Salt & Tar: Ep.107- Rudder Cheeks & Catheads

Got to love boat terminology. Catheads, baggy wrinkles, and gollywobbler are some of my favorites. Today we not only work on the rudder cheeks so we can have a legit tiller but also our catheads. Anything and everything old school sailing makes us happy. We're still on the hunt for a badass fisherman's anchor to hang on these bad boys ;) Not that Garrett needs anymore anchors... I think we have 6 currently, Bruce and Danforths mostly. Hope you enjoy the episode! Leave me a comment if you like the longer video and more of the labor noises than music.

Thanks everyone!
Ruthie

Robin Lee Graham's Book 'Dove'
First youngest solo sailor ever to circumnavigate. Garrett's copy of this book is duct taped together he's read it so many times.

p.s. Also, thank you for watching/tolerating the ads. They really help us out financially. We can't control what ads (that typically depends on your "cookies" i.e. your internet history) but it's an easy free way to support the project and buy more parts for the boat. Thanks everybody :)

a HUGE thank you to everyone that has purchased items off our wishlist. You are giving us a big step forward in the projects to come. We've never had such nice tools. You all are amazing, beautiful, wonderful people that we adore!
(Not every package has come with a gift note so if you haven't received a thank you our apologies and please feel free to message us so we can properly thank you)
AMAZON WISH LIST:

You can also support the project and sport our new t-shirt:
Original shirts:

Music featured:

[arthurjacobs]

I learned to sail at age 15 and read Dove shortly there after. Before that I cut my teeth on Captains Courageous, Two Years Before The Mast, and Moby Dick. Joined the Navy at 18, many miles at sea. Then life happened and didn't become a cruiser, but never lost my passion for old traditional boats, especially Gaff Rigs.

[robertfulton]

You two are going to have THE BEST looking boat anywhere you anchor. It already is very cool looking. I envy you guys. I used to think I had a lot of time to do the wild crap that was in my head. Then I got old. Now I’m watching you and others do it.

[bkbroiler]

Ruth is one very patient lady. Garrett is lucky to have her.

[combatmedic]

Hey guys you should check out the guys at Acorn To Arabella website, they are building a sail boat and have parts from a sailboat they scrapped and have parts they might share, lots of bronze parts, they have shared parts with other builders.

[gbachnik]

I love how you guys get so excited about different kinds of wood!

[mattevans-koch]

On the tiller, use UHMW plastic or nylatron for a bearing between the cheeks and the tiller body. Also, lining the bolt holes with tubing will help reduce wear on the wood. Take care and thank you for the video.

[damiensampson]

Ohhh, Garrett. Where is your scatterbrain. Good thing you have a smart and awesome wife.

[gardenrailroading]

I love your way of thinking! Insurance (where it is necessary) is a form of Gambling! I would rather gamble with a few more anchors and anchor gear.

[eamonnfanton]

I know you love to keep it traditional, but if you really do intend to do significant distance sailing in the future it would make sense to factor in a later additon of a wind vane or tiller auto pilot when designing your tiller setup. You might not ever use either of them but it would be resauring to know that you have that option at a later date.

[mkllove]

Hey Garrett ! You were showing you want the tiller to allow a tilt up position while being at a comfortable position otherwise... so what if you put two holes in cheeks and tiller respectively for a pin, and bolt in the aft position as an axle that allows the tilt upwards, with the fwd pin placed as a locator for both... in the down position it keeps tiller at preferred height, (maybe a couple inclinations or heights ?) and removal allows upward pivot, then replacing pin to keep it in upward fixed location so it cannot rotate back down with pin blocking downward rotation.

[richardbohlingsr]

You can use HDPU for the tiller thickeners That way the through bolt can be used to create friction to hold the tiller in position without having to hold it all the time.

[thomasarussellsr]

Not really sure what exactly "too much fun" is supposed to look like, but I think you two flirt with it on a regular basis. Keep on living the dream. You two always make me smile. Thanks for sharing your journey and your precious Swab with us folks stuck in the land-locked areas of the world.
Edit:
Also, if you ha e not done the tiller yet, you could cut a recess in each cheek board and bring them into the tiller arm instead of adding wedges and additional possible points of failure in the future. The plus of course to straight boards for the cheeks is ease of replacement if/when nessesary. Pros and cons to either course of action.

[larrygawne]

Thanks again for sharing. Suggestion, insert a piece of brass on each side of tiller as spacer. Would look cool and be smoother than wood on wood.

[davispurce]

Nice to see your improved collection of wood working tools.

[davidmspinelli]

ALL of your videos are AWESOME! Doesn't matter to me if they are short or long, with or without noises. The only thing that makes them any better is when we get shots of Swab doing his job and making sure Garrett and you are doing your jobs correctly. GOOD BOY SWAB! She looking great you two, THANK YOU for sharing your journey with all of us. Be safe and stay healthy!

[bloodyeyeful]

I pull for you guys all day long. You look and sound so tired. When I worked carpentry, I made my own adage and rule. "When you start bending nails, it's time to quit for the day." I did not see you bend a single nail, but I hear it coming. Take a break! Lots of love and positive thinking your way!

[colinboniface]

No, I don't feel like sanding the decks... LOL... Priceless... isn't that why we love living on boats...

[LouisBackover]

Thanks for the look at the Flicka20. I have one!

[drewkennewell]

This channel deserves way more recognition. Love watching you guys!

[riverrat]

Love the channel and I been here from the start, but it should be named Salt & Sawdust....LoL. Can’t wait to see her sail. Please bring her to the Bahamas and the west coast of Florida. I have a deep water slip just a couple miles up the Manatee River from the Gulf. It’s on the south side of Tampa Bay. You are welcome to use the slip. I can put my boat in my neighbors slip while you are here. Water is always blue and warm. And the weather is 80 degrees in the winter. Plus Bradenton has not seen a hurricane in many decades.