BucketEars - Finish up and go sailing

This is a dacron Bolger 59sqft Leg-O-Mutton sprit sail that I use on many of my boats. I am a bit of a boat-a-holic and do a lot of boat and part swapping with others, and got this sail in a swap deal. I also make and use polytarp sails which work just as good as this one.

It is a 3, not a backwards E. This is sort of my signature paint job, I didn't plan it at first, just kinda started painting and there it was. Because ducks are custom boats that we each make our own unique version, just about every duck ends up with a very unique paint job.

I have used a variety of paints and all exterior grade paint seems to work just fine. On some boats, I have used porch and floor paint which seems to have extra hardners in it and is more durable, but the regular latex works just fine also.

Something you can do is keep a small jar of each of your colors, and when you scrape up your hull, just whip out the jar and dab on a touch up. You don't even need a paint brush, just keep strips of cardboard and use that to apply the paint and throw away the cardboard when done.

Working on my secret weapon....

It is a spinnaker made from a leftover junk Dolphin Sr. Sail (that is like a sunfish). I previously made a spinnaker by sewing together 2 bed sheets, but it wasn't big enough.

Launching and sailing a boat for the first time is a magical feeling!! You can't describe it, can only be experienced first hand. This is from my first trip, just a few days before we held the first puddle duck race.

The boom shown here is one I acquired in a swap deal and this was the first time I was trying it out. It has jaws that hold against the mast. I tried it for a while but then switched back to a conventional sprit boom.