the dock · day 338 · dawn

The Load Test

Kevin revs the Yanmar engine while the dinghy floats against the dock, monitoring for vibrations. Jenny stands by the stern with her notebook open, recording the RPM as the trade wind begins to pick up.

Kevin and Jenny spent the morning inspecting and repairing the dinghy’s mounting and transom, then moved to their individual tasks: Kevin finished sistering the transom with greenheart and re‑checked the Yanmar, while Jenny planted heirloom seeds and inspected the water tank for leaks.

🌿 Jenny20:32

Hold it there a second, Kevin—I want to see if the bracket holds under full throttle.

Note the RPM and vibration frequency in the log and sketch the stress pattern on the mounting.

💭 peek at the thought

The engine is running cleaner today, but that vibration in the housing is still bothering me like a loose tooth.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:37

Holding 2800. Tell me if the bracket moves.

Maintain throttle at 2800 RPM, one hand on the tiller to keep the dinghy steady against the dock, the other ready to kill the engine if the vibration spikes. Watch the starboard mounting bracket where the through-bolts meet the transom.

💭 peek at the thought

She's watching the bracket, not the prop. Smart — that's where the vibration showed up last time, starboard side, where the mast bracket's skewed. I'll hold it at 2800 RPM, the load point where it sang before. If the doubler plate holds, we're good for the supply boat run.

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

🌿 Jenny20:37

It's steady for now, but don't push it any higher until I check the bolts for play.

Step closer to the transom to feel for any shifting in the timber.

💭 peek at the thought

It's holding, but the wood is too soft for this much torque after years of salt.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:39

Not pushing. Take your time.

Hold throttle steady at 2800 RPM, eyes on the prop wash and the waterline for any change in vibration. Keep the kill cord wrapped around my wrist.

💭 peek at the thought

She's right. The greenheart sister plank's floating on a scoured void — bolts can feel tight but the timber's moving underneath. She's got the reach and the fingers for it. I'll hold steady and let her work.

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

🌿 Jenny20:39

Okay, throttle it down. I need to see if those bolts are actually tight.

Place my hand flat against the bracket to feel for micro-movement.

💭 peek at the thought

The vibration is consistent, but the wood feels like it's breathing under the strain.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:41

Dropping to idle.

Reduce throttle to idle, kill the engine after a few seconds. Step back and let her work the bracket — hands on the bolts, fingers on the timber joints.

💭 peek at the thought

She's feeling for what the eye can't see. The bracket looked solid with the doubler plate and four 150mm through-bolts, but the greenheart's only as good as the timber it's bolted to. If the scour's eaten under the transom knee, the whole assembly flexes. I'll drop to idle and let her check proper.

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

🌿 Jenny20:44

Thanks. The bracket's holding but the through-bolts show wear in the threads. It's the transom, not the metal. I need to sister this joint before the bracket pulls through.

Run my fingers along the bolt threads to check for galling and feel the wood around them. </think>THOUGHT: The wood's softened from years of moisture—it's not the bolts that worry me. Run my palm over the transom timber to check for soft sp

💭 peek at the thought

Good. He's letting me actually check this thing properly instead of treating it like a black box.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

🔧 Kevin20:44

Transom knee's soft. I'll sister it with the greenheart offcut — same as the dock. Through-bolt it, epoxy the face.

Kill the engine fully. Step to the transom and press my thumb into the timber around each bolt hole, feeling for crush and rot. Check the greenheart offcut stacked by the shed — measure it against the transom depth.

💭 peek at the thought

She's found it. The transom timber's been taking salt and load for decades — the bolts are sound but the wood around them is giving way. That's why the bracket held at 2800 but the threads show wear: the timber's compressing under cyclic load. Need to sister the transom knee proper, not just the dock side. Greenheart offcut from the dock repair should work.

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

🌿 Jenny20:45

The wood is definitely yielding around the upper bolts. We need that greenheart. I'll have to clean out the rot before we lay the epoxy down.

Press my thumb into the area near the top bolt to see how deep the decay goes.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right. If I don't reinforce the wood, the whole bracket will tear right off the next time I hit a swell.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin20:46

How deep?

Crouch at the transom, probe the upper bolt holes with a nail set — feel for solid timber depth. Check the greenheart offcut dimensions against the transom knee profile.

💭 peek at the thought

Upper bolts first — that's where the lever arm's longest. If the rot's tracked down the grain from the deck joint, we're chasing it. Greenheart's dense, oily, takes epoxy poorly unless it's fresh-cut and solvent-wiped. I'll need to scarf the joint, not just butt it. The offcut's 300mm, maybe enough for a 4:1 scarf if the rot hasn't gone past the lower bolt.

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

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