Another Week Gone By...?

I swear I do not know where the time goes!

The four bulkheads are framed. Most of the bevels have been cut but there are two waiting for me.

The transom has been cut to shape and one side coated with epoxy. I will do the second side tomorrow. The transom does present a bit of a dilemma. The two sides of the plywood react differently to epoxy: one side finishes with a rich dark color while the other side is more of a golden honey. Since I want the interior to have the darker finish I plan to paint the exterior side of the transom when I paint the rest of the hull. This should show off the rudder box which will be the dark bright finish.

The rudder box and tiller are being assembled this weekend. Of course I jumped ahead of the instructions but the step I skipped can be completed at a later point.

My plan to take the completed hull to Timothy Lake may not come to fruition. I am considering how I can purchase the materials needed and find the space required to do the assembly. I need four sheets of plywood, several more WRC planks, and epoxy with hardener - and that does not address paint or materials for oars. I will see how August shapes up. I may pick up the plywood and take it up to Ed's to use his garage floor to layout the hull panels. I may be able to get a lot closer to finished than I am right now, but whether it will be ready to take to Oregon in September is doubtful.

Oars are another piece of equipment I assumed I would purchase. A few months ago I would have very strongly argued that making oars is beyond my ability. That was then, this is now. Having read several items - articles on-line, articles in books, and on-line threads/posts - I am convinced I can make my own set of oars!

Yesterday I found a possible work site and if I were ready to assemble the hull right now I would have jumped on the opportunity. A small industrial area in North Highlands has space available a 12' x 20' space (with an 8'x 12' office 'nook') rents month to month for $245 a month; a 10' x 40' space is available for $195 a month - but it only has walk-through doors so the configuration probably would not work for getting a boat out of the space. I found this place on Craigslist and copied the contact information for future reference.

The lower level of Katherine's place might work, too.

Another possibility might be Susan's garage when she goes to Hawaii in late August.

And yet another possibility is my own place! It may be possible to use the living room diagonal for the needed space. This would be a very last resort but potentially workable.

I may be able to begin cutting the scarf joints for the inwales this week. I can glue up two of the three pieces needed to make the proper length for the inwales, but will have to wait to see where the hull will be built. If I need to transport the inwales, 12' lengths are much more manageable than 18' ones.

Bulkheads

The last couple of days have been spent coating the bulkheads with epoxy. Using a method called wet-on-wet, the bulkheads received the first coat of epoxy around 11:00 AM Friday morning. The second coat was applied approximately 5 hours later once the first coat had become tacky. The third coat went on about 5 hours later and was allowed to set until the next day.

The same procedure was then used to coat the second side of each bulkhead.



The blue masking tape marks off the area to be epoxied. Framing will be glued to the areas under the tape.

The different colors (light and dark) show the difference between the two sides of the plywood. I will need to pay attention to this characteristic when laying out the bottom and side panels. I'll want them all the same - and preferably the darker side as it shows the wood grain pattern more than the lighter side. I also think the a darker interior will contrast nicely with my intended hull color - yellow.

I will use today to fit the framing.

Time to Focus

I have decided to attend the COOTS' Messabout in mid-September at Timothy Lake in Oregon. COOTS is a loosely organized club of small boat builders and sailors in Oregon. A messabout is a gathering of folks for a weekend of camping, boating (most attendees have small, generally homemade boats), and camaraderie. I was thinking of going for the camping but when I learned last weekend that Michael Storer, the Australian designer of the Goat Island Skiff, is planning to attend the event, I decided I am definitely going!

One of the COOTS asked me, only half-seriously, if I planned to bring my Goat to the messabout. My initial reaction was, "No. There is no way I can have it completed by mid-September." But over the course of several days of thinking and several late nights reviewing the plans, I decided I could possibly complete the boat to a rowing configuration in time. It wouldn't have the mast, yards, sail or rigging, but it could be launched and rowed! After another day of thinking about it, I decided to focus on the boat and do what it takes to complete the boat in time for the Timothy Lake Messabout the weekend of September 18-20, 2009.

Making Sawdust Again!

With the plywood home last week and a mandatory day off (Furlough Friday on Friday I checked with Ed Armstrong about using his shop to mill some WRC for the bulkhead frames. It looked like Ed wouldn't be available until the following week, so I set about working on Katherine's kitchen work table. But on Friday Ed let me know his plans had changed so we arranged to spend Saturday milling some lumber. I went out an bought two 5/4" x 12" x 6' planks of WRC. Saturday we cut up those two planks, talked about boat building, grilled some steaks and enjoyed a rare July rain shower.

Sunday I finished (well, nearly finished) Katherine's work table but couldn't figure out where to put it. I also couldn't figure out where I was going to put the plywood so I could cut parts out of it. The living room got rearranged and I can now work on the plywood on the table!





Of course, there is no room to sit in the room, but this is temporary!

So I am making sawdust - cutting out the four bulkheads and the framing for them. I plan to have the bulkheads and transom cut out and ready for pre-coating with epoxy by Friday.

An exciting bit of news over the weekend may be motivation enough to push to get the boat built by mid-September. Michael Storer is visiting the States and will be attending the Timothy Lake Messabout in Oregon in September. I definitely plan to attend, but it would be very exciting if the boat were ready to be launched that weekend. Now, that may mean it gets launched in a row-only mode, but that is fine. I just need to get cracking on it!

Back At It!

It wasn't really a lost week, it only seemed like it around Wednesday...

I was able to get the plywood home on Monday afternoon. Storing it was a bit interesting but sliding it up against the wall behind the recliners seems to work well. Where and how I will be able to work on it is another matter altogether.

Ed and I arranged for me to visit him next Saturday, but then his plans changed so we were able to mill a couple of 5/4" x 12 x 6 planks of WRC into the sizes I need for the framing. Using the band saw and planer to craft what is needed is a real treat. The smell of fresh cut wood is quite pleasant, too. As a bonus, we had a brief - and pretty rare - rain shower to complement the aroma of fresh cut wood. Over dinner we talked about other boats to build (strange, I know...). I told Ed I'd be interested in a glued lapstrake build but I wanted something "different" (in terms of purpose and use) from the Goat. He suggested one of Iain Oughtred's canoes, and thinking about it, that is an excellent idea. I could car-top it for camping, and either one of them (Wee Rob or the MacGregor) could be outfitted with a sailing rig.

Later in the evening I exchanged posts with David G about the Timothy Lake Messabout in September. He asked if my Goat would be ready or if I was just going to come up to crew for someone. I offered that having the boat done by September would be terribly ambitious... but then I thought, maybe, if everything fell into place, I could have it done and ready to row by September. That may have been the beer thinking, but if I get a move on, it may be possible...

I assembled Katherine's table today - and used it to cut the first bulkhead blank from the plywood. I had to move the recliners and end table over against the book cases to create just enough room for the table to hold the full sheet of plywood. Of course, I cannot use the living room for any "living" right now, but that's okay.

My plan for the rest of the week is to cut out one bulkhead a day. On Friday I will epoxy the bulkheads and prepare to glue the framing. Bulkhead #3 is cut out.

Redirected progress

After ordering the plywood on Thursday, and realizing I can pick it up at the wholesaler (rather than wait a week or two for it to be delivered to Hughes Hardwoods), I spent Thursday afternoon adapting the Jeep's roof rack as a plywood carrier. First thing Friday morning I drive over to Capitol Plywood - only to discover they observed the 4th of July holiday on the 3rd! The plywood will have to wait until Monday.

This two (or three) day delay offers the opportunity to catch up on cleaning the work space and studying the boat plans for the details on the bulkheads. So, maybe with a glass of iced tea in hand and classic rock on the radio, I will review the plans and prepare for building the bulkheads, tiller and rudder box, centerboard case, and transom this month.

I gave some thought to deviating from the plans a bit... The plans specify 19 mm (3/4") stock for the bulkhead framing. WRC comes in either 16 mm (5/8") or 25 mm (1"). To save a trip up to Ed's for milling the stock I have three options. Use the 16 mm or 25 mm stock as is, or find a source of 3/4" stock. Of course, none of these options saves me a trip up the hill as I still need to cut the lumber to the proper width for the framing. If I am already doing that, I may as well run the 25 mm stock through the planer. This does waste quite a bit of material.

While the 16 mm stock would probably be strong enough, the bevels specified in the plans would be difficult to extrapolate and would, in all likelihood, result in the measurements being "off" enough.

Indirect progress...

I am supposed to be in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada (Georgian Bay) this week. But I'm not... I didn't realize it until it was too late, but as of June 1, U.S. citizens need a passport for travel outside the United States. Used to be you could visit Canada and Mexico without much more than slowing down at the border. I understand I could have gone to Canada with a birth certificate and a driver's license - the tricky part was going to be returning to the States. My brother-in-law suggested just going and taking the chance of being delayed upon our return... With on-line tales of such delays running into days, I decided I'm not that big of a risk-taker. So, here I am taking two "consolation" days off work and making progress.

Best surprise of the day - okoume plywood for $66 a sheet, right here in Sacramento.

Biggest surprise of the day - got that price at Hughes Hardwoods. Some may remember the exchange Rick and I had recently re the price of okoume plywood here in Northern California. Hughes quoted Rick a price of $93 a sheet over the phone. Rick found another supplier (much closer to his home) and bought his plywood for a much better price.

I was out running errands this morning and decided to stop at Hughes to see what hardwood they have in stock. I asked for a quote on the okoume ply. When the guy told me "Sixty something" off the top of his head, I asked if he could be more specific. He called the wholesaler (Hughes does not stock 6mm okoume), and got a price of $66 per sheet. I asked him to double-check because I had been quoted a much higher price. He called back and verified the price. I ordered 2 sheets (California's budget woes directly impact my budget - I work for the state). After I paid for the order, I told the guy I had been quoted $93 a sheet. He said he could charge that, but nobody would pay it...

Second best surprise of the day - I don't have to wait for the ply to be delivered to Hughes. I can pick it up at the wholesaler - and be able to pick my own sheets. As a bonus, the wholesaler is much closer to home than Hughes!) I'm picking the plywood up first thing in the morning - I had to cobble together an appendage to my Jeep's roof rack so I can cart the plywood home.

I plan to get started on the bulkheads this weekend!