Garrett, I have suffered lower back pain for years. I finally learned, around forty, to hang from my kids swing set by my legs. The weight of my upper body would stretch my lower back and realign the spinal column. After se sold the swing set and as I gained weight, doing sit ups (slowly) and stretches (crouched down on the floor and bringing my head as close to the floor as I could) relieved these episodes. Today I rarely have to suffer more than a day or two before I can get my spine to realign. It only goes out once or twice a year. Generally when I lift something incorrectly or sit in a car seat for more than three or four hours at a time. Sorry you suffer these and hope these techniques help. Btw, if you install one of those “thanks” buttons in the menu bar below the video description we can make contributions to special projects and needs like camera gear and dinghy hardware etc.
Sorry to hear about your back problems reoccurring. I’ve had similar issues since I was in my 30s, so I feel your pain. The only real preventative cure for me is regular core exercises. Yep, it’s work, but if I keep it up the pain stays away and the moment I slack off it always comes back. With that plus more walking, hiking, and swimming, and less sitting and laying around, generally I can keep it under control. Best of luck.
A little advice if you want to consider it: plan for a nice snap-on or tie-on canvas dinghy cover. It makes keeping the dinghy dry and clean so much easier while at anchor or when it is in-tow. Also, if designed well, can be used partially in place during foul weather dinghy use. The dinghy build will be a blast!
Lay on your back and bring each knee to your chest to stretch your back. It’s easy, safe and works. Love to watch your carpentry skills. Curious how your gonna get the dingy to Mexico. Can’t wait to see its completion.
Hello Garret and Ruth I enjoy your videos very much I watch every Sunday after watching Delos an Parlay. I always save yours for last my favorite keep up the great work.🤙😎
A great choice of dinghy! I built my Tenderly last year, it rows and sails well but this month I tried an electric outboard on her. 1100w, roughly 2-3 hp and it goes well! Looking forward to seeing your progress.
First year with a wood dinghy.... lighter than the inflatable, electric motor 'cause no planing, rows really well and because I could cut it in half, it nests to 4.5 feet long on deck. It still weighs a lot less than the inflatable even assembled. This dinghy was not meant to be nested but there was a convenient bulkhead close to the middle that I could double before cutting between them.... it just worked. It is a bit less stable because, while it is bigger inside than the rubber one, it is narrower on the outside. so far we have been very happy with it. It is not finished but I needed it for _this_ summer. I will finish it this winter with skeg, dagger trunk, mast, sail, rudder, etc. The skeg might help it row and motor straighter ;) I had some red paint left from another boat we built in 2000 so our Navy blue sailboat has a red dinghy.
13:57 Gotta love the 'wooden-boat builder' tolerances for the framing of the table...LOL. No light penetration through those joints! I also need to say that your relationship with each other is simply beautiful.
Your uncanny ability to weave and match Intelligent Narrative, Perfectly matched Music and Interesting Scenes into a consistently understandable, thoughtful and inspiring production continues to draw me to "go" with you both on your journey of discovery, challenge and freedom. Following since the keel was poured years ago, your efforts to make myself and your viewers feel included is (in my opinion) unsurpassed by any other sailing or adventure channel. Thank you for continuing this high standard of storytelling and not being afraid to show your love and care for one another and your viewers.
So sorry to hear about Garrett's back. I feel your pain. But to be honest, Ruth's foot is prettier to look at. 🙃 Respect to you both for your efforts and best wishes always.
Just some cautionary comments on the CLC Boats. I built the Passagemaker DIngy and found the manual very poorly written. The order of operations often did not make sense and there were instances of warnings at the end of steps that should have been at the beginning of the step. Also, there was a lack of good pictures and diagrams where they were needed the most. One big tip I wish I had known was once you remove the "stiches" use wooden tooth picks, with epoxy to fill the small hole left behind before you put down fiberglass. Another tip is where they have you glue together multiple parts together use a couple of holes with dowels as locator pins to keep them aligned. My full build is on my channel, where you can see all of the mistakes I made. Good Luck! I'm sure you will do a great job!
I'm building a Welsford Truant at the moment, and have seen a few people say similar things about those plans. I've not found any problem with it yet - albeit the instructions are very brief. If other plans are similar then I wonder if its a sign that building little dinghys like these are a lot of common sense decisions and not to panic too much about anything. Will let you know when I first put mine in the water ;)
Suffering the same problem myself right now Garrett. Through it out rolling over in bed. It all stems from an injury in childhood. Damn sciatic nerves. I literally feel your pain. 😊 Dinghies going to be great. Have fun with that build.
Your approach to building the table gave me a much needed chuckle. It worked great for you. Not meant to be a criticism, but your approach is akin to laying your roof sheathing on the foundation then building your house underneath it. Usually one builds the house THEN applies the roof sheathing.
Thanks for sharing the logic behind choosing a glue stitch and lapstrake construction over an inflatable. It's so easy to dismiss one over the other because of labor requirements - but helpful to know why one is a better choice than another.
I went to a wooden boat building school in 2023 after watching you build in Rediviva. Until I went to that school I had no idea how hard it is to build a boat. The fact that the two of you did it alone is amazing. I really enjoy watching Garret build things as he is a true craftsman. By the way this is the only channel I continue to watch after the build is over. I tend to get bored. However I enjoy you two and your adventures and admire you both for living the life you want to live. I am 66 an am only now living that life. Cheers
Another beautiful narrative to go along with a great video story. Looking forward to the dinghy videos. Ck your PM, I think I was successful in sending one to you regarding a set of sweeps for the dinghy...free.
Your journey from leaving the big boat to embarking on building the little boat is nothing short of remarkable. It’s a testament to your adventurous spirit and commitment to pursuing your passions with both creativity and resilience. The transition is filled with promise and excitement, and watching your progress is truly inspiring. Wishing you smooth sailing as you embark on this new chapter! And I am Floating Village Life, Hit follow and let's explore together!
The two hands on the wrenches, sealing off the stuffing box together, was a very touching and illustrative way of representing the two of you. I loved seeing that.
Probably to late to help you, if you are building from full size plans consider buying a ponce wheel to transfer the plans to wood. Much faster than punching in with the finish nail. I look forward to watching more of the build.
I like to sit on my patio in Bahia de los Angeles and imagine the arrival of Francisco de Ulloa hundreds of years ago in his Spanish galleon. Probably looked just like your little red pirate boat. Good luck!
very good choice for a dinghy . for environmental and sportive - joyful reasons ,a dinghy should be an excellent rowing and sailing boat . if you can ,I would add a lockable ,watertight compartment and a better system of securing the boat ,avoiding to tempt casual thieves ,especially when tight on shore ,during shopping and other outings .
As a person who has live with the results of a major spinal chord injury and lived with its results for over 50 years, I can empathize with you. I really hope you two consider scoring an electric windlass for Rediviva, in the near future. best wishes.
Garrett, I completely understand. I fractured my T9, T10, and I have lower back arthritis so severe that I require injections that chemically burn the nerve endings at L4-5 and L5 S1 every 8 months because that's how long it takes for the nerve endings to grow back. Between those injections, I must take it easy to not overburden my back by doing things like vacuuming the living room rug, otherwise, I'm down the rest of the day and part of the next day. Othewise I enjoy you and Ruth's videos so much that I look for a new release every couple of days.
Wow, a cute water maker mechanic 3:02 And a cook with Tasty ceviche. So now I think I get more of the picture of why you didn't go with all the others. The baby coming, the dingy build, that would be enough. Your the most experienced wooden dingy builder I've seen yet. I've saw one built years ago , it came apart in the middle, no sail. I think there might have been one with a sail. But yours, this will be an amazing build I'm sure. My Dad and I had back problems, both very similar, and I know quite a bit about it. My back is perfect now, has been since my Microdiscitamy in about 1993.
If you put some chalk line chalk in an old sock and ball up the end with the chalk you can "pounce" the holes in the paper plans and see where your transferred marks on the plywood are more easily. Also, treat yourselves to a lemon/ lime squeezer.
For the stuffing box, twist a couple of feet of 'Teflon Tape' into a cord and wind it around the shaft on top of the seals. It will 'squish' into any small voids and has always reduced a leak into a slow drip for me. If you're going into 'storage' mode, just tightening the gland a bit more will stop the drip completely. Just put a piece of cardboard over it with 'Loosen Me' printed on it so you don't forget to allow the drip for cooling when you return...😁
Really enjoying the return to building. Been thinking about a Chesapeake light craft project. Looking forward to seeing how your sailing dingy works out.
More boat building, love it! I had a book of plans from Chesapeake, I always planned to build a Kayak but unfortunately my back injury will not allow me to sit in one anymore. I really liked some of their designs. I do have a set of plans for a cedar strip canoe I plan on building for my son and his family. One day...
Sailing rig for the dinghy. Yep. Keep it light, for many reasons. Learn French or Tahitian. Work on getting a long stay tourist visa for French Polynesia. It's not that hard. Ninety days is simply not enough. You might find you'll need another year :) keep on keepin' on
I don't want to make you jealous or anything. I launched my 52 f ferro ketch, built in my backyard, coming in at 32tonnes, launched 2005 with traditional stuffing box with 1/4 " lagging. It has never leaked single drop. 2 metre long tube is full of crease. Bearings are running cool. Love your work though. This not criticism.There are no rules.
Garret Try this on your back. Absorbine Veterinary Liniment Gel Topical Analgesic. Works wonders for me. It might help you too! Can`t hurt to try it. $13 at Tractor supply
I have had my eyes on CLC’s kits for years! I love the dingy build, it will get me going on building my dream craft sooner rather than later! You guys are a major inspiration, so grateful for your bringing us along the way!
Having spent last year building a cedar strip canoe… we’re enjoying watching a small boat build! And yes, every time I look in our garage I say “there’s a boat in there!”
I came aboard when you were building a boat house, so this is nothing new to me. Given the team's increase in skills, I'll be even more happy to watch whatever you upload. As usual, I'm already jonesing for Ep. 299.
Just finished "Cruising in Seraffyn". The similarities are uncanny. From the boat, to the drifter sail and from the Builder and the Writer to the hospitality. Its like watching the Pardeys if they were RU-vid Sailors in modern day. Would love to see you and Garrett continue in their footsteps. You know, they did eventually leave the SoC?! 😉
You will love your CLC build. I have built 2 of their paddle board kits. Directions are straight forward, kit parts are precision cut and easy to assemble. You are not using the kit but your experience will make following their plans a snap. This will be a super addition to your sailing life.
After seeing Madison Boatworks' dinghy (I think canvas on ribs) making a non-inflatable seems like a great idea. Its a lug sail similar to your plans; rows brilliantly and can be sailed as well. I get why the inflatable is the orthodox but like you say, Tenderly will just look like it belongs with Rediviva!
not trying to give internet medical device, BUT... I started out with 1 herniated disc in my lower back... the last time I have any imaging done they found 4 herniated discs and spondylolysthesis in 3 of those discs. They tried about all the common fixes available back in the 90's with no real relief until they sent me to decompression therapy. WHAT A GAME CHANGER! I do have an occasional flare up but for the most part, I'm pain free. While I realize decompression therapy tables are not available in sailboat models, a country cousin might make for a usable alternative... inversion tables serve the same purpose of putting negative compression on the spine. Anything that can move your shoulders away from your hips can be beneficial.. even if its as simple as hanging upside down from your rigging! I just hate to see anyone suffering from back pain because I know from experience how intense and debilitating it can be. Mine was so bad I couldn't ride in a car without intense pain... I expect yours is near that. Hopefully something I've mentioned is either helpful or helps you find relief.
