Big push

Last week, Mikey came into town and we got a lot of work done. After having done a lot of prep work, I was ready to get the frames, centerboard trunk and transom mounted on the jig. We got all that done - the photographic evidence is below.

We secured the frames in place by sandwiching them between cleats which we screwed into the upper spreaders, and then we screwed through the cleats and into the center plywood portions of the frames. This should allow them to take the pressures that will come when the chine and sheer are placed and faired. We managed to get the centerboard trunk and frames # 2 and #3 in place without much of a problem, relatively speaking. The strap clamps really came in handy for that. The transom is currently clamped in place, but will be further secured once the keel gets glued and screwed in its final position.

So after getting all that done, we pre-beveled the keel (an arduous yet relatively smooth task, thanks largely to Mikey's willingness to get showered with mahogany dust) and cut a slot for the centerboard trunk. Once we traced the slot, we cut out the majority of it with the jigsaw (unfortunately I undercut it in the center on one side) and Mikey removed the rest of the material with his finish router. Once we did that, we put it in the steamer. The steamer was made from two 10' sections of 6" PVC, a 5-gallon gas can (holding the water) and a turkey fryer. The gas can was connected to the PVC with 1.25" flexible hose, and there's a 3/8" vent in the far end. The water is heated with the turkey fryer. (More importantly, now we've got a turkey fryer!) We steamed the keel for about an hour, which was sufficient, as the keel was pretty damn flexible to begin with. Here's what the steamer looked like:

















After steaming it, we put it in place and clamped it down. Unfortunately there's a small crack extending from the forward port corner of the centerboard trunk slot, but Tom has assured me that it can be treated with epoxy. He properly reminded me that glue will make a boatbuilder out of anyone. Thank god. Here's what the whole thing looks like at this point (sorry for the slanty picture):

















The next step is to glue and screw the keel in place. Maybe I can get Vince to help me this Sunday. Finally, here's a pic of me and Mikey. Thanks for the help Mikey - we got a lot of stuff done.

















For those interested in food and beverage, we indulged in a bit of seasonal beer - a sixer of Leinie's Oktoberfest, which I would NOT recommend. (The first Leinie's beer I haven't really liked.) We also polished off some Sam Adams Oktoberfest, which was good as always. We smoked a couple slabs of baby back ribs in the smoker, and they turned out really well. I want to try them again with a lower temperature and a different kind of wood. (I used hickory and mesquite because that's all I've got, but they are both too harsh for pork in my opinion, esp. the mesquite. Not that I'm telling you something you don't already know.) Jen was kind enough to make us some mac & cheese and blue chip sandwiches for lunch. Good stuff.

Book re. wooden boatbuilding

Just finished Wooden Boats by Michael Ruhlman. From the minutiae file: 1.) Ruhlman lives in Cleveland Heights 2.) Mikey, he is the co-author of the charcuterie book.

This was an engaging book that tells the story of a boat shop in Martha's Vineyard. It also is a sometimes preachy diatribe against the plasticization and impermanence of modern western culture. I would raise more of a fuss about this preaching, but he happens to be right. The last several pages of the book offer a poignant summary of his view. This book is also the justification I need to build my next boat using the plank-on-frame method, assuming we move to a place with a big enough workspace to accommodate it.

Progress Pics

Hey, we were in Toronto last week so I haven't done much work lately. This weekend, though, I had a chance to finish up the frames and do some more work on the centerboard trunk. Before we left, I had filled the gaps in the frames and centerboard trunk sides that arose from my general inexperience with epoxy. Yesterday and today, I filed/sanded the filler so that it looked OK and wouldn't create any problems for sailors. In the next week or two, I'm hoping to finish up some miscellaneous tasks. Looks like Mikey might make it here some time in late September/early October so we can place the frames/centerboard trunk and steam bend the keel.

Here are the frames in their finished state:

















Here are the centerboard trunk sides and centerboard:

Centerboard

So, the centerboard (as detailed in the plans) can be handled in a few different ways. For mine, I did this: I built it from three 1/4" plys. The center ply has a 12" x 12" hole in the middle of it (well, toward the bottom), which now holds a 12" x 12" x 1/4" slab of lead. I ordered the slab of lead here. I did not eat any of the lead.

I am using lead because Jack from the Wooden Boat Shop suggested it. He suggested it because of its unwillingness to rust. Jack is the man. Plus he has a kick-ass shop that you should visit if you're in the Nati.

I used West System 406 colloidal silica filler tonight to fill some small gaps in the frames. First time I have used epoxy for gap-filling. I'll need to go back and sand the areas fair, but overall it was a pretty clean and easy method, at least for these small gaps.

Epoxy

"Epoxy can make a boatbuilder out of anyone." - Tom Hyslop

Thank god. I picked up a 9" disc/6" belt sander recently, and prompty turned a straight 1" piece of mahogany (the centerboard cap cleat, AFTER it was epoxied to the case side) into something that more properly belongs in a Picasso. Oh well. That's what epoxy is for. It won't look pretty, but a little treatment with thickened epoxy will make the joint watertight, and that's the goal at the end of the day. Besides, the area will be tucked under the trunk cap, so it won't be seen. At least that's what I tell myself.

For those building her: Based on a comment I read on the Glen-L forum, I made a couple changes to the centerboard case. The changes are being made in response to a builder who noticed that, over time, the case sides began to warp, causing the centerboard to seize in the case (e.g. not deploy completely). So I did a couple things: 1.) use 3/8" plywood rather than 1/4" for the sides, and 2.) run diagonal braces on either side of the case. The "high" side of the diagonals are at the aft end of the case; it is through these braces that I will drill a hole for a pin that will be used to hold the centerboard in the "up" position when not in use. FYI, I am using 2.5" x 1" mahogany for the braces; I had really screwed up a couple cuts and ended up with some expensive scrapwood which I then ripped to width and used for the braces.

The change in width of the centerboard case concerns me slightly, because it will require an accompanying increase in the width of the void that needs to be cut into the keel to accommodate it. However, I am simply going to go with blind faith here. Blind faith and a TON of epoxy.

A change in plans

Well, Mikey D was going to visit us this weekend and help begin some assembly, but Owen's been sick so he wisely decided better of the trip. I think it will be a blessing in disguise, based on the couple hours of work I put in tonight. I would not have been ready for him this weekend. So hopefully he can make it down in the near future, and we'll get the frames, centerboard trunk, keel, stem and breasthook (and maybe transom) laid down. In the meantime I'll be working on all those things, and will hopefully be ready when Mikey can come down here.

On a completely unrelated note, Leinies Summer Shandy rules. That is, if you like wheat beer. And I do.

Frame # 1

OK, so here's frame # 1. This is the second time I had used epoxy, and I didn't do a very neat job. I discovered very quickly that when using epoxy, it's important to be absolutely prepared before you mix the resin & hardener. Also, you must remain calm if (when) things don't turn out exactly as you would expect.

I'm going to try and sand some of the places where the epoxy spilled over into visible areas (e.g. when it got to where it didn't belong). Not sure if it matters, but I'm anal enough that it would make me feel better if it were gone. I'm not expecting this boat to be a masterpiece when it's done. The goal with this thing is to build a sailboat that floats and sails, and have some fun doing it. However, I'd like it to appear that I have SOME idea of what I'm doing.

Garage updates

Our garage wasn't designed for woodworking, boatbuilding or cars. (Jen's car won't fit in there!) Dad came down one weekend and we made some updates. Without this extra storage space and accessibility, it's unlikely I'd be able to do anything really productive in there.

The form

The boat is built on a form, which basically serves as a foundation for the boat. The boat is built from the inside out, and as you might imagine, it's not very strong starting out. So the form serves to provide strength to the fledgling boat. The form, if properly constructed (which this was!), also serves as a perfectly level reference upon which the boat can be built.

The picture that follow illustrate, in no uncertain terms, the ridiculously small space in which this boat is being built. One of the trade-offs in living in an old house in a quasi-urban area.

The difference in tone between the bottom and the top of the form is due to the fact that I encapsulated the bottom of the form with epoxy (West epoxy, FYI). This was done because our garage occasionally takes on water, and the epoxy will protect the wood from the water.

About the boat

The boat I'm building is a 14' sloop, using plans I purchased through Glen-L.

Here's information on the specific boat, including pictures.

Introduction

This is the story of my sailboat. I'm building a 14' sloop from plans by Glen-L. I'll try to keep this as up-to-date as possible so you can follow along on this journey.