SS&G No Plans Again!

[beekeeper]

Did the wood break across the panel or split length wise?
Your panel may have been stronger if the strips were parallel to the edges. I understand why you didn't and you probably would have had no issue with the way you did them if one side would have been glassed before or after you cut the panel to shape. Not knowing the exact shape you wanted may have made that impractical.
I love cedar because it is so pretty and light weight. It is brittle and not very strong. Finding clear wood is also hard. Fiberglass and epoxy can make it doable, almost required.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Did the wood break across the panel or split length wise?
Your panel may have been stronger if the strips were parallel to the edges. I understand why you didn't and you probably would have had no issue with the way you did them if one side would have been glassed before or after you cut the panel to shape. Not knowing the exact shape you wanted may have made that impractical.
I love cedar because it is so pretty and light weight. It is brittle and not very strong. Finding clear wood is also hard. Fiberglass and epoxy can make it doable, almost required.

It split length wise in relation ship to the wood strips. I think you may be on to something about the orientation of the strips. The wood seems to be more brittle than usual but I've built 9 boats with the strips parallel to the edges and NEVER broken a panel, using tight bond only. This is the third break on this project. Something else to think about.No boat work today, real life was more imkportant!
Thanks for the reply,
Andy

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Spent most of today's work on refining the tumble homes to make a good usable pattern. The were good enough to stitch up, but I wanted the ends to come together without pressure. With that done I used cardboard to pattern and cut out the TH supports for the widest point, then managed to glass both sides of the support. The supports glassed complete with holes for rod holders.

This picture is just for grins, shows the hull shape.I briefly considered putting 3 ribs in and calling it done! It would only have 6 ½ inch sides, might be iffy.

Need some progress I can see,
Andy

 

[beekeeper]

Boat is looking good. I can see the progress. You are just too close to it. You are the one who knows how much work, thoughts and time that you have invested. We all want to see it finished, but your patients will make it a better boat
I love the sales pitch used by sites that sell plans. "You can build this boat in a weekend." After a couple weeks working on one of my boats I tell my wife, "Sure has been a long weekend."

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Thanks for the encouragement. As you know this is a lot different than building from plans. More fun and good exercise for an aging brain. It's kind'a hard to keep my primary objective of making panel templates for future use a priority. Not much boat work today, most of today was spent with medical stuff. I did manage to get some work on the deck/tumble home junction, it's fun and will work out fine.
Pictures tomorrow,
Andy

 

[jdupre']

Andy, I'm like you and like to work without plans. I scrutinize every curve and line to get them to please my eye. I'll draw, erase and move a penciled curve over the width of the line to get a pleasing curve. You're doing great. The home stretch is the hardest for me too. I want it DONE.

 

[beekeeper]

Making templates/patterns can be a challenge. I would think for S&G building they would be required and should be precise. After the templates are completed, add written directions and you will have designed a boat and developed a set of plans.
Just think how much fun you will have when you want to build a different design or make some changes to this one.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Making templates/patterns can be a challenge. I would think for S&G building they would be required and should be precise. After the templates are completed, add written directions and you will have designed a boat and developed a set of plans.
Just think how much fun you will have when you want to build a different design or make some changes to this one.

Thanks to both of you Gentlemen, at least I understand the basic concepts enough I can have fun building "freehand".

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Just a little time for boat building today, still playing with the tumblehome/deck. But I’ve come to a stopping point, for a while at least. It is time for us to be back in Kansas. Joyce’s Texas oncologist is turning her treatment back to the Kansas Doctor for a while. The plan is to return to Texas in August for a scan and consultation. It will be good to be back in our little (tiny) town where we know everybody, and no traffic. We are fortunate and thankful to be able to have two places complete with love and support. The boat needs to stay here, so the next post should be in August. This picture will give you an idea of how the tumble home will terminate into the decks.

Build to be continued,

Andy

 

[Kayak Jack]

Andy, that’s a LOT of work you’ve tackled. But, it does you good to be doing it.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

It’s August already and time to work on this boat we left unfinished in Texas. I get confused because I have a very similar unfinished boat at home in Kansas.
The “cut off” tumble homes went on without much of a fuss, look a little different but do cut down the bow and stern wind signature. Thanks Beekeeper for the idea.
The decks came next, something different this time a little support along the shear for more gluing surface.

These pictures are assembled, ready to glass and then with a saturation coat.

Now ready for glass

Glassing on the decks and tumble homes.

The trademark Icthus

More to follow

 

[beekeeper]

Glad you are back posting. The boat looks very nice. I like the lines. It reminds me of some old "sneak" boats I have seen.
Stopping the tumble home panel short of the stems does give you a larger deck and shorter sides that should reduce the wind signature. I believe the tumble home sides help a lot.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Very nice, Andy!

 

[texastom]

As Big Tex would say: Welcome (back) to Texas!

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Glad you are back posting. The boat looks very nice. I like the lines. It reminds me of some old "sneak" boats I have seen.
Stopping the tumble home panel short of the stems does give you a larger deck and shorter sides that should reduce the wind signature. I believe the tumble home sides help a lot.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

Not much to show since the last post.The portable building workshop has been around 100 degrees during the day. I was concerned about bubbles in the epoxy, but was surprised with zero bubbles. The cedar is about 8 years old and very dry, I wonder if that is why I’ve no bubbles. The advantages of the heat is quick cure time, to the touch is about 4 hours, enabling me to do two fill coats a day. I prefer to tip the boat on the side so as not to epoxy vertical surfaces,but have done these sides nearly vertical in the heat, keeping the coats very light with no runs (yet). These pictures have five epoxy fill coats.
More later

 

[oldbuffpilot]

As Big Tex would say: Welcome (back) to Texas!

Thanks Tom, been a few years(maybe decades) since I've been to the Fair Grounds.

 

[oldbuffpilot]

I’m calling this one done. Still needs bow and stern handles. I’ll have to take care of handles and putting it in the water on our next trip to Texas, ran out of time on this visit. Here are the specs:
Llength 9’ 10’’
Beam 35.5 inches
Cockpit 5’10”
Flare 26 degrees
Rocker bow 1”
Rocker stern 1”
weight 23.4#
The rocker and flare changed as I built, both got smaller in small increments. I need to study that some more.The tumble homes and rails (in whales) are stouter than any boat I’ve built. No support required. One other note, the cedar strips that don't follow the lines of the boat just don’t look as good as those boats that do… If I named boats, this one would be “ugly duckling” .
I’ll finish this post with handling qualities and pictures of it on the water in December.

More in December

 

[Kayak Jack]

Well, I think it looks darned nice!

 

[oldsparkey]

That's one darn nice boat.