Zephyr Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 Unlike the Carnaval parade we did where I dumped buckets filled with confetti on the crowd, the SJ parade is really touchy about this. We are cleared to have choreographed swordfighters and our pirate with the whip, but they don't like the idea of anything coming out of the cannons, not even baking flour. So I may go with a fog machine or smoke pots in them or sparklers on the touch holes. We also can't fire the flintlocks due to the fact that there are animals in the parade who might shy at the noise. I think smoke is the way to go. Pity! Would have added a nice touch! Fog sounds good though... Had horses, aye, the big bangs in a parade....can make things very....uh......exciting..... Love the fringe-water! I was gonna suggest crinkled mylar, reflective/watery...........but mylar won't stay crinkled!......
Saber Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 HEY!!!!! Will you all stop giving Quill ideas for the Land Shark? Grrrrrrrrrrr I have to help build them all and I'm really lazy by nature!!!!! If she weren't me wife I'd have sunk the tub long ago... Only kidding darling. :) Saber
Coastie04 Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 Sink the tub??? Hmmmmm.....Post-parade pirate party? Tow the thing out with the Royaliste into international waters, and have 'piracy drills' in case Royaliste be going south next year. Coastie PS-Is that an suggestion acceptable to you, Saber? PPS-I'd hate t' see something as creative as this go t' the bottom, at least not without being replaced by something bigger and better. Maybe postpone the pirate party for a few years while you work on yet another float? She was bigger and faster when under full sail With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail
the Royaliste Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 we ran that past the 'Quill 'afore she pulled it home!..new rounds, cement in toilet paper tubes..good ballistics up to 800 yards, no windage, mebbee further, just can't see the splash farther, even with a 'glass!...........
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 23, 2003 Author Posted October 23, 2003 AVAST!!!!!!!!!! STAND DAWN YE' DAMN SKALLIWAGS!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! If any o' ye' so much as fires a cupcake at me poor little Land Shark, THIS is what will happen to yer friggen automobiles! Ye have been fairly warned!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
El Pirata Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 I be thinking someone's going to be hanging someone from a yardarm really soon. Be careful lads I be thinkin you be PO'in the lass. Pushing the limits means getting out of my comfort zone and giving more when I don't think I have any left.
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 23, 2003 Author Posted October 23, 2003 Aye El Pirata, ye' be right on that 'count! An' I be married to the scurvy dog who started the whole idea! I shall have to devise a fittin' recourse... Hmmmm... Lemme think.... Gotta make it good.... Make him eat me cookin'? Witholding nookie priveeeeleges? Lose the remote control on Superbowl Sunday?!!!! Ah, the wicked forms o' torture a wench can devise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
Saber Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 Arrrrrrr Sweetie, you had me when you mentioned be'in cut off from the Nookie. I'll do what ye want when ye want it in exchange fer me Privileges back.
El Pirata Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 Ye be needin a rope and a yardarm? Pushing the limits means getting out of my comfort zone and giving more when I don't think I have any left.
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 23, 2003 Author Posted October 23, 2003 ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Saber me lovely, I knew ye' would be capitulatin' o're either the threat o' force-feedin' ye' me cookin' or o're the nookie!!! So grab ye' skil saw! Grab ye' drill! Grab ye' level! Grab ye' tape measure! We's a-headin' to the bedroom lad!!!!!!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
Coastie04 Posted October 23, 2003 Posted October 23, 2003 The car threat really doesn't scare me, as I do not have one. However, I get yer meaning. No sinking th' boulevard barge. Though wouldn't it be more authentic to have just a few cannon holes? You did like the idea o' ripped sails, this would just compliment the effect. Seriously, though, I do have another thought. Make sure that when you make the bowsprit, that it clears not only the trailer, but whatever vehicle be towin' ya. A steep bow sprit might be appropriate, and why not put a sprits'l on it? That would look cool. Or, if th' winds be light (I'm thinking future o' the float here, as it looks to have a VERY long one) why not actually make a small stays'l or something t' hoist? Will the rigging be strong enough to have people at least hangin' on to th' shrouds an' leanin' out? I think that would be a cool effect, or even have someone halfway up, if'n it be safe. Final suggestion for now: Decorate the truck that's pullin' you. What I thought of was some sort of small ship to put on the cab top that can be 'running away from you.' Or, in future years, see if you can design one of those magnest that can go on a truck door or something with a crippled ship in terror. Good luck, and don't work Saber too hard...though too hard is such a relative term, isn't it? Coastie She was bigger and faster when under full sail With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail
Saber Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 I dunno if we'll ever to be able to have rigging that is sturdy enough for climbing, there's a couple of problems with that. First of all, the mast needs to be able to be easily taken up and down, because the Land Shark has to be hauled long distances by freeway and set up on-site for parades. So a heavy wooden mast might be difficult in that respect. Additionally, the hull is fiberglass rather than wood, so I don't know that it could support a wooden mast's weight. At the moment, it looks like we'll be going with black 4" PVC piping for the mast and either 2" or 4" for the bowsprit. Eventually I hope to add a lot of cool details. But at the moment, I'm just going to be glad to make it look remotely like a pirate ship for the Dec. 7 parade! We are going to angle the bowsprit as you suggested. You can get a better idea how it will look when you see the next set of photos...
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 27, 2003 Author Posted October 27, 2003 The rear windows are now installed... The toughest part of all (we hope!) was accomplished today- securing plywood to the front of the hull, following the angle of the boat to form the bow- Here Bob is putting in the support brackets- Here you can see how we had to imitate the upward curve of the hull. We got 3 panels on the front of the hull and one on the nearest side before we ran out of plywood, LOL The front 3 panels- Gotta hide that tri-hull with a fake wave or something... And finally, Saber giving his opinion of the whole thing! -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
El Pirata Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 The boat looks great but Saber is showing me why I could never send any Army pictures home, someone in the picture was always doing what Saber was doing. Pushing the limits means getting out of my comfort zone and giving more when I don't think I have any left.
Coastie04 Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 Lookin' great. A fake wave would be good for the hull, though a couple of plywood boards might also cover it up and make it look like it's just a regular hull. Or, have a little boat being crushed under it with a british flag flying or something. That would be an interesting touch. Coastie She was bigger and faster when under full sail With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 27, 2003 Author Posted October 27, 2003 I forgot to respond to the earlier post about the truck. For the SJ Holiday Parade we'll be towed by a GMC sponsor truck. Additionally, the bowsprit will not only be angled, but the PVC wired with a lit lantern hanging from it. Saber and I did some talking about the color scheme of red & black. He pointed out that 1. no one ever really painted a ship black and even the Black Pearl wasn't black 2. brown would look more realistic 3. you can't get laytex exterior house paint in black! So, we've decided to go with a very dark walnut brown with gold gilt trim. -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
El Pirata Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 But you do have enamel based paints that come in any color you want and they are the ones used for a nautical applications. Pushing the limits means getting out of my comfort zone and giving more when I don't think I have any left.
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 27, 2003 Author Posted October 27, 2003 I was going to go to a paint store and get a recommendation of what to use- it has to stick to wood, plastic and fiberglass and be able to withstand being outdoors 24/7. My guess was exterior laytex house paint, but I don't know for sure. Would a typical enamel be better? I understand that paint for boats is horribly expensive and this won't be going into the water. I'm up for any and all advice on the paint! -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
El Pirata Posted October 27, 2003 Posted October 27, 2003 I'm not an engineer but I have been painting steel and fiberglass in a maritime environment for most of my life and in those applications enamel or epoxy based paints have been best. The finish will fade from constant abuse from the sun, however the paint covering will last a good long time. One worry about the fiberglass usage is enamel based paints don't take well to the flexings of fiberglass. If you're worried about the paint cracking because of the motion I would think about a urithane (however you spell it) based paint as it's like an enamel but oil based rather than water based like latex house paint. Sorry for the lesson in vessel painting. Pushing the limits means getting out of my comfort zone and giving more when I don't think I have any left.
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 27, 2003 Author Posted October 27, 2003 Thanks El Pirata, that's very helpful to know. The "lesson" in paint gives me a lot to think about and some good questions to ask at the paint store. I had not thought about flexing in the fiberglass and that would be a major issue not only on freeways, but especially going up and down my windy mountain road. -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
El Pirata Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Hopefully your paint store has a bit of knowledge for you. Pushing the limits means getting out of my comfort zone and giving more when I don't think I have any left.
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted October 29, 2003 Author Posted October 29, 2003 Arrrrrrrr!! What a wonderful find I just made!! I've been looking at different options for the support braces for underneath the back cabin. I wanted something kinda cool and unique-looking. I searched everywhere for a scroll-style support and they cost a small fortune. Next I started looking at shelf brackets- about $12 each and since we'll need five of them under the cabin, kinda pricey for something that is plain and not what I want. Then I found there are a lot of very cool looking gargoyle wall shelves that would make good braces when painted gold, but they were all just a little too small for the overhang of the cabin. The ones I liked best were just the face of a gargoyle. Then today, I stumbled upon the perfect solution at Toys R Us. They have plastic children's halloween trick-or-treat buckets molded into the grimacing face of the Incredible Hulk! The backs of the buckets are elongated so the size is just about right. Spray painted gold, they won't look the least bit like the Hulk, as the face is much narrower, then I'll mount a gold ball under the face to give it a little more length. The buckets are $2.99 each. It should look VERY cool with 5 growling golden gargoyles on the back. After halloween, I'm going to hit the halloween discounts and find a skull to paint gold and mount at the top of the back cabin above and between the windows. Here is the photo of the buckets and again the photo of the back cabin again so you can visualize all this. The trim on the windows and part of the rails will be gold also. Looking at the photo again, I may also try cutting one in half and putting a profile at the end of the cuve on the back cabin. I love cheap solutions!! ps El Pirata, I forgot to mention that the brown paint also has to adhere to the metal of the trailer. -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com
El Pirata Posted October 29, 2003 Posted October 29, 2003 I forgot to mention that the brown paint also has to adhere to the metal of the trailer. Definately enamel then, my thoughts. Pushing the limits means getting out of my comfort zone and giving more when I don't think I have any left.
Coastie04 Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 What color is the trailer going to be? If it's blue, for instance, then you can get a different kind of paint than for the rest of the boat. Also, it would probably go with the blue shimmery fringy things. Coastie She was bigger and faster when under full sail With a gale on the beam and the seas o'er the rail
Zephyr Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 Very clever! And you're right, painted gold and tucked under the shelf he'll never be recognized as a platic bucket! How long is the boat?
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