Build a boat in 7 easy steps

David emailed me: he saw the photos in my previous post and said he’s been admiring this design for a while. But doesn’t understand the buding method.

It can’t be that difficult to explain I thought, so last night I got out pencil and paper. Here’s how it works, all fiddly detail – daggerboards etc – ignored. Obviously it would help if I could draw…

Step 1: Make a kit of parts.

The plans give dimensioned drawings of all the pieces. Mark on ply. Cut. (Actually I skipped this by buying the parts ready cut from Fyneboat Kits. I believe the same can got in other continents. I’ve done this stage before with my canoe – dull.)

Step 2: Build the jig

And set up the cross pieces at the spacing and heights specified.

Lay the bottom over…

And you have a squashed armadillo. Or if I could draw, the bottom panel nicely curved and ready for…

Step 3: Set up the other parts you cut out.

There’s lots of battens and string holding stuff in place that I’ve not drawn.

Step 4: Fix the stringers – one side done!

These sit in notches that I forgot to draw.

Step 5: Fit the planks (section view)

The planks are cut to fit. The stringers give you the shape, and something to fix them to. (Also forgot the stringer that sits on top edge of the bottom panel.)

Step 6: Fit the seat fronts and tops.

These are cut to fit. Fit planks and stringers to both sides first – not shown here.

Step 7: Fit the decking.

This forms bouyancy tanks fore and aft. The seats are tanks also.

That’s it really. Of course it’s not quite so simple: the frames and bulkheads have double thicknesses in places; the seats have framing; there’s the daggerboard case; the king and queen planks; the tunnel for the tiller lines; etc.

But hopefully this does illustrate what I see as the beautiful economy and elegance of the method:
- no redundant moulds
- most of the internal fit out is done as you go
- everything is an integral part of the strucure and the building process.

An elegant building method

Just about to fit the seats – which form the tops of the side bouyancy tanks – when I remembered I needed to treat the insides of the tanks first.

As the wood preservative is pretty smelly, and the garage has a door to the house, I took advantage of the great weather this weekend to wheel the Walkabout outside. I tend to use the interior of the boat as a tool box and storage space as the garage is rather cramped. Cleared all the stuff out and decided she’s looking so good it’s time for some photos.

One of the things I love about John Welsford’s designs is the elegant economy of the construction method: no wasteful building moulds but instead frames that not only give the boat her shape but also form the seats/ bouyancy tanks. This also means that much of the internal fit out is done along the way.

Here’s the solution to the problem I was wrestling with about how to fit the stretcher brackets: laminated from three layers of 6mm ply, and for the main stretcher, bent into position wrapped in polythene before final shaping.

With advice from the designer I’ve adapted the rowing set up so she can be rowed singlehanded – as designed – or two handed. So I’ve added additional stretchers aft – not sure how they’ll work with mizzen mast – and lengthened the main stretcher brackets fowards.

I’ll need to make adjustable stretchers, i’ve got a design in mind, but will leave that for now.

Now it’s time to fit the seat tops and crack on with the next set of planking.

North Berwick Traditional Boat Muster

I had hoped to be at this event on Saturday, but the weather was against me. Several interesting new and historic small boats were going to be there. No report from the East Lothian Yacht Club yet.

The organiser emailed me:

We did manage to run the rowing race, but it was hard work in a bit of running swell and a F5 breeze.  Two Drascombes together with Paragon and Bedouin got out for a short sail, but it was pretty wild, possibly F6 by then.  We had two reefs and the storm jib, but still managed to bury the gunnel in the green a couple of times.  Still, at least it wasn’t raining!

No place for a sailing canoe. Hope to be there in the Walkabout next year.

Opening the garage door…

…for my Walkabout to see daylight for the first time:

and for me to have more space to fit the second planks from the bottom.

This was a couple of months ago. Since then, the planks you can see have been tidied up; the stringers at the top of the planks planed down to give a flat surface for the seat tops. The remaining two top planks have have been cut, as have seat fronts and tops. Hatches for access to the bouyancy tanks have been fitted and seat fronts fitted.

I thought I was about to fit the seat tops – which would feel like real progress – but I’ve spent a while working out how to deal with the stretchers (foot rests for rowing). Making them, cutting and then neatening up is taking an age – it’s the small bits that are often so slow! One done, three more started. Then fitting them.

I’ve been waiting to have the seats all fitted before posting a photo, but have just remembered about this picture so putting it up now. Although she looks much the same, I’ve actually made a lot of progress since then – I keep telling myself!

Selkie

My other boat is a sailing canoe…

Selkie at North Berwick

Selkie is a open canoe set up for sailing within the rules of the Open Canoe Sailing Group. From memory there is only one class rule – sail area no more than 44 sq ft.

Selkie is a Waterman 16, designed by Selway Fisher, built from plywood by myself a few years back. 16 ft LOA.

I found paddling in even a light sea very hard work, so she is now set up for rowing – much easier and faster.

Back in the flow

It’s been a long time since I updated the blog. I’ve been very busy with work and any spare time has gone on building the boat, not blogging it. Anyway my plan is for the blog to be about sailing – and rowing – the Firth of Forth, not a documentary of the build.

The Firth – an estuary in Scotland – is almost on my doorstep, just a couple of hundred yards from my house in Portobello, a suburb of Edinburgh. It’s beautiful, with islands and great scenery, including Edinburgh from the sea – surely one of the great skylines of the world. They are beaches, bays and harbours to visit, and wildlife to see.

Can’t find many images of Edinburgh’s skyline from the sea – I’ll have to take some! This is from Kirkcaldy on the north side of the Firth. Image CC gordon2208

We so often feel we have to travel to experience new places. My aim is to experience my local place differently, whether it’s a couple of hours off the beach, or a day trip around some islands. There’s the potential for longer cruises both east and west, camping on the boat for a couple of nights.

That’s the plan, but I must build the boat first. A month or so back I was frustrated as I made slower progress than I’d hoped – the work became a chore as I raced to finish a job.

Now I’m getting back into the flow, taking pleasure from each task as I focus on the process and not progress towards the result. I’ve now got all but one pair of stringers on, have fitted the first pair of planks and cut the second pair. This afternoon I spent a couple of hours, the first for a few weeks, planing the edge of the first plank – to create what we boatbuilders call a faying surface. Once both sides are planed I’ll scarf and fit the missing stringers… But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Stringers and stem

If you have to make mistakes to learn, as they say, then I’m learning. I’m almost too embarrassed to post these images, but it does show that I’ve learnt I must be more careful cutting the stringers.

Exactly how I came to make such a mess, I’m not sure. I don’t think it was impatience to get on with epoxying. Rather, working with the stringers is pretty difficult as they try and spring back while I’m squashed in a corner under a shelf. Hopefully much of this can be disguised with epoxy later.

 

The stem from starboard. I’ve started to shape this side. I think the upper stringer is more successful – set back from the projecting middle sheet of the three that make up the stem.

 

And from port. Again the upper stringer is better. Perhaps I was worried about breaking the lower stringer.

Incidentally the stringers are thinner than specified – though JohnW did say it was ok.

After seeing these photos John Welsford (the designer) said:

That looks fine to me Osbert. As long as the stringer ends can be planed to be in line with the stem, and will stay where they are supposed to be until the planking is all glued in place then they are not going to be a problem.

Remember, “The mistake that cant be fixed with epoxy and some fiberglass cloth or pieces of plywood has not been born yet”

JohnW

So that’s good news!

The Case of the Daggerboard

It took me a while and lots of questions on the John Welsford Builders forum to work out how to fit the daggerboard case. That was several months ago. Today someone’s emailed me asking what I did in the end – I can’t remember the details, but I’ve taken some photos and posted them here. Not saying this is the right solution, but it’s what I did. If anyone has other thoughts, please leave a comment!

My problem was that if I cut the bottom board (to which the bottom stringers are glued) as the dimensions on the plans implied, I’d cut right through the stringer. This didn’t seem right. But apparently it is.

Here’s a photo looking aft and up from below the boat:

Click the image to go to more images, with descriptions, on flickr (See ‘The daggerboard case – (set)).

Progress of a different kind

Glorious day on Saturday – and I joined around twenty others to help clear the ground for the future Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club. 

 

The dinghy park cometh...

We have some progress

Got a bit of time in the garage over the last couple of weekends and made some progress. The sun was shining through the open door so here’s a photo:

The garage is a little cramped, but I’m managing OK so far. The building frame is on castors so I can move it and get to the other side.