Autopilot or Bust: A Metalwork Collaboration Between Acorn to Arabella and SV Seeker
April 25, 2025 by Acorn To Arabella | Language: EN Play Time: 00:24:59 | SAILING YOUTUBERS
This week’s video resumes in the Dry Tortugas, where we’re stuck on finding a solution for installing our auto helm. But that can wait…first, fishing! Our bait attracted a few good-sized Nurse Sharks and Goliath Groupers, putting on quite the show for Akiva! The Nurse Sharks are gentle, but they’re still a bit disconcerting to see right under the boat.
Another “must do” activity on the Dry Tortugas is visiting Fort Jefferson, which—after a week in the park—we still hadn’t done. We put shoes on for the first time in days, and ventured into the centuries-old fort. There is so much history in Fort Jefferson, even though the fort never saw battle.
We could have stayed in the Dry Tortugas forever, but we had to get back to Key West to meet up with Doug from SV Seeker. We worked out a potential solution for installing our auto helm, but we need access to Doug’s floating metal shop in order to fabricate a stainless steel bracket to use as a mount.
First, we needed to countersink two of the lag bolts on the boomkin so the bracket can be installed perfectly flush. Then, I marked up the piece of stainless, and headed back to SV Seeker where Doug’s portable handheld band saw, plasma cutter, and array of metalworking tools help us bring our vision to fruition. We even factored a bow roller into the design for more ease in launching our stern anchor—bonus!
We never expected to be working on Arabella, on SV Seeker!
The piece fits perfectly (after a little refinement with the angle grinder) and the autopilot works perfectly! The auto helm is going to open a lot of doors for us. We have some big miles to get back north for the summer, and having the autopilot will make the long passages a lot easier to manage.
Amazing teamwork this week! A huge thank you to Doug and Bob—we couldn’t have done it without you.
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Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv
Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38′ wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin’s Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel’s gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they’ve built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways:
https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help
Acorn to Arabella’s wishlist:
https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority
TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They’ll kick 10% our way!
To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions!
https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella
Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com
FOLLOW US:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella
Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com
This week’s video resumes in the Dry Tortugas, where we’re stuck on finding a solution for installing our auto helm. But that can wait…first, fishing! Our bait attracted a few good-sized Nurse Sharks and Goliath Groupers, putting on quite the show for Akiva! The Nurse Sharks are gentle, but they’re still a bit disconcerting to see right under the boat.
Another “must do” activity on the Dry Tortugas is visiting Fort Jefferson, which—after a week in the park—we still hadn’t done. We put shoes on for the first time in days, and ventured into the centuries-old fort. There is so much history in Fort Jefferson, even though the fort never saw battle.
We could have stayed in the Dry Tortugas forever, but we had to get back to Key West to meet up with Doug from SV Seeker. We worked out a potential solution for installing our auto helm, but we need access to Doug’s floating metal shop in order to fabricate a stainless steel bracket to use as a mount.
First, we needed to countersink two of the lag bolts on the boomkin so the bracket can be installed perfectly flush. Then, I marked up the piece of stainless, and headed back to SV Seeker where Doug’s portable handheld band saw, plasma cutter, and array of metalworking tools help us bring our vision to fruition. We even factored a bow roller into the design for more ease in launching our stern anchor—bonus!
We never expected to be working on Arabella, on SV Seeker!
The piece fits perfectly (after a little refinement with the angle grinder) and the autopilot works perfectly! The auto helm is going to open a lot of doors for us. We have some big miles to get back north for the summer, and having the autopilot will make the long passages a lot easier to manage.
Amazing teamwork this week! A huge thank you to Doug and Bob—we couldn’t have done it without you.
--------------------------
Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv
Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
--------------------------
If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways:
https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help
Acorn to Arabella's wishlist:
https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority
TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way!
To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions!
https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella
Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com
FOLLOW US:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella
Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com
Autopilot or Bust: A Metalwork Collaboration Between Acorn to Arabella and SV Seeker Locations
Acorn To Arabella
We are building a 38’ sailboat from stump to ship, once complete she will take us around the world. We hope to inspire and educate as many people as possible along the way. Join us on our journey and let us show you that with a bit of dedication, good company and some old school smarts even the wildest of dreams can be made to come true! For inquiries about collaborating or integrations, please email acorntoarabella@lighthouseagents.com.
Channel Information:
- Joined: March 23, 2016
- Subscribers: 175,000
- Videos: 398
- Views: 52,483,253
- Latest Video: April 25, 2025
- US
- Language: EN
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