of invention. Love those 3rd hand poles.
The weather has been awesome the last two days but since all my tools and materials are already up in the upper house I've had to be crafty with my space. I can't rave enough about the Festool system approach that allows me to set up my Kapex on the ug cart and one wing (because there's only room for one) and the cms equipped with the other wing as an out feed support. All in the galley. I can JUST run 8' stock through the router table if I thread it behind the stove...

 

[Jasonj888]

Crazy work site, but your photos do a good job of explaining it. I'll keep watching for updates.

 

[BMH]

Challenging job, keep the updates comming

Bruce

 

[epicxt]

Ok, have had a chance to catch a breather from this job and get back to a long-standing project.  Thought I'd do a little photo update.  I was hoping to get a photographer friend of mine to get some nice photos, but the timing didn't work out, so these low quality cell pics will have to do.

There are a few flaws that I can pick out as the end of the job was more rushed than I care for, but overall the job turned out much nicer than they were expecting, and I've got a feeling the flaws are ones that only I really care about.

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Hmm...that black stuff in the rotting partition wall doesn't look good.  Guess I'd better tear it out...

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Ahhh...the stateroom feels much larger when it's open to the galley!

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Bunk building in progress.

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The mft sys proved invaluable when the rooms got to the point where there was no space for the mft-3.

 

[epicxt]

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The easy way of removing tools from the job site.  Had to move out of the elevated house that I'd been working in so everything got moved to a shipping container in the yard.

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When it's nice in Seattle there's no better place!

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Wow, look at that unmarred worktop!  I'm a rockstar at keeping my mft spotless!

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*cough* or maybe I just flipped it and wanted to document the one moment when it didn't have any kerf marks in it!  Darcy, if you're looking at this don't worry: it won't look like this for long!

 

[epicxt]

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Assembling drawer boxes.  Poplar boxes with 12mm pre-finished birch ply for the bottoms.  Glued, clamped, pocket hole screwed, then each joint had two walnut 8mm dominos added for strength. Fairly large drawers at 30"x9"x23".

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Fast forward to mostly finished product.

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I built in a small desk space for the crewmembers in each room to have their laptops near their bunks.

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All drawer fronts and cabinet doors were constructed of 3/4" walnut ply with solid walnut edging.