Tally Ho's capstan

Fr J Hackett · 19 Feb 2024

I am enjoying watching the videos of this and two small American workshops one doing the refurbishment and preparation for motorising and one casting a new top which was broken in the dismantling process.
Just as with the shipwrights doing the work on Tally Ho a great amount of skill and ingenuity, not everything made in America is crap.
Here's the latest, which took me back to seeing fitter turners in my grandfathers engineering works working on lathes of the same size and bigger one with a cut out bed mounted several feet above the floor with a working platform that would take pieces over about 15 feet in diameter. Typically the ends of mixing or polishing drum castings and their cast gear rings for driving them which were heat shrunk on to the drum.

Keith-i · 26 Feb 2024

I've also been watching these various related videos about Leo's rebuild although I tend to find the American MO a bit hard going to watch. They seem to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing what they are going to do, often repeating themselves 3 or 4 times before then showing the footage of the actual job. I'm sure a 30 or 40 minute video could be condensed into 10 minutes of interesting and factual viewing if they really wanted to.

The latest foundry video makes me wonder how they are ever going to cast the new capstan cap. They've packed the casting sand around the pattern 3 or 4 times and seem to balls it up every time. Why on earth they let their dog roam around when the slightest nudge or tail wag could mess it up is beyond me. I keep expecting Laurel and Hardy to stop by.

Fr J Hackett · 26 Feb 2024

Keith-i said:
I've also been watching these various related videos about Leo's rebuild although I tend to find the American MO a bit hard going to watch. They seem to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing what they are going to do, often repeating themselves 3 or 4 times before then showing the footage of the actual job. I'm sure a 30 or 40 minute video could be condensed into 10 minutes of interesting and factual viewing if they really wanted to.

The latest foundry video makes me wonder how they are ever going to cast the new capstan cap. They've packed the casting sand around the pattern 3 or 4 times and seem to balls it up every time. Why on earth they let their dog roam around when the slightest nudge or tail wag could mess it up is beyond me. I keep expecting Laurel and Hardy to stop by.

I know what you mean but that's a very complicated and difficult casting and somewhat larger than they are accustomed too. It does say something about the foundry that cast the original though.

mjcoon · 26 Feb 2024

Fr J Hackett said:
I know what you mean but that's a very complicated and difficult casting and somewhat larger than they are accustomed too. It does say something about the foundry that cast the original though.

I haven't watched this portion yet... But I believe that since I was taught a bit of foundry practice at (technical) secondary school in the late 1950s the technology of casting sand has advanced with the addition of resins and so forth to stabilise it against wagging tails and the like... ;-)

14K478 · 27 Feb 2024

I don't begin to understand why Leo Sampson Goolden wants to use the original geared capstan. They are horrible things, with a huge loss of power in the bevel gears. He could have found and fitted a contemporaneous Reid's of Paisley windlass as advocated by Claud Worth and had a decent bit of kit.

38mess · 27 Feb 2024

14K478 said:
I don't begin to understand why Leo Sampson Goolden wants to use the original geared capstan. They are horrible things, with a huge loss of power in the bevel gears. He could have found and fitted a contemporaneous Reid's of Paisley windlass as advocated by Claud Worth and had a decent bit of lit.

I think he wants to use some original bits of the boat. I think the only other original part is the transom, I might be wrong though.
But I agree with you, such a vital part of the boat.

mjcoon · 27 Feb 2024

14K478 said:
I don't begin to understand why Leo Sampson Goolden wants to use the original geared capstan. They are horrible things, with a huge loss of power in the bevel gears. He could have found and fitted a contemporaneous Reid's of Paisley windlass as advocated by Claud Worth and had a decent bit of lit.

I also had not understood exactly how the new gypsy is going to be fastened to the turned-out slot where the old one used to be. No good if it slips!

john_morris_uk · 27 Feb 2024

14K478 said:
I don't begin to understand why Leo Sampson Goolden wants to use the original geared capstan. They are horrible things, with a huge loss of power in the bevel gears. He could have found and fitted a contemporaneous Reid's of Paisley windlass as advocated by Claud Worth and had a decent bit of lit.

I don’t expect he’s too worried about the losses as he’s fitting a motor to it.

Tradewinds · 27 Feb 2024

john_morris_uk said:
I don’t expect he’s too worried about the losses as he’s fitting a motor to it.

and it's interesting content for his channel.

Neil · 27 Feb 2024

I've been watching these, though they go on and on and on......My stratagem is to fast forward and dip in when the scene changes

On an aside, does anyone feel Leo's videos are lacking these days? One whole episode of pushing and pulling the bowsprit in and out several times left me disappointed

john_morris_uk · 27 Feb 2024

Neil said:
I've been watching these, though they go on and on and on......My stratagem is to fast forward and dip in when the scene changes

On an aside, does anyone feel Leo's videos are lacking these days? One whole episode of pushing and pulling the bowsprit in and out several times left me disappointed

I know what you mean but it was an honest story warts and all. I guess there’s so many little fiddly bits going on it’s difficult to make a 30 minute video. I’m still a supporter though.

ridgy · 17 Apr 2024

As someone who has watched all the videos and is an active patreon supporter I found his last video to be very disappointing. He seems to be asking for.more money when he's already spent [inappropriate content deleted] amount on super yacht installations for his alleged restoration. Just watching the rigging videos made my eyes water, paying for someone to hand make all those terminations instead of just swaging them. I've enjoyed the ride but it feels like he's taking the piss now. I wonder what Luke Powell thinks.

Wansworth · 17 Apr 2024

Maybe there has been too much money available and the refit has been derailed to super yacht standards instead of simple solutions……difficult to say stop

Wansworth · 17 Apr 2024

. Tally Ho fit out fits in with the normal standard expected going by this boat

doug748 · 17 Apr 2024

ridgy said:
[Inappropriate quoted content removed]

Personally (for what that it's worth - very little) I would have gone for a more basic fit out, more bought in items and less sophisticated systems.
I think he is admitting he has gone over the top and this has not only delayed things a bit but could mean another winter in the yard. Hence (reading between the lines) a cash flow problem. However I guess he has earned the right to do what he wants, still the best thing on YouTube in my view

.

benjenbav · 17 Apr 2024

I agree with all of the above. It’s come a very long way from the early days in Sequim with just Leo plus Cecca and Poncho and occasional volunteers. The numerous staff, plus the outsourced projects, plus the bought-in components are surely taking their toll both on the finances and on the charm of the project.

Maybe all of this is edging some viewers towards thinking this is just another yacht that’s being built for someone else; interesting, but not quite so involving.

And yet, I also thought I’d put my hand in my pocket again, because it’s given me a lot of pleasure over several years and I really do wish Leo and the Tally Ho team well.

Fr J Hackett · 17 Apr 2024

I am afraid I have never been into financing other peoples dreams, I have enough trouble financing my own. I admit to watching and enjoying some of the earlier and recent videos just to see the craftsmanship but that seems largely to have disappeared of late although the capstan project has been interesting. It became evident a long time ago that the unrealistic restoration was going to be more of a "Triggers broom" than a restoration and the boat is essentially a modern and updated replica of the original and is in fact going to be Leo's livelihood continued to be financed by those prepared to dip their hands deeply into their pockets, "there's one born every minute" springs to mind.
Nonetheless a remarkable build and a testament to the power of the internet and collective donations. Not for me I am afraid and if it disappeared I wouldn't miss it.

Wansworth · 17 Apr 2024

Fr J Hackett said:
I am afraid I have never been into financing other peoples dreams, I have enough trouble financing my own. I admit to watching and enjoying some of the earlier and recent videos just to see the craftsmanship but that seems largely to have disappeared of late although the capstan project has been interesting. It became evident a long time ago that the unrealistic restoration was going to be more of a "Triggers broom" than a restoration and the boat is essentially a modern and updated replica of the original and is in fact going to be Leo's livelihood continued to be financed by those prepared to dip their hands deeply into their pockets, "there's one born every minute" springs to mind.
Nonetheless a remarkable build and a testament to the power of the internet and collective donations. Not for me I am afraid and if it disappeared I wouldn't miss it.

Covers it well

Cuan · 17 Apr 2024

Another view is that the Tally Ho build/restoration is on YouTube as entertainment, and you can buy into it as a viewer, donor, or Patreon, or not at all. As you would with other entertainment.
Leo is, in my view, an extraordinary person who took on a very ambitious project with very limited resources, and a lot of courage and skill. The whole project has developed as it has progressed, and the end result looks like being an extraordinary yacht.
Personally, I find the level of craftsmanship and the quality of materials to be a pleasure to watch. Great entertainment compared to mostly carp on tv.

RunAgroundHard · 17 Apr 2024

It is not a restoration, it is a new build yacht. I am not so sure why he did not just get the plans and build a new boat from the beginning instead of dismantling the old boat and then building a new boat.

Tally Ho's capstan

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