Yes we are!!!
Done is a finite term. Completed. Finished.
Will we have a V-16 to the point that it will carry the three of us down the 340? Yes! It has done short sections of Fellows Lake and the Missouri River.
Will it have three seats and two pedal stations? Yes! We are set on that. (I would have liked to build the paddle seat, but no time: beach chair)
Will it have the required gear to enter the race? Yes!
Will it make it on the car from Springfield to KC? Yes! It has made it to Jeff City and Back
The answer to all four: Most likely.
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Will we be 100% satisfied with where we are on the boat when we get to the starting line?
No. I would like to lighten the load a bit by getting aluminum in place of the stainless steel I have had to use out of time and convenience. Paddle seat improvements. A more permanent rudder option.
After we work through the production stages of building the Third Wheel, we run into a massive undertaking in outfitting and testing. I would have liked to have a better jump on the build and spend my weekends nudging the 30' long craft into Fellows lake to sus out the unique idiosyncrasies of this boat. This would give us time to modify and establish a vessel we can trust and perform in with confidence.
One, ten minute run on Fellows and 16 miles on the Missouri isn't really the nudging I was speaking of. We feel extremely confident in the hull and stability. We can switch positions on the flat. The drives feel good. There is a clicking in the middle location. I'm checking into that.
We would still not have it figured out. The reality is that we have our backs against the wall. This boat will be better suited for a run in 2015. And it will be. Still agree.
I am not throwing this year away just yet. I am being realistic of the testing phase of a home built boat and the MR340. To best understand how it will perform in the 340, we need to get it through the 340. Training runs are not enough.
Will all goes as planned? This is one area that we can be absolutely certain. It will not. Thousands or millions of variables await us as we approach the race as well as surviving the 340. We will meet these in stride and push forward still. Somehow we have lucked out here so far. My list of boat modifications before the race is small and focused on convenience items like the rudder control location and troubleshooting the clicking sound in the middle drive.
We will work around our schedules to ensure that we will be "ready" to try to survive the 340.
I keep getting asked "How many hours have you worked on the boat?" I have purposely not kept track but it has been in the 60+ hours a week recently. I have kept track of the money and all of the wonderful people who have helped along the way.
Why do you keep writing "survive?" Absolutely! In my opinion, regardless of proper training, gear, health, technology, weather, knowledge, prior success, guts, and glory; you will need to survive. Every year, there are a multitude of the 400 boats that do not show. Some do not start. Many do not finish. Do not be quick to think that it is for one reason that folks do not finish. It is NOT just the ___________(fill in the negative of one of the attributes from above) who do not finish.
Last year, I left the last checkpoint and one of the elite teams was pulling out. They were on pace for a sub 48 hour time.
There were five pedal drives signed up last year. Three started, one finished. This year there is five again: Greg K. in a solo Rick Willoughby design, Russ Write in the Hobie I set the record in last year, another solo pedal, and just today an addition to my division called "no chance" It could be the clock that gets you. Maybe a failed calorie or hydration plan. It is a different animal every year.
Survival is key, but not all will.
Tim and I are centered in the foreground at the start in 2012. We then survived.
So will we be "done" by time the race starts?
We will try to survive.
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