First Reports
First Report
Construction began on
1 10-foot x 8inch
1 10-foot x 9 inch
1 10-foot x 10 inch. And a 12-foot length of 7 inch.
This I felt was enough to get me started on building the five frames mentioned in the plans as the first stage of construction. I began by drawing full sized plans of the frames on blank wallpaper taped together to give me the size I needed. These I then used to trace measurements of the various pieces onto the oak planks. I have to say that some juggling was involved in deciding the most cost-effective use of my planks and to save expensive oak waste. You will have to study the plans for all 5 frames and decide, for instance, to place a 4 1/2 inch beam beside a 5 1/2 inch beam as the best use of your 10" plank.
The frame plans are self-explanatory and measurements easily transferred to full size using a large set square & straight edge. Remember - double-check everything!
Oak is extremely hard and power tools will have to be used. I started by using a Black & Decker Scorpion saw but this soon burnt out, although I think it was on its last legs anyhow. I have since purchased a small bench saw which rips through the oak a lot faster. You will still need a band saw or a sturdy jigsaw to deal with curves. The old adage of "Measure twice and cut once" was never more fitting, take your time and think ahead.
After cutting the 6 pieces for frame 1, and laying them on top of the full-size paper plan, I decided to bolt & glue them instead of using screws. I feel this will be much stronger in this critical 'load-bearing' section of the bow. Don't penny-pinch on glue here; use a top quality 'Waterproof' wood glue. I was fortunate to find a gallon jar of Titebond III waterproof wood glue in Watson's. Bearing in mind the plans are from the 60s, glues have moved on quite a bit since then and any top quality 'waterproof' glue would suffice. Don't be tempted to use cheaper 'weatherproof' glue, your joints will fail.
After finishing frame 1 you will be on a roll and easily build the others. Be mindful to use MARINE plywood for bulkheads & gussets even though Exterior is specified in the plans. I feel this is a false economy and resale value and confidence in the boat will suffer. Also use BRASS screws for the same reasons. Having said that, I find brass screws much too soft and they break easily. I also feel they fail to hold pieces together strongly enough. Bearing in mind I will be completely fibreglassing the hull, I may resort to much stronger plated steel screws in non-load-bearing areas, I will seek advice and let you know.
7th Sept 09
Built the the 4th frame in 2 days. It took a bit longer as measurements had to be exact on this one. As it forms the aft open deck it therefore has no top beam and as such relies heavily on it's keel beam for its rigidity until the clamp & coamings are in place. This being the case I took time to ensure the filler blocks & gussets were as strong as I could possibly make them. I'm still glad I have chosen to build these frames using the much heavier 1 1/4 inch oak instead of the 3/4 specified. This I feel will make for a much stronger boat than the plans dictate. I had to buy another 2 x 12-foot lengths of 10inch X 1 1/4 inch oak today. Hopefully this should finish all the frames, inc the transom.
9th Sept 09
I have started on the difficult transom frame today. There is no full-size paper plan required for this one as you draw the plan directly onto a very expensive 8x4 sheet of 3/4 inch marine ply - this one
11th Sept 09
Thank goodness I finished the transom today. What a job! It is now so heavy, what the 3/4 inch marine ply and the oak cross-beams. You will see the 'nibbing in' of the joints as laid out in the plans. Take your time with the transom as it is a major structural part of the boat and will have great stress placed upon it by the engine.
Just received a reply from the team at www.diy-wood-boat.com regarding the use of brass screws. Seems life will be much easier if i take care to drill the correct sized pilot holes and lubricated the screws first. I will let you know how I get on. In the meantime visit their fantastic site.
I collected my first, and largest, batch of Douglas Fir today from McGregor's. I hope it's the bulk of what I may need as I nearly fainted when I was handed the bill. Having said that, one beam was 2-inches thick X 12-inches wide and 16-feet long. The other 3 planks should see me building the whole front end of the boat.
Douglas fir is so much nicer to work with than oak. It's much easier to cut and there is a very pleasing, forest-like, aroma as the saw dust fills my shed. Once again some juggling is involved to determine the best usage of each individual plank and therefore save waste. I think I managed it okay but there was still a degree of trepidation cutting very thick & expensive timber. As with the frames, I first drew out the plan full size on wallpaper taped together. I then traced each section using carbon paper onto the required piece of timber. Each cut section was then laid onto the full size plan to ensure exact dimensions then glued & screwed together.
23rd Sept 09
The next challenge was setting up the various pieces of the stem section. As per the plan, I countersunk large brass screws into the stem knee and into the lower stem piece with glue between the joint. Then I glued & screwed the 3/4 inch ply gussets either side of the joint. I then cut the upper stem and chamfered it to 45o either side and glued & screwed it to the stem knee. On top of this I attached the breastplate knee & the breastplate. All in all this is a very substantial section and accuracy is essential in ensuring that the upper stem piece is perfectly in line with the lower stem piece, I used a straight edge and a plumb bob.
The next job was making the 2 deck plates which go from the top of the stem piece either side and back to the 2nd frame which I will be adding soon. These 2 pieces form the shape of the whole bow section. They are arced 4-inch beams of fir which are cut out of a 12-inch board; the offcut in the center forms an extension to the beam as shown on the plan. You can just make out the join in the photograph. These beams are then plated with 1/4 inch ply on one side only to add strength.
Next on the list is making the rather complicated chine bracket. As mentioned in the plan, the exact location of where the chines meet at the bow is best determined when actually fitting the chines from the stern to the bow. Therefore the chine bracket will have to be marginally adjustable up or down to a certain degree. A single 9-inch bolt allows for movement when fitting the chines and will be secured permanently when they are fitted and the hull is planked.
26th Sept 09
Today saw the initial assembly of the bow section. Thank goodness some form is at last taking place, my shed was filled with various sections resembling an Airfix kit and it comes as light relief to see it all taking shape at last.
First I laid out the stem section and attached frame 1 and frame 2 with G-clamps as a sub-assembly. I will not be glue-ing or screwing anything until I am absolutely sure each piece fits together perfectly. I then added the 2 curved deck plates, chine bracket and the 2 additional deck beams which I cut out a few days ago. At last it is all coming together in a sort of 'boat-shaped' sub-assembly. Having said that, it was rather tedious cutting out the notches for the frames & beams and ensuring they were in exactly the correct location. To my relief they were not too far off and only a small degree of cutting and planing was required to get all the parts fitting tightly together. Tomorrow I will start glue-ing and screwing this important section together.
At long last I have laid out all 5 frames, inc transom, and I can see the boat taking shape. The plans say to build a 4x2 frame on the floor but I feel it more cost-effective to build her on steady concrete blocks instead. I feel this will also be a better setup when it comes to jacking her up in preparation to the big 'turn-over'. Great care must be taken at this stage to ensure everything is level and square to each other. Diverting from the plans once again, I plan to build up the keel at this stage rather than waiting when the boat it planked and turned over. I feel it is easier at this stage and the hull will also be much stronger with its full keel in place.
Over the past few days I have been very busy making and installing the keel & oak floor beam which ties it all together. As I said earlier, I wanted to build and finish the keel before the hull is planked and turned over. I feel the hull will need to be strong come the day when we put her right side up. Many thanks to my mate James for the use of his router as I had to rabbet each side of the floor beam to take the deck boards.
I have also been busy making & fitting the chines, which run from stern to bow and form the shape of the lower hull. These are 21-foot long and had to be made up of 2 pieces butt-joined between frames 3 & 4. I cut the notches in all the frames but had to leave the forward ones until i fitted the chines to see roughly where the notches should be. Fitting the chines proved very difficult as they had to be steamed to avoid cracking due to the acute bend needed at the bow. I followed the plan and wrapped the chines in old rags and poured scalding water over them for at least 20 mins. The port one went on okay but the starboard one cracked. Mind you it was my own fault as I seem to have fitted a chine length with a flippen knot halfway down its length. No mind, I will cut another one tomorrow.
Over the past weeks I have been busy steaming and fitting the chines, side beams and clamps. While these terms may mean nothing to the layman they are very important to the overall strength and shape of the boat. I have to say the job was more difficult than i had envisaged. Bending wood to near its breaking point is a fraught process and one which I’m not afraid to say was carried out mainly with my eyes closed awaiting a mighty crack. No worries though, i used plenty of scalding water and gave it plenty of time to soften the wood. The side beams, where they meet at the bow, were supposed to be held by an rather flimsy looking aluminium bracket but I didn't like the idea of that so for ascetic reasons I made a wooden bracket like the one I used for the chines. Next I fitted the clamps, smaller lengths of wood which run from the transom to the first deck beam. These were quite easy but a lot of notch-cutting was required to get them as near perfect as I could. All in all I am well pleased with this week's work and am looking forward to planking her with marine ply in the not too distant future. But before that there is plenty of work yet to be carried out. I have to make more brackets and knees and "fair" the whole structure, a process of planing each and every beam and frame to ensure the ply will sit perfectly everywhere.
I had a busy day today building and fitting the 2 curved sheer clamps. These form the final curved shape of the gunwale from the foredeck to the stern, the shape running alongside the cabin. These pieces had to be fitted before I start planking with the plywood as I have to cut round them at that time. The plans dictate that these 2 pieces of fir should come from a 6-inch plank but I managed to find off-cuts from previous beams thereby saving me having to buy more fir, (clever Ed). I also cut and fitted the 2 braces for the forward cabin beams, these will be secured after planking. Again these were made from off-cuts I had in stock.
Yesterday I purchased 1 x 12-foot plank of 1" x 10" pitch pine to be used for the 4 floor beams. I was assured by McGregor's that pitch pine would be superior in strength to Douglas fir and, seeing that the floor needs to be as strong as I can possibly make it, I heeded their advice. My confidence in this 'load bearing' area of the boat will also be boosted by the fact that the plans specify 3/4 inch beams where I have actually fitted 1" instead.
I delivered the plank to
I have now finished all the building work on the hull frame. The last 2 pieces were the oak knees securing the forward deck beam No1. At the same time I re-made the other 2 knees attached to forward deck beam 2 as these were initially made out of fir. The plans were vague in this respect and on second thoughts I preferred the strength of oak in this area of the bow.
I am now in the process of "fairing" the framework. This means planing and sanding all beams and frames so they blend as smoothly as possible with each other. This is very important as the ply will need to fit as accurately as possible, especially in the bow section to retain the smart transition of the chine from the underside to the upper hull. I will also be sanding the inside of the frames & beams as these will be hard to reach once the hull is planked and will look better when they are painted. I envisage this sanding & 'fairing' to take at least another few weeks, then the time will be right to start fitting the marine ply planking.
After many days sanding & shaving away excess wood from the frames and beams, I now think the hull is 'faired' as best as I can get it. I feel the critical areas are the meeting points between the frames and the battens. I used a long thin piece of wood and an old scrap of 3/8 ply to lay upon the frame and check for daylight between the surfaces. Having said that, I don't feel anyone could get the faces absolutely perfect but I feel I am pretty damn close. The only area I had to laminate was along the first 18-inches of both chines at the bow. They were out by about 1/2 inch but a laminating piece attached with epoxy did the trick as I sanded it back to a perfect profile as it met the stem piece.
Yesterday my mate Jimmy and I took the trailer to Ray Graham's and purchased my first four 8x4 sheets of 3/8 inch marine ply. I have another 8 sheets ordered but won't need them for a while yet. I spent a whole day preparing the first sheet by first marking out and cutting. From underneath I traced all the beams & frames. I lifted the sheet off and drilled out all the holes required & countersunk them. It was only a matter then of glue-ing up all the frames, positioning the sheet and screwing in 153 brass screws! I can't see me doing any more than 1 sheet a day at this rate, but then, I'm in no hurry.
Today saw the fitting of the most difficult piece of the boat to date! I thought steaming the chines was difficult, but trying to bend a piece of marine ply into a shape it didn't want to be was hard work to say the least. I followed the plans and used a large piece of paper draped over the forward section then marked exactly the shape of ply I needed for this section. I then cut out this template and transferred it to the plywood and cut it out. Considering the bend involved I soaked this piece overnight in the garden. Thank goodness I did because it was relatively easy to bend but damn hard to clamp down due to the acute angles involved. It was a matter of clamping and screwing in one screw at a time! Still it was worth it, the section is now in place, fits perfectly and only needs trimmed off tomorrow. Following the plans I butt-joined all the sheets of ply with 4-inch wide 3/8 ply which will be reinforced tomorrow with other pieces of 3/8 ply glued & screwed on top giving an overall butt thickness of 3/4 inch creating a very strong joint, even before I strengthen again with glass fibre later on!!!
Today I finished fitting the other side of the forward/lower ply planking. For some reason it was much easier to fit that the first side! Maybe it was because i again soaked it overnight, but this time, placed a 25kg bag of coal on its centre in an effort at creating a permanent bend in the middle - It worked.
Next morning, when I lifted the coal off, this pre-cut section had a nice curve exactly the shape i was after. When placed on the hull I had very little bending to do as I glued and screwed it in place.
Next day I trimmed this section off and fitted the central strip which goes between both sections. As mentioned in the plans, these 2 sections cannot meet satisfactorily in the middle due to the acute angles involved. They meet on the stem piece and a narrowing strip on ply goes between them onto which is screwed the steam-bent outer keel at a later date. The plans specify 1/4 inch ply but it didn't look right so I used 3/8 ply instead - much neater, and stronger. Now this next bit is confusing unless you see it laid out in the plans. Because the first 48-inches of LOWER forward ply meets the UPPER forward ply in a near vertical plane they both have to be trimmed off to form a butt joint. The rest of the upper/lower join after this is a lap joint in that the upper sheets overlap the previously installed lower sections. All this is to ensure that lovely sharp chine line through the length of the boat as they merge towards the bow. All will be revealed when I fit the upper ply sections.
I am afraid to report that there has not been much work carried out lately. This is mainly due to the fact that it is so bloody cold here and the impending approach of xmas. The Paris Boat Show also stole me away from the shed for 5 days. Having said that, I still found plenty to do around the boat as she sits. I have 'faired' some more of the frame in preparation for the side sheets of ply. I also stole plenty of good ideas at the show, and as we speak, my mate James is re-drawing the superstructure in an effort at dragging her into the 21st century. I am trying to remain true to the 60s design of the boat, bearing in mind it was built for the sunny climes of the