by Paul | Sep 2, 2021 | Boat Building, Fabrication, Sailing & Cruising
The Mirage 5.5 sailboat I recently acquired is in reasonably good shape for a “free” project boat but does of course require quite a bit of restoration work before it will see the water again. To many folks, the list of projects may seem overwhelming, but the secret...
by Paul | Aug 26, 2021 | Boat Building, Sailing & Cruising
In Part 3 of this series, I apply “aircraft” paint stripper and then sand down the spars to remove the mast and boom coatings down to bare metal. I then prime and paint the spars, getting them ready to re-install hardware. Part 2 dealt with cutting down the mast and...
by Paul | Aug 19, 2021 | Building Projects, Fabrication, Farm & Homestead, Furniture Designs
I purchased a small, inexpensive media blast cabinet from Harbor Freight Tools and it is designed to sit on a bench. My needs require the cabinet to be at a comfortable height for me, and it has to moveable (mobile) around the shop. This video records my...
by Paul | Aug 19, 2021 | Boat Building, Sailing & Cruising
The latest addition to the Shoestring Shipyard Fleet! This is a Mirage 5.5 sailboat, designed to IOR racing rules, built in Florida. It is 20 feet in length and has a swing keel. This was posted on the Facebook Marketplace late Monday afternoon (8/16/3032) for free...
by Paul | Aug 13, 2021 | Boat Building, Fabrication, Sailing & Cruising
I posted Part 1 of this series back in the beginning of March (2021). IN that video, I stripped all the hardware from the mast and boom to prepare them for stripping to bare metal and inspection. This part deals with cutting down the mast and boom to the proper...
