Hull Panels

I've begun lofting the dimensions of the hull panels onto the plywood.

The process is fairly straight forward: mark off the stations at 300mm apart, check the dimension on the plan, mark the right dimension for each station, double check the marks, "connect the dots" as it were...



One issue I need to deal with is not having enough room to lay out two sheets of plywood edge to edge in order to lay out an entire side at once. This is a wrinkle I hadn't thought much about until now... The solution is to accurately measure the 300mm between stations 8 and 9. I could take everything over my daughter's and work on it there, but I want to get as much done here before cluttering her place.

The plan is to get the hull panels cut out and coated with epoxy before taking them to the assembly site.

...after a bit of work...

I thought I could cut one aft panel and one forward panel from one sheet... and eventually I will... but I've decided to cut the aft panel I've got drawn, and then go on to the second sheet of ply to draw and cut the forward panel. Once those are cut out I will use them as patterns for the second set.

The first panel is drawn on the ply but I am not going to cut it out this evening. This is one of those situations where patience is important - and I already found a 5mm error I made in marking one of the stations (six months ago I would have scoffed at something as trivial as a 5mm error - less than 1/4" - but that mark was so far off the fair line I just had to check - and found the 5mm error; no more scoffing). The lines look good now, but I'll recheck the marks tomorrow before cutting.

Saturday

I finished up the saw horses - and learned something along the way.

Yesterday my new cordless screw driver struggled with 3" screws unless I drilled pilot holes. It was fine with 2" screws but those seemed to be too short for securely holding 2x4s together. Decided last night to get some 2 1/2" screws for the second saw horse.

I went to the nearby hardware store and was surprised that they did not have any deck screws with a Phillips head configuration. They did have screws with a Lox head which seemed to be what was described in a Storer forum thread earlier in the week. I, of course, discounted the square drive described as a "new fangled" contraption... Well, today I bought these screws with the Lox drive (a driver bit came with the screws). I am now convinced... this is a much better system that the Phillips head. The driver did not struggle at all with these screws and I did not have to use pilot holes.

That was the good news.

The bad news? My mast is going to cost more than $16.

The "primed spruce facia" available for $4 a board seemed like a bargain. A friend wondered about the quality of the wood beneath the primer, so I bought a single board to find out. Using the new ROS (it worked well) I removed the primer (paint not stain) to find two issues. First, small knots pretty well spread throughout the piece. Not a lot, and I could work around them.



The second issue is, however, a deal breaker as far as the mast is concerned. I noticed very straight and very fine lines across the width of the board with different grain patterns on either side of the lines. Uh oh... I took the block plane to the edge of the board to find this:



I counted 12 finger joints in the samples I brought home yesterday (it was a single 16' piece cut in half to make it easy to transport). The actual wood material is really nice but that many finger joints makes it unsuitable for the mast. I may be able to use it for the chine logs (different loads and stresses). I could probably use it for the gunwales, too, but the finger joints would be a visual distraction.

Work continues. I am marking out the hull panels on the plywood today, and expect to cut them tomorrow.

Underway As Before

After several weeks of very limited progress, I am moving forward again!

Today was a fun day. I bought the 4 sheets of plywood that will become the hull panels over the next couple of days. It is always fun to spend money on a worthwhile project! It is also fun to pick up materials at Capital Plywood in Sacramento... they've got stacks and stacks of plywood... 8', 10' 16' lengths... the place is clean... and the guys are friendly and helpful: one of the sheets the guy brought up had a relatively minor scratch - no, I didn't want it, but before I said anything, he said he'd be right back with a better sheet. I liked that.

I brought the plywood home and then headed to Builders Surplus for some indirectly related boat stuff. I wanted 9 pieces of 8' 2x4. Home Depot has acceptable stuff for $1.89 apiece. The guy at Builders Surplus tells me they've got 16' lengths for $2.13 each, and they'll cut it to whatever length I want. Sounds good to me, so I bought 5 of those and had them cut to 48" and 32" pieces for the saw horses. Sure, I've got some extra, but who doesn't need extra pieces of 2x4?

By the way, these 2x4s are some nice wood. I counted 18 rings per inch, and if I remember some of those WBF threads correctly, that ring count isn't too bad. Here's a pic:



I also bought a piece of 1x6x16' primed spruce "facia." I think I can use this for several parts of the boat, including the mast, but a friend questioned whether it is clear enough (few if any knots). I decided to buy a piece to see what the wood is like under the primer. From what I can see before sanding away the primer the wood looks pretty good. Mik's plans comment that some small knots are okay, and from what I can see, this is okay. I'll sand it down, take pics, and ask questions but if I can work with this material the mast will only cost $16 instead of more than $100.

The sawhorses are substantial! Reading the plans for them didn't really prepare me for how big they really are... They are a 48" long I-beam of 2x4s on legs! A pair of these ought to support the hull through assembly. Heck, at 32" tall may need to be cut down some... Maybe another set... Here's a pic of the first not-quite-completed saw horse...



Not-quite-completed as it needs some lower supports and cross supports. And, it is not-quite-completed because I now know that the drill bit is sharp enough to penetrate my finger! A little blood on the boat during construction is one thing, but blood on something like a saw horse?

Observant readers will note several details in that last pic... Boat parts against the wall in the background... My moaning chair... the requisite beer container... (the full ones are in the fridge, the empties in the recycling bin...).

Tomorrow I'll draw and cut out the hull panels. It feels good to be underway once again.

...and a Little Bit There

Still not a lot of visible progress, but lots of reviewing the plans for the building sequence. I don't think I can over-plan the assembly of the hull. Reading the experiences of other builders of the Goat and the Storer rowboat is very helpful. Hopefully, I will learn from their experiences and adapt the parts of their techniques that worked - without re-inventing the wheel.

Another builder used a method I had been contemplating - and his experience over this past weekend convinced me the method works. He used a limited number (5) of screws to hold the chine logs in place while they are clamped during the glue-up. The clamps provide the pressure needed for the gluing, but the 5 screws prevent the chine log from slip-sliding around while the clamps are set.

Also, A bit of calculating on just what I need for the chine logs, the gunwales and inwales. The bill of materials calls for 17' lengths for those six pieces (2 of each per side). Until I found Builders' Surplus, I just figured I'd be splicing short pieces to get the necessary length. But, if that "necessary" length is less than 16'I may not have to splice anything. The chine logs are definitely less than 16' long (the hull side panels, at their greatest length, are 15'6", and the chine logs are about 60 mm shorter than the side panels). The gunwales may need a splice as the bend in the sheer line may require more than 16'. Another consideration is that a longer piece provides more leverage for bending it to the shape of the hull. The inwales are likely less than 16' and, given that they fit inside the sheer line, the is no opportunity to leverage them into place. So, I am confident I can craft the chine logs, gunwales, and inwales from the 16' lengths available at Builders Surplus.

The plan for the week is to do more planning for the build process, do some cleaning/straightening, and finish up my lingering camp box makeover. Friday, I will purchase the remaining plywood I need, along with some 2x4 stock for those elusive sawhorses. Saturday, I will draw the side panels and get them cut. Sunday, I will begin coating the hull panels with epoxy to improve future maintenance of the boat.

I can feel the momentum building...

A Little Bit Here...

The random orbital sander came off the "need to buy" list today. I was running some errands and stopped at the hardware store looking for chip brushes and a drum sander accessory for the Dremel. Passed up the $75 Porter-Cable and the $69 DeWalt sanders. Decided the purchase would wait when I saw a Kawasaki 5" variable speed ROS for $29. Figured, what the heck? I looked it over, didn't see anything obviously wrong with it, so I bought one. Has a dust collector, too. Throw in a couple packs of 60 and 150 grit disks and I'm good to get back to salvaging the dagger board and rudder.

Getting Ready to Get Ready....

That seems to be an ongoing state of affairs - getting ready to get ready...

Spent a few days last week trying to figure out what's what, and what I need to do to move forward.

First thing is getting the Jeep running. Life without a car hasn't been all bad but I definitely need a vehicle. Most errands can be done on foot or bike but bringing home plywood or 16' lengths of lumber requires a vehicle. Being mechanically inept, I have asked for help. Hopefully, the Jeep will be running soon.

Second, I need materials - plywood for the hull panels, lumber for the chine logs, gunwales and inwales (not to mention the mast and oars). A bit of lumber for the transom top frame would let me finish that piece. And more in the category of tools or equipment - I need the lumber to make those sawhorses (and just how long have I been talking about those?). As noted above, I need the Jeep to chase around for the needed materials.

Third, I need some tools. I picked up a small cordless screwdriver today (waiting for it to charge so I can finish making up some screw-pads - 6mm bits of ply with a drywall screw to be used in assembling the hull). A ROS is also on the list.

Despite all this spinning of my wheels, I believe I can get things ready and in place to assemble the hull over the Thanksgiving weekend. That is the goal. Once the hull is assembled I can fit it out (mast step and partner, seats, etc.) and get it painted. My original target launch date was to be November 21. There is nothing significant about that date and as time slipped along that became an impossible date. I am now looking at February 2 as the launch date. February 2 is Karen's birthday - a much more significant date in the life of my boat.

So, while I have spent a lot of time "Getting ready to get ready..." I am looking forward to making good progress over the next few weeks.

Misellaneous Thoughts

Last week's trip to Duluth, Minnesota went well. Todd and Lindsay got married, I got to visit with family, and the cold, snowy Minnesota weather reminded me why I no longer live in the Midwest.

Heavy rains on Tuesday welcomed me back to Sacramento. I spent the week getting caught up on the pile of work waiting for me.

Yesterday I went exploring. Builders' Surplus is a discount building materials supplier. They buy "extra" stuff from builders, contractors, manufacturers and any other sources they can find. While their inventory of doors, windows, ceiling fans, and kitchen and bathroom fixtures is interesting, the best part is the lumber warehouse. Lots of stuff in there!

1"x6"x16' pine boards for $5.25 each are suitable for making my oars.

1"x6"x16' spruce boards (primed as facia) for $4.00 each will become my hollow box mast. The boards are not quite 3/4" thick and are primered, so a couple of passes through a thicknesser will remove the primer and mill the timbers to the 1/2" dimension specified in the plans.

They also have 1-1/2" diameter closet rods for $.75 per foot. A 12' length looked pretty straight, and it rolled true across the floor. This may be a good source for the yard and boom. Mik cautions against "dense hardwood" closet rods as they are too heavy and difficult to taper. I didn't ask what type of wood the rods are but I do not believe they are hardwood. I'll check closely before buying.

Seems strange that materials for the mast or the oars would cost less than the materials for the yard and boom. Heck, at the price of the spruce, I could mill and laminate a couple of blanks to craft into the yard and boom.

Several builders on the forum have been introducing their boat names and displaying nameplates. While I have long had the name (Karen Ann) picked out, I haven't given much thought to font and color, or how to apply the name to the boat. Fellow builder and forum regular Woodeneye offered some suggestions and ideas. After trying numerous fonts and colors, I think I have decided on a look I like. The font is Papyrus in bold italics:



I need to research stenciling techniques and methods.