The B.A.T. - She Flies Once Again!

Well, today saw B.A.T. 3.0 flying high and proud.  I am quite thrilled to have a good tarp overhead once more after such a lengthy absence.  The last overhead B.A.T. 1.0 met its demise on December 11. 2014 during a strong wind storm.

While the installation of the new tarp is just about complete, there was some drama.  I started on Saturday and had the tarp completely laid out on the floor deck.   I was installing the main cable in its pocket when I realized that there were no rope pockets around the perimeter of the tarp.  I starting thinking of ways to jury-rig something, but then made one of my few smarter decisions.  I stuffed the enormous tarp back into the trailer and took it to the fabricator first thing Monday AM.  Of course this meant I did not sleep well Saturday or Sunday night as I watched the weather (I had taken down the previous low tarps I had protecting the structure on Saturday to make way for the new B.A.T.

Garry and the boys at Fraser Valley Tarp and Tie were great.  It clearly was a communication’s mix-up between them and me, and they soon came up with a plan to cut a 9″ strip of fabric, fold it in half, and then sew it to the perimeter of the tarp to create the required pocket.  I went away for an hour to let them get organized for the day (I was there before opening) and then helped for an hour when I returned to wrestle the massive tarp to continuously feed the fellow on the sewing machine, so he did not have to fight with the beast.  And to top it off, they only charged me for one of the 2 hours it took to complete.  Awesome!

I ended up having great weather this week for this task.  There were some very light sprinkles that got my blood pressure blowing and I had some reminders as to how powerful wind is as I tried to wrangle the partially rigged new B.A.T. into position, but all went well with no damage to the new tarp!  Now not only will I be protected from rain, I have a huge sun shade to boot, and I can already tell that this will be a lifesaver as I frame this summer.

I have a couple of tie down adjustments to do at the back side (including drilling into a huge granite rock that I will install a HILTI anchor for a tie down), but generally the installation is complete.  I can already tell that the new design with the rope structure will be a lot more durable and do not expect to have any problems during the next 3-4 months it is up and I frame the basic structure and install the roof.  Some of my measurements were off a bit and I had to adapt my rigging accordingly, but there is great slope to both sides and no chance that water can accumulate.

Tomorrow I will order my first storey framing materials for Monday AM delivery.  In the meantime I will work on a cutting table and on deck secured storage for some materials and such.  I also will start building the very simple elevated platforms I will frame my walls on.  This will solve two issues; reduce the amount of bending over I need to do which will save my back, and allow me to drop the fully sheathed wall onto the top of the concrete curb with protruding anchor bolts, instead of trying to figure out a way to lift a finished wall up and over.

Thanks for visiting.

“Courage is grace under pressure.” —Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Novelist, Nobel Prize Winner