Since last time
The hull got two good coats of primer, some Bulls Eye 1-2-3® and some left-over Behr Premium Plus® Water-Based Primer & Sealer No. 436. We determined that a tinted primer would have been better. 
Not for the last time did I remind myself that gloss paint is harder to apply than a flat paint. It doesn't seem to cover as well and when using a roller, you get the classic "orange peel" look no matter how short your nap. We used a foam roller and kept things fairly smooth but even so had a difficult time getting a dark, smooth finish. By the time we stopped, I'm fairly certain we had four coats of Behr Premium Plus® Porch & Floor Paint on.
That reminds me of a quote I heard once upon a time from our CABBS group:
One never really finishes a boat, you just run out of time.This is our third home-built boat and I can attest to the veracity of that statement. There are still things not fully complete on our 11'6'' KrazyKat (a Bolger Tinycat/Bobcat design) that we "finished" in 2007.
Launch Day
We launched on July 6th, 2009 over at Shadow Lake in the South Chagrin Reservation, part of Cleveland Metroparks. We hauled everything down to the southern end of the lake and got set up (see nearby picture).
The initial hull test (throwing it in and watching for leaks) showed that the seal between the side panels, the bottom and the forward and aft transoms was good.
Then we added the builder (Ben) and let him bob around at the end of a long painter.
He wanted to sail, however, so I climbed in and we sailed around a bit. There wasn't a whole lot of wind but we were able to get it to go in the direction we wanted without paddling. That counts as sailing in my book.
I was reminded that the tiller was too long and the boat just isn't designed for a full-sized adult. Certainly it can handle the weight but there just isn't a comfortable spot for a grown-up to rest easy in a boat this size. Ben, though, was in heaven and he got to helm this little craft a few times as we even got up enough speed to get a bit of a bow wave going.
I'll look around for a picture of the raccoon we startled down by the south-east corner spit of land. Barb says it was missing a tail and we did watch it galump (the movement a raccoon makes while running) along the shore and into the woods.
All-in-all it was a great day and I am quite proud of the new boat-builder in our family. Ben, you should be proud of your accomplishment! This is quite a boat and I look forward to letting you mess around in it on Shadow Lake and even LaDue someday soon!
What's next
As I wrote above, you never really finish a boat, you just run out of time. There's currently plenty to accomplish still on this boat:
- We have a coaming to add to the afterdeck and a foredeck to add as well. There's a bit of a problem with the forward transom (aka "bow") that I'd like to address (it's not symmetrical) before adding the foredeck.
- We've considered adding a small skeg to help it track better.
- The current rudder is sufficient but a kick-up rudder (e.g., Irwin Schuster's POP-I Sharpie) would be welcomed.
- The sail is beginning to show its age and could use a bit of duct tape in a couple of spots.
- Oh, and we'd like to add a water line and stencil "Box II" on the stern transom. Ben's got a red paint all picked out for that!
- And of course, more sailing!!
About the design
The Tortoise is a Phil Bolger (1927-2009) design from his book Build the New Instant Boats.
