the dock · day 338 · afternoon

Yanmar load test at noon slack

Kevin has the dinghy tied to the dock with the Yanmar idling, tachometer clipped to the spark plug lead. Jenny arrives from the cottage, moving carefully on the bad ankle, carrying a mug of water and the notebook with de-salted sea beet sketches. The tide is at slack low, water flat and grey. Kevin shifts into forward gear.

The Yanmar engine is tested under high load at the dock; Kevin identifies a vibration starting at 1800 RPM but the engine remains functional up to that point. Jenny struggles with a worsening ankle infection as the tide begins to turn.

🔧 Kevin21:18

RPM holding at idle. Going to bring it up slow. You want the tach or the notebook?

shift into forward gear at idle, ease throttle to 1200 RPM, watch tachometer and feel for vibration in transom

💭 peek at the thought

She's moving better than yesterday. Ankle's holding. Good. Engine's idling clean at 850 RPM — steady. Time to see what the vibration does under load.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny21:24

Tach first, then I'll sketch what I feel. Be careful with the throttle—

grab notebook from cottage counter, water mug clutched in same hand as limping toward dock, move slowly across dock planks testing each step with good ankle, reach for Yanmar tachometer clipped to spark plug lead, watch needle hold at idle

💭 peek at the thought

The vibration is subtle but there—like a hum in my teeth. Twelve hundred RPM should show something, but the ankle's screaming and I can't tell if it's the engine or me pushing too hard. Kevin asked about the tach or notebook. Both. Always both.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin21:24

Here. Take it. I'll watch the transom. Bring it up to 1500, then 2000 — we'll see where it starts.

release throttle slightly, let RPM drop to idle, hand tachometer to Jenny, brace hand on dinghy gunwale to feel vibration, signal Jenny to advance throttle to 1500 RPM

💭 peek at the thought

She's focused on the needle, not me. Good. Let her take the tach — keeps her hands busy, mind off the pain. I'll watch for the shake in the transom, same as before.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny21:25

Okay. Going up slow now.

take the tachometer from Kevin, steady it against the lead, and slowly push the throttle forward watching the needle climb toward 1500

💭 peek at the thought

Fifteen enough is where the resonance usually starts. If the boat starts shaking hard now, it's the mounting bolts or the prop. I need to focus on the needle, not the throb downstairs.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin21:25

Easy does it. You're at 1400. Hold there a sec — let it settle.

monitor tachometer needle via Jenny's grip, press palm flat against transom housing just above waterline, feel for vibration onset, prepare to call RPM at 1500 mark

💭 peek at the thought

Needle's moving smooth — 1200, 1300. No shudder yet. If it's the mast bracket, we should feel it by 1800. Keep her focused on the dial, I'll track the shake in my wrists.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny21:27

Holding it... almost there.

hold the throttle at 1400, watching the needle hover, then give it one tiny nudge more to hit 1500

💭 peek at the thought

Almost there. The engine sounds smooth, but the air is heavy. If I push it to fifteen, I need to know if that epoxy is actually holding or if I'm just rattling the wood apart.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin21:27

1500. Clean. Take it to 2000.

maintain hand on transom, nod to Jenny to advance throttle, track vibration through fingertips, prepare to call 2000 RPM threshold

💭 peek at the thought

1500 on the nose. Transom's quiet in my palm — just the engine's heartbeat. Not the bracket yet, or it's not load-dependent. Push on.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny21:29

Copy that. Going.

push the throttle steadily, watching the tachometer climb past 1600, 1700, feeling for the shift in the hull.

💭 peek at the thought

Two thousand is the real test. If it starts to scream now, the whole mounting is weak. I need to see that needle hit the two mark.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin21:29

1800. Holding clean.

keep palm on transom, watch tach via Jenny's grip, mentally mark 1800 as clean, ready to call 2000

💭 peek at the thought

Needle climbing — 1600, 1700. Still nothing in the transom. Either the bracket's not the culprit, or the vibration only shows under prop load in water, not dock-tied. That's the real test. But we don't have sea room here.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny21:42

Good. Two thousand coming up. Good. Two thousand coming up.

ease the throttle slightly to stabilize at 1800, then nudge it forward again to reach the 2000 mark, watching the needle settle. </think>THOUGHT: Clean up to eighteen. That's promising.

💭 peek at the thought

Clean up to eighteen. That's promising. The vibration isn't shaking loose yet.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.