Learning a Lesson...or Two

It has been almost two months since my last Blog update.  I haven't been ignoring it, I just feel like I haven't really accomplished anything substantial.  The first few steps of building my boat have gone very slow even though I work on it three or four nights a week. 

 

The first step is to somehow transfer the shapes for the frame pieces from the drawing to the wood.  At first I thought I could lay some white paper over the plans, and copy the lines.  Clearly that was a terrible idea.  Then I decided to buy some carbon transfer paper and put it under the plans and trace the lines directly on the wood.  I was able to trace out the Breast hook, the Stem, the Transom and the Transom Knee onto a sheet of ¾” exterior grade ply.    Each shape needs two lamination's, so I cut out two shapes of each with a jig-saw and screwed them together. 

Angle in my Oak

The rest of the frame pieces need to be made from something stronger than ¾” ply.  For these pieces I have decided to use White Oak.  It is very strong and relatively rot resistant.   I traced out the pattern for the first of three frames onto my Oak and made my first few cuts with the jig-saw.  Very quickly I realized that I would not be able to complete the frames in this manner.  Because the Oak is much stronger than the ply, it bends the weak blade.   The cuts in the frames need to be square as the Battens and the Keel run perpendicular to the frame.  Even a small angle can produce a large gap at the other end of the boat.  Back to the drawing board.

1/4" Ply Pieces

I still need the flexibility of a jig-saw in order to cut the shapes.   But I can't cut into hardwood.  This is a problem.  However, I came up with a pretty good solution.  I decided to re-trace all of the hardwood pieces onto a sheet of 1/4" ply.  The 1/4" ply  is very easy to cut with very little flex in the jig-saw blade.  I attached the ply pieces to the Oak and put it onto the router table.  I bought a 1" carbide flush-trim bit to act as a cutter that will follow the shape of the ply pattern.  I am very happy with the results, however, I have added a few hours of work per frame.  I have finished the Transom pieces, and part of the first frame.  I need to buy some more wood to finish the rest.  Hopefully I will be able to finish routing out the rest of the frames this week.  Then I can move on to building the form that the boat will rest upon while I assemble it.

Transom - 3/4 ply framed with Oak

Why a boat?

The inspiration to build a boat out of wood has come from spending so much time at Lindsay’s family Cottage on the Trent Severn Waterway.  I am always awe struck when I come across a classic looking boat.  I love the way the urethane wood glistens in the sunlight.  I love the curves of a wood boat and the look of the shining stainless-steel hardware against the background of a Mahogany coloured deck.  My dream boat is a 25 ft. Chris Craft Barrel Back, much like the one in the photo.  I want to build one myself; but it turns out I do not really have any idea how to build one. 

A very close family member of mine always reminds me that I can only achieve in proportion to what I attempt.  Some people set goals of learning how to bake muffins, or finish a book they started, and feel dissatisfied when they finish because their goals were mediocre.   I am going to achieve my dream of building a boat because I am setting the bar high.    

I am going to learn the concepts of building a boat before I tackle a 25 ft. boat.  To do this, I have settled on building a “small” boat.  The design is the “Squirt” from the Glen L Marine Company.  The Squirt is a 10ft runabout with room for two.   It is made on a Douglas fir frame with marine ply forming the hull and sides.   The top decking will be two-toned Mahogany strip planking.  The boat can support up to a 25HP short-shaft motor (no jokes…. please), but is designed for about 10HP.  I will be making some small modifications, mostly just extending the boat by 1 ft. to add a little more leg room for the passengers.

I estimate that this project will take about 300 hours.  I know that I am super busy, but I am going to make it a priority.  I would like to have the boat complete by the end of Summer 2012.