"The boat just got a lot smaller"

Lots of boat stuff this time, but first, some atmospherics. I woke up to light snow, fog and low tide last week. None of which is surprising, but when they happen all at the same time (especially first light) the effect on the waterfront is striking.

Inside, there are a few more things to do before we put on the deck. First up, the knees. The big ones are located at the front of the cockpit. These are traditionally constructed knees. One piece, taken out of a piece of hackmatack with the proper grain direction (see the pre launch post from June 2009). These guys were a challenge to fit. They fit tightly against the deckbeam, the sheer clamp, the frame, and, since they are quite a bit thicker than the frame, the planking. A total of 6 faces to get right.


There is also something called a "web knee" in the center of the cockpit. This one is made out of plywood. It serves two purposes, to strengthen the boat as a knee or bulkhead would, and also to act as the center support for the seats. We think they look like toilets.


The last pieces to make before decking are for the cockpit combing, which surrounds the cockpit and helps keep the sailors dry. These pieces are 14' x 8" x 3/4" oak which takes a big bend and twist at the front. So we'll need to steam them. They will not be installed until after the deck is on, but right now we have a lot of things to clamp to which will be covered by the deck. So we set up a bending jig right on the boat (note the carlin is the back 1/2 of the bending jig). . .


Gather a bunch of friends. . .


And voila! The next morning we can take of the clamps. Since these pieces (we did 2 separate steamings to avoid conflict at the front where the 2 combing pieces come together) won't be used for a week or so, we'll clamp them to the bench with some blocking and tensioning devices which will help them keep their general shape until we can get them permanently installed.


While the combings pieces were the last pieces to make, the last thing to do before decking is fair the top of the boat. We aimed to have all the deckbeams and blocking be a little proud of the final deck location. This way, we can put the camber gauge on a beam or a block, see where it hits, shave off a little wood, and repeat until the camber gauge sits nicely across the boat. The one rule is that you can't shave off the sides of the boat, the all important sheer line. This keeps the boat fair going fore to aft as well as side to side. A few places we had a gap in the center of the boat when the camber gauge was resting on the edge. In that case, the deck beams were too small (or we were too aggressive in our planing) and a little shim is required (see the foreground of this picture).


Once we are satisfied the plywood will lie fair on the beams and blocking, it is time for the deck, which is extraordinarily simple after all those fussy knees and bulkheads. You just lie the plywood on the boat, have someone sit on it, and mark out the edges of the boat, the cockpit, the blocking, and the beams from underneath. We can trim it later, so we don't even have the cut out the pieces all that accurately.

The deck will be built of 3 layers. 2 layers of 1/4" plywood covered by a coat of Dynel wet out with epoxy. The Dynel is the petroleum age version of canvas. Very non-traditional. One might ask after all that plank on frame stuff why switch to a more modern construction method? Turns out traditionally build decks simply do not last that long. They leak and cause problems with all those pieces we just installed (deckbeams, blockings, etc. . . ) Since these leaks are invariably fresh water in tight spaces, they lead to rot. So the decks often become the place of compromise for even the most fervent traditionalists who scoff at the idea of a cold-molded boat being called a wooden boat.

Back to the first layer of decking. This layer will be temporarily screwed down while a flexible marine glue (we use sikaflex) sets up. First we paint the bottom of the deck (much easier now than later, especially in the watertight compartments fore and aft). Remember how we scribed off where the deckbeams were? These marks allow us to tape off the deck support locations so we have a good glue surface (which paint is not).


And now some before and after pics, which caused our instructor Kevin to give me the title for this weeks post. . .

Getting ready for the deck

Seems like I get to do something new everyday now. Instead of planking for, say, 2 or 3 months on end, now each piece of the boat takes a day or so. Even the parts which take a few days, like the carlins or bulkheads, take a different step each day rather than doing the same thing over and over. All in all, good fun. Every morning I wake up excited thinking about what goes on next.

Last time, the deckbeams were installed. All except for those around the cockpit opening, since the deckbeams can't go all the way across the boat. Around the cockpit there is a special deckbeam, called the carlin, which goes fore and aft, held in place by little 1/2-beams. This was one of the more interesting things we've installed on the boat, so I may bore you a little with the details here. The problem is the carlin is a curve, in 3D, somewhere out in space. And of course there are 2 of them and you want them to look the same. To get them right, you need to build a new mold inside of the boat. We used 2X4s clamped across the boat onto the sheer clamp. From the plans, I then figure out how far the carlin is from the side of the boat at a few places. I can then run a batten through these points on the 2X4s


The next step is to figure out how high the carlin is. Where the batten crosses the 2X4s, we screw in some additional 2X4s going up and down. Then we place the camber gauge across the boat and mark the 2X4. (Recall the camber gauge represents the curve of the top of the deck. . . we used it to get the curvature of the deckbeams). Voila! The mark represents the location of the top inside corner of the carlin. Not only do I now know where the carlin goes, I have a mold onto which I can clamp it into place.


We can't quite get the carlin into place yet because at the front and back the deckbeams are in the way. However, we do have the proper shape, the carlin is just sitting a little bit high. Since we have the correct shape, we are able to make our marks for the fore and aft joint, getting the correct angles and length.


After we cut the joint (the carlin fits into a notch we cut into the deckbeam), now we can install the carlin. We leave it clamped up with the 2X4 mold in place until we get the 1/2-beams installed as well. Even then, we leave a little structure in place to hold the carlin down until we can get the deck on.


Although you could put the deck on now, you'd have to be a little crazy. There are a bunch of other pieces which can be installed now which would be much more difficult once the top is on.

There are watertight bulkheads fore and aft, which will prevent the boat from sinking in the case of a knockdown.


Also, plenty of blocking along the centerline to stiffen up the deckbeams and provide backing for deck hardware.


Finally, Phil spent a day fairing down the aft end of the boat, so we're getting our first view of that dead sexy raked, curved transom that was driving me crazy a few months back.


Next time, knees and cockpit combing.

But before I go, figured I'd post some other shop pictures, since the place is really humming now.

Next to the mermaid, the Haj is almost re-framed, re-planked, re-stemmed, and re-transomed. If you look closely in this picture you can see the difference in color between the planks. They replaced every other one in order to close all the gaps.



Upstairs the small boats are pretty much planked. The A&R. . .


And the Whitehall. . .


Then way, way, upstairs, the Susan Skiff factory is in full swing. There are also 3 molds downstairs, so we'll have 7 Susan Skiffs going soon. Perfect opportunity for a susan skiff race to the lighthouse and back this spring.

Computer Desk!

Not much boat stuff this time, as we've been on holiday for a few weeks. So here's a picture of the computer desk I built while in Vermont at the Shelburne Art Center. The SAC (formerly Shelburne Craft School, the name I prefer and still use since the acronym, SCS, has a nice symmetry to it and can't be pronounced "sack") is where I first learned to use a table saw and router. They are now renting out their woodworking studio space to qualified folks (i.e. people who won't chop off a finger if left alone too long) for a monthly fee. They also do classes which I can highly recommend. It's a nice place with nice people. Nicole had to work over my Christmas break in order to save up her vacation time, so it was nice to have someplace to go and something to do during the day.


I still need to build a drawer for the little monitor stand (which can be moved around), and just how annoying are all those cords?


I'm really trying to stretch this out a bit. Food always makes a good picture! We made enchiladas for our New Year's eve party.


OK, time for boat stuff. Not much to report, except, you'll notice, the inside is painted.


We've also been installing the deckbeams, which are, of course, the beams across the boat which will support the deck. The beams are notched into the sheer clamp and fit tightly to the sheer plank. These are fun to make. Too bad we have to paint them, as they look really nice since we pick wood with grain that matches the curve of the beam.

I was originally planning to start the year off by lifting the boat up and putting the keel on, but it is at such a nice height right now, we're going to keep on chugging away at the deck for awhile. All the bolts that are needed for the keel are in the cockpit anyway, so the deck won't be in the way. Next time : bulkheads and cockpit carlins. Also, we have a bunch of new folks in the shop (6 new apprenti + an intern, with 2 more interns coming soon). They've been transforming the 3rd floor of the shop. It looks good. . . just needs a few boats.

Happy Holidays!

The mermaid has been moving along nicely. The caulking and fairing were not nearly as bad as I feared (of course there could be a little bit of revisionist memory going on after a month has lapsed). It took the 4 of us about a week to fair the hull. Lots of coffee and loud gypsy punk got us through the more onerous torture boarding, and afterwords we were able to enjoy this view.


Before we painted, I got a close up shot of that scarhped stealer plank joint I promised.


While the planking was being finished off I also started hacking away at the keel and deadwood. The deadwood (the filler between the lead keel and the hull, which will complete the shape of the boat) on this boat is quite a bit more substantial than that on the twins. I cut up 5 lengths (between 2 and 6 feet long) of 4" thick oak and glue it all together. . .


One of the first jobs when we get back from break will be to carry this hunk of wood over to the bandsaw and cut it to shape. The pattern, lifted off the full size lofting, is partially visible in the background. The staggered ends of oak in the middle of this picture will be faired off into a nice curve to match the bottom of the hull and the lead keel will be placed along the bottom of the long piece of oak in the foreground of this picture. It is all connected via 3/4" bronze rod going thru floor timbers (coming soon!) all the way thru the hull, deadwood and lead.

While I was away in NYC for Thanksgiving week, the shop flipped the boat over.

We spent the next couple weeks installing the floor timbers, which tie together the frames, the keel, and the garboard. They also provide a place for the thru keel bolts I described previously. Finally, the sole (floorboard) of the boat will lie directly on the floor timbers (unlike the twins, which had special "sole timbers" which spanned the boat).

I was dreading the installation of the floor timbers since I remembered what a pain they were to riviet into the frames. The frame spacing is only 8" and you have to drill a 2 or 3" hole thru the frame and floor timber that doesn't angle down into the plank. Well a right angle drill solves the first problem (barely) but doesn't help with the second as the chuck is still too big. This $10 attachment made the job easy.

We also faired the sheer and installed the sheer clamp. The clamp is 2 pieces of douglas fir running fore and aft which stabalize the boat shape as well as provide a place for attaching deck beams.

One other thing. . . we faired the inside of the boat as well. That fancy compass plane I bought last month was just the ticket. It scrapes things up pretty good (you have to plane across the grain as the frames are in the way), but a little 30 grit sanding cleans it up nicely, and the boat ends up nice and smooth. We did sections without the plane (we only had one) and just with sandpaper, and the result was pretty bumpy.

Next step . . . breasthook and deckbeams (for starboard / port stabilization). Then we'll raise up the boat, and attach the deadwood and keel.

We had graduation on December 13th, and it was sad to say goodbye to Josh and Jamie (who I built the Twin with), Kat (who is building the Mermaid with me) and of course Martin and Tyler (who I built character with).

The last few weeks were crazy busy not only with the mermaid, but also with holiday gifts! Here is a sampling.




Just kidding. . . that last one was my favorite piece from a show at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. It was a great show, lots of strange designs done very, very well.

Finally, there was a launch. The 3 newbies (Justin, Thor, and Kelly) launched the Northshore Dory they have been building this term. It came out beautiful and rows like a dream. It's for sale, by the way.

Mermaid Planking

It has been a great couple of months. Fall was beautiful as ever in the Northeast. Nicole and I went camping and hiking in the White Mountains and western Maine (right in the middle of the drive between Rockland and Burlington) a couple times. We found some gems : Tumbledown mountain in Maine (greatest alpine swimming hole ever) and Baldface mountain in the Eastern Whites. Both were great day hikes. My parents then came out for a 1 week visit. We rented a house in Rockland and they got to tour around Maine. My mom went for her first kayak! She wants one now.

Enough of that. On to the boat building! I can't believe how fast the planking went on this boat. I was looking back at the last post and there were no planks on the mold, just frames. 2 months later, and she is done. I don't have a picture of the completed planking as I'm on a long weekend in Vermont, but Phil and Pat should be finishing up the sheer planks today.

One of the great reasons to build wooden boats is the beauty of the place you get to work. This is my typical view when I show up at the shop in the morning. The light is amazing.

Of course once everyone arrives and the noise starts and the dust flies the ideal is broken, but these little moments of perfection go a long way. Hopefully not just for the day, but for a long time to come.

I still love my bench, which is starting to look like something out of Wooden Boat Magazine. Since I didn't have to move benches after my last project, I'm definitely nesting a little more.


My plane collection is getting bigger. The #7, #5, and #4 are all Stanley Bailey Sweethearts. The shoulder plane is an old Miller's Falls with the neatest little blade adjustment I've ever seen on a plane. If you look close you can see 2 throats. The blade is currently in the aft one. The entire blade mechanism can be moved to the front of the plane. Rounding out the collection is a Lie-Nielson block plane (the most expensive and most used. . . well, maybe a close 2nd to the #5), a rough and tumble block plane I use on stuff I don't want to use the Lie-Nielson on (like epoxy) and a Stanley #90 rabbet plane.


And I bought this just to make Nate jealous. . .


Here are a few shots of the mermaid. One of the nifty things we did was stealer planks, which were done on the boats we looked at up in Sommes Sound. Since the girth of the boat is really large in the middle and really small on the ends, you end up with not only wider planks in the middle of the boat, but also more of them. There are 13 planks in the middle and 11 on the ends. Where did the 2 planks go? Well, we scarph jointed 2 planks into one about 8 feet from the ends at 2 positions. You can see this joint in 2 spots in this shot (click to enlarge). Starting from the front end, follow the 4th or 6th plank from the bottom of the picture back until you see it turned into 2 planks.

In the old days this was done with butt blocks. The planks were butted up against each other and then you would have a block on the inside of the boat that acted as a gusset to hold them together. Not very strong. Our method was more difficult, but will make for a nice strong joint. We first hung and fit the 2 planks in the middle of the boat. We then fit the 2 pieces that would join them (one aft and one forward), but left them long. Next we figured out were the scarph would be and marked our line (just like we do for turning a few boards of cedar into one long board). We then took everything off the mold, cut the scarphs, and then put everything back onto the mold for glue up. The trickiest part was the glue up. We had to be sure to tape off all the appropriate surfaces, as we can't have glue in between the planks or the planks and the frames (or worst of all, the planks/frames/mold). Once the glue was set, we had to pop the now very long plank off one more time for clean up and then we did the final fitting onto the mold. It looks pretty hot now that I've faired these in. I'll get a close up shot for next time.


In our spare time, we've also been doing the lead pour. This keel is more difficult than the one for the twins. While it is a little smaller (930 lbs. vs. 1400 lbs for the twins), the shape is a little more complex. Phil and Pat ended up lofting the mold shape every 1 1/2" (the width of a 2X4) and cut out about 2 dozen 2X4s to shape, stacked them on end, faired them out and then put the 2 sides together. Just like last time, we then lined the mold with masonite and ceramic paper.

The set up


And the result

Note that the thickness of this keel changes from top to bottom and front to aft.

Almost everything went perfect with this lead pour. The only thing I forgot was to break the fall of the lead where it lands in the mold, as all that hot, heavy lead damaged the cermaic paper lining. So there is some paper in the keel, but it was a pretty easy fix. You just throw some copper nails in to attach the lead pieces on either side of the paper (which are really already attached at some other point in the keel), dig out as much paper as you can, and then fill the seam with some epoxy. Once this thing is painted, you'll never know.

Next step, fair the boat. . . including bunging the 2000 or so screw holes and caulking 700 feet of plank seam.

The Twin Sails! and I found a mermaid. . .

So here is the story with the Twin. We launched her in June as the world's largest, clumsiest 4 person rowboat. It really does not row all that well. That's ok, she's a sailboat, not "one of those outward bound boats" everyone keeps asking us about. Over the next couple months we got mast partners installed, carbon fiber masts arrived, sails arrived, and finally, we broke down and made sprits and boom since we have no idea when the carbon fiber versions will arrive.

Big day arrives, the boat is rigged and our patron (Frank Blair, who commissioned the boats) is in town. The plan is to sail the boat to the Maine Homes, Boats, and Harbor show. Everything is perfect. A 10 - 12 knot breeze, a sunny day, and the boat sails away from the dock. Beautiful, until we haul in the mainsail to start pointing upwind and the gromet that holds the mainsheet to the sail blows out. Oh well. As they say, you get what you pay for, and the sails were donated.

Well, a month later, we got her sailing again. Not a great day for pictures since the wind was light, but I've sailed her in a good breeze and it is a blast.





Hopefully next week we'll do a little trip out to the islands on this beauty.

Meanwhile, we found a mermaid. If you remember, this boat was designed and built locally, about a 2 hour drive away. We called up the boatyard and it turned out they had 2 in the harbor and 3 on the hard, so we got to go inspect some boats. The blue and red boats are the mermaids.

Here is one we got to inspect up close, which was very helpful since the instructions, while better than what we had for the twins, still lack some of the detail we need.

We are making steady progress. Last time the boat was just a group of molds and a keel. Next step was to put in ribbands. These are all notched into the molds (beveled notches no less) by hand. About 350 notches. Again, these are not part of the final boat. They just provide support for the frames.

Finally. . . some real pieces for the boat. We can now bend the frames around the outside of the mold. This is a lot easier than bending them into the inside of the boat (as we did on the twins).


We did end up breaking a lot of frames though. This boat has a lot of twist in the back. Not only do the frames get bent over the curve up and down, you also need to bend them front to back to keep them perpendicular to the keel. Unless you have perfect grain, they tend to crack. We did the first 60 or so frames without breaking any. We did the back of the boat last and ended up breaking one or two frames for each one we successfully installed. But we made it. . .


The last piece we need before planking is the transom (back of the boat). This is a curved, raked transom. It is the hardest type to build. We are making it a little bit easier by carving out the curve rather than bending it to a mold, but it is still pretty tricky. It is even trickier when you do the patterns incorrectly. Here is a good picture. The left side of the transom is carved out to the patterns I took off the lofting board. The right side is after I carved away enough wood to get it to actually fit onto the boat. It took all day to get it right. It took all night to figure out how I was so far off. The lofting is drawn to the outside of the planking. The transom is located on the inside of the planking. Since the transom is raked (at an angle) this translates to a large error, as you can see.