Thanks Brian. Of all I've seen those vises seem to be my best bet so far....I'm just not sure I've seen all my options. Like all tools there are going to be pros and cons in any comparison. When I said money was an issue it really isn't, not for a tool I'll own the rest of my life. I just don't want to spend more than I need to. A tool that is a joy to use though is almost always worth every penny it costs.
I want to use spliced wire because not only will this boat be my home it's a piece to further my skills as a rigger and the art mastered and evident on your boat is a calling card of sorts. I do hundreds of Nicopress eyes a year and even if professionally I would rarely splice an eye in wire it's still a skill a master stage rigger (and certainly a master yacht rigger) possesses and tell the truth I'm getting kinda old not to take those last steps from journeyman to master.
It's the Storm Petrel II in Ganges, Saltspring Island, BC. Earlier this year I loaned Tony Lattimer a chainfall and helped lift the engine in Forbes & Cameron to redo the motor mounts and I was quite taken with the design. At this point Storm Petrel II is pretty much a hull and an engine...rigging, sails, deck trim all need replacement. On the plus side the steel hull and deck and aluminum masts and spars are excellent and the interior is tight and dry. Unless a better spot comes up I'll probably do the refit at fisherman's wharf in Vancouver starting in May or June. I'm hoping to have it mostly done in three months....which means I need moorage for at least a year.
