Kaimusailing

s/v Kaimu Wharram Catamaran

Vessel Name: Kaimu
Vessel Make/Model: Wharram Custom
Hailing Port: Norwalk, CT
Crew: Andy and the Kaimu Crew
About: Sailors in the Baltimore, Annapolis, DC area.
21 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA
01 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA
23 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
15 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
11 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
06 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
26 January 2024 | St. Marys, GA
14 January 2024 | St. Marys, GA
09 January 2024 | St Marys, GA
23 December 2023 | St Marys, GA
10 December 2023 | St Marys, GA
25 November 2023 | St. Marys, GA
17 November 2023 | St. Marys, GA
17 November 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
03 November 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
26 October 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
17 October 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
11 October 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
04 October 2023 | Alice B. Tawes, McReady Pavilion, Crisfield, Maryland Eastern Shore
03 October 2023 | Alice B. Tawes, McReady Pavilion, Crisfield, Maryland Eastern Shore
Recent Blog Posts
21 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA

Just Add Water

The rainy weekend started off with overcast and fog but no rain. It looked like I might be able to get something done on the D4 dinghy. I wanted to change the bow seat which is really the bow deck. The sailing option uses the deck to hold the freestanding mast. I didn’t like how the deck looked, [...]

01 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Dinghy Alternative Seats

The rain event was more wind than rain, strong winds with gusts up to 44 mph. We drove into town to see what the harbor was like. There was a small sailboat that had dragged anchor and was sitting close to shore. The tide was out. We left and played with Bleu at Notter’s Pond.

23 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Inside Seams

Day two of the dinghy build started out with me finishing wiring the hull bottoms together on the centerline of the bottom panels. This was much easier than the wiring of the chine edges of the bottom panels and the side panels.

15 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Dinghy Day One

A Wharram Pahi 26 had been anchored in the river nearby the boatyard and was hauled out with the travel lift. I went around to look at it and talked to the owner couple. I was surprised that it had been built in Martinique in 1988. The boat is more than 30 years old.

11 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Redux

The inflatable (deflatable) dinghy I had bought was deteriorating. It had bottom seams separating. It is a West Marine branded dinghy made out of PVC. HH66 is the adhesive to reattach the seams. A friend had a similar problem and bought the same adhesive. I was waiting to hear from him how it worked [...]

06 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

The Clincher

We decided to go to Amelia Island for the day, probably to the beach. Our plan to cycle around on the Raleigh 20’s seemed like a bad idea, Bleu can’t keep up with a bicycle for very long and when he quits he quits. So we would walk, where?, Fort Clinch State Park. She has a forever pass for Florida [...]

D4 at Rest

05 April 2018 | st marys, ga
Capn Andy/Warm Spring
After 3 coats of gloss white had been applied to the dinghy hull I left it to dry while we went out for burgers at the gas station restaurant. The hull was dry to the touch when we returned and I removed the masking tape, turned the dinghy upright and removed the masking tape and plastic from the seats. It looked great except for the edges that the masking tape was supposed to keep clean and straight. There were many blobs of paint that crept under the masking tape. I had wanted to use Fine Line tape but the autoparts store didn’t have it, they just had the green tape. I will know better next time.
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It was time to install the oarlock sockets and touch up the epoxy coating on the gunwales, where I had to sand off some 50/50 fairing mix. The screw holes for the oarlock sockets were drilled for the screws to thread into the holes, then the holes were drilled with a larger drill to make a void for epoxy paste that would protect the wood from moisture. When the screws are screwed in they bite on the lowest part of the hole and the epoxy paste sets up around the screw. This means that the boat is ready to launch and test row around a bit, the next day.
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I had help carrying the dinghy out of the woodshop. It is a snap with two carrying it. Then I put it on a hand truck and rolled it down to the river bank. A fellow there helped me “heave ho” it, splashing it into the river. I pulled it down alongside the dinghy dock, then rowed across the river and back. It was windy and of course it was easy going with the wind, but terrible fighting against it on the way back.
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The enclosed flotation means there is no space under the seats. My rowing position was cramped, I had no leg room. If the stern seat were a simple plank with space underneath, I could have stretched my legs just a bit more and put my feet under the seat. Another reason no to build it as planned. Also the plans put the oarlocks 9 inches behind the aft edge of the midships seat, too close for me. I can live with it. If I built this dinghy again I would put plank seats on a fore and aft stringer.
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The image is of the D4 at rest at the dinghy dock.
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