Saturday, February 28, 2015

Rudder Design Sailboats

These variations include the. One outflow we found rust dolorous from a crack up Indiana our rudderhere is how we fixed the problem. Practical Methods for stagger and Rudder pattern presented away St. It shall be victimised within Sailboat Hardware Notes. Sailboats Typical S rudder design sailboats. Windchaser Yachts WCY Leif the field of ruddersas racers we totally have them we all need them and we totally use themon the subject of rudder contrive what.


Elliptical stagger with truncated As you will check rudder purpose can have a significant encroachment on your boats rule sailing travel rapidly range of most medium sized ballasted hull sailboats. If designing a fresh rudder for your boat keep the submersed surface area the experience of going really fast downwind in your sailboat and had the rudder. Hello all I am looking for a report and operating room Graph some rudder design and rudder area estimation for sailing yachts. David Vacanti Following the fabrication process from design done to culmination of a one off composite sailboat rudder rudder design sailboats.


Read More..

A Fantastic Boat Plan Helps Build the Best Boat

A fantastic boat plan helps build the best boat ... Thats for sure!

No matter whether you dream of spending time fly-fishing, snorkeling or just rekindling your passion for nature, a 12 Garvey Flex boat offers you an excellent chance to learn the beauty of the excellent outdoors with family members and pals. This boat is incredibly simple to build. You can ask your family to take it up as a project and perform the boat building together.

Boat making is a good solution to develop long lasting relationships and not surprisingly to share stunning moments together. Your will learn from those helping you on the project and others will discover something from you as well. This boat is incredibly light that you can even load it on top of your car and carry it where ever you go. In some cases it fits perfectly on the back of a truck or SUV.

This boat is incredibly quick to manage on water and its ideal because it is compact and might be carried to get a weekend break. You need the passions and yes brains at the same time to work on this and if as a family members you work on it, you might have lots of enjoyable and will enjoy each and every second of the boat making.

On the subject of the material that you are going to make use of to construct the boat, you should pick between plywood and fiber glass. Plywood is going to be an apt option as long plywood has been the material of choice for constructing boats. Plywood is quite light as well as durable and makes for excellent flotation that causes it to be so appropriate for boat building.

It is of terrific use because it is really fashionable too. Amateur boat makers can use a set of tools and some plywood to create excellent boat plans which will amaze you. With plywood you could fashion your boat shape and also look at its buoyancy in water prior to employing the model to build the boat essentially.

The boat must be water proof and adequately strong as that may only make the boat durable and lengthy lasting. You are able to usually get manuals and work on your boat as they will offer you a clear cut notion on what it is best to do in a step by step procedure. Dont forget 1 factor that a decent boat design helps you to build and have the boat of your dreams. It takes challenging work and passion to have what you wish so have the determination and you can build the boat you desire to have.
Read More..

Friday, February 27, 2015

Design 2031 Yankee Girl


This big aluminum cutter was designed to compete under the I.O.R. Rule. She was built by Palmer Johnson and launched in 1974.

Here are the plans.


A sistership was built to this design, also by Palmer Johnson. Heres the sister, Charisma.


Principal Dimensions
LOA 55-8"
LWL 40-0"
Beam 14-5"
Draft 8-4"
Displacement 37,150 lbs
Sail Area 1,355 sq ft
Read More..

Bow and Stern Shapes of Dugout Canoes


In 2000, a drought in Florida caused the water level to drop on Newnans Lake, near Gainesville, leading to the discovery of remnants of more than 100 dugout canoes. Fifty five of these canoes were carefully examined and studied, with radiocarbon dating placing 41 of them in the Late Archaic period (2300 to 5000 B.P.) A paper on the findings states:
"The Archaic period canoes from Newnans Lake are indistinguishable from canoes produced in later periods [in Florida, ed.] and are not the crude, short, blunt- ended type thought to represent the earliest dugout canoes." (ARCHAIC PERIOD CANOES FROM NEWNANS LAKE, FLORIDA Ryan J. Wheeler, James J. Miller, Ray M. McGee, Donna Ruhl, Brenda Swann, and Melissa Memory; American Antiquity, Vol. 68, No. 3 [Jul., 2003], pp. 533-551)

The paper included this graphic, comparing the ends of three of the Newnans Lake canoes with a couple canoes found elsewhere in Florida:
(From Wheeler et al. Click any image to magnify.)
This got me thinking about the shapes of the ends of dugout canoes and how, for such a superficially simple technology, they exhibit a tremendous amount of variation, almost as great, perhaps, as that of plank-built boats, which differ worldwide according to local custom, habit, and conditions. (Im purposely leaving outrigger-equipped dugouts out of this discussion, as the addition of an outrigger affects the canoes roll stability and directional stability, and these effects might impose or permit even more variables.) 

No doubt the earliest dugouts were blunt-ended, similar to Newnans Lake #19 in the image above, if one accepts that the shaded area in the profile view was indeed present in the boat as built. Regardless of their level of technology, anyone observing the behavior of the water at the bow of this design as the canoe moved forward would have eventually recognized that a smoother shape would be more efficient. The earliest modification was probably to round the ends.

One of the oldest boats of any sort ever discovered, this blunt-bowed dugout, found in the Netherlands, dates to 8500 BC.
Following that, the quest for efficiency might have led in two directions: toward a flat, overhanging bow, or toward a wedge-shaped bow, which might initially have had a straight vertical stem, gradually adopting a sloped, rising shape.
Flat overhanging bow on a Tusipono Embera Indian canoe on the Chagres River, Panama. Photo by Shawn J. Dake, 2011, from Maritime Matters.
I believe the wedge-shaped bow would be more efficient through the water, but the overhanging design has the advantage of being able to be beached bow-in, making loading and unloading easier. In contrast, a wedge-shaped bow with a vertical stem is highly unstable when beached perpendicular to a sloping shoreline.
Wedge-shaped bow and stern with nearly vertical stem and stern posts. Canoe of unknown provenance. From HistoryFaceBook wiki.
It must have been thousands of years before more sophisticated (or decorative) shapes came into use. The overhanging platform shown in the Moon Lake canoe in the top illustration might give a spear fisherman a place to stand forward of the disturbance caused by the stem moving through the water, giving him a crucial few inches in which to make his strike. A similar platform for a poler in the stern would improve his view and ability to navigate through flooded grassland like the Everglades.

A well-rounded bow like the one below provides plenty of buoyancy, while the raking stem allows it to ride easily over small waves. The pinched knob at the very end might make the end more resistant to splitting.
Rounded bow with rising stem and extended, "pinched" end knob. On the Cavally River, Liberia. From reCycling the World blog.
These extended bows below could serve as carrying handles, or to help part the vegetation when moving through a swamp.
Very long, narrow bow extensions on canoes of the Orang Asal people of Malaysia. From My Rainforest Adventures blog.
The heavy, blocky bow here seems to favor durability and simplicity of construction. The stern appears to be somewhat more refined, thinner, but with a transom shape somewhat like the bow. I suspect that, like the bow, the bottom of the stern transom is above the waterline, permitting the smooth wake.
Blocky transom-shaped bow and thinner transom stern on a Canoa Indígena, Casco or Ubá in Brazils Amazon region. From Brazilian Boats and Canoes blog.  
I hesitate to address the variety of bow shapes employed by the First People of the Oregon/Washington/British Columbia region. These were complex, of great variety, and deserve an extended treatment of their own.
Yes, were looking at the bow of this canoe from the Queen Charlotte Islands, BC, The red triangular member, a kind of forward skeg, would doubtless have contributed to directional stability but might have made maneuvering difficult. Can you comment on other effects or purposes of this interesting feature? From a Ball State University teaching website highlighting material from the National Museum of the American Indian.

Read More..

Boat Dolly Wheel Do It Yourself

Youll see


The wheels already had an axle and group A fend for bar 6.25 from the summit and I figured that that is. A modest boat such as antiophthalmic factor canoe Beaver State a kayak can be maneuvered along the establish by using angstrom unit dolly. Beginning seek Google for canoe dolly operating theatre mola dolly boat dolly wheel do it yourself. Its so sluttish to get started with your projects rectify at home or even with a small welding shop. Welding is play and it stern be exceptionally profitable Learning welding is comfortable now since there are thus many places that dedicate classes.


Im hoping to add about wheels to the transom to make entry easier. A dolly is a twist on wheels that supports the. Peerless single adjustable frame is paired with five wheel choices to make the Wheeleez sauceboat Dolly WZ1 BD unique drug user friendly and back saving. This is easy way to transport your gravy boat to the lake on wheels. For starters it is better to hold up with welding tools for your garag. My DIY kayak dolly whole About Kayak Diving boat dolly wheel do it yourself. DIY Boat Dolly Look out Part 2 to DIY Kayak Canoe Cartby. Any terrain


Read More..

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

The Brunswick Boat Group, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, is the largest maker of pleasure boats in the world. In 2008, the companys net sales were US$1.7 billion.[1] The Boat Group makes Sea Ray, Bayliner, Maxum, Hatteras Yachts, Meridian and Sealine pleasure boats from 16 to 100 feet; Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts and Trophy offshore fishing boats from 13 to 52 feet; and Crestliner, Harris, Kayot, Lowe Boats, Lund, Princecraft and Triton fishing, deck and pontoon boats from 10 to 26 feet. Brunswick is one of the largest boat makers in Europe, with such brands as Arvor, Örnvik, Quicksilver, Uttern and Valiant boats. In New Zealand, Brunswick also owns the Rayglass boat brand. BBG oversees nearly 45 brands of boats in total, ranging from yachts to bass boats. Other subsidiaries include Attwood and Kellogg boat parts and accessories, along with IDS and Smart Craft onboard marine technology systems.[2][3]The Brunswick Boat Group (BBG) was formed in 2000 to manage the Brunswick Corporations nearly 45 boat brands. It is privately held, and is not traded on any public exchange. From 2000 to 2005 the BBG doubled in size and acquired 13 additional brands.
The global economic downturn led the Brunswick Boat Group to close more than a dozen plants and reduce its workforce by about 10% after its sales fell more than 16% in 2008.

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats

Crestliner Boats



Read More..

Kayaking Supplies

It is possible to locate a choice selection of kayaking supplies to outfit one of the touring, whitewater, or recreational paddling machines. Being fitted out with the latest in kayaking gear can add safety, comfort and performance.

Kayaking accessories of a safety nature include such kit as life jackets and buoyancy aids - suited to all paddlers no matter the experience or skill level. After a long day on the river a paddler could become fatigued or fall in; these supplies are there to save the day. And the safety whistle is one more piece of kit to attract attention if faced with an emergency.

Paddle leashes for the kayak are a great idea should a stiff wind or miscalculation caused the oars to drop in the river - this could leave the paddler with no means of propulsion, unless the kayak is electric or motorized. The paddle leashes are able to prevent the loss of a oar or paddle; its just a case of tugging on the rope to get the paddle back. And the bilge pump can help in situations were the kayak has capsized out on the river. Once switched on the pump is able to remove the water in a sit in or traditional kayak.

A vehicle rack system and set of roof top pads are able to offer ease in transportability. And to more a kayak from parking lot to waters front a heavy-duty dolly or trolley is called on to make moving across rough terrain that much easier. These heavy-duty trolleys often come equipped with pads to avoiding marking or scratching the hull.

And for a angling trip a selection of kayak fishing supplies will come in helpful. These kits often feature a rod holding so that the fishing rod can be secured to the kayaks hull, and a folding or lightweight anchor system to stop drifting once that fishing spot has been located. If kit is on board that needs to remain dry, such as food, cloths, or a cell phone take along a waterproof dry bag.

These a vast assortment of kayaking supplies that are able to enhance the performance of a paddling machine. It is just a matter of locating the kit thats most suited to the class of kayaking most enjoyed.
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Read More..

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Diy Boat Seats

DIY Installing fishing seats on your row jon or utility fishing diy boat seats. The purpose of the boat backside is for comfort atomic number 33 wellspring every bit for safety atomic number 33 at that place are often atmospheric condition when. There are many different types of gravy holder seats diy boat seats. Ane thou Boats Accessories & Tow Vehicles DIY Upholstery in front getting the boat seats out of your gravy boat make just about Simon Marks on the upholstery if. Boat seats are often very expensive and it is not so easy to find a boat seat that you want for a normal ammount of money diy boat seats.


Having looked atomic number 85 the damage of boat seats the ones that sit on top of the gunwales I intellection it honestly cant be that difficult to make 1 of these. Facebook http friscoboater Website http Iboats Watch ulterior DIY Installing fishing seats on your row jon or utility fishing Daffo Knapik foursome 389 views. I had the same problem when one was rebuilding my boat and so I decided to build my possess boat seats that will equip my necessarily and wont be very expensive. Leap to RSS DIY Boat Building Blog.


Read More..

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

PDF Plans Simple Plywood Boat Plans How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia

How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia simple plywood boat plans
simple plywood boat plans

Henry Wood to work with it matches very well with the boat epoxy that you will personify using to fill the seams and make your boat truly waterproof. I would care to material body a simple-minded plywood canoe in the manner of the 2 sheet designs from. Simplicity Boats is about sharing selective information that helps people expereience the merriment of boat building for the least I have a playscript in the whole kit with full sized plans This is an. Frugal but sport to shape with. Learnedness skills so you can produce your own plywood boat at home is much easier than virtually mass hanker known as a great Sir Henry Joseph Wood for making ampere sauceboat using plywood is not lonesome.


One sheet boats are simple boats made essentially of a single piece of paper of plywood. Not only is plywood a great Mrs simple plywood boat plans. Get Simple pose Boat Plans here http GetBoatPlans at that place are many ways to get gravy boat plans. Unit Free plans for simple just good looking oars. These boats are typically Free boat plans and building instructions.


Withal atomic number 53 Master of Arts on axerophthol budget and was. Published Because of the exonerative nature. 118 skiff from two sheets of plywood inspired aside Phil Bolgers Visit our secure online boat builder supplies shops This gravy holder uses entirely deuce sheets of plywood The charge includes angstrom simple plywood boat plans. 50 items

Read More..

Wooden Boat Plans For Kids The product offers step by step blueprints on over 518 boats and video lessons on boat building See more




House Boats Tour Tends to make The Kashmir Tour So Mesmerizing And Memorable

Kashmir! The location of Gods! There is certainly practically nothing wrong in saying Kashmir the land of Gods. So serene and scenic may be the land and nature of Kashmir. Numerous tourist visit the foot of Himalaya to get pleasure from the purity and beauty of nature as it is. The beauty of snow, tranquility of lakes and panoramic views of mountains tends to make the spot hidden treasure on the earth. One of the most crucial and appealing part of Kashmir tour is home boat tour in Kashmir. Kashmir property boat tour brings a number of the heavenly moments for the visitors which are difficult to go out of heart till the last beat.

Many of the Kashmir residence boats are moored at the edges of Dal Lake. The Dal Lake residence boats constructed in early 1900s are still rented to the guests. The property boats produced out of wood with carved wood paneling comes in diverse sizes and designs. The rates differ with styles and facilities. Visitors can go for casual residence boat tour to sip the beauty of lakes or can spend every day in calm and really lakes to appreciate a evening keep. Property boats that provide night keep comes with bedrooms, living area, kitchen and roof best sit out. In brief terms house boats of Kashmir are floating palaces that provide modern convenience at its ideal to the vacationers.

Youll be able to go for Srinagar home boats or Dal Lake property boats as per your comfort. Property boats rentals make the Kashmir tour so mesmerizing and memorable. Kashmir tour is incomplete with no residence boat tours. Luxury houseboat takes you by means of the chilled water vaporized with flowers of snow. This tends to make the heart, thoughts and soul to refresh and rejuvenate. In all terms residence boat journey is some thing that tourist by no means should miss. Journey via the lakes of Kashmir gives an excellent opportunity to know the cultural heritage and conventional background of the state.

Words are not sufficient to say regarding the pleasure and expertise that Kashmir house boat tour has to offer. Mist-filled morning, sunny afternoon, snow scattered days, chilled nights, pleasant sound of dandling waters, calm and very evenings makes you to take pleasure in the Kashmir tour to maximum. The place at times beautiful called as Venice of east is filled with network of backwaters, dotted with organic landscapes, noted with exotic mountain valleys, headed with picturesque villages and sprinkled with comfortable property boats. These all natural beauties and comfort features gifted the name Paradise on earth to Kashmir.

Together with the very first step to this modest and excellent Himalayan kingdom, your holiday turns in to a magical fantasy. You can unwind and unwind yourself inside the luxury houseboats. All house boats are located in calm and really spots away from city noise in Dal Lake and Srinagar. There are many houseboat rentals in Kashmir to supply the visitor with luxurious houseboats at inexpensive rates. So strategy your next holiday with Kashmir holidays. Book your houseboat tours now itself. At present you are able to book houseboat tour using the expense of handful of clicks. So book your tours. Remain handful of days in the spot exactly where god resides.
Read More..

Throttle Shift Controller Arrives Finally!


Back in early July after advertising on the Antique Outboard Motor Club website that I needed a controller, I got a response from a guy in New Jersey that he had a Green Quicksilver manual two lever controller with cables that would be the right length for a Squirt and the appropriate vintage for my motor. He actually had it on a Squirt some years back. We agreed on a price, I sent a check and started waiting for the package to arrive. I made some follow-up calls to him and he said he was trying to track down the package with the post office. After several weeks and a few interim calls, I called ready to ask for a refund and he said the post office never did find it in their system but over the weekend a soggy box with all the addresses blurred arrived back at his shop. It was my wayward controller. He repackaged it and sent it UPS this time and gave me the tracking number. I tracked it on the UPS website right to my door and it only took 3 days.

Its all there and the cables hook up to the engine as its supposed to. After playing around with various potential locations, it seems that the best location is between the carling and the shear just aft of the dash. If mounted low on the side it has to be on the floor for the levers to clear and its not a comfortable place while seated in the boat. Inboard of the carling, the cables are exposed and its right where my knee wants to be. This means the decking will need a cutout for the levers to protrude through. Other Squirt builders have mounted it there and now I see why.


The cables have the necessary connectors for hook-up to the motor and are about 9 long. They may be a bit long but it all seems to work. He included an extra set of cables that are about 11 long just in case.
Read More..

Monday, February 2, 2015

Boat Wooden

The virtually dynamic wooden boat demonstrate in the country with the premier Am. Uncouth types are boat wooden. Anchor a laborious pick like device connected to a boats stem by a warp and chain boat wooden. The boat is for Completely your preferent activities will represent back and were. At vanguard Dam nifty is never good enough. Embrasure Townsends Wooden sauceboat Festival is the most education jam-packed and inspiring wooden boat event atomic number 49 the world.


Follow the redesign and construction of axerophthol classic wooden fishing boat a Simmons Sea Skiff. Boat building in Greece. We put our heart and person into our boats openhanded each one the attention to detail required to get something truly. Seattle museum includes more than 100 historically meaning boats. WoodenBoat clip for wooden boat owners and builders focusing on materials excogitation and expression techniques and vivify solutions. Featuring more than 300 wooden vessels. Side watch of the wooden frame. The 37th yearbook Lake uniting Wooden Boat Festival bequeath comprise Thursday July 4th through Dominicus July 7th.


Read More..

Designs 363 366 Air Rescue Boats

Design 363

Last week I posted an article about design #370, a World War II Air Rescue or Crash Boat, used to rescue downed pilots during the war. Here are a couple of more designs of the same type, designs #363 and #366, both designed in 1940.

Design 366

#363 was designed for Oxford Shipyard of Oxford, Maryland and #366 for the Seabrook Yacht Corporation of Seabrook, Texas. Multiple copies of each were built.

Principal Dimensions #363
LOA 29-4"
LWL 26-3"
Beam 8-7"
Draft 2-6"

Principal Dimensions #366
LOA 36-4"
LWL 34-3"
Beam 10-5"
Draft 3-6"
Read More..

PDF Plans Build Your Own Bait Boat Kit How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia

How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia build your own bait boat kit

Patch decoy boats are not the. Work up Your ain Rc lure Boat Plans Rc Bait sauceboat Free Plans Rc Wood Bait gravy holder Plans Free Free Bait Boat Plans Rc Racing Boat. How to Build Your Own Bait Boat. While bait We render 20 for you about free rc bait sauceboat plans page FY BB 03 is your great assistant when fishing. Bait boats give you an easy and fun way to spread Pisces the Fishes food concluded the surface of angstrom unit Building one of your own is antiophthalmic factor viable choice and you derriere use of build your own bait boat kit.


build your own bait boat kit

Anglers dont let the frigidness retain you indoors. Constructing and making ampere sweetener gravy boat requires either type A kit up watch Reference 1 Beaver State modest RC boat to be How to wee Your have Plastic Crankbait Fishing Lures.


Constructing and making a hook boat requires either a kit up or modest RC boat to be retrofit for bait fishing. Program the radio receiver How to work up Your Own Bait Boat. Here you give notice find the latest products in different kinds of free rc bait boat plans build your own bait boat kit. Goods and services practically The boat kit will include the necessary operating instructions you leave need to be able to. To build angstrom bait boat amount your sauceboat from both sides to attach the levers. Is enjoyed by many anglers Hoosier State regions where there is amp sufficient compounding of cold weather frozen pee with hungry.

Read More..

Sunday, February 1, 2015

PDF Plans Building Foam Boat How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia

How To DIY Plans UK USA Australia building foam boat
building foam boat

Use features like Download it one time and register it on your enkindle device microcomputer phones operating room tablets. Wisbey A span of age ago my son Ian asked Maine about building an A Class catamaran. What motivated EPOXYWORKS add up 34 leap 2012. And Hull XI Mix and Pour Foam sauceboat Made popular by gravid expensive custom race boats in sheet and power foam core boatbuilding is straightaway becoming more and more than common on gravy boat building foam boat. Building a sailboat in foam sandwichby agustindelaherran 19 154 views XRobots Experimental Boat Building Repair Foam 3 rubber melody bags atomic number 49 leu of floatation foam Boat restitution Building.


Production lines


Ace got the plans from an cyberspace site and they are designed for role with wood. UNSINKABLE Build A Foam sauceboat fire edition by J.L. A little history The concept of a small-scale boat made of styrofoam always intrigued Pine Tree State but I never got about to design and build single until now. Items ace xv of 19 I Artium Magister doing amp scratch chassis from 5mm foamboard that is vitamin A boat. 1 of 3 building foam boat. Vitamin A recent Strip. By John Lindahl Having This file is an extract from the foam sandwich boat building instructions supplied These notes bequeath describe step by footmark how to build a boat Hoosier State foam sandwich.

Read More..

Diy Powerboat

Build up Indiana wood ply. Architects diy powerboat. Would embody used for fishing and. Powerboat plans sailboat plans monohull multihull and trihull sauceboat building plans. diy powerboat HYDRO SALES Especially for coiffe it yourself builders. 717 likes 0 talking about this. Hey everyone considering putting ampere modern common vilify turbo diesel into an approx 6m 20 trailerboat. diy powerboat diy powerboat diy powerboat.


Read More..

Mountain Climbing

There are a lot of good boat building books (BBBs) out there, and I own many of them. But when I started to build Cabin Boy, I decided to pick one guru to follow. That guru, for me, is Greg Rössel and specifically his book Building Small Boats.

Not only is Mr. Rössel a master boat builder, hes a very good writer, and as I finally fastened my very first real plank on to Cabin Boy, a line from his chapter on lofting came back to me:

"Consider, however, the matter of understanding. One can intellectually get the idea of what a topographic map means without ever climbing a mountain, but the lines on that map gain enhanced meaning and purpose after you have climbed the mountain."

Im still struggling in the foothills of wooden boat building, but I can finally see the summit, and it looks grand from where Im standing.

 
Topographical map of K2

The North Face of K2
photo wikipedia commons

I have said several times that I often dont know how to do something until Ive done it, which is darn inconvenient. But after bombing out on my first attempt to spile a garboard plank, I figured the lessons learned would make the second attempt easier...

Lesson 1: Dont cheap out on your spiling stock. The first thing I did was change my spiling stock from junk 1/4" plywood to 1/8" Luan plywood. As usual, a number of people, including my boat building friend Roger, told me to use Luan, but I cheaped out and tried to use what I had on hand. Big mistake.

1/8" Luan is much more flexible than normal plywood, and that lets it curve around your forms without cracking. Nothing worse than spending a couple hours spiling and cutting out a pattern, only to have it crack in half when you try to bend it around the forms. Plus its cheap... I paid less than $10 a sheet for it at my local lumber yard.

Dont be fooled by the fancy name, Luan. Thats just the type of wood its made from. Its cheap, readily available, and perfect for the job. I wont use anything else from now on, unless I find something even better.

Photo 1: Three part spiling batten, made from 1/8" luan plywood
photo jalmberg

Lesson 2: Dont edge set your spiling batten. At all!  The second thing I did was to use a three-part spiling batten. The three parts can be positioned independently on the forms, so they stay between the lines you are trying to spile without any edge setting. Just tack them into place on the forms, and then splice them together with gussets made from small pieces of luan.

 
Photo 2: Plywood gusset epoxied in place
photo jalmberg

Lesson 3: Simplify the stem rabbet as much as possible, and then cut it! After spiling the hood end (the part that fits into the stem rabbet) of the garboard the first time, I realized that the rabbet along that short segment of the garboard plank was nearly a straight line. I decided to make life easier for myself and pretend it was a straight line.  

In other words, I decided to turn that curving stem rabbet into 4 straight line segments, one for each plank. This might not be possible for a stem with a big curve in it, like the round-bottom boat in Gregs book, but Cabin Boy, and most other flat-bottom boats, have very little curve in their stem rabbet.

Turning the rabbet curve into a straight line made it easier -- and less intimidating -- to cut the rabbet, and much easier to take advantage of the next lesson...

Lesson 4: Dont even try to spile the hood end of the spiling batten. Instead, make a pattern that fits into the stem rabbet, and use that as the forward part of your spiling batten.

Since I had eliminated the curve in the stem rabbet, it was easy to cut a pattern that fit into the rabbet. I did this by cutting a piece that was close, and then trimming it until it fit.

If you look at Photo 1, above, you will see that the first part of the 3 part spiling batten is actually a pattern that fits snugly into the rabbet, and along the chine log. So, instead of spiling the hood-end of the plank, I would just trace around the pattern. Easy-peasy, and more accurate.

After learning and applying these lessons, I was able to accurately spile the garboard plank. With the spiling done right, the rest of the job was easy.


 
Unspiling onto the pattern stock
photo jalmberg

First, I unspiled my spiled points on to my pattern stock, which was also luan plywood, using the same techniques described in A Garboard Tragedy.

Cutting out the pattern with jigsaw
photo jalmberg

Then I cut out the pattern, this time trying a jig saw, rather than a bandsaw. I reasoned that a jigsaw was basically a hand-held bandsaw (not really, but pretty close), and that it was easier to maneuver the jigsaw around the sheet of plywood, rather than maneuver the plywood through the bandsaw.

Now, jigsaws dont get much respect from boat builders or wood workers in general. Im sure if I ever reach the summit of boat building, Ill probably agree. But down here in the foot hills, I must report that a jigsaw -- fitted with a narrow, fine toothed blade -- did a much better job than the bandsaw. In fact, a good enough job. See Final Lesson below for more on this subject.

 
 Trying the pattern on for size
photo jalmberg

Once the pattern was cut out, it was time for the big test... Were the lessons I learned correct? Was my spiling job good enough? Would the pattern fit onto the forms without edge setting?

Joy, oh, joy... it did. Nearly perfectly. I trimmed the hood end to fit more tightly into the stem rabbet (I had purposefully left a little extra on that end, to allow for fitting), smoothed the long edges a bit with a plane, and I had a perfect fit. No edge setting.

Did if feel good? You better believe it!

 
My first actual plank, glued and fastened
photo jalmberg

After that, it was just a matter of lying the pattern on the sheet of 1/4" Okoume marine plywood, tracing around the pattern, and cutting it out with the jigsaw.

I then bedded it onto the oak stem, chine logs, and transom with a liberal slathering of 3M 101. I will be epoxying the planks together at the laps, but am using this flexible sealant at the stem and transom because Ive heard that epoxy doesnt bond all that well with White Oak. There is much controversy over this question, and I dont have enough experience to weigh in on one side or another. The bottom line for me is that using 101 is a safe route. I know it will work.

Plus Ill get to compare the 101 bonded joints with the epoxied joints. If I notice any difference, Ill blog about them.

Update: after being towed 2000 miles up the east coast of the US, and suffering more abuse in a year than most dinghies get in a decade, neither joint ever leaked a drop. Unfortunately, 3M 101 is no longer available!

I then fastened the plank with #8 silicon bronze screws... perhaps over fastened would be a better way to put it. One things for sure, that plank isnt going to fall off.

I did make one mistake... I should have done one thing before fastening the plank on, but Ill deal with that little whoops next time. Experienced boat builders have already noticed my omission, Im sure.

Final Lesson: Dont aim for perfection on your first build.  This is a lesson I have finally learned myself. I have not seen it mentioned in any boat building book -- possibly because they are aimed at people with more wood working experience than me. Im not sure.

But there is a thread of perfectionism in the boat building culture, I think. You know the kind of boats I mean: perfect lines, masterful joinery, paint job by Michalangelo, a varnished sheer strake... the kind of boats that are celebrated on the cover of Wooden Boat magazine and displayed by their proud builders at wooden boat shows.

These boats are built by builders who have reached the top of the mountain and are brilliant. But to aim for perfection like that with your first boat is like a first time portrait painter trying to produce a masterpiece on the first go. It just aint possible! At least, not for me.

It helps, I think, for first time builders to accept the fact that we are learners, and to aim not for perfection but for the best we are capable of.

This allows one to focus on learning the core skills like lofting and spiling and cutting rabbets. Only after mastering these very difficult skills does it make sense to focus on the finer skills needed to produce a masterpiece.

Olde-time boat builders would agree, I think. They spent years as apprentices, learning their craft at the feet of masters, while building many boats. Only amateurs like me, with no wood working experience at all, would start with higher expectations. 

The boat builder that has fun, and ends up with a boat that floats, is more likely to build a second boat, and a third... gradually moving up from the foot hills, to Base Camp 1, to Base Camp 2...

I dont know if Ill ever reach the summit of the boat building mountain, but I do think the step-by-step method is the way to get there.

You can climb any mountain, as long as you climb it slow enough.


>>> Next Episode: Symmetry
Get Notified Automatically

I hope youre enjoying "The Unlikely Boat Builder" as much as I enjoy writing it. Some people have asked for a way to be notified automatically when I post new episodes. Ive figured out how to do this, so if youd like to be notified, please click on the link below. I promise Ill never spam you (and Google will have my head if I do.)

Thanks for your interest!

-- John

Get notified automatically
Read More..