Sentisah's Novelty Boats!

 In the coming months I plan on changing the font from script to a more eye friendly one. The goal was to do something different from other blogs. I always strive to be unique, but hopefully not so boring to any reader who dares to venture here. When I see the number of visitors to my blog, I am happy and amazed that there are a few people who find my blogs interesting enough to read. I have to thank everyone who gave some of their time to read my blogs. It's really appreciated. I can imagine the cursive fonts aren't easy to follow. If the font was made after a human hand, I have to say that they really don't have good handwriting skills. (This is where I'd put a laughing Emoji) I do plan to post pictures of the islet once I am able to get to it.  The goal is to anchor the Auset Fronds to a tree until I can construct a small dock for it, which would allow me to easily climb on to the bank of the islet. The land is located somewhere on the Ogeechee River. It's bracki...

 The Auset Fronds is still shut away in storage. The goal is to transfer her to Mernah Islet. I have yet to step foot on it. I only seen the Islet twice from someone else's property. This summer I want to canoe to the Islet and camp out there. Trying to get to it using my Ease of Access, doesn't change me having to canoe to get to Mernah Islet. I was told that I'd be able to cross over to it by foot, but I don't think it's at the Ease of Access location. I must add that the people in the area aren't friendly either.

  Getting the Auset Fronds ready to be transported. She wasn't taken to the intended location I had planned on taking her, but the place she's in is secure. It took some real brain work to move her from underneath the carport. I discovered that my daughter has the mind of an engineer because she rigged the ramp to make it  easier for us to load the boat inside the truck! The boat was quite heavy, but we still got her on the truck. My daughter made this video for me  and she produced the music as well!

 Now that I have the form that I wanted, keeping the boat in one piece has actually been accomplished. I'm still strengthening areas that needs more adhesive and weight. The Auset Fronds has gotten quite heavy, and will need to be placed on a boat cradle that has wheels. I'm in the process of building up the sides. Getting the boat to Ta Em hopefully won't be an ordeal. She just might be too heavy to load on to  my truck. Floating the Auset Fronds on the lake will be so exciting to me. Patience is a real virtue to have when feeling impatient.

More pictures and less essays. I'm wondering if people find my blogs boring or I haven't made my blog easy for people to find on Google search? I'm adding color to the text to make my blog more visually friendly when reading it. I have to admit that I'm feeling really impatient today about getting it completed I did catch an error adding another layer to the tree trunk that I added to the bottom of the hull. I noticed that the trunk that's at the bow started sliding down from it's original position. Patience is my best friend at the moment.  

Looking at two pieces of palm tree trunks, it dawned on me that I could use them to add more height to the bottom of the hull, so it will sit higher in the water. My first ideas are never the final outcome, because while going through the process of experimentation, I only know how successful my ideas are through trials and triumphs. When the craft is in the water and successfully floats in one piece, will I know I succeeded. Creating this boat seems like it is dictating instructions on how it's going to look by the materials that's available. I was thinking that the next boat will not look the same because you can not purchase the materials I used in making the Auset Fronds, in a store. In order to produce another boat with the same design would require getting really creative with the materials I'm able to find. That wouldn't be difficult because there are palm trees everywhere in these parts, and many tree are pruned or cut down due to growing in the wrong places. Yo...

  I'm getting ready to turn the Auset Fronds over, and complete her topside. I added tar and polyurethane to the bottom and the boat is quite sturdy. I have to say that I am quite please with the results. Once I complete most of the topside of the boat, I will be preparing to have her taken to a new location and also to test the boats buoyancy.  Because of the weight, getting her loaded on to my truck may be a problem. I'm really not sure if my truck bed is long enough for the boat. I have to say that I never intended for the boat to be heavy but it is possible that a couple of men will be able to lift her onto the truck. I was able to turn the boat over by myself, but I'm going to definitely get help turning her topside. There's actually no lifting just pushing the boat where she's sitting back on her bottom.

The hull is almost completed. Most of the original fronds from the first attempt of designing the boat have been used in this current build. The Auset Fronds is quite solid. She came along way from her early stages of experimentation. I can truly say that this prototype can be duplicated as well as improved over time. The goal is to follow some of the basic Ancient Egyptian boat building techniques as far as the curved bow and stern. Everything else in the design is from brainstorming the last 3 years for what works and what works even better. Her lines are not exactly straight from bow to stern, but the most important thing is that she floats. I'd like to do a float test before it starts getting really cold. Once that test passes, then I can focus on completing her esthetic side of the build.  

 Much thought has gone into the process of creating this prototype. I'm trying different ideas that I came across in my studies on boat building. My original plan was to create a small boat like the ones that were built in Ancient Egypt called papyrus boats. I had no resource that provides the papyrus plant, so I instead used palm tree fronds. These fronds are quite plentiful, and very light and is an easy material to work with. I never saw an actually papyrus plant that I can make a comparison with to palm tree fronds. Palm tree fronds, are very light weight and very easy to work with. I thought the two are very similar by the way the frond leaves fans outward. The boat is truly coming together nicely. I will be able to duplicate the process when I start working on another Egyptian Skiffy! Right now, I'm working on refining the design so I will be able to perfect it in the next model.   I also added some other material for making the hull watertight. I learned that tar h...

 The Auset Fronds has come full circle. She is practically how she was before being dropped. The difference is she has been constructed way better, which also makes her even stronger. I finally figured out what works and stuck with it. There was always a little voice lurking behind me saying, I really don't know about this? Thinking it's a stupid idea. I'm so glad I stuck it out. For a second there was some doubt about my technique making any sense. I've discovered that designing anything tests your confidence. People was saying to have the design patented, but I can't do that until the boat is in the water and is functional. She has to be able to float and move evenly through the water. She still has a ways to go before that happens.

 For the past two years and a half, I been exploring different designs as I was experimenting with palm tree fronds. After much trials, errors and a total disappointment when The Auset Fronds came apart after dropping her, the final design is coming together. I am using a bonding material that is very strong. Once two two pieces are joined together using the adhesive, it's not easy to pull them apart. It's a feeling of unbelievable accomplishment to see something being created by you, in front of your very eyes.  I have to constantly fight my impatience of  going through the process of building each section I'm working on. I'm being very careful not to hastily join pieces together so they won't be sloppy and poorly done. This time I'm paying close attention to how I am building up the hull. Doing this I am now seeing some real unimaginable results. The boat is coming into an actual shape that I didn't plan. The material are forming themselves, and I a...

 It's amazing how far you came from where you started from. To see that you're actually accomplishing your goal. This is truly a WOW moment! Even though you know that there's a better way of designing your creation, for the moment it's as good as it can get. It's when things are truly coming together. Trial and error lets you know what works and what doesn't. When you're working with natural material, if you don't bend it to your will, it can become quite a challenge. How to make the material do what you want requires you to be really creative and innovated.  Becoming familiar with the materials behavior plays a role in determining how it will function. It shows the weakness and strength of the material being used. Patience in the process can never be over emphasized.

 You start out with one idea, and turn around to do something totally different than what you originally intended on doing. In the case of working with fronds, they sort of in a way dictate how things will turn out. Either there's not enough of a particular frond or they just don't conform to the design you want to incorporate them in. Nevertheless, eventually things have a way of coming together. The key is to not give in to that tiny voice that says, "how stupid this idea is." Even if you think it is to the very end. Patience in the process reaps a well deserved reward through completion.

 I'm making a lot of progress with this design. The hull is now one solid piece. I'm almost finish bonding the bow ends together. I'll start bonding the stern ends together and then add a low keel that will run along underneath the hull vertically. I also plan on building up the sides of the hull, in order to add some depth to the inside of the hull. Due to a Covid 19 outbreak, we are currently under a stay at home quarantine which now has been about 14 days. Only going out to buy essentials from the store/or to work is statewide. Along with social distancing when you do go out among other people. Reality is like being in a apocalyptic scenario in a movie script. How unreal it seems when cold like symptoms causes people to fear coughing or sneezing of a common cold. Being unhealthy can be a matter of life and death if you have flu like symptoms.. You  have to be very thankful for your good health. It can help the virus cycle out if your immune system isn't compromis...

 With this global Pandemic outbreak that got most except the lucky few on lock down, keeping up with your routine is very therapeutic. Boredom really isn't a real problem for me. This Corona-virus quarantine that we're under, is truly surreal. This Social Distancing that's in effect isn't really a problem for me because I never was a socialite.  This quarantine period should really be the time to get the small things done that's been put on hold due to spending most of your time at a job. If  you are unemployed, I'd say do some brainstorming during your quarantine, coming up with some ideas on how to make money. For those who may be fighting for their lives, may the divine take over and strengthen your body, mind and spirit. I tried a different method for bonding the fronds together. It's like I'm being guided in the process by the Neteru Amiu Uaa-Ta of The Auset Fronds. It is part of my spiritual journey.

 This is what I been doing for the last couple of months. There are always constant trial and errors in the process of creating a prototype. Well for me this boat is my prototype because I haven't seen anybody attempt to build out of the material I've been experimenting with.  After the Auset Fronds original design got extremely heavy, I wound up loosing the grip I had on it, when I was attempting to lift the vessel. I wasn't able to get her back right side up, so I started taking her apart. After much frustration, I started working on this new design, which was actually way easier because I spent the last two years experimenting with the materials. I was able to see what works and what doesn't in the process. This time around, I'm working towards keeping the boat close as possible to a basic true boat design. There will not be any extensive layering, only shaping the contours of the hull. Less will be way more in this case.